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Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, Countess of Provence; Credit – Wikipedia
September 2, 1348 – Death of Joan of England from the plague, daughter of King Edward III of England, in Loremo, Bordeaux, Duchy of Gascony, now in France; buried in Loremo or in Bayonne Cathedral
One of the early English victims of the bubonic plague, dying from it on her way to her wedding, Joan was the daughter of King Edward III of England. In 1345, Joan was betrothed to the future King Pedro of Castile and León. In the summer of 1348, thirteen-year-old Joan left England for Bayonne, Duchy of Gascony, now in France, where her wedding was to take place on November 1, 1348. Joan’s retinue settled in a family castle in Bordeaux to take a planned break in their travels. Despite a serious outbreak of the plague in Bordeaux, it did not occur to Joan and the officials to leave the city. However, they soon watched in horror as members of Joan’s retinue fell ill and began to die. Robert Bauchier, the leader of Joan’s retinue, died on August 20, 1338. After the death of Robert Bauchier, Joan feared for her life and was moved to a small village called Loremo. However, Joan did not escape the plague and died on September 2, 1348.
Unofficial Royalty: Joan of England
September 2, 1753 – Birth of Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, Countess of Provence, wife of King Louis XVIII of France, at the Royal Palace of Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy
Full name: Maria Giuseppina Luigia
Maria Giuseppina Luigia of Savoy was the wife of King Louis XVIII of France, although he did not become King until after her death. The couple married in 1771 but had no children. In June 1795, Marie Joséphine’s husband became the titular King of France following the death of the only surviving son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. However, as the French monarchy had been abolished years earlier, the two remained in exile as Count and Countess of Provence. They continued living in different parts of Europe before moving to England in 1808, taking up residence at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, England.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Josephine Louise of Savoy, Countess of Provence
September 2, 1838 – Birth of Liliuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands, the only queen regnant and the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, born Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha in Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu in the Kingdom of Hawaii, now in the state of Hawaii
Liliuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands was the only queen regnant and the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, reigning from 1891 until she was deposed in 1893. She composed Aloha ʻOe or Farewell to Thee, one of the most recognizable Hawaiian songs. In 1893, a group of local businessmen and politicians composed of six non-native Hawaiian Kingdom subjects, five American nationals, one British national, and one German national overthrew Queen Liliuokalani and took over the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Unofficial Royalty: Liliuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands
September 2, 1870 – Birth of Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony, wife of the future King Friedrich August III of Saxony, in Salzburg, Austria
Full name: Luise Antoinette Maria Theresia Josepha Johanna Leopoldine Caroline Ferdinande Alice Ernestine
In 1891, Luise married the future King Friedrich August III, the last King of Saxony, and the couple had six children. From the beginning of her marriage, Luise was unhappy. She was unwilling to conform to the strict Saxon court which often caused conflicts with her father-in-law and others in the royal family. She sought refuge in several affairs, including her children’s French tutor, André Giron. Her affair with Giron was discovered when a telegram she sent him was intercepted. With the help of two of her maids, Luise – pregnant with her youngest child – fled Dresden and headed toward Lake Geneva where she met up with her brother, Leopold Ferdinand, before reconnecting with Giron. Luise and Giron stayed in Geneva, often being seen in public. Their relationship ended just a few days before her divorce was announced on February 11, 1903. In 1907, Luise married for a second time to Enrico Toselli, an Italian musician 12 years younger, and the couple had one son. After World War I, Luise found herself virtually penniless. She had lost all of her Austrian titles and assets upon her second marriage, and with the end of the Austrian Empire, lost the little financial support that she had continued to receive from a few relatives. She spent some time living in Spain with an uncle before moving to Belgium where she spent the remainder of her life. Luise, aged 77, died on March 23, 1947. At the time, she was working as a flower seller to survive.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony
September 2, 1883 – Birth of Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria, the only child of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, at the Austrian imperial summer residence of Schloss Laxenburg in Laxenburg, Austria
Full name: Elisabeth Maria Henriette Stephanie Gisela
Elisabeth was the only child of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria and Stéphanie of Belgium. She was only six years old when her father was found shot to death with his mistress Baroness Mary von Vetsera in an apparent suicide pact. Imperial dislike of Elisabeth’s mother Stéphanie had been high, and as a result, her paternal grandfather, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria took Elisabeth into his care. The two were close to the end of the Emperor’s life. Following her mother’s remarriage to a Hungarian count in 1900, Elisabeth broke off all contact with her mother.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria
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