compiled by Susan Flantzer

Influenza, commonly known as “the flu”, is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus. The most common symptoms include high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle and joint pain, headache, coughing, and feeling tired. Complications of influenza may include viral pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumonia, sinus infections, and worsening of previous health problems such as asthma or heart failure. It is usually the complications that cause death. The January 1918 – December 1920 Spanish Flu pandemic death toll is estimated to have been 50 million, and possibly as high as 100 million, making it one of the deadliest epidemics in human history.

Of course, without modern medical diagnostic tools, it was impossible to accurately diagnose illnesses and so this does not purport to be a complete list. Until the development of antibiotics and other drugs, it was impossible to successfully treat many infectious diseases. Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish biologist, physician, microbiologist, and pharmacologist, developed Penicillin, the world’s first antibiotic in 1928. Antibiotics are only effective against diseases caused by bacteria. They are not effective against diseases caused by viruses.

All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

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Princess Sophie of Saxony, Duchess in Bavaria

• Born: March 15, 1845 in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
• Parents: King Johann I of Saxony and Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria
• Married: Duke Karl-Theodor in Bavaria
• Died: March 9, 1867, aged 21, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
• Buried: Tegernsee Abbey in Tegernsee, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
• Wikipedia: Princess Sophie of Saxony, Duchess in Bavaria

On December 24, 1865, Sophie gave birth to her only child, Duchess Amalie in Bavaria. The pregnancy and childbirth caused severe respiratory problems for Sophie, which progressively weakened her. In her weakened state, Sophie was unable to overcome a severe case of influenza and died six days before her 22nd birthday.

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Prince Baudouin of Belgium

• Born: June 3, 1869, at the Palais de la Régence in Brussels, Belgium
• Parents: Philippe, Count of Flanders and Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
• Died: January 23, 1891, aged 21, at the Palace of the Count of Flanders in Brussels, Belgium
• Buried: Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
• Unofficial Royalty: Prince Baudouin of Belgium

Baudouin’s birth was met with great celebration in the Belgian royal family. Earlier that year, Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, Baudouin’s nine-year-old cousin and the only son of King Leopold II, had died of pneumonia after falling into a pond. His death left no other male heirs aside from Baudouin’s father so Baudouin was seen as the eventual heir to the Belgian throne.

In early 1891, Baudouin became ill with influenza that had made its way through most of the members of the Flanders family already. He likely caught the illness from his sister Henriette, whom he insisted on visiting during her illness despite warnings from doctors. At first, he appeared to be weathering the illness better than his sister but then Baudouin’s condition suddenly deteriorated on January 22, 1891. He died early the following morning. Baudouin’s death left his younger brother, the future Albert I, King of the Belgians, as the heir to the Belgian throne. Baudouin, King of the Belgians from 1951 until 1993, was named in honor of his deceased great-uncle.

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Prince Erik of Sweden, Duke of Västmanland

• Born: April 20, 1889 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
• Parents: King Gustav V of Sweden and Victoria of Baden
• Died: September 20, 1918, aged 29, at Drottningholm Palace in Drottningholm, Sweden
• Buried: Riddarholm Church in Stockholm, Sweden
• Wikipedia: Prince Erik of Sweden, Duke of Västmanland

Erik had epilepsy and mild intellectual disability and because of his condition, he was seldom seen in public. He died during the Spanish influenza pandemic.

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Prince Umberto of Savoy, Count of Salemi

• Born: June 22, 1889 in Turin, Kingdom of Italy, now in Italy
• Parents: Prince Amadeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta and Maria Letizia Bonaparte
• Died: October 19, 1918, aged 29, in Crespano del Grappa, Kingdom of Italy, now in Italy
• Buried: First buried at Crespano del Grappa Cemetery in Crespano del Grappa, Kingdom of Italy, now in Italy; In 1926 his remains were moved to the Sacrario Militare del Monte Grappa in Monte Grappa, Kingdom of Italy, now in Italy
• Wikipedia: Prince Umberto of Savoy, Count of Salemi

Umberto’s father Amedeo briefly reigned as the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy from 1871 – 1873. His grandfather was Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of a united Italy. Umberto served in the Royal Italian Army during World War I. He died from Spanish influenza a month before the end of World War I.

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Turki I bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Najd and Hejaz

• Born: February 8, 1900 in Kuwait City, Sheikhdom of Kuwait, now in the State of Kuwait
• Parents: Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia 1932 – 1953 and Wadhah bint Muhammad bin ‘Aqab
• Married: (1) Nuwair bint Obaid Al Rasheed (2) Muneera bint Obaid Al Rasheed (3) Fatmah bint Abdulrahman Al Dakhil
• Died: January 2, 1919, aged 18, in Riyadh, Emirate of Nejd and Hasa, now in Saudi Arabia
• Wikipedia: Turki I bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Najd and Hejaz

Turki was the eldest son of Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud, the first King of Saudi Arabia. He died during the Spanish influenza pandemic which claimed many lives in the Emirate of Nejd and Hasa, including that of his mother, his brother Prince Fahd I and another of his father’s wives, Princess Al-Jawhara bint Musa’id bin Gallawi Al Saud.

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Prince Alexis Karađorđević of Serbia

• Born: June 10, 1859 in Paris, France
• Parents: Prince George Karađorđević and Sarka Anastasijević
• Married: Daria Pankhurst Wright Pratt
• Died: February 15, 1920, aged 60, in St.Moritz, Switzerland
• Buried: Saint-Georges Cemetery in Geneva, Switzerland
• Wikipedia: Prince Alexis Karađorđević of Serbia

Alexis was born five months after his grandfather Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia was forced to abdicate by the rival House of Obrenović. In 1903, the House of Karađorđević regained power. Alexis was the head of the senior non-reigning branch of the House of Karageorgevich and a claimant to the Serbian throne. When Alexis died during the Spanish influenza pandemic, the older branch of the House of Karađorđević became extinct in the male line.

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Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia

• Born: October 16, 1861 at Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
• Parents: Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia and Princess Cecile of Baden (Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna)
• Married: Countess Sophie of Merenberg in 1891
• Died: April 26, 1929, aged 67, in London, England
• Buried: Hampstead Cemetery in West Hampstead, London, England
• Wikipedia: Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia

Michael was a grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. He made a morganatic marriage and because of that, Michael would spend the rest of his life living in exile in England, France, and Germany. Three of his brothers were killed by the Bolsheviks but Michael escaped the Russian Revolution because he was living abroad. He became a prominent member of British society. One of his daughters married into the British aristocracy and another married George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and the maternal uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Michael died from influenza complications.

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