June 2nd

Events -

455 - The 2nd sack of Rome.  A prior peace treaty between Rome and the Vandals included the engagement of Huneric, son of the Vandal King Genseric, and Eudocia, daughter of Roman Emperor Valentinian IIIthe Vandal King Genseric.  Valentinian III was killed in 455 and the throne usurped by Petronius Maximus, who married Valentinian's widow and had his son Palladius married to Eudocia.  The Vandals used the broken betrothal of Huneric and Eudocia as an excuse to proclaim the treaty invalid and set sail for Rome.  According to a chronicler of the time, Genseric reached an agreement with Pope Leo I not to destroy the city or murder its citizens, so the city gates were opened to him upon his arrival.  Rather than fight Genseric, Petronius tried to flee the city, but was killed by a Roman mob.  Palladius was believed killed around the same time, which allowed the marriage of Huneric and Eudocia to go forth as originally planned.

1946 - Italy held a constitutional referendum to determine whether the country should continue under a monarchy or whether the head of state should be elected by popular vote.  The monarchy had been damaged by King Victor Emmanuel III association with the Fascist government of Mussolini.  Not even the King's abdication in favor of his son Umberto II would prevent the ouster of the monarchy.  With an 89.1% turnout, Italians voted for a republic by 54.3% over 45.7%.  The new constitution which was later adopted forever banned the male descendants of the Savoy family from entering Italy, a provision which was finally overturned in October 2002.

1953 - Queen Elizabeth II is crowned queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories and head of the Commonwealth.  Elizabeth had ascended to the throne on the death of her father over a year earlier, on February 6, 1952.  The coronation was the first major international event to be televised.  60 years later, the Queen is still on the British throne, about to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.

Born on this Date -

1838 - Alexandra Frederika Wilhelmina of Oldenburg, daughter of  Duke Peter Georgievich of Oldenburg and  Princess Therese of Nassau-Weilburg.  She married Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaevich of Russia, the third son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.  Among her children was Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaevich, known as Nicholasha within the Romanov family, and Commander of the Russian army during the first part of World War I.  After time, the marriage disintigrated and Alexandra retired first to Kiev and later to a convent, refusing to grant her husband a divorce so he could marry his mistress.  Although Grand Duke Nicholas had hopes of outliving his wife, the ill Alexandra managed to outlive both her husband and his mistress.  Alexandra died of stomach cancer at the Kievo Pechersky Monastery on April 25, 1900.

1940 - King Constantine II of Greece (Κωνσταντῖνος Βʹ, Τέως Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων), the last reigning King of Greece before the monarchy was abolished for the final time in 1973. He became King of Greece on March 6, 1964 with the death of his father.  Just three years later, he was forced to flee the country in December 1967 after a failed counter-coup against the military, which had seized power in April 1967.  He remained king until June 1, 1973, when the military abolished the monarchy.  Although not permanently banished from Greece, he has been discouraged against returning, and has returned for brief visits periodically.  However, in 1994, his Greek citizenship and passport were stripped from him until he adopts a surname, which he has refused to do.  When he does travel to Greece, he does so on a Danish diplomatic passport, which he is entitled to as a descendant of King Christian IX of Denmark.

Died on this Date - 

910 - Richilde of Provence, born about 845 as the daughter of Bivin, count of the Ardennes.  She married Charles the Bald, King of the Franks, in 870, after the death of Charles' first wife.  She served as regent when her husband was away at war, and after the death of Charles' successor, Louis the Stammerer, whose sons were too young to rule.  She was forced out after the nobility refused to recognize her authority, although she attempted two additional times to rule, after the deaths of Louis' sons in 882 and 884.  After the latter attempt, she was forced to return to Provence, where she died at the age of c.65.

1418 - Catherine of Lancaster, born on March 31, 1373, the daughter of John of Gaunt (son of Edward III of England) and Constance of Castile (daughter of King Pedro of Castile).  Catherine's parents attempted to press Constance's right to the throne of Castile.  Constance was eventually persuaded to renounce her claims to the throne in exchange for the marriage of her daughter Catherine to the future Enrique III of Castile.  Catherine and Enrique were married before September 17, 1388.  She became a joint-regent for her son, Juan II, who was a year and a half old at his father's death.  She eventually relinquished the regency due to ill-health, and died of a stroke at the age of 45, when her son was 13.

1567 - Seán Ó Néill, King of Tír Eógain in Ireland.  He was born around 1530 as the son of King Conn Bacach O'Neill and Alice FitzGerald.  He was murdered, about age 37, by the MacDonnell family after the battle of Farsetmore as he attempted to flee.