June 15th

Events -

1215 - King John of England put his seal on the charter of liberties drawn up by his barons at Runnymeade.  Four days later, the barons swore oaths of fealty to King John, at which time the Magna Carta was created.  The charter, which put limits on the power of the king and protected those of the barons, was declared null and void by Pope Innocent III, a ruling which was ignored by the barons.  The charter, which was modified several times over the years, is considered the foundation of constitutional law in the English-speaking world.

1580 -  Willem I, Prince of Orange, who led a revolt against Spain which resulted in the Eighty Years' War, was declared an outlaw by King Philip II of Spain.  The war eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands.  Philip promised a reward for William's assassination, an offer which was taken up by Balthasar Gérard four years later.

1905 - Princess Margaret of Connaught, daughter of Arthur, Duke of Connaught (son of Queen Victoria), married the Crown Prince of Sweden, Prince Gustaf.  The couple had five surviving children, including the father of a future King of Sweden and a Queen Consort of Denmark.  Eight-months-pregnant with her sixth child, Margaret died in 1920 due to a post-op infection.  Gustaf married Margaret's cousin Louise Mountbatten (granddaughter of Queen Victoria's daughter Alice) in 1923 and became King of Sweden in 1950.

1978 - American Lisa Najeeb Halaby became the fourth wife of King Hussein of Jordan, taking the name Noor al Hussein on her conversion to Islam.  She became friends with the King while he was mourning the death of his third wife due to a helicopter crash, and they became engaged the following year.  Noor and Hussein had four children, two sons and two daughters, before Hussein's death in 1999.

Born on this date -

1330 - Edward of Woodstock, son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault.  Edward was invested as the third English Prince of Wales in 1343 and became the first Knight of the Garter in 1348.  In 1361, he married his cousin Joan of Kent, by whom he had two sons.  A renowned military commander, Edward was responsible for the English victories at Crécy and Poitiers during the Hundred Years' War.  He became the first English Prince of Wales not to succeed his father as King of England, as he died on June 8, 1376 at the age of 45 (a week before his 46th birthday), a year before his father.  His oldest son having died in 1372, his younger son succeeded Edward III in 1377 as King Richard II of England.

1519 - Henry FitzRoy, illegitimate but oldest surviving son of King Henry VIII of England and Elizabeth Blount.  He was six when he was created Duke of Richmond and Somerset in 1525. After Henry's second daughter Princess Elizabeth was declared a bastard, there were rumors that Henry was planning to name his illegitimate son as his heir, but the duke died before an act which would have permitted this was passed by Parliament.  Henry FitzRoy died July 23, 1536 at the age of 17, probably of tuberculosis.  He had no children, as his marriage to Mary Howard, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk, was unconsummated.

Died on this date -

923 - King Robert I of France, aged 56. He was born on August 15, 866, the younger son of Robert IV of Neustria and Adelaide of Tours.  The younger brother of Odo, King of the West Franks, he did not claim the kingdom after his brother's death, but remained a vassal under the rule of Charles III of France until 922, when he rebelled and had himself proclaimed King of France.  Charles led an army against Robert and defeated him in battle at Soissons, where Robert was killed.  His only son, born of his second wife Béatrice of Vermandois, was the father of Hugh Capet.

991 - Holy Roman Empress Theophano Skleraina, aged 30-31.  She was born in 960 in Constantinople, the Constantine Skleros and Sophia Phokaina.  Holy Roman Emperor Otto I wanted to marry his son to a Byzantine princess as part of a treaty between the Eastern and Western Empires.  Her mother was a cousin of Byzantine Emperor Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs and neice of Emperor Nikēphoros II Phōkas, while her father was the brother of Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs first wife.  She married Emperor Otto II on April 14, 972 and was crowned Empress the same day.  Otto II died in 983, and Theophano became regent for their only son, who became Otto III.  She died eight years later, with her mother-in-law taking over as regent until Otto III came of age.

1073 - Emperor Go-Sanjō (後三条天皇) of Japan, aged 40.  He was born on September 3, 1032, the second son of Emperor Go-Suzaku (後朱雀天皇) and Empress Sadako (禎子内親王, daughter of Emperor Sanjō, 三条天皇) with the name of Takahito-shinnō (尊仁親王).  He succeeded his older brother Chikahito (Emperor Go-Reizei, 後冷泉天皇) as emperor in 1068 when his brother died with no children.  Go-Sanjō abdicated in favor of his son Sadahito (Emperor Shirakawa, 白河天皇) in 1072 and became a Buddist priest.

1246 - Friedrich II, Duke of Austria, aged 35.  He was the son of Duke Leopold VI of Austria and Theodora Angelina of Byzantium and was born on April 25, 1211.  He became heir to the duchy in 1228 on the death of his older brother Heinrich and succeeded his father in 1230.  He died without children at the Battle of the Leitha River, fought against King Béla IV of Hungary.  Although a woman could have inherited the duchy, it became a part of Bohemia with the marriage of Friedrich's sister Margaret to Ottokar II of Bohemia.

1341 - Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos, aged 44.  He was born on March 25, 1297, the son of so-Emperor Mikhaēl IX Palaiologos and Rita of Armenia.  A rift developed between Andronikos and his grandfather Andronikos II after he accidentally killed his brother Manuel and his father Mikhaēl died of grief.  Andronikos began a civil war against his grandfather and was eventually recognized as co-emperor in 1328, in which year he deposed his grandfather and became sole emperor.  During his rule, the Ottoman Turks began encroaching on his territories in Asia Minor, and the Serbians expanded their territory into Macedonia.  By his second wife, Anna of Savoy, he had four children, including his heir Iōannēs V Palaiologos and a daughter Maria, future Empress of Bulgaria.

1383 - Iōannēs VI Kantakouzēnos, aged about 91.  He was the son of the governor of Morea Mikhaēl Kantakouzēnos and Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, which gave him a relationship to the reigning Palaiologos dynasty.  After the death of Andronikos III Palaiologos, Iōannēs became regent for the nine-year-old heir, Iōannēs V Palaiologos.  Iōannēs had no desire to become emperor himself, having declined several offers to become co-emperor during the reign of Andronikos III.  When Iōannēs left for Morea, enemies who suspected him of wanting the throne for himself overthrew the regency, the army naming Iōannēs emperor when they found out, which started a six-year civil war.  The war was ended with an agreement for the two Iōannēs to be co-emperors, and Iōannēs V Palaiologos to marry Iōannēs VI Kantakouzēnos' daughter Helena.  After Iōannēs V Palaiologos seized sole power in 1354, Iōannēs VI Kantakouzēnos retired to a monastery.  One of his sons, Matthaios, was co-emperor from 1353-1357 and a daughter, Theodora, was wife of Sulta Orhan of the Ottoman Empire.

1389 - Sultan Murad I of the Ottoman Empire, aged 62-63.  Murad was born the son of Sultan Orhan I and Nilüfer Hatun in March or June 1326.  He became Sultan in 1361 on the death of his father.  During his reign, most of the Balkans came under Ottoman rule and the Byzantine Emperor was forced to pay him tribute.  Murad was assassinated during the Battle of Kosovo Polje (fought against Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović of Moravian Serbia) and was succeeded by his son Bayezid I. 

1389 - Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović of Moravian Serbia, aged 59-60.  He was born around 1329, the son of Pribac Hrebeljanović, chancellor of King Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia. Serbia began falling apart during the reign of Stephan Uroš V Dušan, after which Lazar became knez (translated as Prince).  When Stephan Uroš V Dušan died childless in 1371, Serbia split into several principalities, of which Moravia was the most powerful.  The Turks began raiding into Moravia in 1381 and the threat from the Ottomans against Serbia increased until they met in the Battle of Kosovo Polje.  Prince Lazar was killed during the battle and was succeeded by his son Stefan Lazarević under the regency of Stefan's mother Milica.  The following year, Serbia submitted to the Ottoman empire.  Lazar was later venerated in the Serbian Orthodox Church as a saint and martyr.

1467 - Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, aged 70.  He was born on July 31, 1396, the son of Jean II of Burgundy and Margaret of Bavaria.  He became Duke of Burgundy on his father's assassination in 1419.  Blaming the Dauphin of France for his father's death - his father was killed during a meeting between the two - Philip allied himself with Henry V of England, marrying his sister Anne to Henry's brother John.  Although he mostly stayed out of the Hundred Years' War, his troops were responsible for the capture of Jean of Arc.  On his death, he was succeeded by his son Charles, who was the last Duke of Burgundy from the Valois family.

1888 - Kaiser Friedrich III of Germany, aged 56.  The son of Wilhelm of Prussia (younger son of Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, later Wilhelm I) and Augusta of Saxe-Weimar, he was born on October 18, 1831.  As early as 1851, Friedrich was looked at by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a husband for their oldest daughter Victoria, the Princess Royal, in the hopes of bringing liberal ideas to Germany.  The couple became engaged in 1856 and were married on January 25, 1858.  Their successful marriage produced eight children.  However, the couple were at odds with the conservative ideals of Friedrich's father and his chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the two of whom greatly influenced Friedrich and Victoria's oldest son Wilhelm (later Kaiser Wilhelm II) against them.  Friedrich was unable to implement any of his liberal ideals, as his father lived to age 90, by which time Friedrich was already dying of throat cancer.  Friedrich ascended the throne March 9, 1888, reigning for only 99 days before losing his battle against cancer.  He was succeeded by his oldest son, Wilhelm, who became the last Kaiser of Germany.

June 10th

Born on this date - 

1688 - James Francis Edward Stuart, son of King James II of England and Mary of Modena.  James' birth was controversial in a country which wanted a Protestant back on the throne - some claimed that the King and Queen's son had been stillborn and another child substituted in his place, the so-called "warming pan baby".  Six months after his birth, his mother took him to France to protect him from those seeking to overthrow the Catholic James II.  The following day, James II was captured and imprisoned as he attempted to flee England, but was allowed to escape to France later that month.  When James II died in 1701, his son declared himself James III of England and VIII of Scotland, a title which was recognized in several Catholic countries in Europe.  The following year, just a few days before his half-sister Anne came to the throne, James was attained and his English titles considered forfeit.  In 1708, he attempted to invade Scotland, but was turned back.  It was suggested that had he been willing to convert to Protestantism, he might have been acceptable as next in line to the throne under the 1707 Act of Settlement, but James refused.  As a result, the throne passed under the Act to the son of Sophia of Hanover, the closest in the line of succession who was Protestant - George I.  In 1715, James finally landed in Scotland and planned to have himself crowned at Scone, but lack of support for his cause led him to leave the country again.  Since his patron King Louis XIV of France had passed away, James was no longer welcome in France and accepted the offer of a home in Rome from Pope Clement XI.  He married Maria Clementina Sobieska (granddaughter of the Polish King) in 1719 and had two son, each of whom succeeded to his claims to the English throne.  James died at the age of 77 on New Years' Day, 1766 in Rome and was buried in St. Peter's Basilica.  Had James actually ascended to the throne on his father's death, he would have ruled for over 64 years, longer than Queen Victoria (at 63+ years) and Queen Elizabeth II (at 60+ years), and the longest reigning monarch in British history.  Queen Elizabeth II will have to reign until May 23, 2016 to surpass his "reign."

1713 - Princess Caroline Elizabeth of Hanover, daughter of George, the Hereditary Prince of Hanover, and Caroline of Ansbach.  The year after her birth, Caroline's grandfather succeeded as King George I of England, making her father the Prince of Wales.  She became known as HRH Princess Caroline of Great Britain on her grandfather's ascension and HRH The Princess Caroline on the ascension of her father as George II.  Caroline died unmarried at the age of 44 on December 28, 1757 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

1825 - Hildegard Luise Charlotte Theresia Friederike von Bayern, the fourth daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.  In 1844, she married Archduke Albrecht of Austria, giving birth to three children.  Her oldest daughter married the heir to the Kingdom of Würrtemberg, her only son died of smallpox at only a year old, and her younger daughter accidentally set herself on fire at the ag of 18 while trying to hid a lit cigarette from her father, who detested smoking.  The cigarette, hidden behind her back, set fire to her dress.  Fortunately, her mother did not live to see her daughter burn to death in front of her (as had the rest of the family) - while in Munich for the funeral of her brother Maximilian II of Bavaria, she became ill, dying the following month in Vienna on April 2, 1864.

1894 - Prince Igor Constantinovich of Russia (Игорь Константинович), the sixth child of Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich (Константи́н Константи́нович) and Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg (Елизавета Маврикевна).  Igor served as a captain during World War II and was a decorated hero, but ill-health forced him away from the front.  After the Russian Revolution broke out in 1917, Igor was allowed a relative amount of freedom compared to some of the other Romanovs.  However, he was exiled to Siberia in April 1918, eventually joining up with two of his brothers (Ioann and Constantine), two cousins (Vladimir Paley and Sergei Mikhailovich) and a cousin by marriage (Grand Duchess Elisabeth).  They, along with two other companions, were murdered July 18, 1918 by being thrown down a mind shaft outside of Alapayevsk.  The bodies were discovered in October 1918 after the White Army retook the area from the Bolsheviks. 

1921 - Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, fifth child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Alice of Battenberg.  When he was a year old, revolution forced his family into exile, with Philip being smuggled out of the country in a fruit box.  The family settled just outside Paris, where Philip began school.  He was eventually sent to England to continue his schooling under the guardianship of his maternal grandmother, Victoria of Milford Haven and his uncle George Mountbatten.  He was separated from his immediately family during this time - all his sisters were now married and living in Germany, his mother diagnosed with schizophrenia  and institutionalized and his father opting to live in Monte Carlo.  In 1939, Philip joined the British Navy and also met his future wife when, on a visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Dartmouth Naval College, Philip was assigned to escort the royal couple's two daughters Elizabeth and Margaret.  Elizabeth fell in love and began corresponding regularly with Philip.  After World War II ended, Philip formally asked for Elizabeth's hand, but the announcement of the engagement was postponed until after Elizabeth's 21st birthday.  Around this time, Philip changed his name to that selected by Philip and Elizabeth married November 20, 1947, eventually becoming the parents of four children.  In 1952, while the couple were on a visit to Kenya, King George VI died and Elizabeth ascended to the throne.  60 years later, Philip is both the longest living consort (91 years, although his mother-in-law was older at her death, she was a widow and not consort for 50 years) and the longest serving (over 60 years) in British history.  In addition, Philip and Elizabeth have the longest lived marriage (almost 65 years) among British monarchs.

1956 - Georg Borwin Friedrich Franz Karl Stephan Konrad Hubertus Maria of Mecklenburg, son of Grand Duke Georg Alexander of Mecklenburg and Ilona of Austria.  In 1963, Borwin became heir to the House of Mecklenburg when his grandfather died and his father succeeded to the title.  When his father died in 1996, Borwin because the head of the house.  With his wife Alice Wagner, he is the father of three children, a daughter and two sons.

1981 - Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein, the younger son of King Hussein and Queen Noor.  In 2006, he married Fahdah Mohammed Abunayyan of Saudi Arabia, with whom he has three daughters.

1982 - Madeleine Thérèse Amélie Joséphine of Sweden, youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Sylvia.  She is currently fourth in line to the Swedish throne, after her older sister Victoria, Victoria's daughter Estelle and Madeleine's older brother Carl Philip.  After the breakup of her engagement, she moved to New York, where she words for the World Childhood Foundation.

Died on this date -

323 BC - King Alexander III of Macedon, "Alexander the Great", aged 32.  He was born in July 356 BC, the son of Philip II of Macedon and Olympias of Epirus.  When he was 19, he succeeded to the throne on the assassination of his father.  He continued with plans drawn up by his father to expand the empire, and at its height, the empire stretched from Greece to the Indian subcontinent.  Alexander died in Babylon (modern-day Al Hillah, Iraq), allegedly of poisoning, although natural causes have been suggested.  He was succeeded by his half-brother, Philip III, and his posthumous son by Roxana of Bactria, Alexander IV.

1190 - Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, aged 67-68.  Frederick was born on 1122 as the son of Friedrich II of Swabia and Judith of Bavaria.  His descent from the two foremost families in Germany made him a desirable candidate to replace Conrad III as Holy Roman Emperor, which he did in 1152.  During his lifetime, he launched six expeditions into Italy for various reasons.  He also joined the Third Crusade in 1189, but he died the following year crossing the Saleph River, rather than trying to cross at the nearby bridge, which was clogged with soldiers.  He was succeeded as Holy Roman Emperor by a son by his second wife, Heinrich VI.

1424 - Duke Ernest of Austria, aged 56-57.  Ernest was born in 1377 as the son of Leopold III, Duke of Inner Austria, and Viridis Visconti.  He became Duke of Inner Austria on the death of his older brother Wilhelm in 1406.  Beginning in 1414, he called himself Archduke, the first time a member of the Habsburg dynasty had used it.  On his death, he was succeeded jointly by two of his sons, Friedrich and Albrecht.  Friedrich later became Holy Roman Emperor.

1776 - Hsinbyushin, King of the Konbaung dynasty in Burma, aged 39.  He was born on September 12, 1736, the second son of King Alaungpaya, and came to the throne in 1763 on the death of his older brother Naungdawgyi.  During his reign, he fought two wars with Siam (Thailand) and one with China.  When he died, his next brother should have been king, as his father Alaungpaya had wished each of his six sons to succeed in turn.  However, Hsinbyushin made his son Singu heir apparent, and Singu ascended the throne without incident.

1974 - Henry William Frederick Albert, Duke of Gloucester, aged 74.  The son of King George V and Mary of Teck, Henry was born on March 31, 1900.  After his brother Bertie ascended the throne (George VI), Henry was named a potential regent for his niece Elizabeth, should she come to the throne while a minor, which required Henry to remain in England until she turned 18.  At the time of his death in 1974, he was the last surviving child of King George V and Queen Mary.  His title was inherited by his younger son, the elder predeceasing him by two years.