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Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia
August 22, 1358 – Death of Isabella of France, Queen of England, wife of King Edward II of England, at Castle Rising in Norfolk, England, buried at Grey Friars Church in Newgate, London, England
In 1326, Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March deposed King Edward II. Edward II and Isabella’s son was crowned King Edward III, and Isabella and Mortimer served as regents for the teenage king. In 1330, the 18-year-old King Edward III conducted a coup d’état at Nottingham Castle where Mortimer and Isabella were staying. Mortimer was arrested and then executed on fourteen charges of treason, including the murder of Edward II. After the coup, Isabella was first taken to Berkhamsted Castle and then held under house arrest at Windsor Castle until 1332, when she then was moved to her own Castle Rising in Norfolk. Edward III granted his mother a yearly income of £3,000, which by 1337 had increased to £4,000. She enjoyed a regal lifestyle, maintaining minstrels, huntsmen, and grooms and being visited by family and friends.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella of France, Queen of England
August 22, 1485 – Death of King Richard III of England at the Battle of Bosworth Field; Henry Tudor becomes King Henry VII of England
On August 22, 1485, at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the last king of the House of York and the Plantagenet dynasty, 32-year-old King Richard III of England, lost his life and his crown. The battle was a decisive victory for the House of Lancaster, whose leader Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, became the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Richard had entered the battle as a seasoned soldier, wearing a battle crown on top of his helmet. During the battle, he saw an opportunity to strike directly at Henry Tudor and his personal guard and sped off on his horse. After managing to kill Henry Tudor’s standard-bearer, Richard saw something he had not expected. Sir William Stanley changed sides. Instead of supporting Richard and the Yorkists, Stanley attacked them, helping to secure a victory for Henry Tudor and the Lancastrians.
Unofficial Royalty: Richard III: Lost and Found
Unofficial Royalty: King Richard III of England
August 22, 1658 – Birth of Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, now in Thuringia, Germany
Johann Ernst was the founder of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld which was the precursor to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the ancestor of all British monarchs since Queen Victoria. His father Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg had seven sons and disliked primogeniture in which the eldest son is the sole heir. When he died all seven brothers governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. Johann Ernst IV became Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld. Joann Ernst’s elder brothers Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg and Heinrich of Saxe-Römhild died without male heirs. Upon their deaths, Johann Ernest took possession of Coburg and Römhild, and then became Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
August 22, 1787 – Birth of Baron Christian Friedrich von Stockmar, advisor to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert from 1837-1847, in Obersiemau, the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany
Unofficial Royalty: Baron Christian Friedrich von Stockmar
August 22, 1854 – Birth of King Milan I of Serbia in Mărășești, then in Moldavia, Ottoman Empire, now in Romania
Milan’s father was a member of the House of Obrenović which vied for control of Serbia, often violently, with the House of Karađorđević. In 1868, Milan’s childless uncle Mihailo Obrenović III, Sovereign Prince of Serbia was assassinated. Sympathizers of the House of Karađorđević were suspected of being behind the assassination. Fourteen-year-old Milan became the Sovereign Prince of Serbia. In 1882, the Principality of Serbia was elevated to the Kingdom of Serbia and so Milan became the first King of Serbia. In 1889, Milan suddenly abdicated the throne without any apparent reason and his twelve-year-old son Alexander became king. Milan lived in Paris, France until 1897 when he returned to Serbia. He became Commander-in-Chief of the Army, which he completely reformed and modernized. Milan and his wife strongly opposed his son’s marriage to Draga Mašin, a widow and a former lady-in-waiting to his mother, who was twelve years older than Alexander. Milan resigned his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and subsequently, King Alexander banished both his parents from Serbia.
Unofficial Royalty: King Milan I of Serbia
August 22, 1860 – Birth of Tsaritsa Eleonore of Bulgaria, second wife of Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, born Eleonore of Reuss-Köstritz in Trebschen, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Poland
Full name: Eleonore Caroline Gasparine Louise
Following a bit of match-making by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Eleonore became engaged to Ferdinand of Bulgaria (born Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry) in December 1907. Ferdinand’s first wife, Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma, died in 1899, after the birth of the youngest of their four children. Eleonore and Ferdinand did not have any children however, Eleonore was instrumental in raising her four stepchildren. With very little attention or affection from her husband, Eleonore focused on the welfare of the Bulgarian people. She quickly became involved with the Bulgarian Red Cross, and later set up the Queen Eleonore Fund in 1910 to raise funds to build institutes for children who were blind and deaf. She also founded an orphanage for Jewish children, which still exists today as The Queen Eleonore Orphanage.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleonore of Reuss-Köstritz, Tsaritsa of Bulgaria
August 22, 1878 – Death of Queen Maria Christina of Spain, born Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, fourth wife of Ferdinand VII of Spain, at Le Havre, France; buried at the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in Spain
Maria Christina was the fourth wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain and the wife who finally gave him an heir. King Ferdinand VII died on September 29, 1833, and his daughter, not quite three years old, succeeded to the throne as Queen Isabella II with Maria Christina acting as Regent. Two months after Ferdinand died, Maria Christina secretly married an ex-sergeant of the royal guard Agustín Fernández Muñoz and the couple had eight children. The marriage was very unpopular and the government demanded that Maria Christina resign as regent. She lived most of the rest of her life in exile. However, As the widow of Ferdinand VII and mother of Isabella II, Maria Cristina was buried in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of El Escorial Monastery.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain
August 22, 1893 – Death of Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at Reinhardsbrunn Castle in Friedrichroda, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Thuringia Germany, buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Ernst was the elder brother of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. He had at least three illegitimate children, but his marriage to Princess Alexandrine of Baden was childless, perhaps due to Ernst passing the venereal disease to Alexandrine causing her to become infertile. Alexandrine was loyal and devoted to her husband despite his infidelities, and believed that their lack of children was her fault. In 1844, Ernst’s father died and he became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Ernst had financial difficulties throughout his reign due to his extravagance. He was an excellent musician, an amateur composer, and a great patron of the arts and sciences in Coburg. Ernst II died after a short illness at the age of 75. Thousands of people came to view his funeral procession.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
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