Events -
53 - Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus, aged 15, married his stepsister Claudia Octavia, aged 13. Octavia was the daughter of Emperor Claudius, while Nero was the son of Claudius' fourth wife Agrippina (who was also Claudius' niece). Nero, who had been adopted by Claudius as his heir, succeeded as emperor the following year on Claudius' death. The following year, Octavia's full brother Britannicus died, likely poisoned by Nero. Although Octavia was careful to hide her feelings about the death of her brother, the marriage was unhappy and Nero tries several times to murder his wife. After his lover, Poppaea Sabina, became pregnant with his child, Nero divorced Octavia because she had not provided him an heir. Octavia was banished, which was unpopular with the Roman citizenry who demanded her return. Nero considered remarrying her, but decided to have her executed. Her wrists were slit and she was suffocated in a hot bath.1946 - Bhumibol Adulyadej became King of Thailand on the murder of his brother King Ananda Mahidol. Bhumibol Adulyadej is the curernt longest-reigning monarch in the world, having been on the throne 66 years as of today.
Born on this date -
1595 - Władysław Vasa was born near Kraków, Poland, the oldest son of King Zygmunt III Vasa of Poland and his wife Anna of Austria. Władysław was elected King of Poland at the death of his father in 1632, reigning as Władysław IV. He attempted to press his claims to the throne of Sweden - his father had been King of Sweden after his own father Gustav I, but had been deposed by his uncle - but was rebuffed. Władysław reigned until his death, from either gallstones or kidney stones, on May 20, 1648 at the age of 52. Despite two marriages - Cecilia Renata of Austria and Maria Luisa Gonzaga - he had no surviving legitimate children, so he was succeeded on the throne by his brother.1640 - Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Felician of Austria, the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and Maria Anna of Spain. On the death of his older brother Ferdinand in 1654, he became heir and succeeded his father as Holy Roman Emperor four years later. He married three times, to Margarita Teresa of Austria (his niece, not unusual among the Habsburgs), then to Claudia Felicitas of Austria, and finally to Eleanor Magdalene von der Pfalz. By his wives, he had a total of 16 children, his oldest child by his third wife succeeding him as Emperor on his death on May 5, 1705, at the age of 64.
1661 - Fyodor Alexeyevich Romanov, son of Tsar Alexei and his first wife Maria Miloslavskaya. Fyodor was 15 when he succeeded his father on the throne in 1676 as Fyodor III. He was intelligent but disabled since birth. He married twice - to Agaphia Simeonovna Grushevskaya (who died in childbirth with a son who died a few days later) and to Marfa Apraksina. The second marriage was short-lived as Fyodor died three months later, on May 7, 1682, with no surviving heirs. He was succeeded on the throne by his two younger brother, full-brother Ivan V and half-brother Peter I, with their sister Sophia as regent.
1672 - Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov, son of Tsar Alexei and his second wife Natalya Naryshkina. Pyotr was not quite four when his half-brother Fyodor ascended to the throne. When Fyodor died in 1382, the Boyer Duma decided on ten-year-old Pyotr as the next tsar since his older brother Ivan suffered from ill health. Sophia Alekseyevna, the boys' older sister, led a revolt in favor of putting her full-brother Ivan on the throne over her half-brother Pyotr. A compromise was agreed to that the boys would be named joint Tsars, with Ivan being considered the senior, while Sophia ruled as regent for the next seven years. Pyotr, now 17, overthrew his sister and forced her into a convent. Pyotr took the reins of power, while Ivan V remained co-tsar - Pyotr was fond of his brother and never blamed him for Sophia's actions. Pyotr became sole tsar when Ivan died in 1696. During his 42-year reign, Pyotr used his interest in shipbuilding to found Russia's Navy and built a new city to be the capital of the country, St. Petersburg. He was also known for the "Grand Embassy," where Pyotr traveled (incognito, although people often ended up recognizing him) to various European countries, seeking ideas and innovations he could bring back to Russia to make her more Westernized. He fought a long war with Sweden, which ended with Russian gains of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia, and part of Karelia. After the peace treaty that ended the war, Pyotr was proclaimed Emperor, and also received the appellation "the Great", the first of two Romanovs to receive the title. Pyotr died February 8, 1725, at the age of 52, of a bladder infection which had turned to gangrene. He was succeeded not by one of his children - his daughter Elizaveta would come to the throne in 1741 - but by his wife Martha Skavronskaya, who had taken the name Catherine on her marriage to Pyotr.
Died on this date -
62 - Claudia Octavia, wife of the Emperor Nero, around age 22. She was born in late 39 AD or early 40 AD, the daughter of Emperor Claudius and his second wife Valeria Messalina. After Claudius married his niece Agrippina and adopted her son Nero as his heir, a marriage was arranged between the step-siblings. The pair lived unhappily for nine years, until Nero divorced Octavia in 62 because she was barren. Octavia was banished, but after the Roman citizens expressed their displeasure at her banishment, Nero ordered Octavia's death. Her wrists were slit in the manner of a traditional Roman suicide - although not of her free will - and she was placed in an extremely hot vapor bath, where she suffocated. Her head was severed and sent by Nero to his second wife as a gift. According to one historian, her death would cause Nero nightmares, along with the death of his mother.68 - Emperor Nero, aged 30. He was born December 15, 37, to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger, sister of Emperor Caligula. His mother was exiled by her brother two years later and Nero was sent to be raised by his aunt Domitia Lepida, the mother of Valeria Messalina, third wife of Claudius. When Claudius became emperor in 41, he brought Agrippina back from exile. After Claudius and Agrippina were married, Nero was adopted as Claudius' heir (even though he had a living son, Britannicus) and married to Claudius' daughter Claudia Octavia. The following year, Claudius died, probably poisoned by his wife, and Nero became emperor. Just 17, Nero was then the youngest man to become Emperor. Originally greatly influenced by his mother, he broke with her when she took the side of his neglected wife Octavia. Agrippina then pressed for the passed over Britannicus to be named Emperor in Nero's place, which led to the murder of Britannicus in 55. Nero began an affair with Poppaea Sabina, whom he planned to marry after putting Octavia aside. Since his mother championed Octavia, Nero decided to kill his mother to smooth the path. He also had Claudia killed when the Roman citizenry demanded that Nero bring her back as Empress. Aside from the numerous murders he ordered, he was known for "fiddling while Rome burned" during a fire in 64. The store is certainly untrue, as there were no fiddles in 1st century Roman. According to one historian, Nero - away from Rome at the time of the fire - returned to organize relief efforts which he paid for out of his own funds. He was also known for persecuting Christians during his reign (Apostles Peter and Paul both died during his reign) and for an uprising in Britain by Queen Boadicca of the Iceni. Rebellions broke out, with support eventually coalescing around Galba. Nero fled, and after receiving a report that the Senate had ordered his execution, he decided to committ suicide. Ultimately unable to do the deed, he asked his private secretary to kill him instead. The secretary was later executed for failing to prevent Nero's suicide. His death was the anniversary of his marriage to Claudia Octavia and of Octavia's death.
630 - Shahrbaraz, Shah of Persia, unknown age. He was a general and commander of the Army of all Iran under King Khosrau II of Persia. Shahrbaraz captured Damascus and Jerusalem for the Persians, but distrust between Shahrbaraz and Khosrau led to Shahrbaraz holding his army back, leading to the end of the war and victory for the Byzantine Empire. In 630, Shahrbaraz killed King Ardashir III of Persia, thereby becoming the new King. Shahrbaraz made peace with the Byzantine Empire and returned to Emperor Heraclius the True Cross which had been carried off during the conquest of Jerusalem. A short time later, Armenia was invaded, and Shahrbaraz was slain two months later. He was succeeded by Purandokht, the daughter of Khosrau II and one of only two women to rule during the Sassanid dynasty.
1923 - Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, aged 77. She was born on May 25, 1846, the fifth child of Queen Victoria and Albert, the Prince Consort. In 1866, Helena married Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, who had agreed that the couple would live in England so Helena could be close to her mother. The marriage was controversial because of Schleswig-Holstein, which were claimed by the Prussians, the Danes and by Austria on behalf of Prince Christians family. Alix, the Princess of Wales, naturally sided with the Danes in the controversy, as did her husband Bertie and his sister Alice. Vicky, the Princess Royal and Crown Princess of Prussia, might have been expected to come out against the marriage because of Prussia's interest in Schleswig-Holstein, but she had been friends with Prince Christian's family for years and came out in support of the marriage. The marriage eventually took place, with Bertie being prodded to attend by Alice as a show of family unity. Alix was unwilling to accept Christian although he was a third cousin, also descended from the Kings of Denmark. The marriage turned out to be a happy one and they had four surviving children. Two additional sons were short-lived, one living eight days and the other being stillborn. Prince Christian died in 1917, with Helena following him six years later.
1946 - King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand, aged 20. He was born September 20, 1925, the oldest son of Prince Mahidol Adulyadej of Songkhla (son of King Chulalongkorn) and Mom Sangwal. His father died when he was four, pushing Ananda Mahidol forward in the line of succession. He ascended the throne in 1935 on the abdication of his uncle King Prajadhipok, as the Cabinet found much to like in a nine-year-old monarch going to school in Switzerland, leaving all the power with them. Thailand was drawn into World War II on December 8, 1941, during an invasion and occupation coordinated with the attack of Pearl Harbor in the United States. Formally allied with Japan from 1942, Thailand came under attack by the Allies, with the country becoming the responsibility of Britain after the war ended. Almost a year after the war ended, the King was found shot to death in his bedroom. Although three men were executed for the death, the circumstance of the King's death are still considered a mystery. Ananda Mahidol was succeeded by his brother Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is currently the longest-reigning monarch in the world (66 years as of today).
