February 11: Today in Royal History

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Elizabeth of York, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

February 11, 1466 – Birth of Elizabeth of York, Queen of England, daughter of King Edward IV of England, wife of King Henry VII of England, mother of King Henry VIII of England at Westminster Palace in London, England
February 11, 1503 – Death of Elizabeth of York, Queen of England at the Tower of London in London, England due to childbirth complications; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Elizabeth of York was the eldest child of King Edward IV of England and she holds a unique position in British royal history. She was the daughter of King Edward IV, the sister of King Edward V, the niece of King Richard III, the wife of King Henry VII, the mother of King Henry VIII, and the grandmother of King Edward VI, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I. Her great-granddaughter was Mary, Queen of Scots whose son, King James VI of Scotland, succeeded Queen Elizabeth I as King James I of England. Through this line, the British royal family and other European royal families can trace their descent from Elizabeth of York. In 1486, Elizabeth married King Henry VII, the victorious Lancaster leader in the Wars of the Roses.  Their marriage united the House of York and the House of Lancaster into the new House of Tudor. Elizabeth and Henry VII had seven children including King Henry VIII and Margaret Tudor whose first husband was James IV, King of Scotland. On February 2, 1503, Elizabeth gave birth to her seventh child, Katherine. Shortly after giving birth, Elizabeth became ill with puerperal fever (childbed fever) and died on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday. Henry VII was so shaken by her death that he went into seclusion and would only see his mother. Little Katherine died on February 18, 1503.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth of York, Queen of England

February 11, 1816 – Death of Christiane Henriette of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany; buried in the park of the New Castle at Arolsen
In 1741, Christiane Henriette married her first cousin, Karl August, the reigning Prince of Waldek-Pyrmont. The couple had seven children including two reigning Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Through Christiane Henriette, her children were the first cousins of Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse and by Rhine, King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and King Ludwig I of Bavaria. When Karl August died in 1763, he was succeeded by his son Friedrich Karl August. Christiane Henriette served as Regent of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont until Friedrich Karl August reached his majority. Christiane Henriette survived her husband by fifty-three years, dying on February 11, 1816, aged 90.
Unofficial Royalty: Christiane Henriette of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

February 11, 1901 – Death of King Milan I of Serbia in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Krušedol Monastery in Vojvodina, Serbia
Milan’s father was a member of the House of Obrenović which vied for control of Serbia, often violently, with the House of Karađorđević. In 1868, Milan’s childless uncle Mihailo Obrenović III, Sovereign Prince of Serbia was assassinated. Sympathizers of the House of Karađorđević were suspected of being behind the assassination. Fourteen-year-old Milan became the Sovereign Prince of Serbia. In 1882, the Principality of Serbia was elevated to the Kingdom of Serbia and so Milan became the first King of Serbia. In 1889, Milan suddenly abdicated the throne without any apparent reason and his twelve-year-old son Alexander became king. Milan lived in Paris, France until 1897 when he returned to Serbia. He became Commander-in-Chief of the Army, which he completely reformed and modernized. Milan and his wife strongly opposed his son’s marriage to Draga Mašin, a widow and a former lady-in-waiting to his mother, who was twelve years older than Alexander. Milan resigned his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and subsequently, King Alexander banished both his parents from Serbia. Milan eventually settled in Vienna, Austria where he died the next year on February 11, 1901, at the age of 46 from pneumonia. His son King Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga were brutally assassinated in 1903 resulting in the extinction of the House of Obrenović.
Unofficial Royalty: King Milan I of Serbia

February 11, 1929 – Death of Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein at Valtice Castle in Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic; buried in the New Crypt of the Princely Mausoleum on the grounds of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, near Brno, in the Czech Republic.
Johann, Prince II of Liechtenstein is one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs. He reigned for 70 years, 91 days. In 1858, when Johann was eighteen years old, his father died and he became the Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein. Johann led a solitary life. He was rather unsocial, did not participate in social events, and never married. He was an art connoisseur and added works to the princely collections but also donated artwork to museums. He also was generous in his support of science, culture, and charities for the needy, and for this support, he was given the nickname Johann the Good. Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 88, on February 11, 1929. He was succeeded by his brother Franz, the youngest in the family who was thirteen years younger than Johann.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein

February 11, 1948 – Birth of Prince Katsura of Japan in Tokyo, Japan
Prince Katsura, the second son of Prince Mikasa and a first cousin of former Emperor Akihito, never married.  He was paralyzed from the waist down after suffering from a series of strokes in 1988 and used a wheelchair. Despite vision loss in his right eye, paralysis, and memory issues, he remained active in public life and was president of various charity organizations. Prince Katsura died from a massive heart attack on June 8, 2014, at the University of Tokyo Hospital at the age of 66.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Katsura of Japan

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