January
JANUARY 1
The Swedish Act of Succession of 26 September 1810, adopted when Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was elected heir to the throne, was amended on 1 January 1980 to change the succession from agnatic to absolute (equal) primogeniture. This change meant that Carl XVI Gustaf’s eldest child, his daughter Victoria, replaced her younger brother Carl Philip as heir to the throne.
Louis XII of France died on 1 January 1515, aged 52. His widow was the 18-year-old Mary, younger sister of Henry VIII of England. She and Louis had been married only 3 months. He had no sons, so on his death the throne went to his cousin’s son Francis I, who was married to Louis’s daughter Claude. Mary secretly married Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, much to Henry VIII’s displeasure. Their granddaughter Jane Grey was Queen of England for 9 days in July 1553.
Royal Events
Stephen I of Hungary was crowned on 1 January 1001
Romanos IV Diogenes married Eudokia Makrembolitissa and was crowned Byzantine Emperor on 1 January 1068
Michael VIII Palaiologos was proclaimed co-emperor of Nicaea with the young John IV Laskaris on 1 January 1259
Albert II of Habsburg, King of the Romans, was crowned King of Hungary and Croatia on 1 January 1438
Ferdinand I of Austria, son of Joanna the Mad of Castile, was elected King of Croatia on 1 January 1527
Charles II was crowned King of Scotland on 1 January 1651 but had to flee into exile later that year until his restoration in 1660
John V of Portugal was proclaimed king on 1 January 1707
The United Kingdom was formed from the union of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801
Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India on 1 January 1877
In the Ningen-sengen of 1 January 1946, Emperor Hirohito was made to deny that the Emperor was an incarnate divinity
Princess Victoria became Crown Princess of Sweden on 1 January 1980 by amendment to the Act of Succession allowing equal primogeniture
Royal Births
King Zwentibold of Lotharingia, illegitimate son of Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia, was born on 1 January 871
Lorenzo de’Medici (the Magnificent), ruler of Florence, was born on 1 January 1449
Sigismund I (the Old) of Poland was born on 1 January 1467
Henry Duke of Cornwall, first child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, was born on 1 January 1511; he lived just two months
Margaret Leijonhufvud, consort of Gustav I of Sweden, was born on 1 January 1516
Stephen Bocskay, Prince of Transylvania, was born on 1 January 1557
Emperor Go-Sai, 111th Emperor of Japan, was born on 1 January 1638
Thibaw Min, last king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma, was born on 1 January 1859
Vajiravudh, Rama VI of Thailand, was born on 1 January 1881
Royal Deaths
Odo, Count of Paris and King of Western Francia, died on 1 January 898 and was succeeded by Charles III, son of Louis the Stammerer
Baldwin III (the Young), Count of Flanders and co-ruler with his father, died on 1 January 962 and was succeeded by his son Arnulf II
Haakon III of Norway died on 1 January 1204 and was succeeded by his nephew Guttorm
Charles II (the Bad) of Navarre died on 1 January 1387 and was succeeded by his son Charles III
Louis XII of France died on 1 January 1515 and was succeeded by his cousin’s son, Francis I, who was also his son-in-law
Christian III of Denmark and Norway died on 1 January 1559 and was succeeded by his son Frederick II
James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, son of James II and Mary of Modena, died on 1 January 1766
JANUARY 2
Ernest III of Saxe-Coburg Saalfeld was born on 2 January 1784; in 1826 he became Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. His younger brother Leopold was widower of Princess Charlotte of Wales and was later elected King of the Belgians; his sister Victoire married the Duke of Kent and they became the parents of Queen Victoria. His younger son Albert was Victoria’s husband.
Frederick William IV of Prussia died on 2 January 1861 after suffering a stroke in 1857 that put an end to his ability to rule; his brother William became regent, and succeeded him on his death. Frederick William’s widow, Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, was an ally of William’s British daughter-in-law Vicky, Princess Royal (eldest daughter of Queen Victoria), who was very unpopular in William’s reactionary and militaristic court.
Royal Events
On 2 January 1492 the Moorish city of Granada capitulated to Ferdinand & Isabella, completing the reconquest of Spain
Amadeo I, the only Spanish king from the House of Savoy, became king on 2 January 1871 after being elected in November 1870
Royal Births
Mehmed IV, Ottoman Sultan, was born on 2 January 1642
Osman III, Ottoman Sultan, was born on 2 January 1699
Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, father of Victoria’s consort Albert, was born on 2 January 1784
Queen Emma of Hawaii, consort of Kamehameha IV, was born on 2 January 1836
Royal Deaths
Svante Nilsson, Regent of Sweden from 1504 till his death, died on 2 January 1512
Maria Luisa of Parma, consort of Charles IV of Spain, died on 2 January 1819
Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg, consort of Louis, Duke of Württemberg, died in 1857
Frederick William IV of Prussia died on 2 January 1861 and was succeeded by his brother William I
Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, Princess Demidov, died on 2 January 1904
Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, mother of King Juan Carlos of Spain, died on 2 January 2000
JANUARY 3
Catherine de Valois, daughter of the mad Charles VI of France and consort of Henry V of England under the terms of the Treaty of Troyes, died on 3 January 1437. She was the mother of Henry VI, son of Henry V. After her husband’s death she married the Welsh knight Owen Tudor; her grandson from that marriage became Henry VII after defeating Richard III at Bosworth in 1485.
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, was the daughter of Queen Victoria’s youngest son Leopold Duke of Albany. She married Prince Alexander of Teck, Queen Mary’s brother, in 1904. In 1917 her husband was created Earl of Athlone. Princess Alice was the last-surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria, dying on 3 January 1981 aged 97, the oldest royal-born member of the British royal family.
For centuries the Japanese emperor was a purely ceremonial figurehead while real power resided with the shoguns. In 1867 Emperor Meiji ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne; he took advantage of the weakness of the shogun to announce the return of imperial power. On 3 January 1868 the Meiji Restoration occurred, and the Emperor became a powerful figure, a state of affairs that lasted till the end of World War II.
Royal Events
The English army defeated a Spanish-Irish force at the Battle of Kinsale on 3 January 1602, consolidating English rule in Ireland
The Truce of Androsovo was signed between the Tsardom of Russia and Poland-Lithuania on 3 January 1667
The Meiji Restoration, where power was returned to the Japanese Emperor after years of shogunate rule, occurred on 3 January 1868
Royal Births
Emperor Tsuchimikado, 83rd Emperor of Japan, was born on 3 January 1196
Royal Deaths
Emperor Yuan of Jin, first emperor of the Eastern Jin dynasty of China, died on 3 January 323 and was succeeded by his son, Emperor Ming
Philip V (the Tall) of France died on 3 January 1322 and was succeeded by his brother Charles IV
Catherine de Valois, wife of Henry V, mother of Henry VI, and grandmother of Henry VII, died on 3 January 1437
Beatrice d’Este, consort of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, died on 3 January 1497
Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg, died on 3 January 1571 and was succeeded by his son John George
Louis I, Prince of Monaco, died on 3 January 1701 and was succeeded by his son Antonio I
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar of Iran died on 3 January 1907 and was succeeded by his son Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria, died on 3 January 1981, aged 97
JANUARY 4
January 4 wasn’t a good day for Charles I. On this date in 1642 he sent soldiers into the Houses of Parliament to arrest five MPs for treason, but they had been warned in advance and escaped. This act precipitated the English Civil War. By 1649 Charles had lost the war, and on 4 January Parliament voted to put him on trial for treason. He was executed at the end of the month.
Royal Events
Aethelred of Wessex was defeated by Danish invaders at the Battle of Reading on 4 January 871
Charles I attempted to arrest several Members of Parliament on 4 January 1642, precipitating the English Civil War
The Rump Parliament voted to put Charles I on trial on 4 January 1649
The Palace of Whitehall, one of the principal royal residences, was largely destroyed by fire on 4 January 1698
Royal Births
Emperor Zhezong, seventh emperor of the Song dynasty of China, was born on 4 January 1076
Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, was born on 4 January 1334
Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasants’ Revolt, was born on 4 January 1341
Malietoa Tanumafili II, a Paramount Chief of Samoa, was born on 4 January 1913
Royal Deaths
Sancho II (the Pious) of Portugal died in exile on 4 January 1248 after being overthrown the previous year
Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, died on 4 January 1428 and was succeeded by his son Frederick II
Philip, Duke of Mecklenburg, the mentally ill youngest son of Henry V, Duke of Mecklenburg, died on 4 January 1557
Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden, died on 4 January 1707 and was succeeded by his young son, Louis George
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (Ferdinand III of Sicily, Ferdinand IV of Naples) died on 4 January 1825 and was succeeded by his son Francis
Margherita of Savoy, consort of Umberto I of Italy, died on 4 January 1926
Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, eldest daughter of Edward VII, died on 4 January 1931
JANUARY 5
Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, died at the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477. He left one child, Mary of Burgundy; his widow was Margaret of York, Edward IV’s sister. Mary married Maximilian of Austria, but Louis XI of France had an interest in Burgundy, and after Mary’s death aged only 25, Burgundy gradually disintegrated as the European powers fought for control.
Catherine de’Medici, consort of Henry II of France, died on 5 January 1589. Henry’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers, held an influential position at court, and Catherine was powerless and unpopular. After Henry’s death in a jousting accident at the age of 40, Catherine became Regent for her young son Francis II (who was married to Mary Queen of Scots) and then his brothers Charles IX and Henry III. She was blamed for the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre during Charles’s reign, when vast numbers of Huguenots were murdered after the wedding celebration of Charles’s sister Margaret and the Protestant Henry III of Navarre. She is remembered as a ruthless, even cruel ruler.
Royal Events
The French army defeated Austria and Brandenburg at the Battle of Turckheim on 5 January 1675 during the Franco-Dutch War
Robert-François Damiens made an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Louis XV of France on 5 January 1757
Royal Births
Richard of Cornwall (son of King John), Count of Poitou and King of the Romans, was born on 5 January 1209
Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a memorial for his dead wife, was born on 5 January 1592
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, was born on 5 January 1614
Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who abdicated in 2000 in favour of his son Henri, was born on 5 January 1921
King Juan Carlos of Spain was born on 5 January 1938
Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, cousin of Emperor Akihito, was born on 5 January 1946
Royal Deaths
Edward the Confessor died on 5 January 1066; he had no children, leading to a disputed succession and the Norman Conquest
Peter IV of Aragon died on 5 (or 6) January 1387 and was succeeded by his son John I
Christopher of Bavaria, king of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, died on 5 January 1448 and the union of Denmark and Sweden was dissolved
Charles, Duke of Orléans, father of Louis XII of France, died on 5 January 1465
Charles the Bold of Burgundy, husband of Edward IV’s sister Margaret of York, died at the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477
Catherine de’Medici, consort of Henri II of France and regent for her sons Francis I and Charles IX, died on 5 January 1589
William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, brother of Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, died on 5 January 1592
Empress Elizabeth of Russia, daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I, died on 5 January 1762 and was succeeded by her nephew Peter III
Prince Frederick, Duke of York, second son of George III, died on 5 January 1827
JANUARY 6
Richard of Bordeaux, eldest surviving son of Edward the Black Prince (eldest son and heir of Edward III), was born on 6 January 1367. His father died of dysentery in 1376, and Edward III died in 1377, leaving Richard as king (Richard II) at the age of 10. This was the first time since the Conquest that a king was succeeded by his grandson; it has only happened once since then, when George III succeeded his grandfather George II in 1760. Richard turned into a despotic ruler and was eventually overthrown in 1399 by his cousin Henry of Bolingbroke, son of Edward III’s third surviving son John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who became Henry IV and founded the Lancastrian dynasty. Richard was imprisoned after his overthrow and died (almost certainly murdered) a few months later.
Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, was crowned on 6 January 1066 as the successor to Edward the Confessor of England, who was married to Harold’s sister Edith. There were two other claimants to the throne, William II of Normandy, who believed Edward the Confessor had promised him the throne, and Harald Hardrada of Norway. Harald invaded England in September 1066 to pursue his claim, landing on the northeastern coast. Harold marched to meet him, and was victorious at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, where Harald was killed. This northern war left southern England relatively undefended, and in October 1066 William of Normandy landed. Harold had to march several hundred miles south to face the Norman army, and was killed at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October.
Royal Events
Harold Godwinson was crowned king of England on 6 January 1066 to succeed Edward the Confessor; he died at the Battle of Hastings in October
Henry V, later Holy Roman Emperor, was crowned King of Germany on 6 January 1099
Philip of Swabia was crowned King of the Germans for the second time on 6 January 1205
Philip IV (the Fair) of France was crowned on 6 January 1286
Stephen Uroš III of Serbia was crowned on 6 January 1322
The inaugural ceremony of the French Order of the Star, founded by John II 2 months earlier, was held on 6 January 1352
Charles I of Bohemia (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV) was crowned King of Italy on 6 January 1355
Constantine XI Palaiologos was crowned Byzantine Emperor on 6 January 1449
Alexander I of Yugoslavia established a personal dictatorship on 6 January 1929
Royal Births
Richard II (Richard of Bordeaux), son of Edward the Black Prince and grandson and successor of Edward III, was born on 6 January 1367
Joan of Arc is said to have been born on 6 January 1412 although the real date is not known
Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg, consort of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, was born on 6 January 1655
Princess Maria of Romania, consort of Alexander I of Yugoslavia, was born on 6 January 1900
Margarita Gomez-Acebo y Cejuela, consort of Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria, was born on 6 January 1935
Royal Marriages and Divorces
Henry VIII and his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, were married on 6 January 1540; the marriage was annulled six months later
Royal Deaths
Akhmat Khan, Khan of the Great Horde (remant of the Golden Horde), was killed on 6 January 1481 and was succeeded by his son Shayk Ahmad
Alessandro de’Medici, Duke of Florence, was assassinated on 6 January 1537 and was succeeded by a distant relative, Cosimo I de’Medici
Mehmed IV, Ottoman Sultan from 1648 until he was deposed in favour of his brother Suleiman II in 1687, died on 6 January 1693
Princess Joséphine Caroline of Belgium, granddaughter of Leopold I and wife of Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern, died on 6 January 1958
Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, posthumous youngest daughter of the last Emperor, Karl I, died on 6 January 1993
JANUARY 7
Anne Sophie Reventlow, who died on 7 January 1743, was secretly married to Frederick IV of Denmark in 1712 while he was still married to Queen Louise. After the Queen’s death, Frederick married her openly and made her his queen despite her commoner background. This was his second bigamous marriage, his first having been to Elisabeth von Vieregg, who died in 1704.
Princess Charlotte Augusta, only child of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick, was born on 7 January 1796, the only legitimate grandchild of George III. Her death in childbirth in 1817 led to a rash of marriages by her uncles in hopes of fathering the new heir. Edward Duke of Kent had a daughter, Victoria, who became queen in 1837.
William III of The Netherlands married Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont on 7 January 1879; he was 61, she was 20. They had one child, a daughter, Wilhelmina, born in 1880. His three sons by his first wife, Sophie of Württemberg, all predeceased him, and on his death in 1890 he was succeeded by the 10-year-old Wilhelmina. Queen Emma acted as Regent until 1898. Queen Wilhelmina’s only child, Juliana, married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld on 7 January 1937.
Royal Events
Calais, which had been under English rule since 1347, was recaptured by the French on 7 January 1558 during the reign of Mary Tudor
Royal Births
Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, youngest son of Edward III, was born on 7 January 1355
Magdalene of Brandenburg, consort of Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, was born on 7 January 1582
William Louis, Duke of Württemberg, was born on 7 January 1674
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon and King of Naples, Sicily, and Spain, was born on 7 January 1768
Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick, was born on 7 January 1796
Ludwig III of Bavaria, the last king of Bavaria, was born on 7 January 1845
Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, grandson of George I of Greece and cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh, was born on 7 January 1939
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Matilda (Maud), daughter of Henry I and mother of Henry II, married Holy Roman Emperor Henry V on 7 January 1114
Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke, daughter of King John, married Simon de Montfort secretly on 7 January 1238
Philip (the Good) of Burgundy married Isabella of Portugal (granddaughter of John of Gaunt) on 7 January 1430
William III of The Netherlands married Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont on 7 January 1879
Princess (later Queen) Juliana of The Netherlands married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld on 7 January 1937
Royal Deaths
Charles I of Naples died on 7 January 1285 and was succeeded by his son Charles II
King Dinis of Portugal, the sixth king of Portugal, died on 7 January 1325 and was succeeded by his son Afonso IV
Philippa of England, daughter of Henry IV and consort of Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, died on 7 January 1430
Amadeus VIII, Count of Savoy and Antipope Felix V, died on 7 January 1451, having abdicated in 1440 in favour of his son Louis
Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, died on 7 January 1536
Henry Frederick, Hereditary Prince of the Palatinate, grandson of James I of England, drowned on 7 January 1629, aged only 15
Anne Sophie Reventlow, bigamous wife and second consort of Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway, died on 7 January 1743
Carlota of Spain, consort of John VI of Portugal, died on 7 January 1830
Augusta of Saxe-Weimar, consort of William I of Germany, died on 7 January 1890
Tewfik Pasha, Khedive of Egypt and Sudan, died on 7 January 1892 and was succeeded by his son Abbas II
Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa, 124th Emperor of Japan, died on 7 January 1989 and was succeeded by his son Akihito
JANUARY 8
On 8 January 1297 Francesco Grimaldi and his cousin Rainier, disguised as Franciscan monks, managed to get into the fortress on the Rock of Monaco and open it up to invasion by their men. For this feat, he was known as Francesco the Cunning. Monaco’s independence dates from that day, and the House of Grimaldi is still the ruling house. The current reigning family descends from Rainier since Francesco died childless.
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, was born on 8 January 1864. He was the eldest child of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and heir presumptive after his father. He became engaged to Princess Victoria Mary (May) of Teck on 3 December 1891; the wedding was arranged for the following February, but on 14 January 1892 he died of influenza.
Royal Events
Alfred the Great defeated a Danish army at the Battle of Ashdown on 8 January 871
Francesco Grimaldi captured the Rock of Monaco on 8 January 1297 while disguised as a monk
The Heisei era in Japan officially started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito)
Royal Births
Archduke Rudolf of Austria, son of Leopold II, was born on 8 January 1788
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, eldest son of Edward VII, was born on 8 January 1864
Elena of Montenegro, consort of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, was born on 8 January 1873
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of Edward I, married John I, Count of Holland, on 8 January 1297
Louis XII of France married Anne of Brittany on 8 January 1499 after his first marriage had been annulled
Umberto II of Italy married Princess Marie José of Belgium on 8 January 1930
Royal Deaths
King Edgar (the Valiant) of Scotland died on 8 January 1107 and was succeeded by his brother Alexander I
Albert Alcibiades (the Warlike), Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, died on 8 January 1557 and was succeeded by his cousin George Frederick
Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg, died on 8 January 1598 and was succeeded by his son Joachim Frederick
Teimuraz II of Kakheti and Kartli (Georgia) died on 8 January 1762 and was succeeded by his son Erekle II
Diponegoro, a Javanese prince who opposed Dutch colonial rule and was exiled as a result, died on 8 January 1855
JANUARY 9
Emperor Qinzong of Song was captured by the Jin army at Kaifeng on 9 January 1127. He had been emperor for a year, after his father Emperor Huizong abdicated in January 1126 in the face of the first Jin invasion. When the imperial family was captured in 1127, Emperor Qinzong was deposed and the Northern Song dynasty came to an end. Qinzong was shipped to Manchuria, within Jin territory, demoted to the rank of commoner, and imprisoned for the rest of his life. He died in 1161.
Royal Events
Emperor Qinzong of Song was captured by the Jin army at Kaifeng on 9 January 1127, ending the Northern Song dynasty
Philip V (the Tall) of France was crowned on 9 January 1317
The trial of Joan of Arc started on 9 January 1431
Royal Births
Empress Meishō, 109th Emperor of Japan, was born on 9 January 1624; she was seventh of the eight female emperors
Princess Frederica of Hanover, daughter of George V of Hanover, was born on 9 January 1848
Royal Deaths
Emperor Xizong of Jin, ruler of northern China, died in a coup engineered by Prince Hailing of Jin on 9 January 1150
Abû ‘Uthmân Sa’îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, ruler of Minorca, died on 9 January 1282 and was succeeded by his son Abû ‘Umar ibn Sa’îd
John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg, died on 9 January 1499 and was succeeded by his son Joachim I Nestor
Anne, ruling Duchess of Brittany, consort of Maximilian I of Austria, Charles VIII and Louis XII of France, died on 9 January 1514
Catherine Pavlovna of Russia, consort of William I of Württemberg, died on 9 January 1819
Emperor Napoleon III of France died in exile on 9 January 1873
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy died on 9 January 1878 and was succeeded by his son Umberto I
JANUARY 10
Princess Marie of Edinburgh, known in the family as Missy, married Prince (later King) Ferdinand of Romania on 10 January 1893. The future George V of Britain had wanted to marry her, but her mother didn’t approve (Marie herself said she just wanted to be friends with George, not marry him). The Duchess of Edinburgh arranged the marriage with Ferdinand, which turned out not to be a happy one.
Royal Events
Philip (the Good), Duke of Burgundy, established the Order of the Golden Fleece on 10 January 1430
Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the Ottoman army at the Battle of Vaslui on 10 January 1475
Royal Births
Margaret of Austria, Regent of The Netherlands, was born on 10 January 1480
Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich, grandson of Nicholas I of Russia, was born on 10 January 1864
Ntare VI, the Omugabe of Ankole (in Uganda), was born on 10 January 1940
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Emperor Napoleon divorced Empress Josephine on 10 January 1810 on the grounds of her inability to have children
Princess Marie of Edinburgh, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, married Prince (later King) Ferdinand of Romania on 10 January 1893
Royal Deaths
John I Tzimiskes, Byzantine Emperor, died on 10 January 976 and was succeeded by his nephew Basil II
Ma’ad al-Mustansir Billah, Caliph of Egypt, died on 10 January 1094 and was succeeded by Aḥmad al-Musta‘lī
Otto II (the Lame), Count of Guelders, died on 10 January 1271 and was succeeded by his son Reginald I
William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and supporter of Charles I, was beheaded on 10 January 1645
Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, died on 10 January 1662 and was succeeded by his son Louis I
Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia died on 10 January 1824, having abdicated in 1821 in favour of his brother Charles Felix
Princess Elizabeth, daughter of George III and consort of Frederick VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, died on 10 January 1840
Prince Souvanna Phouma, nephew of King Sisavang Vong of Laos, died on 10 January 1984
Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, consort of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, died on 10 January 2005
JANUARY 11
For much of the 14th century there were two rival lineages as Japanese Emperor; the breakaway Northern Court were pretenders. Two of these emperors, Kōmyō and Go-En’yū, shared an 11 January birthday (1322 and 1359). Although the Southern Court emperors were confirmed as the legitimate line, the current royal house descends from the Northern Court emperors.
Royal Events
Vladislaus II was elected King of Bohemia on 11 January 1158
Ching-Thang Khomba was crowned King of Manipur for the second time on 11 January 1779
Royal Births
Roman Emperor Theodosius I (the Great) was born on 11 January 347
Abd-ar-Rahman III, Emir and Caliph of Córdoba, was born on 11 January 889 (or 891)
Emperor Kōmyō, Ashikaga Pretender to the throne of Japan, was born on 11 January 1322
Emperor Go-En’yū, Ashikaga Pretender to the throne of Japan, was born on 11 January 1359
Michelle de Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France and consort of Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, was born on 11 January 1395
Karl von Habsburg, grandson of the last Habsburg Emperor Karl I, was born on 11 January 1961
Royal Deaths
Byzantine Emperor Staurakios died on 11 January 812, after abdicating 3 months earlier in favour of Michael I Rangabe
Byzantine Emperor Michael I Rangabe died on 11 January 844, having abdicated in favour of Leo the Armenian in 813
Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos died on 11 January 1055 and was succeeded by his sister-in-law Theodora
Otto of Nordheim, Duke of Bavaria, died on 11 January 1083, having been deposed by Emperor Henry IV in 1070
Constantine I of Greece died in exile in Italy on 11 January 1923
JANUARY 12
The Tongzhi Emperor died on 12 January 1875 aged only 18, officially of smallpox but possibly of syphilis. His mother Empress Cixi had acted as regent for him, and did likewise for his successor, his cousin the Guangxu Emperor. His widow, Empress Xiaozheyi, died just a few months after him; it was rumoured that she was poisoned by Empress Cixi.
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, who died on 12 January 1519, married the extremely wealthy Mary Duchess of Burgundy in 1477, giving him control over much of the Low Countries and part of France. He married his son Philip to the Castilian heiress Joanna (sister of Catherine of Aragon), so their son Charles V ended up ruling most of Europe.
Alexander Duff, sixth Earl of Fife and first Duke of Fife, was married to Edward VII’s eldest daughter Louise Princess Royal. He and his wife and two daughters were shipwrecked off Morocco in December 1911, and in true royal fashion insisted on being the last to be rescued. He contracted pleurisy shortly thereafter and died on 12 January 1912.
Royal Events
Gustav I of Sweden was crowned on 12 January 1528, nearly five years after being elected king
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Francis I of France signed the Treaty of Toledo against England on 12 January 1539
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia was crowned on 12 January 1872
Royal Births
Charles Emmanuel I (the Great), Duke of Savoy, was born on 12 January 1562
Ferdinand I of The Two Sicilies was born on 12 January 1751
Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies was born on 12 January 1810
King Saud bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia was born on 12 January 1902
Royal Deaths
Marie of Brabant, consort of Philip III of France, died on 12 January 1321
Maximilian I of Austria, Holy Roman Emperor and Duke of Burgundy, died on 12 January 1519 and was succeeded by his grandson Charles V
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, daughter of George II, died on 12 January 1759
The Tongzhi Emperor, 10th Qing Emperor of China, died on 12 January 1875 and was succeeded by the Guangxu Emperor
Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife and husband of Louise Princess Royal (daughter of Edward VII), died on 12 January 1912
JANUARY 13
Edward III married Philippa of Hainault on 13 January 1328. His sons married English heiresses and became very powerful; in a couple of generations their descendants were challenging for the throne after the senior line was ousted. This conflict, the Wars of the Roses, led to the Tudor dynasty, whereby the two powerful Lancaster and York families were combined by marriage.
Royal Events
Odo (Eudes), Count of Paris, son of Robert the Strong, succeeded Charles the Fat as King of West Francia on 13 January 888
Henry Howard, son of the third Duke of Norfolk, was sentenced to death for alleged treason against Henry VIII on 13 January 1547
Royal Births
Henry II of Castile was born on 13 January 1334
Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg, was born on 13 January 1505
Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, consort of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, was born on 13 January 1610
Princess Marie of Orléans, wife of Valdemar of Denmark (brother of Queen Alexandra), was born on 13 January 1865
Prince Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta and a cousin of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, was born on 13 January 1869
Prince Arthur of Connaught, grandson of Queen Victoria, was born on 13 January 1883; he later married a granddaughter of Edward VII
Gaj Singh, Maharaja of Jodphur, was born on 13 January 1948
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Edward III married Philippa of Hainault on 13 January 1328
Royal Deaths
Æthelwulf of Wessex, son and successor of King Egbert, died on 13 January 858 and was succeeded by his son Æthelbald
Charles the Fat, King of East and West Francia and Italy and Holy Roman Emperor, died on 13 January 888
Henry II, Duke of Austria, died on 13 January 1177 and was succeeded by his son Leopold V
Frederick (the Handsome) of Habsburg, Duke of Austria and King of the Romans, died on 13 January 1330
Meinhard III, Count of Gorizia-Tyrol, died on 13 January 1363 and was succeeded in Tyrol by Rudolf IV of Hapsburg
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, consort of Frederick II (the Great) of Prussia, died on 13 January 1797
Sophie of Prussia, consort of Constantine I of Greece, died in exile in Germany on 13 January 1932
JANUARY 14
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, elder son of the future Edward VII and recent fiance of Princess May of Teck, died of influenza on 14 January 1892 after a short illness, aged only 28. His younger brother George took over both his position in the line of succession and his fiancee; in 1910 they became George V and Queen Mary, grandparents of the present queen.
Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde of Luxembourg, the first female ruler of Luxembourg, abdicated on 14 January 1919 after criticism of being too close to the German occupiers during World War I. Her younger sister Charlotte took over as ruler while Marie-Adélaïde entered a convent. She died in Germany in 1924, aged 29.
Frederick IX of Denmark died on 14 January 1972. He had three daughters but no sons, and the succession law forbade female succession. In 1953 it was changed to allow women to inherit the throne, so he was succeeded by his eldest daughter Margrethe, the present queen, who had replaced her uncle Knud (Frederick’s younger brother) as heir.
Royal Events
The Treaty of Madrid was signed on 14 January 1526 between the captive Francis I of France and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
Philip V of Spain abdicated in favour of his son Louis on 14 January 1724
The Treaty of Kiel, between the UK & Sweden and Norway & Denmark, was signed on 14 January 1814
Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde of Luxembourg abdicated in favour of her sister Charlotte on 14 January 1919
Royal Births
Mark Antony was born on 14 January 83 BC
Valdemar I (the Great) of Denmark was born on 14 January 1131
Joan I of Navarre, consort of Philip IV of France and mother of three kings and a queen consort, was born on 14 January 1273
Catherine of Austria, consort of John III of Portugal and then regent for her grandson Sebastian, was born on 14 January 1507
Emperor Nakamikado, 114th emperor of Japan, was born on 14 January 1702
Maria Theresa of Austria, granddaughter of Empress Maria Theresa and consort of Anthony of Saxony, was born on 14 January 1767
Mehmed VI Vahideddin, 36th and last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, was born on 14 January 1861
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Henry III of England married Eleanor of Provence on 14 January 1236
Royal Deaths
Vratislaus II of Bohemia died on 14 January 1092 and was succeeded by his brother Conrad
Ladislaus II of Hungary died on 14 January 1163 and was succeeded by his brother Stephen IV
Andrew III of Hungary, last king of the Árpád dynasty, died on 14 January 1301 and was succeeded by Charles I
Frederick V of Denmark died on 14 January 1766 and was succeeded by his son Christian VII
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, elder son of the future Edward VII, died on 14 January 1892
Frederick IX of Denmark died on 14 January 1972 and was succeeded by his daughter Margrethe II
JANUARY 15
Princess Margaret of Connaught, daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Arthur Duke of Connaught and known in the family as Daisy, was born on 15 January 1882. She married Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, with whom she had 5 children, but died before he became king. Her daughter Ingrid was the mother of Queen Margrethe of Denmark, who is named after her grandmother and is also known as Daisy.
January 15 is a significant date in Tudor history since it’s the date when Henry VIII became Supreme Head of the Church of England by Letters Patent in 1535 and the day when his daughter Elizabeth was crowned queen in 1559. Henry’s elder daughter Mary had reversed his Act of Supremacy during her reign, and in 1558 Elizabeth passed another act, this time confirming the monarch as Supreme Governor, the title in use today.
Richard Duke of York, the younger of the Princes in the Tower, married the heiress Anne Mowbray on 15 January 1478. She died at the age of eight in 1481, two years before her husband disappeared into the Tower of London. On her death, her estate was inherited by her husband, not by her own family. This seems to have been a very Woodvillian arrangement – marry a descendant of Edward IV off to a rich spouse and take control of the estate.
Royal Events
Servius Sulpicius Galba, the first Roman emperor in the Year of Four Emperors, was assassinated on 15 January 69
Marcus Salvius Otho became Roman Emperor on 15 January 69 (the year of four emperors) but committed suicide three months later
Henry VIII became Supreme Head of the Church of England on 15 January 1535 by Letters Patent
Elizabeth I was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 15 January 1559
Royal Births
Philip II (the Bold), Duke of Burgundy, was born on 15 January 1342
Afonso V of Portugal (the African) was born on 15 January 1432
Ashikaga Yoshizumi, 11th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate of Japan, was born on 15 January 1451
Princess Margaret of Connaught, granddaughter of Queen Victoria & wife of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, was born on 15 January 1882
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Richard Duke of York, son of Edward IV and the younger of the Princes in the Tower, married the heiress Anne Mowbray on 15 January 1478
Royal Deaths
Rudolph, Duke of Burgundy and King of Western Francia, died on 15 January 936 and was succeeded by Louis IV
Catherine Knollys, daughter of Anne Boleyn’s sister Mary, Lady Carey, died on 15 January 1569
Murad III, Ottoman Sultan, died on 15 January 1595 and was succeeded by his son Mehmed III
Mariana Victoria of Spain, consort of Joseph I of Portugal and regent at the end of his reign, died on 15 January 1781
Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho died on 15 January 1996 and was succeeded by his son Letsie III
Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, died on 15 January 2006
JANUARY 16
Edmund Crouchback, younger son of Henry III, was born on 16 January 1245. He was created Earl of Lancaster and eventually passed the title to his grandson Henry of Grosmont, who was created Duke of Lancaster by Edward III. His title went to his daughter Blanche, who married Edward III’s son John of Gaunt, thus making him Duke. John’s son Henry of Bolingbroke was the first Lancastrian king of England (Henry IV).
Francis II of the Two Sicilies was born on 16 January 1836 and succeeded his father Ferdinand in 1859. His reign lasted a little less than two years, with the invasion by Garibaldi on behalf of Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, who became king of a unified Italy on 17 March 1861. Francis went into exile and eventually died in Austria in 1894.
Royal Events
Abd-ar-Rahman III, Emir of Cordoba, proclaimed himself Caliph of Cordoba on 16 January 929
The Council of Nablus, establishing the laws of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, took place on 16 January 1120
Ivan IV (the Terrible) was crowned Tsar of Russia on 16 January 1547
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, abdicated as king of Spain in favour of his son Philip II on 16 January 1556
The Act of Union, creating Great Britain from the union of England and Scotland, was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 16 January 1707
Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran fled into exile with his family on 16 January 1979
Royal Births
Edmund Crouchback, son of Henry III, younger brother of Edward I, and founder of the House of Lancaster, was born on 16 January 1245
René of Anjou, King of Naples and father of Margaret of Anjou (consort of Henry VI), was born on 16 January 1409
Francis II, last king of the Two Sicilies, was born on 16 January 1836
Fuad II, the last king of Egypt, was born on 16 January 1952
Royal Deaths
John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern, regent for his nephew Frederick IV, Elector Palatine, died on 16 January 1592
Emperor Higashiyama, 113th Emperor of Japan, died on 16 January 1710
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria, died on 16 January 1942
JANUARY 17
Liliʻuokalani succeeded her brother Kalakaua as ruler of Hawaii in 1891; her attempt to draw up a new, more liberal constitution alarmed American business interests, which decided to overthrow the queen and annexe Hawaii to the United States. On 17 January 1893 a “Committee of Safety” with the help of US armed forces took control of the country and deposed the queen. She spent the rest of her life trying unsuccessfully to get her country back.
Royal Events
The Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart (Young Pretender) defeated England at the Battle of Falkirk Muir on 17 January 1746
Liliʻuokalani of Hawaii was overthrown by a “Committee of Safety,” consisting mostly of American businessmen, on 17 January 1893
Royal Births
Frederick III (the Wise), Elector of Saxony, was born on 17 January 1463
Stanisław II August Poniatowski, the last king of Poland, was born on 17 January 1732
Elisabeth of Hungary, consort of Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria, was born on 17 January 1831
Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria was born on 17 January 1831
Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma, consort of Ferdinand of Bulgaria, was born on 17 January 1870
Yadavindra Singh, Maharaja of Patiala, was born on 17 January 1913
Royal Deaths
Roman Emperor Theodosius I (the Great) died on 17 January 395 and was succeeded by his sons Arcadius and Honorius
Peter I of Cyprus was assassinated on 17 January 1369 and was succeeded by his son Peter II (the Fat)
Fyodor I of Russia, son of Ivan the Terrible, died on 17 January 1598 and was succeeded by Boris Godunov
Lola Montez, mistress of Ludwig I of Bavaria, died on 17 January 1861
Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany, died in exile on 17 January 1908, having been deposed soon after his accession in 1859
Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia, grandson of Tsar Nicholas I, died on 17 January 1931
Olav V of Norway died on 17 January 1991 and was succeeded by his son, Harald V
JANUARY 18
Prince John, the youngest son of George V and Queen Mary, had suffered from epilepsy since the age of four. From the age of 12, with his condition worsening, he lived separately from the rest of the family in his own household at Wood Farm, Sandringham, looked after by his nanny Lalla Bill. He died there on 18 January 1919, aged only 13.
Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, daughter of Charles Edward Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (son of Victoria’s youngest son Leopold Duke of Albany), was born on 18 January 1908. She married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, whose mother was Princess Margaret of Connaught, another grandchild of Queen Victoria. Their son is the present King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf.
Henry VII, Lancastrian victor over Richard III at Bosworth, married Elizabeth of York, eldest daughter of Edward IV and Yorkist heiress to the throne, on 18 January 1486. Although her claim to the throne was better than his, she was never acknowledged as anything more than a consort. Henry’s mother, Margaret Beaufort, was the real queen at his court, and Elizabeth was mostly a brood mare, finally dying in childbirth in 1503.
Royal Events
Magentius deposed Roman Emperor Constans on 18 January 350 and proclaimed himself Emperor
Emperor Huizong, 8th Emperor of the Song dynasty of China, abdicated in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong on 18 January 1126
Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg, became the first King in Prussia on 18 January 1701
William I, King of Prussia, was proclaimed the first German Emperor on 18 January 1871
Royal Births
Daigo, 60th Emperor of Japan, was born on 18 January 885
Isabella Jagiellon of Poland, consort of John Zápolya of Eastern Hungary, was born on 18 January 1519
Anna Pavlovna of Russia, consort of William II of The Netherlands, was born on 18 January 1795
Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, mother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, was born on 18 January 1908
Royal Weddings and Divorces
The Lancastrian king Henry VII married the Yorkist heir Elizabeth of York on 18 January 1486, uniting the rival families
Royal Deaths
Byzantine Emperor Leo I (the Thracian) died on 18 January 474 and was succeeded by his grandson Leo II
Tamar, Queen Regnant of Georgia, died on 18 January 1213 and was succeeded by her son George IV
Peter I, 8th king of Portugal, died on 18 January 1367 and was succeeded by his son Ferdinand I
Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, briefly heir to Richard II, died on 18 January 1425
Go-Hanazono, 102nd Emperor of Japan, died on 18 January 1471
Margaret, Duchess of Parma, illegitimate daughter of Charles V and Governor of The Netherlands for Philip II, died on 18 January 1586
Amadeo I of Spain, the only Spanish king from the House of Savoy, died on 18 January 1890
Prince John, epileptic youngest son of George V, died on 18 January 1919, aged only 13
JANUARY 19
Francis II of France was born on 19 January 1544, 10 years after his parents’ wedding. His mother, Catherine de’ Medici, had no power at her husband’s court, having to defer to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Henri II died when Francis was only 15, and Catherine finally had the power she craved as regent. Francis, who was married to Mary Queen of Scots, lived for only a year as king, dying in 1560.
Charlotte of Belgium, daughter of Leopold I (Queen Victoria’s maternal uncle), married Maximilian of Austria in 1857; he was offered the Mexican throne in 1864, at which Charlotte became Empress Carlota. By 1867 Maximilian had been executed by revolutionary forces and Carlota was having mental problems. She spent the rest of her life in Europe, dying in Belgium on 19 January 1927.
Princess Margriet of The Netherlands, younger sister of Queen Beatrix, was born on 19 January 1943 in Ottawa, Canada, where her parents had lived since the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands in 1940. In order that she should hold Dutch citizenship only, not Canadian citizenship, the Canadian government declared the maternity ward where she was born to be temporarily extraterritorial.
Royal Events
Theodosius I (the Great) became Eastern Roman Emperor on 19 January 379
Henry V conquered Rouen on 19 January 1419 during the Hundred Years’ War
The Royalist forces defeated the Parliamentarians at the Battle of Braddock Down in Cornwall on 19 January 1643
The treaty of partition of the Spanish Empire between Louis XIV and Leopold I of Austria was agreed on 19 January 1668
Royal Births
Byzantine Empress Pulcheria was born on 19 January 398 (or 399)
Francis II of France, first husband of Mary Queen of Scots, was born on 19 January 1544
Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf, consort of Francis of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld & maternal grandmother of Queen Victoria, was born on 19 January 1757
Princess Margriet of The Netherlands, younger sister of Queen Beatrix, was born on 19 January 1943 in Canada
Royal Deaths
Dagobert I, King of the Franks, died on 19 January 639 and was succeeded by his son Clovis II
Isabella of Austria, consort of Christian II of Denmark and Norway, died on 19 January 1526
Pratap Singh Mewar, Maharana of Mewar, died on 19 January 1597
Shāh Abbās I (the Great) of Persia died on 19 January 1629 and was succeeded by his grandson Shāh Safi
Maria Sophie of Bavaria, consort of Francis II of The Two Sicilies, died on 19 January 1925
Charlotte of Belgium, consort (as Carlota) of Maximilian I of Mexico, died on 19 January 1927
JANUARY 20
George V died shortly before midnight on 20 January 1936, his end hastened by euthanasia by his doctor so that the notice of his death might appear in the morning newspapers rather than the less prestigious afternoon papers. He was succeeded by Edward VIII, who abdicated in December of that year, making 1936 a year of three kings.
Royal Events
The first meeting of Parliament, under Simon de Montfort, took place at Westminster on 20 January 1265
Władysław I (the Short) became King of Poland on 20 January 1320
Edward II abdicated on 20 January 1327 in favour of his son, Edward III
King Edward Balliol of Scotland abdicated on 20 January 1356, surrendering his throne to Edward III of England
Matthias I Corvinus was elected King of Hungary on 20 January 1458
Christian II of Denmark and Norway abdicated on 20 January 1523 in favour of his uncle Frederick I
The trial of Charles I for high treason started on 20 January 1649
Royal Births
Roman Emperor Gordian III was born on 20 January 225
Elisabeth of Bohemia, consort of John (the Blind) of Luxembourg, was born on 20 January 1292
Sebastian, 16th King of Portugal, was born on 20 January 1554
Charles III of Spain was born on 20 January 1716
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Richard II and Anne of Bohemia, his first wife, were married on 20 January 1382
Royal Deaths
Frederick VI of Hohenstaufen, Duke of Swabia, died on January 1191 and was succeeded by his brother Conrad II
John II (the Faithless) of Aragon died on 20 January 1479 and was succeeded by his son Ferdinand II, father of Catherine of Aragon
Sibylle Elisabeth von Württemberg, consort of John George I, Elector of Saxony, died on 20 January 1606, aged only 21
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, died on 20 January 1612
Anne of Austria, consort of Louis XIII and regent for their son Louis XIV, died on 20 January 1666
Charles IV of Spain died in exile in Rome on 20 January 1819 after abdicating in favour of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808
Minh Mạng, second emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, died on 20 January 1841 and was succeeded by his son Thiệu Trị
Christian VIII of Denmark died on 20 January 1848 and was succeeded by Frederick VII
King David Kalākaua of Hawaii died on 20 January 1891 and was succeeded by his sister Liliʻuokalani
Prince Henry of Battenberg, husband of Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter Beatrice, died of malaria on 20 January 1896
George V died on 20 January 1936 and was succeeded by the ill-fated Edward VIII
JANUARY 21
Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, was imprisoned for adultery and stripped of her title as queen in 1541. On 21 January 1542 Parliament passed a Bill of Attainder against her, making it treason for an unchaste woman to be married to the king. She was executed a few weeks later; she was only 17 at the time of her death.
Louis XVI was deposed during the French revolution, and the monarchy was abolished. He was imprisoned and tried by the National Convention in December 1792 on charges of high treason; he was found guilty and sentenced to death. On 21 January 1793 he was executed by guillotine, the only king of France to be executed. His wife Marie Antoinette was also executed, in October 1793.
Royal Events
Philip II of France and Henry II of England agreed on 21 January 1188 to settle their differences and go on the 3rd crusade together
Parliament passed a Bill of Attainder against Catherine Howard on 21 January 1542
The Treaty of Rasht was signed between Russia and Persia on 21 January 1732
Royal Births
Charles V (the Wise) of France was born on 21 January 1338
Oscar II of Sweden and Norway was born on 21 January 1829
Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria, heir to the Jacobite succession to the British throne, was born on 21 January 1937
Royal Deaths
Erchanger, Duke of Swabia, died on 21 January 917 and was succeeded by Burchard II
Mustafa III, Ottoman Sultan, died on 21 January 1774 and was succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I
Louis XVI of France was executed on 21 January 1793
Francis, Duke of Teck, father of Queen Mary (consort of George V), died on 21 January 1900
Gojong, Emperor Gwangmu, of the Joseon dynasty of Korea, died on 21 January 1919, 12 years after abdicating in favour of his son Sunjong
JANUARY 22
Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight after a reign of 63 years, the longest in British history. She was succeeded by her son Edward VII, who was 60 and had been heir apparent for his whole life. She was the last monarch of the House of Hanover; Edward belonged to his father’s house, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Royal Events
Parliament met on 22 January 1689 and offered Wiliam and Mary joint sovereignty after James II abandoned the throne
The Bloody Sunday massacre in St Petersburg, a contributory factor in the Russian revolution, took place on 22 January 1905
Royal Births
Ivan III (the Great), Grand Prince of Moscow, was born on 22 January 1440
Maria Leopoldina of Austria, consort of Pedro I of Brazil, was born on 22 January 1797
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, husband of Queen Victoria’s third daughter Helena, was born on 22 January 1831
Grigori Rasputin, self-described healer and mystic who influenced Nicholas II and especially Tsarina Alexandra, was born on 22 January 1869
Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, Sultan of Terengganu and 13th Yang di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, was born on 22 January 1962
Royal Weddings and Divorces
John II, Duke of Brittany, married Beatrice of England, daughter of Henry III, on 22 January 1260
Royal Deaths
Emperor Ming of Wei (China), ruler during the Three Kingdoms period, died on 22 January 239 and was succeeded by his adopted son Cao Fang
Ferdinand II of León died on 22 January 1188 and was succeeded by his son Alfonso IX
Edward Seymour, brother of Henry VIII’s third wife and Protector during her son’s reign, was executed on 22 January 1552
Elisabeth of Austria, consort of Charles IX of France, died on 22 January 1592
Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor and creator of the Taj Mahal, died on 22 January 1666
Louis II, Grand Duke of Baden, who reigned with his brother Frederick as regent because of his mental incapacity, died on 22 January 1858
Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901 and was succeeded by her son Edward VII
Princess Margaret of Prussia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria and wife of Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse-Kassel, died on 22 January 1954
Sultan Iskandar of Johor, eighth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, died on 22 January 2010 and was succeeded by his son Ibrahim Ismail
JANUARY 23
Ferdinand II of Aragon died on 23 January 1516. His marriage to Isabella of Castile united their kingdoms and was a major step on the road to a unified Spain. They completed the reconquest of Spain by defeating the Moors of Granada, returning the country to Catholic rule. Their youngest daughter, Catherine, was Henry VIII’s first wife and mother of Mary Tudor.
Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, was born on 23 January 1896. She was the second of six daughters of William IV. Her elder sister Marie-Adélaïde succeeded their father on his death in 1912, but her perceived tolerance of the German occupiers made her unpopular and in 1919 she abdicated in favour of Charlotte. Charlotte ruled until 1964, when she abdicated in favour of her son Jean. She died in 1965.
Royal Events
Honorius was named co-emperor at the age of 8 on 23 January 393 by his father, Western Roman Emperor Theodosius I
The Hongwu Emperor, founder of the Ming dynasty, became emperor on 23 January 1368
The Principality of Liechtenstein was created on 23 January 1719 with Anton Florian as the first ruling prince
Royal Births
Ulrika Eleonora, Queen Regnant of Sweden and then Queen Consort after abdicating in favour of her husband, was born on 23 January 1688
Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and grandmother of Grand Duke Henri, was born on 23 January 1896
Princess Caroline of Monaco was born on 23 January 1957; she married Prince Ernst August of Hanover on 23 January 1999
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Edward the Confessor married Edith of Wessex, daughter of Earl Godwin and sister of King Harold, on 23 January 1045
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, 2nd son of Queen Victoria, married Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia on 23 January 1874
Princess Caroline of Monaco married Prince Ernst August of Hanover on 23 January 1999, her 42nd birthday
Royal Deaths
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, died on 23 January 1002 and was succeeded by his cousin Henry II
Ferdinand II of Aragon, consort of Isabella of Castile and father of Catherine of Aragon, died on 23 January 1516
The Jiajing Emperor, 11th Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, died on 23 January 1567 and was succeeded by his son, the Longqing Emperor
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent for the young James VI, was assassinated on 23 January 1570
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, son of George III and father of Queen Victoria, died on 23 January 1820; Victoria was 8 months old
JANUARY 24
Anne Luttrell was born on 24 January 1742; she married a commoner, Christopher Horton, and after his death married Henry Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, George III’s brother. The king disapproved of the marriage, which was one reason for passage of the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, requiring permission from the monarch before a royal can marry.
Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, died on 24 January 1924. She was the eldest of six daughters of William IV and succeeded him in 1912 at the age of 17. Her perceived pro-German sentiments during World War I, while Luxembourg was officially neutral, caused her to become unpopular with her people, and she abdicted in favour of her younger sister Charlotte in 1919. After her abdication she became a nun. She was only 29 when she died.
Royal Events
Charles II dissolved the Cavalier Parliament on 24 January 1679 after 18 years, the longest Parliament in English history
Charles VII became Holy Roman Emperor on 24 January 1742
Royal Births
Emperor Hadrian (the instigator of Hadrian’s Wall) was born on 24 January 76 AD
Galeazzo Maria Sforza,Duke of Milan,was born on 24 January 1444; he married Bona of Savoy, Warwick Kingmaker’s choice of wife for Edward IV
Frederick II (the Great) of Prussia was born on 24 January 1712
Anne, Duchess of Cumberland and Strathearn, was born on 24 January 1742; she married George III’s brother Henry against the King’s wishes
Gustav III of Sweden was born on 24 January 1746; he was eventually assassinated for being a tyrannical ruler
Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, son of Charles X of France, was born on 24 January 1778
Princess Louise of Baden, consort (as Elizabeth Alexeievna) of Alexander I of Russia, was born on 24 January 1779
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Edward III of England married Philippa of Hainault on 24 January 1328
Royal Deaths
Emperor Caligula was assassinated by the Praetorian Guards on 24 January 41 AD; he was succeeded by Claudius
David IV (the Builder) of Georgia died on 24 January 1125 and was succeeded by his son Demetrius I
Alfonso IV (the Kind) of Aragon died on 24 January 1336 and was succeeded by his son Peter IV
Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria, died on 24 January 1595 and was succeeded by his son-in-law Matthias
Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, died on 24 January 1924 aged only 29, 5 years after abdicating the throne
Sir Winston Churchill, wartime Prime Minister, died on 24 January 1965
JANUARY 25
Victoria, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, married Prince Frederick William of Prussia (later Frederick III) on 25 January 1858. Mendelssohn’s wedding march from A Midsummer Night’s Dream was played at the wedding and became a popular recessional at British weddings as a result. The union between a British princess and a Prussian prince was an attempt by the Prince Consort to introduce British ideals of tolerance and democracy to Prussia. Unfortunately, Frederick, who was sympathetic to these ideas (unlike his father and his son), was terminally ill at his accession and ruled for only three months. Prussia’s militarism under Victoria and Frederick’s son William II was a major factor in the outbreak of World War I.
Edward II of England married Isabella, daughter of Philip IV of France, on 25 January 1308. Isabella’s brothers all died without male heirs, so Isabella’s son, by then Edward III, claimed the French throne by descent through his mother. The French argued that Salic law nullified the claim, and this conflict led to the Hundred Years’ War. On 25 January 1327, Edward II was deposed by Parliament as being unfit to rule. Isabella acted as regent for the teenage Edward III but did not intend to hand over power to him; instead she and her lover Roger Mortimer attempted to sideline the king and rule in his place. Edward rebelled against his mother once he turned 18 and had Mortimer arrested and executed.
Royal Events
Edward II was deposed in favour of his son Edward III on 25 January 1327
The Wyatt rebellion against Mary I started on 25 January 1554
Royal Births
Byzantine Emperor Leo IV (the Khazar) was born on 25 January 750
Anne, Duchess of Brittany, consort of Charles VIII and second wife of Louis XII of France, was born on 25 January 1477
Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, was born on 25 January 1630
Antonio I, Prince of Monaco, was born on 25 January 1661
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Edward II married Isabella of France on 25 January 1308; their son Edward III’s claim to the French throne was via his mother
Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn in secret on 25 January 1533
Victoria, Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Victoria, married Prince Frederick William of Prussia (later Frederick III) on 25 January 1858
Royal Deaths
Genseric, King of the Vandals, died on 25 January 477 and was succeeded by his son Huneric
Emperor Yingzong, fifth emperor of the Song dynasty of China, died on 25 January 1067
Godfrey I, Count of Leuven, father of Henry I’s wife Adeliza of Leuven, died on 25 January 1139
Charles II, Duke of Lorraine, grandfather of Margaret of Anjou (consort of Henry VI of England), died on 25 January 1431
Ferdinand I of Naples died on 25 January 1494 and was succeeded by his son Alfonso II
Christian II of Denmark died on 25 January 1559, 36 years after being deposed
Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine for a few months in 1634, died on 25 January 1670
JANUARY 26
The Cullinan diamond was discovered in the Premier Mine on 26 January 1905. It was presented to Edward VII by the Transvaal government and was cleaved into nine large pieces and many smaller ones. The two largest diamonds are part of the Crown Jewels, Cullinan I in the sceptre and Cullinan II in the Imperial State Crown. The other diamonds are part of the Queen’s collection of jewellery.
Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was born on 26 January 1763. He had a successful career in the French army, becoming a Marshal of France. In 1810 he was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, whose king was old and childless. He became king in 1818, taking the name Charles XIV John and founding the House of Bernadotte, which still rules today.
Crown Prince Hirohito (later the Shōwa Emperor) married his distant cousin Princess Kuni Nagako on 26 January 1924. Between 1925 and 1931 they had four daughters. Hirohito refused to take a concubine to get a son, and in 1933 Empress Nagako gave birth to Prince Akihito, the current Emperor. Another son, Masahito (Prince Hitachi) followed in 1935.
Royal Events
Edward III proclaimed himself King of France on 26 January 1340 in Ghent
The Deccan Sultanates beat the Vijayanagara Empire in Battle of Talikota on 26 January 1565, ending the Hindu kingdoms of southern India
Stanisław I Leszczyński abdicated as King of Poland in favour of Augustus III on 26 January 1736
The Cullinan Diamond was discovered on 26 January 1905; it was cleaved into 9 major pieces, of which the 2 largest are in the Crown Jewels
Royal Births
Emperor Go-Nara, 105th Emperor of Japan, was born on 26 January 1495
Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, later Charles XIV John of Sweden, was born on 26 January 1763
Princess Durru Shehvar, daughter of Ottoman Emperor Abdülmecid II, was born on 26 January 1914
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Crown Prince (later Emperor) Hirohito married Princess Kuni Nagako on 26 January 1924
Royal Deaths
Edith of England, granddaughter of Alfred the Great and wife of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, died on 26 January 946
Amélie of Leuchtenberg, granddaughter of Empress Josephine and consort of Pedro I of Brazil, died on 26 January 1873
Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, father of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, died in a plane crash on 26 January 1947
Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg, died on 26 January 1996
JANUARY 27
Wilhelm II, German Emperor, was born on 27 January 1859 to Victoria, Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Victoria, and Frederick William of Prussia. Prince Albert had hoped that the British connection would lead to a more liberal Prussia, but Wilhelm adopted his grandfather’s militarism. After his father’s short reign, Wilhelm led Germany down the path to World War I.
Princess Marie José of Belgium, daughter of Albert I and Elisabeth of Bavaria, died on 27 January 2001. In 1930 she married Prince Umberto of Italy. After the abdication of King Victor Emmanuel in May 1946, Umberto and Marie José became king and queen, reigning for just over a month until the monarchy was abolished. She is known in Italy as the May Queen.
Royal Events
The trial of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators started on 27 January 1606
Royal Births
Albert III, Duke of Saxony, was born on 27 January 1443
Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg, was born on 27 January 1546
Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, was born on 27 January 1679
Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great & Catherine I, consort of Charles of Holstein-Gottorp, was born on 27 January 1708
Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, sixth son of George III, was born on 27 January 1773
Princess Sophie of Bavaria, consort of Franz Karl, Archduke of Austria, was born on 27 January 1805
Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria (twin sister of Sophie), consort of Frederick Augustus II of Saxony, was born on 27 January 1805
Wilhelm II, German Emperor, son of Victoria Princess Royal, was born on 27 January 1859
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, married Constance of Sicily on 27 January 1186
Royal Deaths
Roman Emperor Nerva died on 27 January 98 AD and was succeeded by Trajan
Ashikaga Yoshimasa, eighth shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate of Japan, died on 27 January 1490
Sir Francis Drake, circumnavigator of the globe and hero of the battle against the Spanish Armada, died on 27 January 1596
Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon and Prince of Condé, died on 27 January 1740
Wilhelmine of Baden, consort of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse, died on 27 January 1836
Marie José of Belgium, consort of Umberto II of Italy, died on 27 January 2001
JANUARY 28
Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457; his surviving son and successor, Henry VIII, died on 28 January 1547. Henry VIII was succeeded by his 9-year-old son Edward VI, a devout Protestant; he lived for only 6 years and was succeeded by his equally devout Catholic half-sister Mary after the 9-day reign of Jane Grey. Mary was succeeded 6 years later by Elizabeth I, who returned England to Protestant rule.
Royal Events
The excommunication of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, by Pope Gregory VII was lifted on 28 January 1077
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V presided over the opening of the Diet of Worms on 28 January 1521
Royal Births
Joan II of Navarre was born on 28 January 1312
Henry VII was born on 28 January 1457
Tokugawa Ieshige, ninth of the Tokugawa shoguns, was born on 28 January 1712
Mustafa III, Ottoman Sultan, was born on 28 January 1717
Frederick VI of Denmark was born on 28 January 1768
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, was born on 28 January 1950
Royal Deaths
Charlemagne, Emperor of the Romans, died on 28 January 814 and was succeeded by his son Louis the Pious
Spytihnev II, Duke of Bohemia, died on 28 January 1061 and was succeeded by Vratislaus II
Isabella of Aragon, consort of Philip III of France, died on 28 January 1271
Henry VIII died on 28 January 1547 and was succeeded by his 9-year-old son Edward VI
Alfonso XIII of Spain died in exile in Rome on 28 January 1941
JANUARY 29
Christian IX of Denmark died on 29 January 1906. He was known as the father-in-law of Europe because his children married into several European royal houses. His eldest daughter Alexandra married Queen Victoria’s eldest son Edward Prince of Wales; his next daughter Dagmar married Tsar Alexander III of Russia and became Tsarina Maria Feodorovna. His son William became King George I of Greece. His youngest daughter Thyra married Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover; and his youngest son Valdemar married Princess Marie of Orleans.
George III died on 29 January 1820 after a reign lasting nearly 60 years. Because of his bouts of insanity, possibly caused by porphyria, The Prince of Wales had been acting as Regent since 1811. George III was the first Hanoverian king born in England and the first to have a natural affinity for England rather than Hanover. His reign is the longest by a British king, the only longer reigns being by Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria.
Royal Events
Liliʻuokalani was proclaimed Queen of Hawaii on 29 January 1891, 9 days after the death of her brother Kalakaua
Queen Victoria instituted the Victoria Cross on 29 January 1856
Royal Births
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, was born on 29 January 1584
Luise of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, consort of Augustus William of Prussia, was born on 29 January 1722
Christian VII of Denmark and Norway was born on 29 January 1749
Charles, Duke of Croÿ, was born on 29 January 1859
Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, was born on 29 January 1873
Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia, 4th son of Wilhelm II, was born on 29 January 1887
Royal Deaths
Louise of Lorraine, consort of Henry III of France, died on 29 January 1601
Tsar Alexis of Russia died on 29 January 1676 and was succeeded by his son Feodor III
George III died on 29 January 1820 and was succeeded by his eldest son, George IV, who had been regent since 1812
Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern, wife of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), died on 29 January 1824
Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, father of Queen Victoria’s husband Albert, died on 29 January 1844
Luisa Carlotta of Naples and Sicily, wife of her uncle, Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, died on 29 January 1844
Stéphanie de Beauharnais, consort of Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, died on 29 January 1860
Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, died on 29 January 1870, having abdicated in 1859
Princess Margherita of Bourbon-Parma, wife of Carlos, Duke of Madrid, died on 29 January 1893
Christian IX of Denmark, father of Queen Alexandra and Empress Marie Feodorovna, died on 29 January 1906
Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão-Pará, father of Isabelle, Countess of Paris, died on 29 January 1940
Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden, wife of Prince Wolfgang of Hesse, died in an air raid on 29 January 1944
Prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta, Duke of Aosta, died on 29 January 1948 and was succeeded by his son Amedeo
JANUARY 30
On 30 January 1649 Charles I was beheaded for treason after a trial at which he refused to defend himself. The monarchy was abolished, and a commonwealth was set up. In 1653 Oliver Cromwell was made Lord Protector. On his death in 1658 his son succeeded him, but the republican experiment was deemed unsuccessful and Charles II was invited back and restored as king. On 30 January 1661 Oliver Cromwell’s body was dug up and beheaded.
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his mistress Baroness Marie Vetsera died on 30 January 1889 at his hunting lodge, Mayerling, in an apparent suicide pact. He was unhappily married to Princess Stephanie of Belgium, but his father Emperor Franz Joseph wanted him to end his relationship with Marie. This may have led to the double suicide. His successor as heir, Franz Ferdinand, was murdered at Sarajevo in 1914, leading to the outbreak of World War I.
Royal Events
Oliver Cromwell was given a posthumous execution on 30 January 1661, 2 years after his death and 12 years after Charles I’s execution
Royal Births
Boris III of Bulgaria was born on 30 January 1894
King Abdullah II of Jordan was born on 30 January 1962
Royal Weddings and Divorces
Napoleon III of France married Eugénie de Montijo on 30 January 1853
Royal Deaths
Tsar Peter I of Bulgaria died on 30 January 970, having abdicated the previous year in favour of his son Boris II
Emperor Takakura, 80th Emperor of Japan, died on 30 January 1181
Louis II, Count of Flanders, died on 30 January 1384 and was succeeded by his daughter Margaret III and her husband
Charles I was executed for treason on 30 January 1649
Peter II of Russia, grandson of Peter the Great, died on 30 January 1730, aged only 14, and was succeeded by Anna Ivanova
Emperor Kōmei, 121st Emperor of Japan, died on 30 January 1867; he was the last emperor to reign under shogun rule
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his mistress Marie Vetsera died in an apparent suicide pact on 30 January 1889
JANUARY 31
Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), Jacobite pretender to the English throne, died on 31 January 1788 after several unsuccessful attempts to regain the throne, overthrow the House of Hanover, and restore the Catholic faith. His successor as pretender was his brother Henry Benedict Stuart, a Roman Catholic cardinal who, unlike his brother, never attempted to regain the English throne.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first of the Tokugawa shoguns (a dynasty that was to control Japan from 1603 to 1867), was born on 31 January 1543 with the name Matsudaira Takechiyo. The shoguns held military and political power and resided in Edo (Tokyo) while the emperors were religious and cultural leaders and lived in Kyoto. He became shogun in 1603 after defeating the other powerful leaders, and retired formally (while holding onto power) in 1605.
Royal Births
Taejo of Goryeo (precursor of Korea), was born on 31 January 877; he was the founder of the Kingdom of Goryeo
Henry of Portugal was born on 31 January 1512
Tokugawa Ieyasu, first of the Tokugawa shoguns, was born on 31 January 1543
Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy, wife of the future Charles X of France, was born on 31 January 1756
King Lunalilo of Hawaii was born as William Charles Lunalilo on 31 January 1835
Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands was born on 31 January 1938
Royal Deaths
Emperor Sukō, one of the Ashikaga pretenders of the Northern Court, died on 31 January 1398
The Xuande Emperor, sixth Chinese Emperor of the Ming dynasty, died on 31 January 1435 and was succeeded by his son the Zhengtong Emperor
Henry of Portugal died on 31 January 1580 and was succeeded by Philip II of Spain
Guy Fawkes was executed on 31 January 1606 for his part in the Gunpowder Plot
Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), Jacobite pretender to the British throne, died on 31 January 1788
Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma, consort of Ferdinand of Bulgaria, died on 31 January 1899
