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October 4, 1550 – Birth of King Karl IX of Sweden at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site of the Royal Palace of Stockholm
Karl was the youngest of the ten children and the fifth of the five sons and was not expected to become King of Sweden. However, he came to the throne by championing the Protestant cause during the tense times when the Catholic and Protestant religions were pitted against each other. These religious conflicts caused the Swedish dynastic squabble that deposed Karl’s Catholic nephew Sigismund III and brought Karl to rule as king of Sweden.
Unofficial Royalty: King Karl IX of Sweden
October 4, 1585 – Birth of Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress, wife of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria
On December 4, 1611, Anna and Matthias were married at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Austria. Although Matthias was 54 years old, he hoped to have children with his 26-year-old wife but their marriage was childless. However, Anna and Matthias left the future Habsburgs a burial site. They founded the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, where the Imperial Crypt, the traditional burial site of the Habsburgs, is located. Anna had come up with the idea of a Capuchin monastery and burial place for her and her husband and wanted to build it near Hofburg Palace in Vienna. In her will, Anna left funds to provide for the church’s construction. Construction began on November 10, 1618. Sadly, a month later, on December 15, 1618, Anna died and Matthias died three months later, on March 20, 1619. Because the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church had not yet been completed, Matthias and Anna were temporarily buried at the Poor Clares Convent of St. Maria, Queen of the Angels in Vienna.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress
October 4, 1841 – Birth of Maria Sophie in Bavaria, Queen of the Two Sicilies, wife of Francesco II, the last King of the Two Sicilies, at Possenhofen Castle in Possenhofen, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
Full name: Marie Sophie Amalie
Maria Sophie was a younger sister of the more well-known Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria (Sisi) who married Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria, and was assassinated in 1898. Marie Sophie’s husband lost his throne during the unification of Italy. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861, ending the reign of Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies. After losing the throne of the Two Sicilies, Francesco and Maria Sophia lived in Rome as guests of Pope Pius IX. In 1870, the annexation of the Papal States to Italy, including Rome, forced Francesco and Maria Sophie to find refuge in Austria, France, and Bavaria.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Sophie of Bavaria, Queen of the Two Sicilies
October 4, 2005 – Birth of Prince Emmanuel of Belgium, son of King Philippe of the Belgians, at Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, Belgium
Full name: Emmanuel Leopold Guillaume François Marie
Emmanuel is the third of the four children and the younger of the two sons of King Philippe of the Belgians and his wife Queen Mathilde (née Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz). He is the third in the line of succession to the Belgian throne after his sister Elisabeth and his brother Gabriel.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Emmanuel of Belgium
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