June 25

June 25

Armed Forces Day in the United Kingdom

ROYAL BIRTHDAY

Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait   {1937} (half-brother of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Juwait)

HISTORICAL ROYAL EVENTS

253   Pope Cornelius is executed (beheaded) at Centumcellae.

841   The Battle of Fontenay-en-Puisaye, forces led by Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat the armies of Lothair I of Italy and Pepin II of Aquitaine.

1530   At the Diet of Augsburg, the Augsburg Confession is presented to the Holy Roman Emperor by the Lutheran princes and Electors of Germany.

1741   Maria Theresia of Austria is crowned Queen of Hungary.

HISTORICAL ROYAL BIRTHS

1242   Princess Beatrice of England, Countess of Richmond, Duchess of Brittany (d.1275)
1755   Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna of Russia, Tsesarevna of Russia (formerly Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadt (d.1776)

1900   Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, British Viceroy of India (formerly Prince Louis of Battenberg) (d.1979) (uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh & great-grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom)

1902   Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu of Japan (d.1953) (son of Emperor Taisho of Japan, and brother of Emperor Showa of Japan)

DEATHS

253   Pope Cornelius

635   Emperor Gaozu, first emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty

1134   King Niels of Denmark
1533   Princess Mary Tudor of England, Queen consort of France, Duchess of Suffolk

1665   Archduke Sigismund Francis of Further Austria

1861   Sultan Abd-ul-Mejid I of the Ottoman Empire

June 24

June 24

Feast Day of Saint Jean Baptiste (St. John the Baptist)/St.John's Day/Midsummer Day

St. Jean Baptiste Day is also celebrated as the National Holiday of Quebec, Canada

HISTORICAL ROYAL EVENTS

109   Emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Rome.

637   The Battle of Moira is fought between the High King of Ireland and the Kings of Ulster and Dalriada.  It is the largest battle in the history of Ireland.

1128   The Battle of Sao Mamede, near Guimaraes:  forces led by Afonso I defeat forces led by his mother Teresa of Leon, and her lover Fernando Perez de Traba.  After this battle, the future king calls himself "Prince of Portugal", the first step towards "official independence" that will be reached in 1139 after the Battle of Ourique. 

1314   The First War of Scottish Independence:  the Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce, though England did not recognize Scottish independence until 1328 with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton.

1340   The Hundred Years' War:  Battle of Sluys - The French fleet is almost destroyed by the English fleet commanded in person by King Edward III.

1509   Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England.

1902   King Edward VII of the United Kingdom develops appendicitis, delaying his coronation.

1932   A bloodless revolution instigated by the People's Party end the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (Thailand).

1985   The STS-51-G Space Shuttle Discovery completes its mission, best remembered for having Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud (grandson of King Abdul-Aziz "Ibn Saud" of Saudi Arabia), the first Arab, the first Muslim and the first member of royalty in space, as a Payload Specialist.  He is also a nephew of the current King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

HISTORICAL ROYAL BIRTHS

1244   Heinrich I "the Child", Landgrave of Hesse (d.1308)
1343   Jeanne/Joan/Joanna of Valois (aka of France), Queen consort of Navarre (d.1373)

1535   Archduchess Juana/Joan of Austria, Infanta of Castile + Aragon, Princess of Burgundy + Flanders, Princess of Portugal

1825   Grand Duchess Alexandra Nicolaevna of Russia, Princess of Hesse-Kassel (d.1844)

1860   Infanta Maria de las Mercedes of Spain, Queen consort of Spain (d.1878)

1869   Prince George of Greece + Denmark

DEATHS

238   Maximinus Thrax (Maximinus I), Roman Emperor

1398   Emperor Hongwu, founder of the Ming Dynasty of China

1439   Duke Friedrich IV of Further Austria, Count of Tyrol

1519   Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara

June 23

June 23

Corpus Christi (Roman Catholic Church, some Anglican & Lutheran churches)

St.John's Eve (Roman Catholic Church & Northern Europe; beginning of Midsummer celebrations)

Luxembourg's National Day (technically called the Grand Duke's Official Birthday, although it is not his actual birthday)

ROYAL BIRTHDAYS

Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma, Marchioness of Sala   {1974} [daughter of Princess Irene of the Netherlands (sister of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands)]

Princess Maria-Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies   {2003} (daughter of Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro)

                                                                     (pictured at right, held by her father, next to her baby sister)


ROYAL ENGAGEMENT ANNIVERSARY

Prince Albert II of Monaco & Charlene Wittstock   {2010}

ROYAL ENTHRONEMENT ANNIVERSARY

King Harald V of Norway   {1991} (Consecration)

HISTORICAL ROYAL EVENTS

79   Titus succeeds his father, Vespasian, as the tenth Roman Emperor.


1532   King Henry VIII of England & King Francois I of France sign a secret treaty against Karl V, Holy Roman Emperor.

1661   The marriage contract/treaty is signed between King Charles II of England & Infanta Catarina of Portugal, Princess of Braganza.

1794   Empress Catherine II of Russia grants Jews permission to settle in Kiev.


HISTORICAL ROYAL BIRTHS

47 BC   Pharaoh/King Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar "Caesarion" of Egypt, son of Julius Caesar, Roman Dictator, & Pharaoh/Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator of Egypt (d.30 BC)

1373   Queen Joan II of Naples, Queen of Jerusalem, Sicily & Hungary, Duchess consort of Inner Austria, Styria, Carinthia, & Carniola (d.1435)

1433   Francois/Fransez II, Duke of Brittany (d.1488)

1456   Queen consort Margaret of Scotland, Princess of Denmark, Norway & Sweden (d.1486)

1703   Queen consort Marie Leszczynska of France & Navarre (d.1768)

1763   Josephine de Beauharnais, former Empress consort of the French, Queen consort  of Italy & Duchess of Navarre, former wife of Emperor Napoleon I of France (d.1814)

1894   Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (d.1972)

1906   King Tribhuvan of Nepal (d.1955)

DEATHS

79   Emperor Vespasian of Rome

1018   Heinrich, Margrave of Austria
1222   Infanta Constance of Aragon, Dowager Queen of Hungary, Queen consort of Germany & Sicily as Holy Roman Empress consort
1677   Wilhelm Ludwig, Duke of Wurttemberg

June 22

June 22

ROYAL BIRTHDAY

Senna Lewis   {2010} [daughter of Lady Davina Lewis (daughter of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester {1st cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland})]


ROYAL WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster & Dr. Claire Booth   {2002}

HISTORICAL ROYAL EVENTS

217 BC   Battle of Raphia:   Pharaoh/King Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt defeats Great King Antiochus III "the Great" of the Seleucid kingdom.

1911   The coronation of King George V & Queen Mary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland.

HISTORICAL ROYAL BIRTH

1912   Princess Caroline Matilda of Saxe-Coburg + Gotha, Countess of Castell-Rudenhausen (d.1983)


DEATHS

1276   Pope Innocent V
1961   Queen consort Maria of Yugoslavia, Queen Mother of Yugoslavia

2002   Vicente Sartorius y Cabeza de Vaca, 4th Marquess of Marino, husband of Princess Nora of Liechtenstein

June 21

June 21

First Day of Summer / Summer Solstice (in the Northern hemisphere)

Feast Day of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (Catholic)

ROYAL BIRTHDAYS

Queen Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck of Bhutan, Queen Mother of Bhutan   {1959} (third wife of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan & mother of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan)

                                                                                           (pictured at right)

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus   {1982} [son of The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland)]

Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir of Austria, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary, Croatia & Bohemia   {1997} [son of Archduke Karl of Austria, Prince Imperial of Austria, Prince Royal of Hungary & Bohemia (son of Archduke Otto of Austria, Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, Croatia & Bohemia)]

ROYAL WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg & Infanta Maria Ana of Portugal, Princess of Braganza   {1893}

Princess Zahra Aga Khan & Mark Boyden   {1997}

ROYAL ENGAGEMENT ANNIVERSARY

Archduchess Marie Christine of Austria, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary, Croatia + Bohemia & Count Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum   {2008}

HISTORICAL ROYAL EVENTS

524   Godomar, King of the Burgundians, defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vezeronce.

1307   Kulug Khan is enthroned as Khagan (emperor) of the Mongols and Emperor Wuzong of the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor of China.

1791   King Louis XVI of France and his immediate family begin the Flight to Varennes during the French Revolution.
1900   Boxer Rebellion:  China formally declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France, & Japan, as an edict issued from the Dowager Empress Cixi.


HISTORICAL ROYAL BIRTHS

1002   Pope Leo XI (d.1054)
1226   King (High Duke) Boleslaw V 'the Chaste"/"the Shy" of Poland, Duke of Sandomierz (d.1279)

1528   Archduchess Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress consort, Queen consort of Germany, Hungary & Bohemia, Regent of Spain (d.1603)

1646   Princess Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen consort of Portugal & the Algarves (d.1683)

1788   Princess Augusta of Bavaria, Duchess of Leuchtenberg (d.1850)

1862   Prince Damrong Rajanubhab of Thailand (Siam) (d.1943)

DEATHS

1040   Fulk III, Count of Anjou
1205   Enrico Dandolo, 42nd Doge of Venice
1208   Philip of Swabia, King of Germany & Duke of Swabia
1305   King Wenceslaus/Waclaw II of Bohemia, Duke of Krakow & King of Poland

1377   King Edward III of England

1521   Leonardo Loredan, 76th Doge of Venice