June 8th

Events - 

68 AD - The first emperor in the Year of the Four Emperors, Galba, was proclaimed emperor by the Roman Senate.  A former Praetor and consul, Galba had gained a good reputation in many parts of the empire.  After the death of Caligula in 37 AD, friends tried to convince Galba to put himself forth as emperor, but Galba decided to remain loyal to Claudius.  He later went into retirement until about midway through Nero's reign, when Nero made him governor of Hispania Tarraconensis (the northeastern part of modern-day Spain).  Galba learned that Nero intended to put him to death in 68 AD, he considered rebelling, but hesitated.  Nero committed suicide the same year, and Galba was proclaimed Emperor and returned to Rome.  As emperor, he acted in the opposite manner of his previous reputation, making him unpopular.  After seven short months as emperor, legions began rebelling against him, and a former supporter, Otho, was supported as emperor by some of the rebels.  Galba, carried in a litter due to his advancing age (71), went to meet with Otho, but was murdered by some of Otho's troops.

218 - Emperor Macrinus was defeated in the Battle of Antioch by forces loyal to Elagabalus, the cousin of the late Emperor Caracalla, who had been murdered, perhaps by Macrinus.  Elagabalus considered the date of the battle as the beginning of his reign, although Macrinus was alive for a short time after the battle.  Although only 14 when he became emperor and 18 when he was murdered, Elagabalus' reign was known for controversy, both religious and sexual - in his short life, Elagabalus was married to five women (one of whom was a Vestal Virgin), referred to one of his slaves as his husband and supposedly married another man in a public ceremony.  He was murdered, along with his mother, at the age of 18 by supporters of his cousin Severus Alexander, who became the next emperor.

1191 - King Richard I of England arrived in Acre (modern-day 'Akko, Israel), which marked the start of his participation in the 3rd Crusade.  Richard's participation in the crusade came as a result of his father, Henry II.  Henry had been feuding with the King Philippe II of France, and a bishop attempting to mediate between them manipulated both men into pledging to take the cross in the new crusade called by Pope Gregory VIII to recover the recently-captured city of Jerusalem.  Henry died the following year, leaving the command of England's crusaders to his heir.  Partly because of his participation in the crusade and capture by Duke Leopold V of Austria on his way home, Richard spent only six months of his ten-year reign actually in England.  Richard did spend quite a bit of time in his continental possessions during the latter part of his reign - he preferred Aquitaine as his mother had - and died while putting down a rebellion by the Viscount of Limoges and Count of Angoulême (father of Isabella, later the wife of Richard's brother and successor, John).

Died on this date -

1042 - King Harthacnut of Denmark and England, aged approximately 23-24.  He was born around 1018 as the son of King Cnut of Denmark and England and Emma of Normandy.  He had succeeded to the throne of Denmark on his father's death in 1035.  Tied up assisting his half-brother Svein in regaining Norway, Harthacnut was unable to return to England and another half-brother, Harold, was appointed regent, but Harold was soon accepted as King of England over the absent Harthacnut.  Harthacnut considered an invasion of England, but Harold was ill, so Harthacnut decided to bide his time until his brother died, which he did in March 1040.  Harthacnut finally traveled to England in June 1040 accompanied by his mother, who had fled England when Harold became king.  Harthacnut reigned for only two years before he suddenly dropped dead at a wedding.  He was succeeded as King of England by his maternal half-brother Edward the Confessor, who allegedly promised the throne on his own death to the great-nephew of Emma of Normandy - William the Conqueror.

1376 - Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, aged 45.  Born on June 15, 1330, Edward was the son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault.  Renowned for his military capabilities, Edward became popular in England for his victories at Crécy and Poitiers during the Hundred Year War.  He was made the first English duke in 1337 (Duke of Cornwall) and the first Knight of the Garter (in 1348) by his father and is known to history as the Black Prince for the black armor he wore in battle.  Despite her somewhat scandalous marital history, Edward married his cousin Joan "The Fair Maid of Kent" in 1361.  They had two sons, the elder of whom died at the age of 7.  Edward himself died a year before his father, the first English Prince of Wales not to succeed to the English throne.  His surviving son succeeded Edward III the following year at the age of 10, becoming Richard II, who was eventually the second king since the Conquest to be deposed.

1716 - Johann Wilhelm II von der Pfalz, Elector Palatine, aged 68.  The son of Philip Wilhelm von der Pfalz and Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt was born on April 19, 1658 and succeeded his father as the Elector Palatine in 1690.  Johann Wilhelm married twice - first to Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (daughter of Emperor Ferdinand III) and after her death to Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (daughter of Grand Duke Cosimo III of Tuscany).  He had no children by his wife and was succeeded on his death by his younger brother, Karl III Philip.

1795 - King Louis XVII of France, aged 10.  The tragic son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antonia of Austria (Marie Antoinette), he was born Louis-Charles on March 27, 1785.  Louis had become the Dauphin on the death of his older brother Louis Joseph in June 1789, the month before the storming of the Bastille.  Two years later, the royal family tried to escape France but were caught and imprisoned.  A few months later, Louis XVI was separated from his family, tried and executed, at which time Louis would normally have ascended the throne.  His uncle even named himself Regent for the child King.  Six months after his father's death, Louis was separated from his mother and turned over to guardians who allegedly abused him.  He was forced to testify against his mother that she had sexually abused him while they were in captivity, part of the charges which led to her execution in October 1793.  Around this same time he also saw his sister Marie-Thérèse for the last time.  A few months later, his appointed guardians left the prison and Louis allegedly was caged for six months with no human contact and with food being passed to him through the bars.  Louis' conditions improved somewhat after he was visited in May 1794.  Louis died suddenly a year later, the cause of death being announced as a disease associated with tuberculosis, an associated condition which is not usually fatal in and of itself.  Because of the suspicious nature of his death and autopsy, there were rumors of escape and numerous people claiming to be Louis, although these were proved false when a heart originally held by the doctor who performed the autopsy was tested in 2000 and proved to be the heart of the Dauphin.  The heart was buried in the Basilica of St. Denis next to his parents.  Although Louis never reigned as King, he is traditionally listed among the Kings of France as Louis XVII since his uncle took the name Louis XVIII on the restoration of the monarchy - thereby acknowledging his nephew as his legitimate predecessor.