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George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence; Credit – Wikipedia

October 21, 1449 – Birth of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and brother of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England, at Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland
George was the son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England, and the brother of two Kings of England, Edward IV and Richard III. Though a member of the House of York, during the Wars of the Roses, George switched sides to support the Lancastrians, before reverting to the Yorkists. He was later convicted of treason against his brother King Edward IV and was executed.
Unofficial Royalty: George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

October 21, 1786 – Birth of Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet of Llanbrynmair, Equerry to Queen Victoria’s father The Duke of Kent from 1817 – 1820 and Comptroller and Private Secretary to Queen Victoria’s mother The Duchess of Kent from 1820 – 1839, in Maes-y-Castell, Caerhun, Caernarvonshire, Wales
Conroy was a confidant and political agent to Victoria’s mother The Duchess of Kent. Together, they designed the Kensington System, an elaborate and strict system of rules for the upbringing of young Victoria, designed to make her dependent upon them in the hope of allowing them one day to wield power through her. Princess Victoria grew to hate Conroy, thanks to the oppressive system, and he was also unpopular among the rest of the British royal family. When Victoria became Queen, she immediately dismissed Conroy from her household but she could not dismiss him from her mother’s household. However, she sent both her mother and Conroy off to a distant wing of the palace and cut off personal contact with them. After Conroy’s death, the Duchess of Kent finally agreed to have her financial accounts audited and acknowledged that significant funds were missing. She admitted that Conroy had swindled her and at the same time hurt her relationship with her daughter for his own benefit.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet of Llanbrynmair

October 21, 1969 – Birth of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain in Riffa, Bahrain
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is the eldest of the twelve children of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, who has four wives, and the eldest of the four children and the eldest of the three sons of King Hamad and his first wife and his first cousin Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain

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Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

October 20, 1740 – Death of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor at the Palais Augarten in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna
In 1708, Karl married Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. They had one son who died in infancy and three daughters, with one dying in childhood. Karl’s brother Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I died during the smallpox epidemic of 1711. Joseph had no sons so Karl automatically succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands and was elected Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor. On October 20, 1740, Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor died after a ten-day illness. His daughter Maria Theresa succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands as the Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, Queen of Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria in her own right, the only female to hold those sovereign positions.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor

October 20, 1789 – Birth of Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera in Schleiz, then in the County of Reuss-Schleiz, later in the Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany
In 1820, Heinrich LXVII married Princess Adelheid Reuss of Ebersdorf. They had eight children but only two survived childhood. Upon the death of his unmarried brother Heinrich LXII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Gera in 1854, Heinrich LXVII became the 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera. His reign was reactionary to the failed German Revolutions of 1848 which had demonstrated discontent with the traditional, autocratic political structure of the thirty-nine independent states of the German Confederation. Heinrich LXII’s government implemented a reactionary amendment to the constitution, limiting the legislature’s power.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera

October 20, 1934 – Birth of Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan, wife of Emperor Emeritus  Akihito of Japan, born Michiko Shôda at the University of Tokyo Hospital in Tokyo, Japan
Michiko first met her future husband, then Crown Prince Akihito, son of Emperor Hirohito, on a tennis court in August 1957. They were married in a traditional Shinto ceremony in 1959, the first time a commoner married into the Imperial Family. The couple had two sons and one daughter. There was much speculation that Akihito’s mother strongly opposed the marriage and that she treated her commoner daughter-in-law harshly after the marriage. Michiko suffered from several nervous breakdowns because of the pressure of the media and the attitude of her mother-in-law, which resulted in making her lose her voice for seven months in the 1960s and again in the fall of 1993. While her husband was Emperor of Japan, Empress Michiko was ever-present at the Emperor’s side, whether it be visiting the regions of Japan, or hosting visitors at the Imperial Palace. On April 30, 2019, Emperor Akihito abdicated and was succeeded by his elder son Naruhito. When her husband abdicated Michiko’s title became Jōkōgō, Empress Emerita.
Unofficial Royalty: Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan

October 20, 2012 – Wedding of Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Stephanie de Lannoy; at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
On April 26, 2012, Guillaume and Stéphanie’s engagement was announced by the Marshal of the Grand Ducal Court. The couple was introduced by mutual friends in 2004. Five years later, they met again and soon began dating, although they managed to keep it very quiet. In November 2011, Guillaume mentioned publicly that he was in a relationship, and months of speculation began. Guillaume proposed about three weeks before the engagement was announced.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy

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Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France; Credit – Wikipedia

October 19, 1216 – Death of King John of England at Newark Castle in Newark, England; buried at Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England
In 1199, John succeeded his childless brother King Richard I as King of England. During his reign, John lost the French territories of Normandy, Maine, Touraine, Anjou, and Poitou, all ancestral territories of his Norman or Angevin ancestors. While John was trying to save his French territories, his discontented English barons led by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, were protesting John’s continued misgovernment of England. This discontent resulted in the best-known event of John’s reign, the Magna Carta, the “great charter” of English liberties. Among the liberties were the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown. Amid the First Barons’ War, John was traveling through East Anglia, from Spalding in Lincolnshire to Bishop’s Lynn, in Norfolk, became ill with dysentery, and decided to turn back, taking the longer road route. John managed to ride to Swineshead Abbey where he spent the night. The next day, he was taken by a litter to Newark Castle where he died at the age of 49.
Unofficial Royalty: King John of England

October 19, 1765 – Death of Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, mistress of King George II of Great Britain, in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth was the mistress of King George II of Great Britain from 1735 until the King died in 1760. She was the last British royal mistress to be granted a peerage title.
Unofficial Royalty: Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, mistress of King George II of Great Britain

October 19, 1851 – Death of Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France, eldest daughter of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette of France, wife of Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême (Legitimist pretender to the French throne), at the Frohsdorf Palace in Lanzenkirchen, Austria; buried with her uncle King Charles X and her husband at the Kostanjevica Monastery in Görz, then in Austria, now Kostanjevica in Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte was the only one in her family to survive imprisonment in the Temple, the remains of a medieval fortress in Paris, and the French Revolution. She married her first cousin Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, the son of her father’s younger brother, the future King Charles X of France. The couple had no children. After the end of the Bourbon Restoration in 1830, Marie-Thérèse lived in exile again, this time with the former King Charles X, her uncle and her father-in-law, and her husband Louis-Antoine. The exiles ultimately moved to the estate of Count Johann Baptist Coronini near Gorizia, which was in Austria but now in Italy. After the death of her husband, Marie-Thérèse moved to the Schloss Frohsdorf, just outside Vienna, Austria where she spent her days taking walks, reading, sewing, and praying. There she died from pneumonia at the age of 72.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France, Duchess of Angoulême

October 19, 1889 – Death of King Luís I of Portugal at the Citadel of Cascais in Cascais, Portugal; buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Luis became King of Portugal in 1861 when his elder, childless brother King Pedro V died from typhoid fever. Two other brothers also died from typhoid. In 1862, Luís married Princess Maria Pia of Savoy and the couple had two sons. Luis’ reign saw many advances, both politically and culturally. He oversaw the construction of the port of Lisbon, the extension of the road network and railway throughout Portugal, and the advancement of the arts, founding the Philharmonic Union. An avid oceanographer, Luis also donated much of his fortune to finance research ships and vessels to gather different species of sea creatures from around the world. He also established the Vasco da Gama Aquarium in Lisbon, one of the first aquariums in the world. Luís died suddenly at just 50 years old.
Unofficial Royalty: King Luis I of Portugal

October 19, 1963 – Birth of Prince Laurent of Belgium, son of King Albert II of the Belgians, at Château de Belvédère in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Laurent Benoît Baudouin Marie
In 2003, Laurent married British-born, but Belgian-raised Claire Coombs. The couple had a daughter and twin sons. Laurent has been a somewhat controversial figure. In 2018, the Belgian parliament cut Prince Laurent’s annual allowance by 15% for a year.  The sanction was imposed after Prince Laurent, in full naval uniform, attended a Chinese embassy reception in 2017 without government permission. The government had warned Laurent to ask permission from the foreign ministry before conducting any diplomatic activity. Despite that, he went to the embassy event and tweeted a photo of himself there.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Laurent of Belgium

October 19, 1972 – Death of Said bin Taimur, the former Sultan of Oman, in exile in London, United Kingdom; buried in Brookwood Cemetery in Woking, Surrey, England
In 1970, Said was overthrown in a coup d’etat by his son Qaboos bin Said Al Said, Sultan of Oman. He lived the rest of his life in exile in the United Kingdom, living the last two years at the Dorchester Hotel in London, where he died at the age of 62.
Unofficial Royalty: Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Oman

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King Ludwig III of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

October 18, 1541 – Death of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, daughter of King Henry VII of England, wife of King James IV of Scotland, Archibald Douglas, and Henry Stewart, and sister of King Henry VIII of England, at Methven Castle, Perthshire, Scotland; buried at the Carthusian Abbey of St John in Perth, Scotland
Margaret was the daughter of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch, and Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of King Edward IV of England. She married three times to James IV, King of Scots (had one surviving child James V, King of Scots, the father of Mary, Queen of Scots), Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (had one child Lady Margaret Douglas, the mother of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley who married his first cousin Mary, Queen of Scots), and Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven (no children). After suffering a stroke, Margaret died at Methven Castle on October 18, 1541, at the age of 51. When the Tudor line died out with the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1603, it was Margaret’s great-grandson James VI, King of Scots who succeeded to the English throne as King James I. Margaret is the ancestor of many past and present European royals.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots

October 18, 1744 – Death of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, favorite of Queen Anne of Great Britain, at Marlborough House in London, England; buried in the chapel at  Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England
Sarah Churchill is considered one of the most influential women in British history due to her friendship and the influence she had with Queen Anne of Great Britain. Queen Anne named Sarah Mistress of the Robes, the highest office in the royal court that could be held by a woman, Groom of the Stole, Keeper of the Privy Purse, and Ranger of Windsor Great Park. She was the first of only two women ever to be Keeper of the Privy Purse and the only woman ever to be Ranger of Windsor Great Park. Sarah exerted great influence on Queen Anne and had control over most of Anne’s existence, from her finances to the people admitted to the royal presence. However, the relationship between Sarah and Anne became increasingly strained, especially when Abigail Hill, Sarah’s first cousin, was in a position to replace her as Queen Anne’s favorite. By 1711, Sarah had lost all he positions and she and her husband John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough fell out of favor. In disgrace, Sarah and John left England and traveled in Europe for several years. Queen Anne died on August 1, 1714, the same day Sarah and John returned to England. The new King George I had a personal friendship with Sarah and John who had visited him frequently during their exile in Europe.  John was restored to his old office, Captain-General of the Army. Sarah survived her husband by twenty-two years, dying, aged 84, at Marlborough House in London, England.
Unofficial Royalty: Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, favorite of Queen Anne of Great Britain

October 18, 1831 – Birth of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, husband of Princess Victoria, Princess Royal, at Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl
Friedrich was the only son of Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia and his wife Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In 1858, he married Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. They had eight children including Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria hoped that this marriage would make the ties between London and Berlin closer, and lead to a unified and liberal Germany. However, Vicky and Fritz were politically isolated and their liberal and Anglophile views clashed with the authoritarian ideas of the Minister-President of Prussia and later Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. Despite their efforts to educate their eldest son Wilhelm about the benefits of democracy, he favored his German tutors’ views of autocratic rule and became alienated from his parents. The year 1888 is called “The Year of Three Emperors” in German history. Fritz’s father Wilhelm I died on March 9, 1888, and Fritz succeeded him as Friedrich III. However, Fritz was already gravely ill with cancer of the larynx and could no longer speak, but despite this, he did his best to fulfill his obligations as Emperor. In May 1888, Fritz lamented, “I cannot die … What would happen to Germany?” Fritz reigned for only 99 days, dying at the age of 56 on June 15, 1888, and was succeeded by his son Wilhelm.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia

October 18, 1884 – Death of Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick at Sibyllenort Castle in Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia now in Szczodre, Poland; buried in the crypt at Brunswick Cathedral in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Wilhelm was the second Duke of Brunswick, reigning from 1830 until 1884. Under Wilhelm’s regency, the Duchy of Brunswick was granted a new constitution that extended significant fundamental rights to the people. He quickly became much more popular than his brother had ever been. He let his government do much of the ruling, leaving his ministers to handle most of the government business, and spending much of his time at his estates. Wilhelm never married but he had a number of illegitimate children.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick

October 18, 1921 – Death of King Ludwig III of Bavaria at Nádasdy Castle in Sárvár, Hungary; buried at the Frauenkirche in Munich, Bavaria, Germany
In 1868, King Ludwig III married Archduchess Maria Theresia of Austria-Este and the couple had thirteen children. In 1886, his father became Prince Regent after King Ludwig II was declared mentally incompetent. Just days later, Ludwig II died mysteriously and was succeeded by his brother King Otto. However, Otto was also mentally ill, and the regency continued. Upon his father’s death in 1912, Ludwig III succeeded him as Prince Regent for his cousin King Otto. Less than a year later, the Bavarian Parliament passed legislation allowing the Regent to assume the throne himself, provided that the regency was for reasons of incapacity, had lasted more than ten years, and there was no prospect of the Sovereign being able to reign. With overwhelming support from the parliament, Ludwig deposed his cousin and assumed the Bavarian throne as King Ludwig III. On November 13, 1918, he would be the first monarch in the German Empire to be deposed, ending 738 years of rule by the Wittelsbach dynasty.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig III, King of Bavaria

October 18, 1978 – Birth of Mike Tindall, husband of Zara Phillips, daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, born in Otley, West Yorkshire, England
Full name: Michael James
A former professional rugby player, Mike Tindall met Zara Phillips, daughter of The Princess Royal and the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, in Australia in 2003, during the Rugby World Cup. Buckingham Palace announced the engagement in December 2010, and they were married on July 30, 2011, at the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mike and Zara have two daughters and one son.
Unofficial Royalty: Mike Tindall

October 18, 1989 – Death of  Princess Gina of Liechtenstein, born Countess Georgina von Wilczek, wife of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein, in a hospital in Grabs, Switzerland; buried in the Princely Crypt at St. Florian Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein
In 1942, Gina became engaged to Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein and they were married the following year at St. Florian Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. It was the first royal wedding in Liechtenstein’s history that took place in the principality. Gina and Franz Josef had five children including the present Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II. During World War II, Princess Gina, like her mother, had concerns for prisoners of war. In 1945, she founded the Liechtenstein Red Cross and was president from 1945 to 1984. Princess Gina died six days before her 68th birthday after a long battle with cancer. Her husband Franz Josef died 26 days later.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Gina of Liechtenstein

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Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

October 17, 1368 – Death of Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, son of King Edward III of England, in Alba, Lordship of Milan, now in Italy; buried at Clare Priory in Suffolk, England
The third, but the second surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, Lionel of Antwerp, was one of the two people on whom the House of York would base its claim to the English throne during the Wars of the Roses. Lionel married the wealthy heiress Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster in her own right. Lionel and Elizabeth had one child, a daughter Philippa, who married Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March. It is through Philippa and Edmund’s eldest son Roger Mortimer that the House of York is derived. During the reign of the childless King Richard II, the only surviving child of Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince) who predeceased his father King Edward III, Lionel’s daughter Philippa was the heir presumptive to the English throne and after her death in 1382, her eldest son Roger was the heir presumptive. In 1400, King Richard II was deposed by his first cousin Henry of Bolingbroke (King Henry IV), the eldest son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, King Edward III’s third surviving son. Thus started the beginnings of the Wars of the Roses between the Lancasters and the Yorks.
Unofficial Royalty: Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence

October 17, 1680 – Death of Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth, illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and his mistress Catherine Pegge, in Tangier, Morocco; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
King Charles II saw to it that Charles was well-educated. He progressed so quickly with his education that King Charles II considered sending him to Cambridge University but then changed his mind. In 1675, eighteen-year-old Charles was created Earl of Plymouth. In 1678, Charles married Lady Bridget Osborne, the daughter of Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, the Lord High Treasurer for King Charles II, but the marriage was childless. While serving in Tangier, then part of the Portuguese colonial empire, now in Morocco, during the Great Siege of Tangier with the regiment named for him, the Earl of Plymouth’s Regiment of Foot, 23-year-old Charles died on October 17, 1680, from dysentery, a common killer of soldiers for centuries due to poor hygienic conditions in army camps. Charles’ body was returned to England where he was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth

October 17, 1734 – Birth of Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, at the family estate in Lyutkino, Russia
Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov and his brother Alexei were instrumental in the fall of Catherine the Great’s husband Peter III, Emperor of All Russia. He gave Catherine the famous Orlov Diamond which was used in the scepter of the Romanov rulers and was the father of at least one of Catherine’s children, Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky. Catherine and Orlov had a long-time relationship from 1759 – 1774, spanning the time Catherine was a Grand Duchess and Empress.
Unofficial Royalty: Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

October 17, 1819 – Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Friedrich Wilhelm Karl Georg Ernst Adolf Gustav
Friedrich Wilhelm married Princess Augusta of Cambridge. She was the daughter of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (a son of King George III of the United Kingdom) and Friedrich Wilhelm’s maternal aunt Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. Friedrich Wilhelm and Augusta were first cousins through their mothers and second cousins through their fathers. The couple had two children. Friedrich Wilhelm became Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz upon the death of his father in 1860. He took a particular interest in restoring and building churches. He also focused much of his time on improving the education systems, as well as building and refurbishing schools throughout the Grand Duchy. Friedrich Wilhelm is credited with restoring the Grand Duchy’s financial resources, taking a country that was riddled with war debt, and amassing a great fortune in its treasury. In addition, his personal wealth made him the wealthiest of the German sovereigns at the time.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

October 17, 1853 – Birth of Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, daughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, wife of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, at Tsarskoe-Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia
The only daughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, Marie met Prince Alfred during a family holiday in Denmark in 1871. Despite the misgivings of both her parents and Alfred’s mother Queen Victoria, the couple married in 1874, at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Marie and Alfred had five children. The new Duchess of Edinburgh was not well received by British society, many of whom thought her very condescending and haughty. Used to the splendor and pageantry of the Russian court, she found the British court very dull by comparison. She also felt that, as the daughter of an Emperor, she should outrank all the other members of the British royal family, in particular, her sister-in-law, The Princess of Wales, who was merely the daughter of a king. Despite the demands of Marie and her father, Queen Victoria would not sanction anything of the sort.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

October 17, 1966 – Birth of Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse, the current pretender to the former Grand-Ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine and Head of the House of Hesse, in Kiel in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein
Full name: Heinrich Donatus Philipp Umberton
Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse is the current pretender to the former grand ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine, and Head of the House of Hesse. He succeeded to both upon his father’s death in 2013. Donatus maintains close ties with the British Royal Family and is often invited to events. In 2016, he was seated next to the Duchess of Cambridge at an event for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday celebrations, and in 2021, was one of a very small group of family members invited to attend the funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh. Donatus and his wife also attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Unofficial Royalty: Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse

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Marie Antoinette, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

October 16, 1430 – Birth of James II, King of Scots at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland
James II was the son of James I, King of Scots and Lady Joan Beaufort, a granddaughter of John of Gaunt who was a son of King Edward III of England. His father was assassinated and James became King of Scots at the age of six. In 1449, James II married Mary of Guelders, the eldest of the five children of Arnold, Duke of Guelders and Catherine of Cleves, and the couple had seven children. In 1460, James II besieged Roxburgh Castle near the English border in support of King Henry VI. He was accidentally killed when a cannon near where he was standing exploded.
Unofficial Royalty: James II, King of Scots

October 16, 1673 – Birth of Lady Mary Tudor, an illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England and one of his mistresses, Mary ‘Moll’ Davis
Mary’s mother Mary “Moll” Davis was an actress and singer in the Duke’s Theatre Company in London. King Charles II, an avid theatergoer, first saw Moll Davis on stage and she soon became his mistress and was given a house on Suffolk Street in London where her daughter Mary was probably born. Lady Mary Tudor was married three times and two of her sons, the grandsons of King Charles II, were beheaded for high treason. Fifty-three-year-old Mary died in Paris, France, on November 5, 1726. Her burial site is unknown.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Mary Tudor, Illegitimate Daughter of King Charles II of England

October 16, 1751 – Birth of Friederike Luisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia, second wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, in Prenzlau, Margraviate of Brandenburg, now in Brandenburg, Germany
In 1769, Friederike Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia as his second wife. The couple had seven children. Friederike Luise was ignored and neglected by her husband, who chose to spend his time with his official mistress, and later two additional morganatic wives. Even her husband’s uncle King, Friedrich II, who had arranged the marriage, failed to give her the support and privileges her predecessor had enjoyed. So instead of being a major part of the Prussian court, she lived primarily in Potsdam, rarely permitted to visit Berlin. In 1786, her husband became King of Prussia. Friederike Luise moved to Berlin and took up her role and duties as Queen but her situation did not change.  Her husband had two bigamous, morganatic marriages. Eventually, Friederike Luise lived at Monbijou Palace, while her husband lived at the nearby Berlin Palace. Monbijou Palace would remain her primary residence for the rest of her life.
Unofficial Royalty: Friederike Luisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia

October 16, 1791 – Death of Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, in Jassy, Moldavia, now in Romania; originally buried at the Cathedral of St. Catherine in Kherson, Russia, now in Ukraine. In October 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces removed the remains of Potemkin from the Cathedral of St. Catherine. It is thought that the remains were transported to Russia.
Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin is considered Catherine the Great’s great love. In 1791, while traveling from Russia to Jassy in Moldavia, now in Romania, to negotiate the Treaty of Jassy ending the Russo-Turkish War, Grigoryi became ill with a fever. He had contracted malaria in Crimea in 1783 and his symptoms showed a reoccurrence of malaria. He refused to take quinine or other medicines the doctor accompanying him prescribed. Grigory was bothered by the humid air in Jassy and requested to be moved to Nikolaev where he thought the cooler air would do him good. However, after only seven miles, Grigory ordered the carriage to stop. He said, “This will be enough. There is no point in going on. Take me out of the carriage. I want to die on the field! ” Grigory was taken from the carriage, laid on a Persian carpet, and died, at the age of 52,  in the arms of his niece. Catherine received the news via courier a week later and collapsed saying, “Now I have no one left on whom I can rely. How can anyone replace Potemkin?” Days passed and the same report came from Catherine’s secretary, “Tears and despair, tears and more tears.”
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

October 16, 1793 – Execution of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, born Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, at the Place de la Révolution in Paris, France; originally buried in a mass grave near the location of today’s La Madeleine Church in Paris, reburied at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris
After a failed attempt to escape Paris in 1791 ended what little support was left for the monarchy, King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and their children were held under house arrest at the Tuileries Palace. In 1792, they were imprisoned at the Temple, the remains of a medieval fortress in Paris. Louis XVI was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death. He was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793. On October 14, 1793, Marie Antoinette was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal. Among other things, she was charged with organizing orgies at Versailles, sending millions in French treasury money to Austria, and planning the massacre of the National Guards. There were also charges of incest with her son. Two days later, she was found guilty of the main charges and sentenced to death. Just after noon on October 16, 1793, Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine in the Place de la Révolution (now the Place de la Concorde).
Unofficial Royalty: Executions of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, King and Queen of France
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Antonia of Austria, Marie Antoinette, Queen of France

October 16, 1796 – Death of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia at the Castle of Moncalieri in Turin, Kingdom of Sardina, now in Italy; buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin
In 1750, the future Vittorio Amedeo III married Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain, daughter of Felipe V, King of Spain. The couple had twelve children. Vittorio Amedeo III became King of Sardinia in 1773 following his father’s death. During Napoleon‘s Italian campaign, Vittorio Amedeo’s troops were defeated by the French at the 1796 Battle of Milessimo. Vittorio Amedeo was forced to sign the 1796 Treaty of Paris. The treaty stipulated that Vittorio Amedeo recognize the French Republic, cede the original Duchy of Savoy and the County of Nice to France, and give the French Army free passage through his territory towards the rest of Italy. Five months after signing the devastating Treaty of Paris, Vittorio Amadeo III died from a stroke, aged 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

October 16, 1968 – Birth of Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria in Madrid, Spain
Since 2015, Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is one of the current claimants to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and pretender to the former throne of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. The other is his distant cousin, Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria

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Prince Alfred of Edinburgh; Credit – Wikipedia

October 15, 1527 – Birth of Maria Manuela of Portugal, Princess of Asturias, the first of the four wives of Felipe II, King of Spain, in Coimbra, Portugal
Maria Manuela was the daughter of João III, King of Portugal and Catherine of Austria. On November 15, 1543, two sixteen-year-olds, Maria Manuel and Felipe, Prince of Asturias (the title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the throne of Spain), were married.  Sadly, Maria Manuela and Felipe had a short marriage. On July 8, 1545, Maria Manuela gave birth to a son and four days later, she died, aged seventeen, due to childbirth complications.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Manuela of Portugal, Princess of Asturias (Spain)

October 15, 1538 – Death of Germaine of Foix, Queen of Aragon, second wife of King Ferdinand II of Aragon in Llíria, Valencia, Kingdom of Aragon, now in Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Miguel de los Reyes in Valencia
In 1504, Ferdinand’s wife Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León died. Isabella’s crown was inherited by her daughter Juana and her husband Philip of Habsburg. Two years later, 54-year-old Ferdinand married 18-year-old Germaine. The marriage was accepted in Ferdinand’s Kingdom of Aragon but it was poorly received by the people of the Kingdom of Castile and León who saw Ferdinand’s marriage to Germaine as a betrayal of their late queen, his first wife Isabella I, Queen of Castile and León. In 1509, Germaine gave birth to a son Infante Juan of Aragon, Prince of Girona, who died shortly after his birth. Had he survived, the crown of Aragon would have been separated from the crown of Castile and León. There were no further children from the marriage. In 1516, Ferdinand died, and Ferdinand’s grandson the powerful Holy Roman Emperor Charles V who was also King Carlos I of Spain (among other titles) arranged two marriages for Germanine over the years. Germaine died on October 15, 1536, aged forty-eight, in Llíria, Valencia, probably from edema caused by obesity.
Unofficial Royalty: Germaine of Foix, Queen of Aragon

October 15, 1711 – Birth of Elisabeth Thérèse of Lorraine, Queen of Sardinia, third wife of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, at the Château de Lunéville, Duchy of Lorraine, now in France
In 1737, the twice-widowed 35-year-old Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia married 25-year-old Elisabeth Therese. Carlo Emanuele’s four surviving children from his second marriage to Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg were Elisabeth Therese’s stepchildren. Elisabeth Therese and Carlo Emanuele III had three children but only the third child Benedetto survived childhood. Sadly, Elisabeth Therese died, aged 29, from puerperal fever (childbed fever), thirteen days after giving birth to Benedetto.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Thérèse of Lorraine, Queen of Sardinia

October 15, 1795 – Birth of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia upon his father’s death in 1840. As his father had done himself, the new King changed many of his father’s policies – including reducing the censorship of the press and promising to provide a new constitution for the Prussian people. In 1849, the King was offered the title Emperor of the Germans but refused as he did not feel it was the right of the Frankfurt Parliament to offer it. Instead, he wanted to reestablish the Holy Roman Empire, where a College of Electors would hold the authority to name an Emperor. In 1871, his brother and successor, Wilhelm I, became the first German Emperor (Kaiser).
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia

October 15, 1825 – Birth of Marie of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria, wife of King Maximilian II of Bavaria, born at the Berlin City Palace in the Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Marie Friederike Franziska Hedwig
In 1842, Marie married the future King Maximilian II of Bavaria. The couple had two sons, King Ludwig II and King Otto. Both of Marie’s sons were thought to have suffered from mental illness that severely hampered their abilities to rule Bavaria. After her husband died in 1864, Marie lived in relative seclusion, splitting her time between her country home in Elbigenalp and Hohenschwangau Castle in Füssen, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. In 1883, her elder son, King Ludwig II, was deemed incompetent, and Marie’s brother-in-law, Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, was appointed Prince Regent. Days later, King Ludwig II and his doctor were found dead in a lake, and Marie’s younger son became King Otto I, also under the Regency of Prince Luitpold.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria

October 15, 1874 – Birth of Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, son of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and grandson of Queen Victoria, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert
Alfred was the only son of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, second son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, the only surviving daughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. As it was expected he would one day inherit the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Alfred was raised primarily in Germany. Separated from his family, he received a strict German education and later served as a Lieutenant in the Prussian 1st Foot Guards in Potsdam. But, unlike many of his relatives, he did not enjoy military life. In August 1893, his father succeeded to the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and young Alfred became the Hereditary Prince. It is generally accepted that Alfred shot himself while the rest of the family was gathered for his parents’ 25th-anniversary celebrations in January 1899. He initially survived the gunshot but died the following month.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alfred of Edinburgh

October 15, 1893 – Birth of King Carol II of Romania at Peleş Castle in Sinaia, Romania
Carol II was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria through his mother Princess Marie of Edinburgh. In 1918, Carol made an unsanctioned marriage to Joanna “Zizi” Lambrino. The marriage was annulled seven months later but the couple continued to live together, and the following year, in January 1920, they had a son. In 1921, Carol married his second cousin, Princess Helen of Greece and they had one son, the future King Michael (Mihai) of Romania. Within a few years, Carol began an affair with Magda Lupescu, and in 1925 he renounced his rights to the throne. In 1927, Carol’s father King Ferdinand died, and six-year-old Michael became King of Romania. Carol and Helen divorced in 1928. In June 1930, Carol negotiated with the Prime Minister for his return to the throne. His earlier renunciation was voided, and he was restored as King of Romania, replacing his son Michael. His rocky reign lasted ten years until he was forced to abdicate in 1940, in favor of his son Michael. Carol and Magda moved to Brazil in 1944, where they married in 1947. They soon moved to Estoril, Portugal, where Carol would live in exile for the remainder of his life.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carol II of Romania

October 15, 1904 – Death of King Georg of Saxony at Pillnitz Castle in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral
As his elder brother King Albert of Saxony had no children, Georg was heir-presumptive to the Saxon throne from the time of Albert’s accession in 1873. Albert died in 1902, and Georg became King of Saxony at nearly 70 years old. Because of his age, many people felt he should step down and let the throne pass to his son, Friedrich August. His unpopularity increased during the textile workers’ strike in Crimmitschau in 1903-1904. Refusing to give in to the demands for higher wages and better working conditions, the King sent military forces into the city to force the end of the strike. His reign lasted only two years. After falling ill with influenza earlier in the year, King Georg died at the age of 72.
Unofficial Royalty: King Georg of Saxony

October 15, 1959 – Birth of Sarah, Duchess of York, former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, born Sarah Margaret Ferguson at 27 Welbeck Street, Marylebone in London, England
Sarah, Duchess of York, despite her financial problems and scandals, has remained supportive and respectful of her former family and the monarchy. Since the early years of her marriage, Sarah has been involved with numerous charities and organizations. Since 1990, she has been Patron of The Teenage Cancer Trust, and a few years later, founded Children in Crisis. Sarah, her ex-husband and their daughters established Key To Freedom in 2013. Other organizations she supports include Mental Disability Rights International and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. She has worked with the American Cancer Society and in 2014 was named ambassador for the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College in London.
Unofficial Royalty: Sarah, Duchess of York

October 15, 2005 – Birth of Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, son of King Frederik X of Denmark, at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Christian Valdemar Henri John
Christian is the oldest child of King Frederik X of Denmark and his Australian-born wife née Mary Donaldson. He is first in the line of succession to the Danish throne and the Crown Prince of Denmark.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Christian of Denmark

October 15, 2012 – Death of former King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia in Beijing, China; ashes buried at the Silver Pagoda, Royal Palace, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Norodom Sihanouk reigned as King of Cambodia during two periods, 1941 – 1955 and 1993 – 2004. He also served as Prime Minister of Cambodia eight times between 1945 – 1962, Chief of State of Cambodia (1960 – 1970 and in 1993), and as President of the State Presidium of Democratic Kampuchea (1975 – 1976). Sihanouk became king during French colonial rule in 1941 upon the death of his maternal grandfather King Monivong. He secured Cambodian independence from France in 1953. He abdicated in 1955 and was succeeded by his father, Suramarit, so he could directly participate in politics. A new constitution came into effect in 1993, and Sihanouk was reinstated as the King of Cambodia. Citing his poor health, Sihanouk announced his second abdication in October 2004. From 2009 – 2011, Sihanouk spent most of his time in Beijing, China for the treatment of various medical issues. Sihanouk died of a heart attack in Beijing, sixteen days before his 90th birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia

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Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover; Credit – Wikipedia

October 14, 1066 – Death of King Harold II of England (Harold Godwinson) at the Battle of Hastings; buried at Waltham Abbey in Essex, England
Harold Godwinson was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. His father Godwin, Earl of Wessex was one of the most powerful earls in England. The Anglo-Saxons had a king’s council called the Witan and one of the Witan’s jobs was to elect the king. After the death of King Edward the Confessor on January 5, 1066, the Witan selected Harold Godwinson to succeed Edward as King Harold I. When William II, Duke of Normandy heard that Harold Godwinson had been crowned King of England, he began careful preparations for an invasion of England. The army of William II, Duke of Normandy army met the army of King Harold of England about six miles northwest of Hastings, England on October 14, 1066. Harold appears to have tried to surprise William but Norman scouts found his army and reported its arrival to William, who marched from Hastings to the battlefield to confront Harold. Early efforts of the Normans to break the English battle lines had little effect. In response, the Normans adopted the tactic of pretending to flee in panic and then turning on their pursuers. Harold’s death, probably near the end of the battle, led to the retreat and defeat of most of his army. Two of Harold’s brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine, were also killed at the Battle of Hastings.
Unofficial Royalty: Harold II Godwinson, King of England

October 14, 1217 – Death of Isabella, 3rd Countess of Gloucester, first wife of King John of England (married before John was king, marriage was annulled); buried at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England
John and Isabella were betrothed as children. Isabella’s father William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester was a first cousin of John’s father King Henry II as his father was the illegitimate son of King Henry I, Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester and King Henry II’s mother Empress Matilda was the legitimate daughter of King Henry I. In 1183, when her father died without a male heir, Isabella became the Countess of Gloucester in her own right.  In 1189, John and Isabella of Gloucester were married. Isabella and John were ill-matched and the marriage had produced no children. Isabella had not been acknowledged as Queen when John became King of England in 1199  and the marriage was easily annulled using the grounds of consanguinity, a very close relationship.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella, 3rd Countess of Gloucester

October 14, 1630 – Birth of Princess Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover, at Wassenaer Court, The Hague, Dutch Republic now in the Netherlands
In 1701, the British succession was settled upon Sophia and her Protestant heirs by the Act of Settlement.  Her mother Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of King James I of England.  Sophia died six weeks before Queen Anne of England.  Had she survived Anne, Sophia would have been queen.  Instead, her son ascended the throne as King George I.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover

October 14, 1631 – Death of Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Queen of Denmark and Norway, wife of King Frederik II of Denmark, at the Palace of Nykøbing Slot on the island of Falster, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
In 1572, Sophie married King Frederik  II of Denmark and Norway and they had seven children. Sophie was the mother of Anne of Denmark, wife of King James I of England/VI of Scotland, and the great-grandmother of Sophia of Hanover and King James II of England, both of whom have dates on October 14. Sophie was interested in books, visited the Danish pioneering astronomer Tycho Brahe, collected folk songs, and encouraged historian Anders Sørensen Vedel to publish his Hundredvisebogen, a collection of a hundred Danish folk songs he had gathered that became the foundation of Danish literary tradition. As a widow, Sophie managed her estates on the Danish islands of Falster and Lolland so well that her son King Christian IV borrowed money from her on several occasions for his wars. She also engaged in trade and money-lending with Danish nobles. At the time of her death, she was the richest woman in Europe.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Queen of Denmark

October 14, 1633 – Birth of King James II of England at St. James’s Palace in London, England
James II succeeded his brother King Charles II of England who had no legitimate children. James II was now set on a course of restoring Catholicism to England. England might have tolerated King James II knowing that his heirs were the Protestant daughters of his first wife Anne Hyde, Mary and Anne. However, on June 10, 1688, Queen Mary Beatrice, who had no surviving children, gave birth to a Catholic son, James Francis Edward.  James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His elder daughter Mary was declared Queen Mary II and she was to rule jointly with her husband and first cousin William, who would be King William III. At that time, William, the only child of King James II’s elder sister Mary, was third in the line of succession after his wife and first cousin Mary and her sister Anne. James fled to France where his first cousin King Louis XIV offered him a palace and a pension.
Unofficial Royalty: King James II of England

October 14, 1784 – Birth of King Ferdinand VII of Spain at El Escorial in Madrid, Spain
Full name: Fernando Maria Francisco de Paula Domingo Vicente Ferrer Antonio Jose Joaquin Pascual Diego Juan Nepomuceno Januario Francisco Javier Rafael Miguel Gabriel Calixto Cayetano Faus
Ferdinand’s father King Carlos IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in 1808 by Napoleon who then placed his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne. In 1813, the throne was restored to the House of Bourbon with Ferdinand VII as the King of Spain. In search of an heir, Ferdinand married four times, was widowed three times and finally had two daughters with his fourth wife. His elder daughter succeeded him as Queen Isabella II of Spain.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ferdinand VII of Spain

October 14, 1803 – Death of Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio in Treviso, Austrian-Hungarian Empire, now in Italy; buried at the Church of San Vincenzo now in Modena, Italy
Ercole III d’Este was the last reigning duke from the House of Este that reigned in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio from 1452 – 1796. In 1741, Ercole married Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, the reigning Duchess of Massa and Carrara, now in Italy. The marriage was made at the insistence of Ercole’s father who wanted the Duchy of Massa and Carrara because of its access to the sea. The marriage was not a happy one, the couple had one surviving daughter and eventually separated. Ercole III was considered an enlightened monarch who continued the reforms started by his father. He improved the infrastructure of his duchy, building bridges and roads. The arts and sciences flourished in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio during Ercole III’s reign. In 1796, Modena was occupied by a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte, who deposed Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio. He was forced to flee to Venice where he died in 1803.
Unofficial Royalty: Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio

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