December 31, 2011

New Year's Eve

Seventh Day of Christmas  (Christianity)

Feast of Pope Saint Sylvester I  (Roman Catholic)

Kwanzaa  (USA/African-American)

Watch Night / Hogmanay  (Scotland)

International Solidarity Day in Azerbaijan


ROYAL BIRTHDAYS

Princess Silvia of Savoy-Aosta, Duchess of Aosta, Duchess of Savoy   {1953} (wife of Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta, Duke of Aosta, Duke of Savoy)

                                                           (pictured at right, with her husband)

Carlos Morales Quintana   {1970} [husband of Princess Alexia of Greece + Denmark (daughter of King Constantine II of Greece)]

HISTORICAL ROYAL EVENTS

1225   The Ly Dynasty of Vietnam ends after 216 years by the enthronement of the boy emperor Tran Thai Tong, husband of the last Ly monarch, Ly Chieu Hoang, starting the Tran Dynasty.

1229   King James I "the Conqueror" of Aragon enters Medina Mayurqa (now known as Palma, Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain) thus consummating the Christian reconquest of the island of Majorca.

1660   Prince James of England, Ireland + Scotland, Duke of York (the future King James II/VII of England, Ireland + Scotland) is named Duke of Normandy by King Louis XIV of France.

1857   Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain + Ireland chooses Ottawa, Ontario, then a small logging town, as the capital of Canada.

1906   Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, 5th Qajar King of Iran/Shahanshah of Persia, signs the Persian Constitution of 1906.


HISTORICAL ROYAL BIRTHS

1378   Pope Callixtus III (d.1458)

1572   Emperor Go-Yozei of Japan (d.1617)

1720   Prince Charles Edward Stuart "Bonnie Prince Charlie/The Young Pretender" (d.1788)

1741   Infanta Isabella of Spain, Princess of Parma, Archduchess of Austria, Princess Imperial of Austria, Princess Royal of Hungary + Bohemia (d.1763)

1885   Princess Victoria Adelaide [Viktoria Adelheid] of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg + Gotha (d.1970)

DEATHS

192   Emperor Commodus of the Roman Empire

335   Pope Saint Sylvester I

1164   Margrave Ottokar III of Styria

1194   Duke Leopold V "the Virtuous" of Austria

1302   Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine

1510   Bianca Maria Sforza, Duchess consort of Savoy (1474-1482), Holy Roman Empress consort, Queen consort of the Romans, Queen consort of Germany, Duchess consort of Austria

1650   Dorgon, Manchu prince & Prince Regent of early Qing Dynasty

1742   Karl III Philip, Elector Palatine, Count of Palatinate Neuburg, Duke of Julich + Berg

1977   Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait