© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, wife of King Manuel II of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

August 19, 1186 – Death of Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, son of King Henry II of England, at Paris, France, buried in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France
Geoffrey was one of the four surviving sons of King Henry II. As the sons of King Henry II grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of their father’s empire began to emerge, encouraged by King Louis VII of France and then his son King Philippe II of France. After the death of Henry the Young King, his eldest son, King Henry II had to make plans for the disposition of his empire, but he kept his thoughts secret. This caused more ill feelings between him and his three remaining sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. King Philippe II of France was determined to exploit the situation to his benefit. Dissatisfied with having just the Duchy of Brittany, Geoffrey also wanted the County of Anjou and Philippe encouraged him in his plans to once again rebel against his father. However, Geoffrey suddenly died at the age of 27. One contemporary source says Geoffrey died of a fever. However, several other sources say he was thrown from his horse during a tournament and trampled to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany

August 19, 1284 – Death of Alfonso, Earl of Chester, son of King Edward I of England, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Alfonso was the third son and ninth child of Edward I and his first wife Eleanor of Castile.  His two elder brothers were already dead so he was the heir apparent.  If he had not died at age 10 England could have had a King Alfonso.
Unofficial Royalty: Alfonso, Earl of Chester

August 19, 1493 – Death of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria in Linz, Duchy of Austria, now in Austria; initially buried in the Ducal Crypt at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, on November 12, 1513, the remains of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor were transferred from the Ducal Crypt to a monumental tomb at St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Friedrich III reigned as Holy Roman Emperor from 1440 to 1493, as Friedrich V, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola from 1424 to 1493, and as Friedrich V, Duke (Duchy of Austria) and then Archduke of Austria (Archduchy of Austria) from 1457 to 1493. He would lay the foundation that would keep the House of Habsburg in a power play position until its fall after World War I.  During his reign, Friedrich concentrated on re-uniting the Habsburg hereditary lands of Austria. In February 1493, Friedrich’s health began to worsen. He had an issue with his left leg which contemporary sources referred to as gangrene but in today’s modern medicine, the issue was caused by arteriosclerosis. Friedrich’s doctors decided to amputate the affected leg. Although Friedrich survived the amputation, he died on August 19, 1493, in Linz, Duchy of Austria, now in Austria, at the age of 77. Contemporary sources say the cause of his death was complications from the leg amputation, old age, or dysentery-like diarrhea from eating melon.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, Archduke of Austria

August 19, 1596 – Birth of Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine, daughter of King James I of England, at Falkland Palace in Fife, Scotland
Through her daughter Sophia, Electress of Hanover whose son succeeded to the British throne as King George I after the Protestant Stuarts died out, Elizabeth is the ancestor of the British royal family and most other European royal families, including those of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, as well as the former royal families of Greece, Romania, Prussia, and Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine

August 19, 1743 – Birth of Jeanne Bécu, Countess du Barry, mistress of King Louis XV of France, in Vaucouleurs, France
Jeanne Bécu, Countess du Barry was the last official mistress of King Louis XV of France, from 1768 until the King’s death in 1774. Following the King’s death in 1774, Jeanne was banished from court and sent to the Abbey du Pont-aux-Dames. After a year, she was permitted to leave the abbey but banned from coming within 10 miles of Versailles. During her time as the King’s mistress, Jeanne had been gifted with a slave – Zamor – who remained in her household. Zamor later joined the Jacobin club, and upon discovering this, Jeanne dismissed him. In retaliation, Zamor gave testimony implying that Jeanne had assisted numerous aristocrats who had fled the French Revolution. Due to this testimony, Jeanne was arrested and charged with treason. A swift trial took place and she was found guilty and sentenced to death by guillotine.
Unofficial Royalty: Jeanne Bécu, Countess du Barry, mistress of King Louis XV of France

August 19, 1777 – Birth of Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies at the Royal Palace of Naples in the Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy
Full name: Francesco Gennaro Giuseppe
Francesco became King of the Two Sicilies at the age of 48, upon the death of his father. As king, Francesco followed conservative policies. He was content to leave the running of the government in the hands of his favorites and advisers. During Francesco’s reign, the Carbonari, an informal network of secret revolutionary societies, grew stronger especially in eastern Sicily and in the Italian mainland part of the kingdom. In Sicily, smuggling and corruption flourished. Numerous crimes were committed by private armed gangs in the service of nobles and large landowners, from which the Cosa Nostra, also known as the Sicilian Mafia, later developed.
Unofficial Royalty: Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies

August 19, 1778 – Birth of Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Countess of Mensdorff-Pouilly in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Sophie Friederike Karoline Luise
Sophie was the sister of Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, and an aunt to both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Sophie was very close to her sister Antoinette who was just a year younger. They both attended balls at the Schloss Fantaisie in Eckersdorf, Bavaria, a meeting place for French emigrants who had escaped from the French Revolution and the later reign of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. It was there that she met her future husband Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly. The couple had six sons who were the first cousins of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Countess of Mensdorff-Pouilly

August 19, 1856 – Birth of Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
In 1889, Friedrich married Princess Marie of Baden but the couple had no children. Friedrich became the reigning Duke of Anhalt upon his father’s death in January 1904. While a competent ruler, he focused much more on cultural pursuits. He established a Court Theatre which would become very well-known throughout Europe and would attract some of the leading singers and musicians from around the world. Friedrich died on April 21, 1918, aged 61. In 1958, the remains of members of the House of Anhalt were removed from the Ducal Mausoleum secretly by night for political reasons. Dessau was then in Communist East Germany.  All the remains were reburied in the Ziebigker Cemetery in Dessau in a common grave, marked only by a simple wooden cross. In 2019, Friedrich’s remains were moved a second time and reinterred in the Marienkirche in Dessau, the traditional burial site of the Dukes of Anhalt-Dessau dating back to the 15th century. The Marienkirche was destroyed during World War II and has since been rebuilt.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt

August 19, 1873 – Death of Karl II, Duke of Brunswick at the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland; buried in the Garden of the Alps in Geneva, Switzerland
In 1815, the Duchy of Brunswick was established by the Congress of Vienna. That same year, Karl’s father died in battle, and Karl became the reigning Duke of Brunswick. He and his brother were placed under the guardianship of their father’s first cousin (and their uncle by marriage), The Prince Regent of Great Britain – the future King George IV of the United Kingdom and of Hanover. The Prince Regent also reigned in Brunswick on Karl’s behalf. When Karl turned 18 in 1822, he claimed his majority, but the Prince Regent claimed that he would not reach his majority until turning 21. A compromise was reached, and Karl took control of the government on his 19th birthday in 1823. In 1830, the July Revolution broke out and Karl lost his throne. Karl made several attempts to regain the throne, but all were unsuccessful. He spent the next 40 years living in London and Paris. When the Franco-Prussian War began in 1870, Karl was forced to leave Paris and settled at the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, where he died.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl II, Duke of Brunswick

August 19, 1890 – Birth of Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, wife of King Manuel II of Portugal, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Auguste Viktoria Wilhelmine Antonie Mathilde Ludovika Josephine Maria Elisabeth
In 1912, Augusta Viktoria met the former King Manuel II of Portugal while both were visiting Switzerland. Manuel had become King in 1908 following the assassinations of his father and elder brother but was deposed two years later when the Portuguese First Republic was declared. Since Augusta Victoria and Manuel married after he was deposed, she was never actually Queen of Portugal, although she was often styled as such by courtesy. The couple at Fulwell Park, Manuel’s home outside of London, England. Augusta Viktoria and Manuel had no children. After Manuel’s death, Augusta Viktoria married Count Robert Douglas, head of the Swedish comital house of Douglas (a branch of the Scottish Clan Douglas). The couple lived at Langenstein Castle in Orsingen-Nenzingen, Baden, Germany, and had no children.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

August 19, 1946 – Birth of Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein, son of Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Zurich, Switzerland
Full name: Philipp Erasmus Alois Ferdinand Maria Sebaldus
In 1971, Philipp married Isabelle de l’Arbre de Malander and the couple had three sons. Prince Philipp worked in banking and finance. After working for private banks, in 1979 Philipp became chairman of the board of the Liechtensteinische Landesbank, which is owned by the Liechtenstein government. In 1981, he became a member of the board of directors of The Liechtenstein Global Trust, owned by the Princely House of Liechtenstein through The Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein

August 19, 1973 – Birth of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, wife of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in Kristiansand, Norway
Mette-Marit first briefly met Crown Prince Haakon of Norway at a music festival in the mid-1990s. The two met again in 1999 and began a relationship. When their engagement was announced in late 2000, it was not without controversy. The couple did, however, have the support of Haakon’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja, and after a series of public interviews, they also regained the support of the Norwegian people.  Mette-Marit and Haakon have a daughter and a son.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria with his mother Sophie of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

August 18, 1645 – Death of Eudoxia Lukyanovna Streshneva, Tsarista of All Russia, second wife of the first Romanov ruler Michael I, Tsar of All Russia; first buried at the Ascension Convent in the Moscow Kremlin, in 1929 moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin
Eudoxia’s life was concerned with childbearing to continue the new Romanov dynasty and there was much pressure on her to produce a son, especially after her first two children turned out to be girls. She gave birth to ten children, but only four reached adulthood including her husband’s successor Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia.  She died only a few weeks after her husband and was buried at the Ascension Convent, a Russian Orthodox nunnery in the Moscow Kremlin where royal and noblewomen were buried. In 1929, the Ascension Convent was dismantled by the Soviets in order to make room for the Red Commanders School. At that time, the remains of those buried there were moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
Unofficial Royalty: Eudoxia Lukyanovna Streshneva, Tsarista of All Russia

August 18, 1683 – Birth of Christian Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany
Christian Ernst fell in love with Christiane von Koss, the daughter of the Saalfeld forestry master. This relationship displeased both his father and his only surviving half-brother Franz Josias. Eventually, Christian Ernst’s father consented to the marriage, and the couple was married morganatically on om his birthday August 18, 1724. A morganatic marriage meant that Christiane and any children from the marriage would not be entitled to her husband’s titles and privileges. As the elder son, Christian Ernst was his father’s heir but because of his unequal marriage, his half-brother Franz Josias claimed the sole inheritance of the duchy. However, Johann Ernst decided that both his sons should reign jointly, and upon his death in 1729, his will forced the joint reign.
Unofficial Royalty: Christian Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

August 18, 1765 – Death of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor in Salzburg, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
In 1736, Francis Stephen married Maria Theresa of Austria, the only surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI and the heir to the Habsburg Empire. The couple had sixteen children but only eight survived childhood including two Holy Roman Emperors and Maria Antonia better known as Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories in her own right of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma, and she was the only female to hold the position. The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor as Franz I. Despite the snub, Maria Theresa wielded the real power and Francis Stephen was content to leave the act of reigning to his wife.
Unofficial Royalty: Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor

August 18, 1781 – Death of Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein; buried at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov nearby Brno, Czech Republic
The nephew of Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, Franz Josef I reigned as Prince of Liechtenstein from 1772 – 1781. In 1750, Franz Josef married Countess Leopoldine von Sternberg, the daughter of Count Franz Philipp of Sternberg and Countess Leopoldine of Starhemberg. Franz Josef and Leopoldine had eight children including two sovereign Princes of Liechtenstein.  Before he became Prince of Liechtenstein, Franz Josef participated in a number of diplomatic missions on behalf of the Holy Roman Empire.
Unofficial Royalty: Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein

August 18, 1830 – Birth of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Franz Joseph Karl
Franz Joseph was born during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Franz I. Franz’s eldest son and successor Ferdinand suffered from epilepsy, hydrocephalus, neurological problems, and a speech impediment and although he married in 1831, the marriage was probably never consummated and therefore no children were expected. Franz Joseph’s father was the third, but the second surviving son of Emperor Franz I, so Franz Joseph was expected to eventually succeed to the throne. The biggest ambition of Franz Joseph’s mother Sophie of Bavaria was to place her oldest son on the Austrian throne. During the Revolutions of 1848, she persuaded her husband to give up his rights to the throne in favor of their son Franz Joseph, and on December 2, 1848, Emperor Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his 18-year-old nephew. Franz Joseph was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia.
Unofficial Royalty: Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria

 August 18, 1831 – Birth of Helena of Nassau, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont, first wife of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in the German state of Hesse
Full name: Helena Wilhelmine Henriette Pauline Marianne
In 1853, Helena married Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.  The couple had six daughters and one son. Because of her efforts, the relatively poor House of Waldeck-Pyrmont was linked by the marriages of their children to the richer ruling dynasties of Würtemberg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Georg Viktor and Helena are the ancestors of the Dutch royal family through their daughter Emma and the Swedish royal family through their daughter Helena. Their daughter Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont married the youngest son of Queen Victoria, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.
Unofficial Royalty: Helena of Nassau, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

August 17, 1153 – Death of Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne, son of King Stephen of England, at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England; buried at Faversham Abbey in Kent, England
Eustace was the second but first surviving son of King Stephen and Matilda of Boulogne.  He became the ruler of his mother’s country in 1147 at the age of 21.  Eustace married Constance, the only daughter of King Louis VI of France.  He had a very unpleasant personality and more or less imprisoned his wife in Canterbury Castle.  He died childless “of fever” or “in a fit of madness” and was buried at Faversham Abbey.  At Eustace’s death, young Henry Fitzempress came to England to claim his rights to the English throne through his mother Empress Matilda (or Maud), the only surviving child of Henry I.  Stephen, who was Empress Matilda’s first cousin and Henry reached an agreement with the Treaty of Wallingford which allowed Stephen to rule until his death when the throne would pass to Henry who ruled as Henry II.
Unofficial Royalty: Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne

August 17, 1153 – Birth of William IX, Count of Poitiers, son of King Henry II of England, in Normandy, France
William was the first child of Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine and ironically was born on the day Eustace of Boulogne, King Stephen’s son and heir died. (See Eustace’s entry above for more information.) William died when he was three.
Unofficial Royalty: William  IX, Count of Poitiers

August 17, 1473 – Birth of Richard, Duke of York, son of King Edward IV of England, at the Dominican Friary in Shrewsbury, England
Sometimes called Richard of Shrewsbury after his place of birth, Richard, Duke of York and his elder brother briefly King Edward V of England have been immortalized as one of the two “Princes in the Tower” who mysteriously disappeared. Richard was the sixth of the ten children and the second of the three sons of King Edward IV of England, the first King of England from the House of York, and Elizabeth Woodville.
Unofficial Royalty: Richard, Duke of York

 August 17, 1786 – Death of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia, at the Palace of Sanssouci in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; originally buried at the Garrison Church in Potsdam, re-buried at the Palace of Sanssouci
King Friedrich II of Prussia, best known as Frederick the Great, was the son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King in Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, daughter of King George I of Great Britain. In 1733, Friedrich married Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, but they spent most of their lives separated, seeing each other only a handful of times after he became King. They had no children, and upon becoming King in 1740, Friedrich named his brother Augustus as Crown Prince. Augustus predeceased Friedrich so his son succeeded as King Friedrich Wilhelm II. Aside from his promotion of the arts, Friedrich proved himself a skilled military commander and is attributed with great advancements in his kingdom. Friedrich II died quietly in his study at the Palace of Sanssouci at the age of 74.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia

August 17, 1786 – Birth of Viktoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld, Duchess of Kent, wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Marie Luise Viktoria
In November of 1817, the death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, necessitated the marriages of the unmarried sons of King George III to provide an heir to the throne.  Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (fourth son of King George III) married the 32-year-old widow Victoria of Saxe-Coburg- Saalfeld. Edward had never married but had lived for 28 years with his mistress Julie de Montgenêt de Saint-Laurent. In September 1818, Edward and Victoria set out for Leiningen, where the Duchess of Kent’s young son from her first marriage was the Sovereign Prince. However, when the Duchess became pregnant, they were determined to return to England so that the possible heir to the throne would be born there. They took up residence in an apartment at Kensington Palace and it was there that their only child, the future Queen Victoria, was born on May 24, 1819.
Unofficial Royalty: Viktoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld, Duchess of Kent

August 17, 1887 – Birth of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, at the Castle of Persenbeug in Persenbeug-Gottsdorf, Austria
Full name: Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Maria
In 1911, Karl married Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. The couple had eight children. Their oldest child Otto, who was Crown Prince during his father’s short reign, was the longest surviving of their children and died on July 4, 2011, at the age of 98. In 1889, after the suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, the next heir was Karl’s grandfather Archduke Karl Ludwig, but within a few days, he renounced his claim in favor of his son Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir until his assassination on June 28, 1914, an event that was one of the causes of World War I. Archduke Franz Ferdinand had been allowed to make a morganatic marriage with the condition that children of the marriage would not have succession rights. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Karl became the heir. He succeeded to the throne upon the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1916 and was the last Emperor of Austria. Karl spent the rest of his life in exile, dying in 1922. On October 3, 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and he is known as Blessed Karl of Austria. Beatification is the third of four steps toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. On January 31, 2008, the Roman Catholic Church, after a 16-month investigation, formally recognized a second miracle attributed to Karl I which is required for his canonization as a saint. However, no word on his canonization has been forthcoming.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl I, Emperor of Austria

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

August 16, 1573 – Birth of Anna of Austria, first wife of King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden and Poland, in Graz, Austria
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, Queen of Poland

August 16, 1662 – Birth of Prince Hans-Adam I of Liechtenstein in Brno, Margraviate of Moravia, now in the Czech Republic
Full name: Johann Adam Andreas
Twenty-two-year-old Hans-Adam became Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein on April 5, 1684. Karl Eusebius left his son a rich inheritance and an extensive collection of artworks that were multiplied by his son and other descendants. The current Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II, is the richest European monarch. In 1681, Hans-Adam married Princess Erdmuthe Maria Theresia of Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg. Hans-Adam and Erdmuthe had eleven children but all their sons predeceased Hans-Adam. Because Hans-Adam had no sons, he had chosen his distant cousin Prince Joseph Wenzel, the great-grandnephew of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein, even though he was not next in line. The actual heir was his uncle Anton Florian but he was not very popular with the family.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Hans-Adam I of Liechtenstein

August 16, 1682 – Birth of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, son of Louis, Le Grande Dauphin and grandson of King Louis XIV of France, at the Palace of Versailles in  Versailles, France
Louis, Duke of Burgundy was the eldest of the three sons of Louis, Dauphin of France and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. At the time of his birth, Louis’ grandfather Louis XIV was King of France and his father was the heir apparent to the French throne. After Louis’ birth, his father was called Le Grand Dauphin and his son Louis, who was second in the line of succession, was called Le Petit Dauphin. However, King Louis XIV outlived both his son and his grandson and was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson King Louis XV when he died in 1715.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin

August 16, 1763 – Birth of Frederick, Duke of York, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at St. James Palace in London, England
Full name: Frederick Augustus
Prince Frederick, Duke of York was the second son of King George III but his marriage produced no children. Frederick had a career in the army and attained the rank of general. A well-known nursery rhyme is supposedly about Frederick’s defeat at the Battle of Tourcoing during the Flanders Campaign.

The grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up.
And when they were down, they were down.
And when they were only halfway up,
They were neither up nor down

Unofficial Royalty: Frederick, Duke of York

August 16, 1906 – Birth of Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein at Schloss Frauenthal in Steiermark, Austria   
Full name: Franz Josef Maria Aloys Alfred Karl Johannes Heinrich Michael Georg Ignaz Benediktus Gerhardus Majella
Franz Josef was named after Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria who was his mother’s paternal uncle and his godfather. In 1938, Franz Joseph succeeded his childless great uncle Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Franz Josef was the first sovereign prince to live full-time in the principality and made his home at Vaduz Castle. He is the father of the current Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein

August 16, 2019 – Death of Princess Christina of the Netherlands, daughter of Queen Julianna of the Netherlands, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands
Princess Christina was the youngest of four daughters of the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. Her mother had contracted German measles while pregnant with Christina, resulting in her being born nearly blind. Fortunately, she was able to gain some sight and was able to live a relatively normal life. In June 2018 it was announced that Princess Christina was suffering from bone cancer. Princess Christina died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands on August 16, 2019, at the age of 72 from bone cancer. Princess Christina’s remains were taken to Fagel’s Garden Pavilion on the grounds of Noordeinde Palace, where close friends and family paid their last respects. The cremation was held in private.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Christina of the Netherlands

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French; Credit – Wikipedia

August 15, 1316 – Birth of John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, son of King Edward II of England, at Eltham Palace in London, England
In 1327, when John was eleven years old, his father King Edward II was forced to give up his crown in favor of his son 14-year-old son King Edward III, with his mother Isabella of France and Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer, 1st Earl of March acting as regents. King Edward II died in Berkeley Castle on September 21, 1327, probably murdered on the orders of Isabella and Mortimer. John was the heir to the English throne until 1330, when his nephew Edward, Prince of Wales, the first child of King Edward III, was born.  King Edward III began marriage negotiations for his brother several times but none of the negotiations led to a betrothal. John had a brilliant military career, similar to the later military career of his nephew Edward, Prince of Wales, known as The Black Prince, who predeceased his father, and whose career ended just as suddenly. John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall died on September 13, 1336, in Perth, Scotland at the age of 20. The cause of his death is uncertain. There are references to John dying from a fever and dying in a skirmish with the Scots.
Unofficial Royalty: John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall

August 15, 1369 – Death of Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England, wife of King Edward III of England, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Philippa married King Edward III of England in 1348. The couple had thirteen children including her eldest child, Edward the Black Prince, who was born days before her sixteenth birthday. The sons of Edward and Philippa married into the English nobility and it was their descendants who later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses. Like other medieval consorts, Philippa often accompanied her husband on military campaigns.  She was known for her kind nature and successfully pleaded for the lives of six burghers who had surrendered their city of Calais to King Edward III. Philippa died of a “dropsical malady” (edema) that had bothered her for about two years. She was 55 years old and had outlived seven of her children. According to the chronicler Jean Froissart, Philippa died holding the hands of her husband and her youngest child Thomas who was fourteen years old.
Unofficial Royalty: Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England

August 15, 1769 – Birth of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, born Napoleone di Buonaparte in Corsica, France
Napoléon joined the French army and quickly advanced. During the latter part of the French Revolution, he rose to prominence and by the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Napoléon was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815. In the early part of the 19th century, Napoléon’s quest for power led to wars throughout a large part of Europe. In 1814, Paris was captured by the coalition fighting against Napoléon and his marshals decided to mutiny. He had no choice but to abdicate. The Treaty of Fontainebleau exiled Napoléon to the Mediterranean island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany, Italy. Napoléon escaped from Elba on February 26, 1815, and arrived in France two days later. He attempted to regain power, but he was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, by a coalition of forces from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Nassau, Brunswick, and Prussia.
Unofficial Royalty: Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French

August 15, 1824 – Birth of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Baden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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

August 15, 1860 – Death of Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia, at her estate in Elfenau, near Bern, Switzerland; buried at her estate in Elfenau
Julianne was an aunt to both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She made an unsuccessful marriage to Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia, the second son of the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. Juliane managed to leave Russia and upon arriving back home in Coburg, she refused to ever return to Russia. She soon began to negotiate for a divorce. However, the Russian court would not allow a formal end to the marriage. Although still technically married, Juliane had several affairs, two of which resulted in the birth of children. In 1814, after refusing an offer of reconciliation from her husband, Juliane purchased an estate in Bern, Switzerland along the banks of the Aare River. She named the property Elfenau, and it would become her home for the rest of her life.
Unofficial Royalty:  Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna

August 15, 1950 – Birth of Princess Anne, Princess Royal at Clarence House in London, England
Full name: Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise
From a young age, Princess Anne was passionate about riding and she soon became an excellent equestrienne. In 1971, Anne won the European Eventing Championship and was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.  For more than five years Anne competed with the British eventing team, winning a silver medal in both individual and team disciplines in the 1975 European Eventing Championship. In the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, Anne competed as a member of the British equestrian team.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne, Princess Royal

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Prince Heinrich of Prussia with his wife Irene of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

August 14, 1473 – Birth of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, daughter of  George, Duke of Clarence (third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York) and niece of King Edward IV and King Richard III, at Farleigh Hungerford Castle in Somerset, England
Margaret was one of the few surviving members of the Plantagenet dynasty after the Wars of the Roses. She was the mother of Reginald Pole, Cardinal, Papal Legate, last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Queen Mary I.  After the rise of the Tudors, the remaining members of the House of York were systematically dealt with through marriage, imprisonment, and eventually, execution. Accused of conducting treasonable correspondence with her son Cardinal Pole, Margaret was executed during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury

August 14, 1479 – Birth of Catherine of York, Countess of Devon, daughter of King Edward IV of England, at Eltham Palace in London, England
In 1495, sixteen-year-old Catherine married twenty-year-old William Courtenay, son and heir of Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, a strong supporter of the then-current monarch, King Henry VII, and they had three children. After her marriage, Catherine remained close to her eldest sister Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII. She attended the wedding of her eldest nephew Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon in November 1501, and the betrothal of her eldest niece Margaret Tudor to James IV, King of Scots in January 1502. After the death of her husband in 1511, Catherine took a vow of celibacy and was rarely at court. One of her few appearances at court was in 1516 for the christening of her great-niece, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s daughter, the future Queen Mary I of England, at which Catherine was the godmother. Catherine of York died on November 15, 1527, at Tiverton Castle in Tiverton, Devon, England, aged 48.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine of York, Countess of Devon

August 14, 1687 – Birth of Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange in Dessau, Principality of Anhalt-Dessau, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange and his wife Princess Marie Luise of Hesse-Kassel are the most recent common ancestors of all currently reigning European monarchs. At the time of Johan Willem Friso’s birth, his first cousin once removed Willem III was Prince of Orange and Stadtholder (Governor) of five of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic. Willem III had married his English first cousin Mary Stuart, the elder surviving child of King James II of England. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which deposed King James II, Willem and Mary jointly ruled England as King William III and Queen Mary II, but the couple had no children.  After Willem’s death,  Johan Willem Friso claimed succession in the five provinces of the Dutch Republic that William (Willem) III had held as well as to the title Prince of Orange. However, the five provinces over which Willem III had ruled as Stadtholder all suspended the office of Stadtholder after his death. A dispute arose between Johan Willem Friso and Friedrich I, King in Prussia, also a grandson of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange, over the Principality of Orange which was located in France. Friedrich I eventually inherited the land and ceded the land to France in 1713. However, the title Prince of Orange continued to be used in the Dutch Republic. In July to The Hague to meet with King Friedrich I of Prussia about their succession dispute. To cross the Hollands Diep, a wide river in the Netherlands, Johan Willem Friso and his carriage traveled on a ferry. The captain had trouble with the sails and suddenly a great gust of wind filled the sails, the ferry capsized and Johan Willem Friso drowned at the age of 23 on July 14, 1711. His body was found floating in the river eight days later.
Unofficial Royalty: Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange

August 14, 1688 – Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
For the first few years of his life, Friedrich Wilhelm was raised in Hanover, at the court of his grandmother, the Electress Sophia of Hanover, along with his cousins – his future wife, Sophie Dorothea of Hanover,  whom he married in 1706, and her brother, the future King George II of Great Britain. Friedrich Wilhelm came to the Prussian throne upon his father’s death in 1713. Unlike his father who viewed the treasury as his own money and lived a very lavish lifestyle, Friedrich Wilhelm chose to go the opposite direction. He sold many of his father’s possessions and lived a very austere life. While his father was focused more on his personal enjoyment, Friedrich Wilhelm focused on strengthening Prussia, particularly the economy and the military.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia

August 14, 1720 – Birth of Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, husband of Princess Mary of Great Britain (daughter of King George II of Great Britain), in Kassel in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany
Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel became famous during the American Revolution as a supplier of thousands of Hessian soldiers who fought on behalf of the British. Friedrich and his wife Mary are ancestors of the current British royal family through their fourth son Prince Friedrich. Prince Friedrich’s daughter Augusta was the grandmother of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, better known as Queen Mary, the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom. Through their third son Prince Karl, Friedrich and Mary are great-grandparents of King Christian IX of Denmark. Through King Christian IX, Friedrich and Mary are ancestors of six of the ten current European monarchs (King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Charles III of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

August 14, 1754 – Death of Maria Anna of Austria, Queen of Portugal, wife of King João V of Portugal, in Lisbon, Portugal; initially interred at the Monastery of São João Nepomuceno (Saint John Nepomuk), which she founded, her heart was interred in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, the burial place of her birth family, the Habsburgs. In 1855, her remains were transferred to the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal, where her husband João V had been interred.
Maria Anna, the daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, was the wife and first cousin of João V, King of Portugal. Maria Anna and João V had six children including two kings of Portugal. Soon after her marriage, Maria Anna realized that beauty and luxury were valued at the Portuguese court much more than learning and knowledge, which were the traits valued at the Austrian court. João had many mistresses and several illegitimate children and although he was well educated and religious, he occupied himself with whatever pleased him at the moment.  Maria Anna died four years after the death of her husband.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Anna of Austria, Queen of Portugal

August 14, 1862 – Birth of Prince Heinrich of Prussia, son of Friedrich III, German Emperor, at Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Albert Wilhelm Heinrich
Prince Heinrich was the son of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor, and Queen Victoria’s grandson. He married his first cousin Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, Irene was a hemophilia carrier having inherited the gene from her mother Princess Alice who had inherited it from her mother Queen Victoria. Nine of Queen Victoria’s descendants were afflicted with hemophilia and two of them were Heinrich and Irene’s sons. At the age of 15, Heinrich started his career in the  German Imperial Navy.  In 1909, he was promoted to Grand Admiral (Großadmiral), the highest rank in the German Imperial Navy. At the beginning of World War I, Heinrich was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Baltic Fleet. He was charged with preventing the Russian Navy from attacking the German coast and was successful. At the end of World War I, and with the abdication of his brother Wilhelm as German Emperor and King of Prussia, Heinrich left the navy. After the dissolution of the German monarchies, Heinrich and his family lived at Hemmelmark, an estate in Eckernförde in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where he died at the age of 66, on April 20, 1929.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Heinrich of Prussia

August 14, 1876 – Birth of King Alexander I of Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia
King Alexander I of Serbia was the last ruler of Serbia from the House of Obrenović. His reign ended with his and his wife’s brutal assassinations in 1903. He was the only surviving child of King Milan I of Serbia and his wife Natalija Keschko. In 1889, King Milan unexpectedly abdicated in favor of his twelve-year-old son who became King Alexander I of Serbia. In 1893, 17-year-old King Alexander proclaimed himself of age and dismissed the regency council in order to take royal authority for himself. The following year, King Alexander abolished the 1889 liberal constitution and restored the former conservative 1869 constitution. The political situation continued to worsen until the army had enough.  A conspiracy was organized by the military called the May Coup to replace King Alexander I of the House of Obrenović with Prince Peter Karađorđević of the rival House of Karađorđević.  This resulted in the assassination of Alexander and his wife.
Unofficial Royalty: King Alexander I of Serbia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.