June 5th

Events - 

70 AD - Future Roman Emperor Titus (reigned 79 - 81) led four Roman legions in the breach of the middle wall of Jerusalem during the Siege of Jerusalem.  The siege, which began in March of that year, eventually ended with the destruction of the Second Temple in September.  The siege was one of the major events of the First Jewish-Roman War (also known as The Great Revolt), which was fought by the Jews of Judea against the Roman Empire from 66 - 73.  When Titus became emperor, he was the first Roman Emperor to follow his father as emperor.

1849 - King Frederik VII of Denmark signed the country's new constitution, which marked the move from an absolute to constitutional monarchy.  The signing of this constitution is now marked by a national holiday in Denmark, Constitution Day (or Grundlovsdag).

Born on this date - 

1341 - Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault.  Edmund was the fourth of the King and Queen's five surviving sons.  His descendants became the House of York during the War of the Roses.  Through his first wife, Isabella of Castile, he was the father of Richard, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, who was executed for treason in 1415.  Richard's son (Edmund's grandson) was the father of King Edward IV and King Richard III.  As a result, Edmund is the ancestor of all English monarchs after Henry VII, through Henry's wife Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV.  Despite the fact that his descendants would later challenge for the throne, Edmund remained loyal to the Lancastrian Henry IV after Richard II was overthrown.  Edmund died August 1, 1402 at the age of 61.

1523 - Margaret of France, daughter of King François I of France and Claude of France (daughter of Louis XII of France).  When she was 26, she was created Duchess of Berry in her own right.  By her husband Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, she was the mother of Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy.  She died September 14, 1574 at the age of 51.

1771 - Ernest Augustus of Great Britain, later King of Hanover, fifth son of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  Because he had four older brothers, he was expected to have no chance to ascend to a thone, but the deaths of King George IV, King William IV and Frederick, Duke of York without any surviving children improved his prospects.  His other older brother, Edward, Duke of Kent, did leave a surviving daughter, but Salic law prevented her from ascending the throne of Hanover.  As a result, at the death of King William IV, Victoria of Kent became Queen of England and Ernest Augustus became King of Hanover, ending the union between Hanover and Great Britain which had existed since George I had become King of Great Britain in 1714.  Ernest Augustus' marriage was not without controversy.  He had fallen in love with his cousin Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, but she was married to her second husband.  When her husband conveniently died in 1814, some suspected Frederica of poisoning her husband to clear the way for her marriage to Ernest Augustus.  The marriage was also opposed by Queen Charlotte because Frederica had broken a previous engagement to the Duke of Cambridge.  Ernest Augustus died November 18, 1851 at the age of 80 and was succeeded as King of Hanover by his only child, George.  Ernest Augustus was greatly mourned in Hanover, but hardly at all in England, where The Times said of him "the good that can be said of the Royal dead is little or none."

2005 - Irene de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y de Borbón, daughter of Infanta Christina of Spain (daughter of King Juan Carlos I) and Iñaki Urdangarín Liebaert, Duchess and Duke Consort of Palma de Mallorca. 

Died on this date -

301 - Sima Lún (司马伦), usurper of the Chinese throne during the Jin Dynasty, more than 52 years old.  Sima Lún was born before 249, the youngest son of Sima Yi (司马懿), a general and politician who was posthumously honored as Emperor Juan of Jin when his grandson founded the Jin Dynasty in 265, and Lady Bai (柏夫人).  He became Prince of Langye when his nephew founded the Jin Dynasty, and later Prince of Zhao.  During the reign of his grand-nephew Emperor Hui, Sima Lún became a confidant of Empress Jia.  In 300, Jia was convinced to overthrew the Crown Prince, son of her husband's concubine.  Sima Lún then encouraged her to assassinate the Crown Prince while in exile.  The subsequent assassination was used as an excuse to murder her family and force Jia to commit suicide.  Sima Lún then became regent for the Emperor, who was developmentally disabled.  He was later persuaded to overthrow Hui and proclaim himself emperor.  Hui was put under house arrest and given the honorary title of "retired emperor", while the new Crown Prince, Hui's grandson, was executed.  Sima Lún was overthrown three months later and forced to commit suicide.  His four sons, the oldest of whom had been created Crown Prince, were subsequently executed.

1017 - Emperor Sanjō (三条天皇) of Japan, aged 42.  He was born with the name Iyasada-shinnō on February 6, 975, to Emperor Reizei (冷泉天皇) and Fujiwara no Chōshi (藤原超子).  He was appointed Crown Prince to his cousin Emperor Ichijō (一条天皇) when he was 11.  Although Ichijō was younger than Iyasada, he ascended the thrown when Iyasada's half-brother Emperor Kazan (花山天皇) retired to become a Buddist monk.  Ichijō resigned the throne after a reign of 25 years, and Iyasada became emperor with the name Sanjō.  During his sixth year as emperor, Sanjō abdicated to become a Buddist monk and was succeeded by his cousin Emperor Go-Ichijō (後一条天皇).  None of Sanjō's sons ever became emperor, although his daughter Princess Teishi was the wife and mother of future emperors.

1296 - Edmund, 1st Earl of Leicester and Lancaster, aged 51.  Edmund was born January 16, 1245 as the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence.  When he was 8, he was named King of Sicily and Apuila by the Pope, but it was an empty title as there was already a King of Siciliy living.  The Earldom of Chester, which he received around the same time, was later transferred to his older brother Edward (the future Edward I).  After the defeat of Simon de Montfort in 1265, Edmund received the forfeited Earldom of Leicester and also received the Earldom of Lancaster two years later.  By his second wife, Blanche of Artois, he was the father of Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, who was executed after rebelling against King Edward II and his favorite Hugh le Despencer the younger.

1316 - Louis X of France, aged 26.  He was born October 4, 1289 as the oldest son of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre.  He was the brother of Isabella, Queen of England as the wife of Edward II.  Louis' first wife, Margaret of Burgundy, was accused of adultery in 1314 in the Tour de Nesle affair, which was apparently instigated by Louis' sister Isabella.  Margaret was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.  Louis received an annulment and subsequently married Clementia of Hungary five days after Margaret's mysterious death in captivity.  In the midst of all the personal upheaval, Louis became King of France on the death of his father in 1314.  Louis was a devoted tennis player and supposedly died after drinking a large quantity of cooled wine after a particularly exhausting game.  Pneumonia, pleurisy and poison have all been suggested as the cause of death.  Louis is the first tennis player known by name due to the circumstances of his death.  His wife was pregnant at his death, so France was ruled by Louis' brother as regent until the child was born and gender was determined - France was ruled by Salic Law, which would have barred the unborn child from the throne if female and also barred Louis' daughter by his first wife (although her paternity was doubted because of her mother's affair).  Queen Clementia eventually gave birth to a boy who would become Jean I of France.  Jean was the shortest-reigning King of France, living only five days after his birth.  Despite the questions of her paternity, Louis' daughter Joan did succeed as Queen of Navarre, which Louis had inherited from his mother and which was not governed by Salic Law.

1383 - Dmitri Konstantinovich of Suzdal (Дми́трий Константи́нович Су́здальский), Grand Duke of Vladimir, aged approximately 59.  Dmitri was born in 1324 and was the senior descendant of Grand Duke Vsevolod III (he was his great-great-great-great grandson).  He was Prince of Suzdal, which he inherited in 1359.  The following year, he was installed as Grand Duke of Vladimir by the Khan of the Golden Horde.  Three years later, he was deposed by Prince Dmitri I of Moscow, with whom he made peace by marrying Dmitri of Moscow to his daughter Eudoxia.  By his daughter, Dmitri was the ancestor of the later Grand Princes of Moscow and Tsars of Russia from the Rurik Dynasty.  He was allied with his son-in-law Dmitri until 1382, when he defected to the Khan of the Blue Horde in its assault against Moscow.  He died in unknown circumstances the following year.

1819 - King Bodawpaya of Burma, aged 74.  He was born the son of King Alaungpaya and chief Queen Me Yun San on March 11, 1745.  He seized the throne in 1782, deposing King Phaungkaza Maung Maung, son of his oldest brother, having the deposed King and his chief Queen executed by drowning.  After a reign of 37 years, he died and was succeeded by his grandson Bagyidaw, who had become Crown Prince after the death of his after Thado Minsaw in 1808.  Bodawpaya had 208 queens, who provided him with 62 sons and 58 daughters.  All the future Kings of Burma descended from Thado Minsaw, and therefor Bodawpaya.

June 4th

Events - 

1039 - Heinrich III of Germany became Holy Roman Emperor following the death of his father, Conrad II.  Heinrich would reign as Emperor until his own death on October 5, 1056 at the age of 38.  By his second wife, Agnes of Aquitaine, he was the father of his successor Heinrich IV.

1411 - King Charles VI of France granted an exclusive license to the city of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon for the aging of Roquefort cheese.  To this day, only cheese which has been aged in the caves of this city may be labeled Roquefort.

1802 - King Carlo Emanuele II of Sardinia abdicated his throne in favor of his brother Vittorio Emanuele.  His wife, Marie Clotilde of France, had died a few months previously, and Carlo Emanuele was so grieved by her death that he decided to give up the throne.  In addition to being the King of Sardinia, Carlo was also considered the Jacobite Pretender to the throne of England after 1807 as a great-great-great-great grandson of Charles I of England.

2001 - Gyanendra of Nepal ascended to the throne of Nepal after the death of his nephew, King Dipendra.  Dipendra had perpetrated the Nepal royal massacre three days earlier, immediately ascending to the throne on the death of his father in the massacre.  However, Dipendra had been in a coma due to self-inflicted wounds since the massacre, with his uncle as regent.  Gyanendra was the last King of Nepal, as the constitution was amended in May 2008 to exclude a monarchy.

Born on this date -

1394 - Philippa of England, daughter of the future Henry IV of England and Mary de Bohun.  Philippa married King Eric VII of Denmark (also Eirik III of Norway and Ericus of Sweden), becoming Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.  Philippa's wedding was the first recorded instance of a bride wearing a white wedding dress.  She died on January 7, 1430, at the age of 35, having given the King no children (a stillborn son was born in 1429).

1604 - Claudia de' Medici, daughter of Ferdinando I de' Medici and Christina of Lorraine.  By her second husband, Archduke Leopold V of Austria, she became the mother of a Holy Roman Empress, Maria Leopoldine of Austria (wife of Emperor Ferdinand III).  She died on Christmas 1648 at the age of 44.

1738 - George William Frederick of Great Britain, later King George III.  He was the son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, and was grandson of the reigning King George II.  His father's death in 1751, nine years before the death of George II, made George the heir to the throne, and he was created Prince of Wales three weeks later by his grandfather.  George ascended to the throne in October 1760, reigning until his death in January 1820 - the third-longest reign in British history after Queen Victoria (63 years) and Queen Elizabeth II (60 years).  George III was also the third-longest lived monarch after Elizabeth II (86 years) and Victoria (81 years).  Aside from the length of his reign and longevity, George III is perhaps best known for being King during the American Revolution.  Due to ill-health and insanity, believed to be caused by porphyria, George III was permanently confined to Windsor Castle after 1811, with his son the Prince of Wales serving as regent for the remainder of his reign.  George died January 29, 1820 at the age of 81, just six days after the death of his fourth son Edward, Duke of Kent (father of Queen Victoria).  By his wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he was the father of two future Kings of Great Britain, George IV and William IV.

Died on this date -

1039 - Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, at the age of approximately 49.  He was born around 990, the son of Heinrich of Spayer (great-grandson of Emperor Otto I) and Adelaide of Alsace.  He was elected King of Germany in 1024 after the Saxon line of Kings died out and became Holy Roman Emperor three years later.  He married Gisela of Swabia and was the father of his successor, Heinrich III.

1135 - Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty of China, at the age of 52.  He was the son of Emperor Shenzong and his wife Yinzhe and was born on November 2, 1082.  He succeeded his older half-brother, Zhezong, as Emperor in 1100, reigning until his abdication in favor of his oldest son Qinzong on January 18, 1126.   Another of his 32 sons would become Emperor Gaozong in 1127.  He also had 34 daughters.

1206 - Adèle of Champagne, third wife of King Louis VII of France, approximately aged 65-66.  She was born around 1140, the daughter of Count Theobald II of Champagne and Matilda of Carinthia.  She had married Louis just five weeks after the death of his second wife in childbirth and became mother of Louis' only son, Philippe II.

1257 - Przemysł I, Duke of Greater Poland, aged 36.  He was born on either 5 June 1220 or 4 June 1221 (if the latter, he would have died on his 36th birthday; if the former, the day before his 37th), the son of Duke Władysław Odonic and his wife Hedwig.  Przemysł became Duke on his father's death in 1239, formally ruling from 1241-1247 with his brother Bolesław, and afterwards alone.  By his wife, Elizabeth of Wrocław, he was the father of Przemysł II, who became the third King of Poland in 1295.

1394 - Mary de Bohun, first wife of the future King Henry IV of England, aged around 26.  She was born approximately 1368 as the daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, and Joan FitzAlan.  She was around 12 when she married Henry, and was the mother of the future Henry V of England.  She died giving birth to her daughter Philippa, the future Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

1941 - Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, aged 82.  He was born on January 27, 1859 to Prince Friedrich (later Kaiser Friedrich III) and Victoria, Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.  He was born third in line to the throne of Prussia, after his father and grandfather.  Wilhelm came to the throne in June 1888, after his father's brief reign of 99 days, and ruled until his forced abdication at the end of World War I on November 9, 1918.  He lived the rest of his life in exile in the Netherlands.  He flirted with Nazism initially in the hopes of the monarchy being restored, but several atrocities soured him on them to the point that he virtually disowned his fourth son for being an ardent Nazi.  Despite Adolf Hitler's desire to bring Wilhelm's body back to Berlin for a state funeral, in order to connect the Third Reich with the Kaiserreich in the minds of the public, Wilhelm was buried at his home in exile in the Netherlands, as he had expressed a desire not to return to Germany until the monarchy was restored.  However, his wishes not to have any Nazi paraphernalia displayed at his funeral was ignored.

2001 - King Dipendra of Nepal, aged 29.  He was the son of King Birendra and and his wife Aiswarya, and was born on June 27, 1971.  He reigned as king for just three days, after murdering most of his immediate family at a dinner party on June 1, 2001, reportedly over a marriage dispute.  He shot himself in the head after the massacre and lingered in a coma during the three days he was king before dying of his injuries.

June 3rd

Events -

350 - Iulius Nepotianus proclaimed himself Roman Emperor, in competition with Magnentius, who had overthrown co-Emperor Constans in January 350.  Nepotianus was a cousin of Constans and his co-Emperor Constantius II, as the son of Eutropia, half-sister of Constans' and Constantius' father Constantine I.  Nepotianus was grandson of Emperor Constantius I and great-grandson of Emperor Maximian.  After ruling Rome for 28 days, Nepotianus was killed by Magnentius' general Marcellinus.  Magnentius later committed suicide after the Battle of Mons Seleucus in 353.

1665 - James Stuart, Duke of York and commander of the Royal Navy (later King James II), defeated the Dutch fleet during the Battle of Lowestoft, the first battle of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. 

1937 - Edward, Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII) married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé, near Tours, France.  As the marriage was not sanctioned by the Church of England, a clergyman from Darlington, County Durham, offered to perform the ceremony privately.  Members of the British Royal Family were forbidden by King George VI from attending, upsetting the Duke, who had wanted his other brothers to attend.

Born on this date - 

1537 - Infante João Manuel of Portugal, eighth son of King João III of Portugal and Catherine of Austria (daughter of Felipe I of Castile and Juana "the Mad" of Castile).  After the death of his four older brothers, João became heir to the throne.  He died 3 1/2 years before his father on January 2, 1554 at the age of 16, but not before marrying and producing a posthumous son, the future Sebastião I.

1540 - Karl II Franz, Archduke of Austria, son of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and Anne of Bohemia and Hungary.  He was a paternal grandson of Felipe I of Castile and Juana "the Mad" of Castile and a maternal grandson of Vladislav II of Bohemia and Hungary.  Karl married his niece Maria Anna of Bavaria, and became the father of future Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II.  He died at the age of 50 on July 10, 1590. 

1843 - Christian Frederik Vilhelm Carl of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, later King Frederik VIII of Denmark.  His parents were Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (heir-apparent to the throne of Denmark, later King Christian IX) and Louise of Hesse-Kassel.  Among his siblings were Tsarina Maria Feodorovna of Russia (former Dagmar of Denmark), Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom and King George I of Greece.  He had been Crown Prince for 43 years when he finally acceded the throne on January 29, 1906.  He married Princess Louise of Sweden in 1869 and produced two future kings among their many children - King Christian X of Denmark and King Haakon VII of Norway (born Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel of Denmark).  Frederik ruled Denmark for six years before dying on May 14, 1912 at the age of 68.

1865 - George Frederick Ernest Albert, later King George V of England.  He was the son of Albert Edward, then-Prince of Wales, and Alexandra of Denmark.  As a second son, George was not expected to inherit the throne, so was groomed for a naval career.  The early death of his older brother Eddy in January 1892 left George second in line for the throne behind his father, and also left George with Eddy's fiancée, Princess Victoria Mary "May" of Teck.  George and May married the following year, and among their six children were two future Kings of England - Edward VIII (who abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson) and George VI (father of Queen Elizabeth II).  George V died on January 20, 1936 at the age of 70 and after a reign of nearly 26 years, his end hastened by a lethal dosage of morphine and cocaine.

Died on this date -

1395 - Tsar Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria, aged 44-45.  He was born around 1350-1351 as the son of Tsar Ivan Alexander and Sarah-Theodora, a Jewish convert to Eastern Orthodoxy.  The death of his older half-brother in 1355 made Ivan heir to the throne.  He was co-ruler with his father until February 17, 1371, when his father died, ruling alone for just over 26 years before he was executed by the Ottomans.  His older half-brother Ivan Sratsimir, who had been passed over in the succession in favor of Ivan Shishman, became Tsar since both of Ivan Shishman's sons had died young. Ivan Sratsimir did not last long as Tsar, being captured and strangled by the Ottomans in 1397.  The two brothers were the final medieval Tsars of Bulgaria.

1411 - Leopold IV, Duke of Further Austria, aged 39-40.  Leopold was born in 1371, the son of Leopold III of Austria and Viridis Visconti.  Leopold married Catharine of Burgundy, but they had no children.  Since neither Leopold nor his older brother Wilhelm had children, Austria was divided between their younger brothers Ernst and Friedrich after Leopold's death.

2004 - Frances Ruth Roche, age 68.  Frances was best known as the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales.  Frances was born January 20, 1936 as the daughter of Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, and Ruth Sylvia Gill.  Frances married John Spencer, then-Viscount Althorp, and had four children, among them Diana, Princess of Wales.  She died of complications from Parkinson's disease and brain cancer.

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.

June 1st

Events -

987 - Hugh Capet, founder of the House of Capet which would rule France from 987 to 1328, was elected King of France.  Hugh would rule France until his death on October 24, 996 and was succeeded by his son, Robert II.  Later French Kings from the House of Valois and House of Bourbon, although all male-line (agnatic) descendants of Hugh Capet due to Salic Law, were descended from younger sons in the line.  The current rulers of Spain (King Juan Carlos I) and Luxembourg (Grand Duke Henri) are members of the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the House of Capet.

1204 - King Philippe II Augustus of France conquered Rouen.  The city was the capital of the Duchy of Normandy, which was under the control of King John of England.  On June 24th, Philippe entered the city and annexed Normandy to the French crown.  The city would come under English control again in 1419, when the city surrendered to King Henry V of England during the Hundred Years' War.  Thirty years later, the city would be conquered again by French king Charles VII, bring it under permanent French control.

1215 - The Battle of Zhongdu ended with the capture of the city of Zhongdu (present-day Beijing) by Genghis Khan.  Zhongdu was the capital of the Jin Dynasty, which ruled parts of northern China from 1115-1234.  Emperor Jin Xuanzong (金宣宗) was forced to move his capital to Kaifeng.

1252 - Alfonso X was elected King of Castile and Léon one day after the death of his father Ferdinand III.  He would rule until his death on April 4, 1284 and was succeeded by his son, Sancho IV.

1533 - Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was crowned Queen of England.  She would remain queen until her marriage to Henry was annulled on May 17, 1536, two days before her execution.  She was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I.

1670 - England, under King Charles II, and France, under King Louis XIV, signed the Treaty of Dover.  The treaty had two aims - France was to help bring England back to the Roman Catholic Church and England was to assist France in its conquest of the Dutch Republic.  The treaty, which remained secret until 1830, resulted in the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

1815 - Napoléon I swore to uphold the Charter of 1815, which was adopted by a direct vote of the French people as France's new constitution.  After his return from exile on Elba, Napoléon requested that a new constitution be written.  Due to his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo less than three weeks later, the constitution was never fully implemented.

1918 - The Battle of Belleau Wood began near the Marne River in France.  The German troops were lead by Crown Prince Wilhelm.  One June 26, 1918, the battle ended when the Allied troops under American generals Pershing and Harbord cleared Belleau Wood of enemy troops.  Pershing later said "the Battle of Belleau Wood was for the U.S. the biggest battle since Appomattox and the most considerable engagement American troops had ever had with a foreign enemy."

Born on this date -

1076 - Mistislav I, Grand Prince of Kiev, son of Vladimir II of Kiev and Gytha of Wessex.  He ruled Kiev from his father's death in 1125 until his own death on April 14, 1132 at the age of 55.

1134 - Geoffrey FitzEmpress, Count of Nantes, son of Geoffrey V of Anjou and Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England.  He became Count of Nantes in 1156 at the suggestion of his brother King Henry II of England, after the previous count was deposed.  He died July 27, 1158 at the age of 24. 

1300 - Thomas of Brother, 1st Earl of Norfolk, son of King Edward I of England and Margaret of France.  He became the 1st Earl of Norfolk in 1312.  He died August 4, 1338 at the age of 38.

1754 - Archduke Ferdinand Karl Anton Joseph Johann Stanislaus of Austria-Este, son of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Austrian Empress Maria Theresa.  He was an older brother of French queen Marie Antoinette.  He was the Duke of Breisgau from 1803 until he ceded the territory to the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1805.  He died on December 24, 1806 at the age of 52.

1815 - Otto Friedrich Ludwig of Bavaria, later King Otto of Greece, son of Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.  He was elected the first King of the modern country of Greece in 1832 when he was 17.  He was deposed in 1862 after 30 years of rule.  He died in exile in Bavaria on July 26, 1867, aged 52.

Died on this date - 

 

195 BC - Emperor Gao (高帝), born Liu Bang, first emperor of the Han Dynasty of China.  He was born in either 256 BC or 247 BC, making him either 60-61 or 51-52 at the time of his death.  He became Emperor of China in 202 BC, and was succeeded by his second son Liu Ying on his death.

193 - Marcus Didius Severus Julianus, 20th Emperor of the Roman Empire and the second emperor in the Year of the Five Emperors.  He was born either on January 30, 133 (according to historian Cassius Dio) or February 2, 137 (per Historia Augusta).  He purchased the throne from the Praetorian Guard after the assassination of his predecessor Pertinax on March 28, 193 and was assassinated after a reign of only 3 months.

1432 - Dan II of Wallachia, Voivode of Wallachia, son of Dan I of Wallachia and Maria of Serbia.  He was Prince of Wallachia five times in the early 15th century - 1420–1421, 1421–1423, 1423–1424, 1426–1427, and 1427–1431.  He was killed in battle by the Ottomans.  His son, Basarab II, would be buried alive by Vlad III of Wallachia, known as Vlad the Impaler (the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula).

1434 -  Władysław II Jagiełło, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1377–1434), King consort of Poland (1386–1399) and King regnant of Poland (1399–1434).  He was born around 1362 and was the son of Algirdis of Lithuania and Uliana Alexandrovna of Tver.  He became the King consort of Poland with his marriage to Jadwiga, Queen regnant of Poland.  He became king after Jadwiga's death, strengthening his claim to the throne with his marriage to Anna of Celje, granddaughter of Casimir III of Poland.  His territory was divided between his two sons on his death - Władysław III became King of Poland and Casimir succeeded as Grand Duke of Lithuania.

1879 - Napoléon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte, Prince Imperial of France.  He was born on March 16, 1856 as the only son of Emperor Napoléon III of France and Eugénie de Montijo.  He was killed at the age of 23 in battle during the Anglo-Zulu War.

1983 - Charles Théodore Henri Antoine Meinrad of Belgium, Prince Regent from 1944-1950 during the reign of his older brother Leopold III.  He was born on October 10, 1903, the son of King Albert I of Belgium and Elisabeth in Bavaria.  He retired from public life after 1950 and died at the age of 79.

2001 - Nine members of the Nepalese royal family were murdered by Crown Prince Dipendra at a dinner party.  The dead included King Birendra (born December 28, 1945), Queen Aishwarya (born November 7, 1949), Prince Nirajan (born November 6, 1977, son of Birendra and Aishwarya), Princess Shruti (born October 15, 1976, daughter of Birendra and Aishwarya), Prince Dhirendra (brother of Birendra), Princess Jayanti (cousin of Birendra), Princesses Shanti and Sharada (sisters of Birendra) and Kumar Khadga (husband of Princess Sharada).  Five other members of the royal family were wounded.  Dipendra became King on the death of his father, despite having perpetrated the massacre, and died of self-inflicted wounds three days later.

2009 - Pedro Luís of Orléans-Braganza, third in line to the former Brazilian throne after his uncle and father.  He was born on January 12, 1983 and was the son of Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza and Christine of Ligne.  He was killed at the age of 26 when Air France 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on a flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, France.