© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Alexander of Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria; Credit – Wikipedia

October 23, 1636 – Birth of Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden, Regent of Sweden, wife King Karl X of Sweden, at Gottorp Castle at Schleswig, in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein
Hedwig Eleonora married King Karl X of Sweden in 1654, the day after her eighteenth birthday.  They had one son. Karl died at the age of 37 in 1660 from influenza and pneumonia, leaving his four-year-old son to succeed him as Karl XI, King of Sweden. Hedwig Eleonora was the Regent of Sweden and her son’s guardian until he reached his majority. Even after her son married Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Hedwig Eleonora remained the first lady of the court. Foreign ambassadors always paid their respects to Hedwig Eleonora first, and then to Ulrika Eleonora. After the death of her husband, Hedwig Eleonora was the dowager queen for 55 years. She survived her husband by fifty-five years and her son by eighteen years.
Unofficial Royalty: Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden

October 23, 1664 – Birth of Praskovia Feodorovna Saltykova, Tsaritsa of All Russia, wife of Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia, was born in Moscow, Russia
Praskovia Feodorovna Saltykova was the wife of Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia and the mother of Anna I, Empress of All Russia. Ivan V was physically and mentally disabled and co-reigned with his younger half-brother Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. Praskovia and Ivan had five daughters. Ivan died in 1696 at the age of 29. Praskovia had great respect for her brother-in-law Peter I and often served as the first lady, welcoming visitors to the Russian court. She understood the need for the changes Peter was making in Russia, raised her daughters, and held her court in a modern Western manner, which made her well-regarded by Peter.
Unofficial Royalty: Praskovia Feodorovna Saltykova, Tsaritsa of All Russia

October 23, 1715 – Birth of Peter II, Emperor of All Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia
In 1725, Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia died at the age of 52 from a bladder infection without naming a successor. A coup arranged by Prince Alexander Menshikov proclaimed Catherine, Peter’s second wife, the ruler of Russia. Catherine I’s reign was only two years and even before her death, it was clear that the inheritance of Peter the Great’s grandson Peter could not be denied. Menshikov began to see this during the end of Catherine I’s reign. Through his efforts, Peter was named Catherine’s heir apparent, even though Catherine had two daughters. In 1727, 43-year-old Catherine I, Empress of All Russia died of tuberculosis and 11-year-old Peter became Emperor of All Russia.  On a frigid day, Peter II attended a parade. When he returned to the palace, he had a fever that developed into smallpox.  On January 30, 1730, the delirious Peter ordered his sleigh to be readied so he could go see his sister Natalia who had died a little more than a year earlier. Fourteen-year-old Peter died a few minutes later.
Unofficial Royalty: Peter II, Emperor of Russia

October 23, 1849 – Birth of Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet, Queen Victoria’s Resident Physician 1881 – 1889 and Physician-in-Ordinary 1889 – 1901, also Physician-in-Ordinary to King Edward VII and King George V, in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Although Sir James Reid served as physician-in-ordinary to three British monarchs, his service to Queen Victoria is more well known. Over the years, Reid became not only Queen Victoria’s doctor but also her adviser and confidant. Except when he was on leave, he was always at court, and he traveled with her in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. Reid’s last service for Queen Victoria was carrying out her written instructions after her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet

October 23, 1893 – Death of Alexander of Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria from 1879 – 1886, at his home Villa Hartenau in Graz, Austria; buried at the Battenberg Mausoleum in Sofia, Bulgaria
Alexander was the son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia von Hauke. He was the brother of Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg who married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, and Prince Henry of Battenberg who married Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom. Alexander often visited Russia where his paternal aunt Marie of Hesse and by Rhine was married to Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. Bulgaria became a principality of the Ottoman Empire under the terms of the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. Alexander II proposed Alexander for the newly created throne, and he was unanimously elected as Prince of Bulgaria. After a contentious seven-year- reign, often caught between the conflicting goals of the Bulgarian politicians and the Russian Emperor, Alexander fell victim to a military coup and was forced to abdicate. In 1889, Alexander married opera singer Johanna Loisinger, at which point he assumed the title Count von Hartenau, which he used for the remainder of his life. The couple had two children. The couple lived in Graz, Austria where Alexander held a post in the Austrian Army.  He died unexpectedly at the age of 36 and was initially buried in Graz, Austria. Later, under the direction of the new Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria, his remains were returned to Bulgaria and a state funeral was held and he was buried at the newly built Battenberg Mausoleum.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander of Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria

October 23, 1897 – Death of Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg, wife of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg at Schloss Hummelshain in the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany; initially buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in Altenburg Cemetery in the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany, later her remains were moved to the Duchess Agnes Memorial Church built in Altenburg in her honor
In 1853, Agnes married the future Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and the couple had two children. A few months after their marriage Ernst’s father died and he succeeded to the throne. Agnes became very involved in charity work, particularly in the area of nursing and education. Agnes died at the family’s summer residence, Schloss Hummelshain at the age of 73.
Unofficial Royalty: Agnes of Anhalt-Dessau, Duchess of Saxe-Altenburg

October 23, 1991 – Birth of Mako Komuro, formerly Princess Mako of Akishino, daughter of Crown Prince Akishino of Japan, at the Imperial Household Agency Hospital  in Tokyo, Japan
After a three-year delay, Mako married Kei Komuro on October 26, 2021. Mako, like her paternal aunt, Sayako, Princess Nori, and other princesses who married commoners, formally lost her title and became a commoner upon marriage as required by Imperial Household Law.  She announced that she would forego the Japanese government’s taxpayer-funded payment of approximately $1.3 million given to royal women upon leaving the Imperial Family. Mako lives in the United States with her husband Kei Komuro, who received a law degree from Fordham University in New York City in 2021 and is employed by the New York-based law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP.
Unofficial Royalty: Mako Komuro, formerly Princess Mako of Akishino

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.