A History of Royals discussion

I'm going to try to post something royalty-related each day that happened on that day in history (bear with with if I miss a day or two). Hopefully this will start some interesting discussions.

October 20 Maria Theresa of Austria became Queen of both Hungary and Bohemia, as well as Archduchess of Austria, on October 20, 1740 after the death of her father, Emperor Charles VI. Maria was married to Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and had given birth to 16 children, thirteen of whom survived infancy, and one of whom was Marie Antoinette.

I bought Marie Antoinette The Journey
on the weekend. Looks interesting.

October 21: Charles VI, called both the Well-loved andthe Mad, was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. He died on October 21, 1422.

Charles VI's reign was marked by the continuing conflict with the English known as the Hundred Years' War. An early attempt at peace occurred in 1396 when Charles's daughter, the almost seven-year-old Isabella of Valois, married the 29-year-old Richard II of England. Charles VI died in 1422 at Paris and is interred with his wife Isabeau de Bavière in Saint Denis Basilica. Both their grandson, the one-year-old Henry VI of England, and their son, Charles VII, were proclaimed King of France, but it was the latter who became the actual ruler with the support of Joan of Arc. Charles VI appears to have passed on his mental illness to his grandson Henry, whose inability to govern led England to a civil strife of its own known as the Wars of the Roses.

An interesting medical fact about Charles VI: The glass delusion was an external manifestation of a psychiatric disorder recorded in Europe in the late middle ages (15th to 17th centuries). People feared that they were made of glass "and therefore likely to shatter into pieces". One famous early sufferer was King Charles VI of France who refused to allow people to touch him, and wore reinforced clothing to protect himself from accidental "shattering".

Kate wrote: "I bought Marie Antoinette The Journey
on the weekend. Looks interesting. "

Maybe we'll have to add this to our buddy read/group read list? A lot of people have been saying they want to read it.

Jennifer wrote: "Kate wrote: "I bought Marie Antoinette The Journey
on the weekend. Looks interesting. "

Maybe we'll have to add this to our buddy read/group read list? A lot of people have been s..."

That would be great. Maybe for the next group read ???

I've just started a post for group reads. I'd like to either read Marie Antoinette or the one on Josephine Bonaparte by Sandra Gulland. I nominated the latter, maybe you'll nominate the other?

October 22: Ferdinand I (31 October 1345 – 22 October 1383 in Lisbon), sometimes referred to as the Handsome or rarely as the Inconstant, was the ninth King of Portugal and the Algarve, the second (but eldest surviving) son of Peter I and his wife, Constance of Castile. He succeeded his father in 1367.

On the death of Peter of Castile in 1369, Ferdinand, as great-grandson of Sancho IV by the female line, laid claim to the vacant throne, for which the kings of Aragon and Navarre, and afterwards John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster (married in 1370 to Constance, the eldest daughter of Peter), also became competitors.

Ferdinand left no male heir when he died on 22 October 1383, and the direct Burgundian line, which had been in possession of the throne since the days of Count Henry (about 1112), became extinct.

October 23: The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began on October 23 as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, but developed into inter communal violence between native Irish and English and Scottish Protestant settlers, starting a conflict known as the Irish Confederate Wars.

The rising was sparked by Catholic fears of an impending invasion of Ireland by anti-Catholic forces of the English Long Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters. In turn, the rebels' suspected association with the King of England, Scotland and Ireland, Charles I, exacerbated the situation leading up to, and ultimately resulting in, the start of the English Civil War. The Irish rebellion broke out in October 1641 and was followed by several months of violent chaos in Ireland before the Irish Catholic upper classes and clergy formed the Catholic Confederation in the summer of 1642. The Confederation became a de facto government of most of Ireland, free from the control of the English State and loosely aligned with the Royalist side in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The subsequent war continued in Ireland until the 1650s, when Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army decisively defeated the Irish Catholics and Royalists and re-conquered the country.

Oops… I've got a couple of days to catch up on. Looks like I missed the weekend!

October 26 Death of Alfred the Great, king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex died today in the year 899 (1110 years ago!). Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English king to be given the epithet "the Great".[1:] Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons". Details of his life are described in a work by the Welsh scholar and bishop, Asser. Alfred was a learned man who encouraged education and improved his kingdom's legal system and military structure.

October 25 Death of King Stephen - Stephen, often known as Stephen of Blois, was born c. 1096 and died on October 25, 1154. He was a grandson of William the Conqueror and was the last Norman King of England, from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne jure uxoris. His reign was marked by civil war with his rival the Empress Matilda and general chaos, known as The Anarchy. He was succeeded by Matilda's son, Henry II, the first of the Angevin or Plantagenet kings.

October 24 Death of Jane Seymour, 3rd Wife of Henry VIII - Jane Seymour, born in 1508, was Queen Consort of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII died on this day in 1537. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as Queen Consort following the latter's execution in 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of her only child, a son who briefly reigned as Edward VI.

October 27 Edmund I (922 – 26 May 946), called the Elder, the Deed-doer, the Just, or the Magnificent, was King of England from 939 until his death. He was a son of Edward the Elder and half-brother of Athelstan. Athelstan died on 27 October 939, and Edmund succeeded him as king.

October 28 Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 278 – 28 October 312) was Western Roman Emperor from 306 to 312. He was the son of former emperor Maximian, and the son-in-law of Galerius, also an emperor. Maxentius not only died on this day in the year 312 but 6 years prior in 306 he was publicly acclaimed emperor.

September 7, 1533 Elizabeth I of England was born to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Happy Birthday to Good Queen Bess.

Ah, a most propitious day indeed!

December 2, 1804- Napoleon Bonaparte crowned emperor of France in Paris by Pope Pius VII.

December 7, 1783-- Theatre Royal opens in Covent Garden, London

December 8, 1542 --The birth date of Mary Stewart, otherwise known as Mary, Queen of Scots. Happy Birthday, Mary!

December 9, 1992 Prince Charles and Princess Diana announce their separation.

December 10, 1541 Henry VIII had Thomas Culpepper beheaded for cavorting with Katherine Howard, wife number 5.

Really enjoying these snippets, Lyn.

Thanks, Darkpool. Jennifer started them when the group was new, and I just thought it would be fun to get back to them.

Yes thank you Lyn those were important dates in history and I am enjoying them as well!

December 11, 1936 On this day King Edward VIII abdicates his throne to his brother George.

Here is a link to a good article

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hi...

If you don't see it today, click previous until you get to December 11

Or: why Elizabeth II is unlikely to ever abdicate.

I like that Susanna.

December 12, 1474 Isabella crowns herself queen of Castille & Aragon

Great moment in history!

I am really looking forward to C W's book about Isabella.

I read it right on the heels of Confessions and it was superb!

Colleen wrote: "Yes thank you Lyn those were important dates in history and I am enjoying them as well!"

Me too, Lyn! Thanks for starting them back up :)

Colleen wrote: "I read it right on the heels of Confessions and it was superb!"

I still don't have Confessions... my library sucks!! lol

December 13, 1553- The birth of King Henry IV of France.

Jennifer, you have to read Confessions. It was superb.

Heather stole my post for today, so I had to go with plan b, lol. Just kidding, the more the merrier, Heather. I like yours. I have two today:

December 13, 1533 Erik XIV Wasa, king of Sweden from 1560 - 1569, was born.

December 13, 1621 Emperor Ferdinand II delegates 1st anti-Reformation decree

Jen just buy it, my library didn't have it either so I had to.

Maybe I'll put it on my Christmas wishlist ;)
It's been on order at the library since it was released and they still don't have it! Ah well, it's one I'll want to own anyways.

Trust me, Jennifer, you will.

December 14, 1490 Emperor Ferdinand II delegates 1st anti-Reformation decree

1575Polish Parliament selects Istv n B thory as king of Poland

An interesting family, the Vasa.

There are so many interesting families in royalty. I wish I could do nothing but read about them. I will look forward to reading about the Vasa.

December 15, 1840: Napoleon Bonaparte is reburied at Les Invalides, Paris.

Lyn M wrote: "There are so many interesting families in royalty. I wish I could do nothing but read about them. I will look forward to reading about the Vasa."

Probably the most famous of them outside of Sweden is Queen Christina, who gave up the throne and Lutheranism to become a Catholic nun!

Cool, another family that I can look forward to delving into.

December 15, 0037birth date of Nero Claudius Augustus Germanicus, 5th emperor of Rome (54-68)

December 15, 1640 Duke of Bragan‡a crowned King Johan IV of Portugal

December 16, 1431 King Henry VI of England crowned king of France.

December 16, 1485 birth date of Catherine of Aragon, Spanish princess/1st wife of Henry VIII.

December 16, 1538: King Francis I of France orders his citizens to persecute Protestants by all legal means.

I've got one :)

December 17, 1577 Francis Drake sails from Plymouth, England, on a secret mission to explore the Pacific Coast of the Americas for English Queen Elizabeth I.

YAY, Jen. Great one.

Here is mine for today:

December 17, 1526: Ferdinand of Austria chosen as King of Bohemia

December 17, 1745: Bonnie Prince Charles army retreats to Scotland.

Come on everyone, join the fun. Post your snipets of Royalty History for the day here!!!

The story I've been following is a current one, about how they found Henri IV of France's head, and have given it to the Duc d'Anjou, who has given it back to Saint-Denis for a state funeral mass and reburial next year.

That is very interesting. Do you have a link to a good article about it? I would love to read about that. If not, I will just google it.