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Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, 2nd husband of Mary, Queen of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

February 10, 1134 – Death of Robert III Curthose, Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror, at Cardiff Castle in Wales; buried at Gloucester Cathedral in England
Robert Curthose was the eldest son of King William I of England (the Conqueror). Despite being the eldest son, Robert did not follow his father upon the English throne. Robert’s nickname Curthose comes from the Norman French courtheuse, meaning “short stockings.” In 1087, King William I divided his lands between his two eldest surviving sons. Robert Curthose was to receive the Duchy of Normandy and William Rufus was to receive the Kingdom of England. Henry, the third son, was to receive 5,000 pounds of silver and his mother’s English estates but he did eventually succeed his childless brother William Rufus on the English throne as King Henry I. On his way back from the Crusades, Robert married a wealthy heiress Sybilla of Conversano in 1100 at the bride’s hometown of Apulia (now in Italy). Robert and Sybilla had one son. In 1105, King Henry I invaded Normandy and defeated Robert’s army at the Battle of Tinchebray on September 28, 1106.  Normandy remained a possession of the English crown for over a century. Robert was captured after the battle and spent the rest of his life imprisoned, first at Devizes Castle for twenty years and then at Cardiff Castle for the remainder of his life.  Robert Curthose lived into his eighties and died at Cardiff Castle on February 10, 1134.
Unofficial Royalty: Robert III Curthose, Duke of Normandy

February 10, 1567 – Death of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, when Kirk o’ Field, his house in Edinburgh, Scotland, blows up; buried at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland
Lord Darnley was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots and the father of King James VI of Scotland/James I of England. Like his wife Mary, Queen of Scots, Darnley was the grandchild of Margaret Tudor (daughter of King Henry VII of England and the older sister of King Henry VIII of England). Darnley had claims to both the Scottish and English thrones as he was descended from both James II of Scotland and Henry VII of England. In 1565, Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots were married. They had one child, the future James VI, King of Scots who succeeded to the English throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I as King James I of England. In 1565, while Mary was pregnant, Darnley, who was jealous of Mary’s friendship with her private secretary David Riccio, formed a conspiracy to do away with Riccio who was then murdered in Mary’s presence. Mary’s marriage was all but over and she began to be drawn to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. Bothwell entered into a conspiracy with Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll and George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly to rid Mary of her husband. 1567, Kirk o’ Field, the house where Darnley was staying, was blown up. Darnley and his servant were found dead near the house in an orchard outside the city walls.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, King Consort of Scotland

February 10, 1598 – Death of Anna of Austria, Queen of Sweden and Poland, first wife of King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden and Poland, in Warsaw, Poland; buried at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland
In May 1592, Anna married Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland. Anna and Sigmund had five children but only one, Ladislaus Vasa, who succeeded his father as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, survived childhood. On November 17, 1592, Sigismund’s father Johan III, King of Sweden, Grand Duke of Lithuania died and Sigismund was granted permission by the Polish legislature to claim his inheritance as the rightful King of Sweden. In 1594, Anna accompanied her husband to Sweden, where she and her husband were crowned King and Queen of Sweden. In 1598, Anna died due to birth complications during the birth of her sixth child, who also died.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Austria, Queen of Sweden and Poland

February 10, 1606 – Birth of Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy, daughter of King Henri IV of France and wife of Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy, at the Palais du Louvre in Paris, France
Christine was the daughter of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. In 1619, on her 13th birthday, she married the future Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy and they had seven children. Christine introduced French culture to the Savoy court and was quite active in the renovations of Savoy palaces and castles. Her sister Henrietta Maria had married King Charles I of England and the two sisters had a rivalry to see who had the more splendid court. Upon the death of her husband in 1637, Christine became Regent for her five-year-old son Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy and when he died in 1638, she became Regent for her other son Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy. In later years, Christine had a religious conversion that radically transformed her from a life of pleasure to a life of extreme penitential practices. She died at the age of 57 and requested to be buried in the habit of a Discalced Carmelite nun.
United Kingdom: Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy

February 10, 1723 – Death of Countess Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun-Hohenstein, wife of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Vienna, Austria; buried in a crypt under the Pauline Church in Vienna, Austria
Eleonore Barbara married Anton Florian, the future sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, and the couple had eleven children. Anton Florian  became Prince of Liechtenstein in 1718 but he died after a reign of only three years. Eleonore Barbara survived him by less than two years, dying at the age of 62 on February 10, 1723, in Vienna, Austria. She was buried in a crypt under the Pauline Church in Vienna, Austria. The crypt no longer exists and the tombs were not preserved.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleonore Barbara Catharina von Thun-Hohenstein, Princess of Liechtenstein

February 10, 1772 – Death of Prince Josef Wenzel Karl of Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria; buried at Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Brno, now in the Czech Republic
The great-grandnephew of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein, Josef Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein reigned from 1712 – 1718, was the Regent of Liechtenstein from 1732 – 1745 and reigned again from 1748 – 1772.  In 1718, Josef Wenzel married his first cousin Princess Anna Maria Antonie of Liechtenstein. They had five children who all died in childhood. Josef Wenzel had a successful military career in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire. He also served as a diplomat for Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. Josef Wenzel, Prince of Liechtenstein died on February 10, 1772, aged 75, in Vienna Austria. With no surviving sons, Josef Wenzel was succeeded by his nephew, the son of his brother Prince Emmanuel, as Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Josef Wenzel Karl of Liechtenstein

February 10, 1840 – Wedding of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England
First cousins Victoria and Albert met for the first time in 1836 when Albert and his elder brother Ernst visited England. Seventeen-year-old Victoria seemed instantly infatuated with Albert. She wrote to their uncle Leopold I, King of the Belgians, “How delighted I am with him, and how much I like him in every way. He possesses every quality that could be desired to make me perfectly happy.” In October 1839, Albert and Ernst again visited England, staying at Windsor Castle with Victoria, who was now Queen. On October 15, 1839, the 20-year-old monarch summoned her cousin Albert and proposed to him. Albert accepted, but wrote to his stepmother, “My future position will have its dark sides, and the sky will not always be blue and unclouded.” The couple was married in the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace on February 10, 1840, at 1 pm. Traditionally, royal weddings had taken place at night but this wedding was held during the day so the Queen’s subjects could see the couple as they traveled down The Mall from Buckingham Palace.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

February 10, 1858 – Birth of Alice Heine, Princess of Monaco, American-born second wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, in New Orleans, Louisiana
Alice Heine was the second wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, and the first American woman to marry a reigning European sovereign. Her father Michel Heine was a French banker and businessman who came from a prominent German-Jewish banking family and established a bank in New Orleans, Louisiana. The family returned to France, and in 1875, Alice married Marie Odet Richard Armand de La Chapelle de Saint-Jean de Jumilhac, 7th Duke of Richelieu. Jewish by birth, Alice converted to Roman Catholicism prior to the marriage. The couple had two children. Upon her husband’s death in 1880, Alice became a wealthy young widow. She became one of the leading hostesses in European society and met the future Prince Albert I of Monaco. However, Albert’s father, Prince Charles III, would not permit them to marry. After the death of his father in 1889, Albert became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco and married Alice. The couple had no children. Eventually, Alice and Albert’s lack of mutual interests drove them apart. Alice had an affair with the composer Isidore de Lara. Although Albert had many affairs, he could not tolerate Alice’s affair. In 1901, at the opening of the opera, Albert publicly accused Alice of her affair and slapped her across the face. Alice left the opera immediately and left Monaco the next morning. Albert banned her from ever returning to Monaco. The couple was granted a legal separation in 1902 but never divorced. Alice settled at Claridge’s in London, England. While in London, she became a close friend of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Alice died in Paris, France at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Alice Heine, Princess of Monaco

February 10, 1859 – Death of Anna of Saxony, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Tuscany, first wife of Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies; buried at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
Anna of Saxony was the daughter of Johann, King of Saxony. Anna’s father was a close friend of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The two families were linked by several marriages. A marriage between Anna and Leopoldo’s eldest son and heir Ferdinando, Hereditary Grand Duke of Tuscany was negotiated when the future bride and groom were still children. Anna and Ferdinando were married on November 24, 1856, and Anna gave birth to a daughter in 1858. On February 6, 1859, during a trip to Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy, Anna miscarried a daughter due to typhoid fever. Four days later, Anna died at the age of twenty-three.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Saxony, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Tuscany

February 10, 1864 – Death of Antoinette de Mérode-Westerloo, Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Charles III of Monaco, in Paris, France; buried at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Antoinette was the daughter of daughters of Werner Jean-Baptiste Merode, Count of Merode, a Belgian politician from a Belgian noble family, and Countess Victoire de Spangen Uyterness. In 1846, on her 18th birthday, Antoinette married the 27-year-old future Charles III, Prince of Monaco, then the Hereditary Prince of Monaco and Marquis of Baux. Charles and Antoinette had one child, Albert I, Prince of Monaco. During her husband’s early reign, Charles had begun to lose his eyesight. He depended greatly on his wife Antoinette as his condition continued to worsen. in 1862, Antoinette was diagnosed with cancer, and she died on February 10, 1864, at the age of 35.
Unofficial Royalty: Antoinette de Mérode-Westerloo, Princess of Monaco

February 10, 1868 – Birth of Prince Waldemar of Prussia, grandson of Queen Victoria, at the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Joachim Friedrich Ernst Waldemar
Prince Waldemar was the son of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor. His birth came 20 months after the tragic death of his 21-month-old brother Sigismund from meningitis. Waldemar quickly took the place of his mother’s favorite son that had been held by his deceased brother Sigismund. Vicky hoped Waldemar would be everything that his elder brothers Wilhelm and Heinrich were not. Sadly, Waldemar died of diphtheria at age 11, three months after his maternal aunt Princess Alice and her daughter Princess May died from the same disease. A favorite royal story: During a visit to his grandmother Queen Victoria, Waldemar gave her quite a scare. Queen Victoria was working on some papers in her room and when she looked up she saw a small crocodile staring at her. Naturally, she screamed and all within hearing came running.  Waldemar had let Bob, his pet crocodile, out of his box.  In fits of laughter, Waldemar retrieved his crocodile, and order was restored.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Waldemar of Prussia

February 10, 1872 – Death of Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, second wife of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, from scarlet fever; buried in the Park Cemetery in Meiningen
Feodora was the youngest child of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Through her mother, she was the niece of Queen Victoria. In 1858, Feodora married the future Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen as his second wife. The marriage was primarily intended to find a mother for Georg’s children from his first marriage and was not a love match. Georg never got over the death of his first wife, with whom he shared many common interests. Feodora and Georg had three sons. Feodora died at the age of 33, from scarlet fever.
Unofficial Royalty: Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

February 10, 1886 – Birth of Princess Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen, the second of the two wives of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe, in Büdingen, then in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse
Anna was the second of the two wives of Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe. The couple had one son. Following the German Empire’s defeat in World War I Leopold IV was forced to renounce the throne. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Anna and Leopold’s son Armin was head of the House of Lippe from 1949 until his death in 2015.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Ysenburg and Büdingen, Princess of Lippe

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