January 22: Today in Royal History

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Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

January 22, 1557 – Death of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, second of the three husbands of Margaret Tudor, at Tantallon Castle near North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland; his burial information is uncertain, may have been buried in Abernethy, Perthshire, Scotland
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V, King of Scots and Mary, Queen of Scots, was a leader of the Anglophile faction in Scotland in the early decades of the 16th century, seizing power several times. However, by the later part of his life, Archibald was once again a Scottish patriot. Through their daughter Margaret Douglas, Archibald and Margaret Tudor are the grandparents of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the first cousin and second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, the great-grandparents of James VI, King of Scots, later also James I, King of England, and the ancestors of the British royal family and most other European royal families.
Unofficial Royalty: Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus

January 22, 1592- Death of Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France, wife of King Charles IX of France, in Vienna, Austria; buried first in the Convent of Poor Clares, Mary, Queen of Angels in Vienna, Austria, re-interred in 1782 in the Ducal Crypt at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna
Elisabeth was the daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1570, she married King Charles IX of France. Elisabeth gave birth in 1572 to her only child, a daughter Princess Marie Elisabeth, who lived for only six years. In 1574, Elisabeth’s husband Charles IX died at the age of 23 from tuberculosis. Widowed at the age of 20, Elisabeth was determined to return to Vienna. Having provided no male heirs to the French throne, her future life at the French court alongside her mother-in-law Catherine de Medici was a dismal prospect. In 1580, Elisabeth bought some land in Vienna and founded the Convent of Poor Clares, Mary, Queen of Angels, also known as the Queen’s Monastery, and retired there. Elisabeth devoted the rest of her life to the practice of piety, caring for the poor, and nursing the sick. On January 22, 1592, Elisabeth died of pleurisy at the age of 37.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France

January 22, 1674 – Birth of Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, first wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany
In 1704, Dorothea Maria married her first cousin Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. They had five children including two Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen. The marriage was a happy one, and both shared the same interests in music and the arts. She devoted much of her time to charitable works, in particular supporting the orphanage in Meiningen. Dorothea Maria died, aged 39, on April 18, 1713.
Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea Maria of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

January 22, 1797 – Birth of Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal, wife of Pedro I of Brazil/Pedro IV of Portugal, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Caroline Josepha Leopoldina Franziska Ferdinand
Maria Leopoldina was the daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. In 1817, Maria Leopoldina married Pedro, Crown Prince of Portugal and Prince of Brazil.  At that time, Brazil was ruled as a kingdom united with Portugal.  In 1807, the Portuguese royal family had moved to Brazil to escape the Napoleonic invasion and had remained in Brazil where Rio de Janeiro became the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire. Maria Leopoldina and Pedro had seven children including Queen Maria II of Portugal. Pedro was quite uneducated and the intelligent and well-educated Leopoldina quickly gained influence over her husband. Pedro discussed all government affairs with her and usually followed her advice. In August 1822, Pedro appointed Leopoldina Regent while he went on a political trip. While Pedro was away, Leopoldina received news that Portugal was about to take action, and without waiting for Pedro’s return, met with the Council of State and signed the Decree of Independence, declaring Brazil independent from Portugal. Pedro I was declared Emperor of Brazil. 29-year-old Leopoldina died at the Palacio de São Cristovão on December 11, 1826, from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after a miscarriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil

January 22, 1831 – Birth of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, husband of Princess Helena of the United Kingdon, at Augustenborg Palace in Augustenborg, Denmark
Full name: Friedrich Christian Karl August
Prince Christian was the son of Christian August II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Countess Louise Sophie of Danneskiold-Samsøe. While attending the University of Bonn, Christian became close friends with the future German Emperor Friedrich III. This friendship would serve him well in later years, as Friedrich’s wife Victoria, Princess Royal was the elder sister of Christian’s future wife Helena. Christian and Helena first met each other on a visit to Coburg in the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Despite the fifteen-year age difference, they were drawn to each other. They were married in 1866 and made an agreement with Queen Victoria was that they would live in the United Kingdom, in close proximity to The Queen. Christian and Helena had five children. In 1916, he and Helena celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary – the first in the British royal family since King George III and Queen Charlotte.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

January 22, 1858 – Death of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Baden, in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche, after World War II, his remains were moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in the Pheasant Garden in Karlsruhe
Ludwig was the eldest surviving son of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden and Sofia of Sweden.  As Ludwig got older, signs of mental illness began to show, and in March 1852, he was diagnosed as having a non-curable mental disorder. The following month, Ludwig’s father died and he succeeded as Grand Duke of Baden. However, because of his illness, his brother Friedrich served as Regent during Ludwig’s brief four-year reign.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Baden

January 22, 1872 – Birth of Prince Nicholas of Greece, son of King George I of Greece, at the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece
In 1902, Nicholas married his second cousin Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, the daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (a son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia) and Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Nicholas and Elena had three daughters including Princess Marina who married Prince George, Duke of Kent. Because of the political situation in Greece, members of the Greek royal family, including Nicholas and his wife, were often in exile. The Greek monarchy was restored in 1935, and the following year, Nicholas and Elena returned to Greece. Having suffered from declining health for several years, Prince Nicholas died in 1938 due to atherosclerosis.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Nicholas of Greece

January 22, 1901 – Death of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, England; buried at the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore in Windsor, England
Queen Victoria had enjoyed good health throughout her life, but in the last year of her life, she suffered from indigestion, insomnia, weight loss, and some difficulty with speaking, reading, and writing. Rheumatism made it difficult to walk and cataracts made it difficult to see. On December 18, 1900, she traveled to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight for the last time. The journey exhausted her, but after a few days, she seemed somewhat recovered. However, by January 16, 1901, it was obvious that Queen Victoria’s life was drawing to an end. She died at Osborne House on January 22, 1901, surrounded by her family. Her funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and she was interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum in Windsor Great Park.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

January 22, 1954 – Death of Princess Margaret of Prussia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, at Schloss Kronberg (formerly Schloss Friedrichshof) in Taunus, Hesse, Germany and was buried  in the family cemetery of the House of Hesse there
Known as Mossy, she was the daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal. In 1893, Mossy married Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse, known as Fischy. They had six sons including two sets of twins. Two of their sons were killed in action during World War I and one was killed in action during World War II. In 1925, Fischy’s brother abdicated as the head of the House of Hesse and was succeeded by Fischy. Even though Germany had done away with royal titles, Fischy was styled as Landgrave of Hesse, and Mossy was styled as Landgravine of Hesse. Fischy died on May 28, 1940, at the age of 72. Mossy survived her husband by nearly fourteen years, dying  on January 22, 1954, at the age of 81
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Margaret of Prussia, Landgravine of Hesse

January 22, 1963 – Death of Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby, Marchioness of Milford Haven, daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich of Russia, wife of George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, in Cannes, France; buried at Bray Cemetery in Bray, Berkshire, England
Nadejda was the daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich of Russia, a grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and his morganatic wife Countess Sophie von Merenberg. As her parents’ marriage was morganatic, her father was stripped of his position at the Imperial Court and banished from Russia for the rest of his life. By the time she was four years old, Nadejda’s family had settled in England, but they also spent part of the year at their villa in Cannes, France. The family became prominent members of British society and developed friendships with several members of the British Royal Family. It was through these friendships that Nadejda met her future husband, Prince George of Battenberg, later 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, and the uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Nadejda and George married in 1916 and had two children. Nadejda was widowed when her husband succumbed to bone marrow cancer in 1938. She survived her husband by twenty-five years, dying at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby, Marchioness of Milford Haven

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