1 August
1 August 1714
Queen Anne died
Queen Anne (born. 6 February 1665 – died. 1 August 1714)
Anne was Queen of England, Scotland & Ireland between 8 March 1702 & 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England & Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain & Ireland until her death in 1714.
Anne was born in the reign of Charles II to his younger brother & heir presumptive, James (later James II), whose suspected Roman Catholicism was unpopular in England. On Charles's instructions, Anne & her elder sister, Mary, were raised as Anglicans. Mary married their Dutch Protestant cousin, William III of Orange, in 1677, & Anne married Prince George of Denmark (2 April 1653 – 28 October 1708) in 1683.
On Charles's death in 1685, James succeeded to the throne, but just three years later he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Mary & William became joint monarchs. Although the sisters had been close, disagreements over Anne's finances, status, & choice of acquaintances arose shortly after Mary's accession & they became estranged. William & Mary had no children. After Mary's death in 1694, William reigned alone until his own death in 1702, when Anne succeeded him.
During her reign, Anne favoured moderate Tory politicians, who were more likely to share her Anglican religious views than their opponents, the Whigs. The Whigs grew more powerful during the course of the War of the Spanish Succession, until 1710 when Anne dismissed many of them from office. Her close friendship with Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, turned sour as the result of political differences. The Duchess took revenge with an unflattering description of the Queen in her memoirs, which was widely accepted by historians until Anne was re-assessed in the late 20th century.
Anne was plagued by ill health throughout her life, & from her thirties, she grew increasingly ill & obese. Despite seventeen pregnancies by her husband, she died without surviving issue & was the last monarch of the House of Stuart. Under the Act of Settlement 1701, which excluded all Catholics, she was succeeded by her second cousin George I of the House of Hanover.
Pregnancies;
Stillborn daughter (12 May 1684, London - 13 May 1684).
Mary (2 June 1685, Palace of Whitehall - 8 February 1687, Windsor Castle), christened 2 June 1685 by the Bishop of London; styled "the Lady Mary". Died of smallpox.
Anne Sophia (Mary's younger sister), & their father all becoming ill at Windsor Castle in early 1687.
Anne Sophia (12 May 1686, Windsor Castle - 2 February 1687), christened by the Bishop of Durham, with Lady Churchill one of the godmothers; styled "the Lady Anne Sophia".
Miscarriage (21 January 1687).
Stillborn son (22 October 1687, Whitehall), Anne gave birth at seven months, but the baby "lay dead a full month within her".
Miscarriage (16 April 1688).
Prince William, Duke of Gloucester (24 July 1689, Hampton Court Palace - 30 July 1700).
Mary (14 October 1690, St James's Palace). She was two months premature, & lived about two hours.
George (17 April 1692, Syon House). He lived only for a few minutes, just long enough to be baptised; styled "Lord George".
Stillborn daughter (23 March 1693, Berkeley House).
Miscarriage (21 January 1694). Modern historians Edward Gregg & Alison Weir do not agree on whether it was a son or possibly a daughter. Contemporary chronicler Narcissus Luttrell wrote only that Anne "miscarried of a dead child".
Miscarried daughter (17 or 18 February 1696).
Miscarriage (20 September 1696). Luttrell said Anne "miscarried of a son". Dr Nathaniel Johnson told Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon, in a letter dated 24 October 1696, "Her Royal Highness miscarried of two children, the one of seven months' growth, the other of two or three months, as her physicians & midwife judged: one was born the day after the other." If so, the smaller foetus was probably a blighted twin or fetus papyraceus.
Miscarriage (25 March 1697).
Miscarriage (early December 1697). According to Saunière de L'Hermitage, the Dutch resident in London, Anne miscarried twins who were "too early to determine their sex". Other sources say the pregnancy ended in a stillborn son, or "two male children, at least as far as could be recognised".
Stillborn son (15 September 1698, Windsor Castle). James Vernon wrote to Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, that Anne's physician thought the foetus "might have been dead 8 or 10 days".
Stillborn son (24 January 1700). Contemporary sources say Anne gave birth at seven & a half months, after the foetus had been dead for a month.
1 August 1714
George, Elector of Hanover, becomes King George I of Great Britain
George I (28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain & Ireland from 1 August 1714 & also ruler of the Duchy & Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first British monarch of the House of Hanover.
1 August 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 are passed which merge the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
2 August
2 August 1100
King William II died.
William went hunting on 2 August 1100 in the New Forest, probably near Brockenhurst, & was killed by an arrow through the lung, though the circumstances remain unclear. The earliest statement of the event was in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which noted that the king was "shot by an arrow by one of his own men." Later chroniclers added the name of the killer, a nobleman named Walter Tirel, although the description of events was later embroidered with other details that may or may not be true. Over the following centuries, the obvious suggestion that one of William's enemies may have had a hand in this extraordinary event has repeatedly been made: chroniclers of the time point out themselves that Tirel was renowned as a keen bowman, & thus was unlikely to have loosed such an impetuous shot.
The king's body was abandoned by the nobles at the place where he fell. A peasant later found it. His younger brother, Henry (Henry I), hastened to Winchester to secure the royal treasury, then to London, where he was crowned within days, before either archbishop could arrive. William of Malmesbury, in his account of William's death, stated that the body was taken to Winchester Cathedral by a few countrymen. William's brother Henry was among the hunting party that day & benefited directly from William's death, being crowned king shortly thereafter. Indeed, Henry's actions "seem to be premeditated: wholly disregarding his dead brother, he rode straight for Winchester, seized the treasury (always the first act of a usurping king).
William's remains are in Winchester Cathedral, scattered among royal mortuary chests positioned on the presbytery screen, flanking the choir. His skull appears to be missing, but some long bones may remain. A stone known as the "Rufus Stone", close to the A31 near the village of Minstead, is claimed to mark the spot where William II fell.
William II (c. 1056 – 2 August 1100), the third son of William the Conqueror, was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy, & influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. William is commonly referred to as William Rufus (Rufus being Latin for "the Red"), perhaps because of his ruddy appearance or, more likely, due to having red hair as a child that grew out in later life.
2 August 1274
Edward I of England returns from the Ninth Crusade
Lord Edward's crusade, sometimes called the Ninth Crusade, was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of Lord Edward, Duke of Gascony (future King Edward I of England) in 1271–1272. It was an extension of the Eighth Crusade & was the last of the Crusades to reach the Holy Land before the fall of Acre in 1291 brought an end to the permanent crusader presence there.
Edward left Acre on 24 September 1272. After arriving in Sicily, Edward received the news that his father had died on 16 November. Edward was said to be deeply saddened by this news, but rather than hurrying home, he made a leisurely journey northwards. This was due partly to his still-poor health, but also to a lack of urgency. The political situation in England was stable after the mid-century upheavals, & Edward was proclaimed king after his father's death, rather than at his own coronation, as had until then been customary. In Edward's absence, the country was governed by a royal council, led by Robert Burnell.
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks was King of England from 1272 to 1307.
Did you know? The Society of Antiquaries of London opened the tomb of Edward I in 1774, finding that the body had been well preserved over the preceding 467 years, & took the opportunity to determine the King's original height.
2 August 1330
Yolande of Dreux, Queen consort of Scotland died.
Yolande of Dreux (20 March 1263 – 2 August 1330) was a sovereign Countess of Montfort from 1311 until 1322. Through her first marriage to Alexander III of Scotland, Yolande became Queen consort of the Kingdom of Scotland. Through her second marriage to Arthur II, Duke of Brittany, she became Duchess Consort of Brittany.
She was the daughter of Robert IV, Count of Dreux, & Beatrice, Countess of Montfort. Her father was a patrilineal descendant of King Louis VI of France, making her a member of a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty with powerful connections. In 1281, King Alexander III of Scotland lost his son David & two other children in the two following years, leaving his granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway, as his heir presumptive. His first wife Margaret of England had died in 1275, & he was in need to remarry to have a new heir to the throne. An embassy was sent from Scotland in February 1285 & returned with Yolande in the company of her brother Jean. The marriage was celebrated on 15 October 1285 at Jedburgh Abbey, attended by a great many nobles of France and Scotland. Alexander died on either 18 March or 19 March 1286, after falling from his horse, while riding from his court at Edinburgh to join Yolande at Kinghorn. Following his death, queen dowager Yolande moved to Stirling Castle & declared that she was pregnant. The Guardians of Scotland were elected by a parliament held at Scone, Perth & Kinross on 2 April or 28 April 1286 & swore to govern the kingdom until Alexander's declared heir Margaret of Norway arrived to take the throne or Yolande gave birth to a child who would be preferred over Margaret. It is unclear what happened to her pregnancy; either she had a miscarriage, or the baby was stillborn or died shortly after birth. However, by one account the Guardians gathered at Clackmannan on Saint Catherine's Day – 25 November 1286 – to witness the birth, but the child was stillborn. Tradition says the baby was buried at Cambuskenneth. After the queen dowager's pregnancy did not result in a living child, the council begun preparations for Margaret of Norway to be taken to Scotland as their new sovereign.
Queen dowager Yolande remained in Scotland for a couple of years supported by her dower provisions & living possibly at Stirling Castle: it is known that she was still in Scotland at least as late as in 1288. At some point, she returned to France.
In May 1294, she married Arthur II, Duke of Brittany. Together they had at least six children. Arthur died in 1312, being succeeded by his son John III, Duke of Brittany. Yolande succeeded her mother as suo jure Countess of Montfort in 1311. She continued to manage her Scottish affairs: as late as shortly before her death, she is noted to have sent a knight to Scotland to see to her dower lands. Yolande died on 2 August 1330 in the convent of Port-Royal des Champs outside of Paris. Her county of Montfort passed to her son John, who would later fight for his claim to his father's duchy in the Breton War of Succession.
3 August
3 August 1460
James II King of Scotland died.
James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460.
James II enthusiastically promoted modern artillery, which he used with some success against the Black Douglases. His ambitions to increase Scotland's standing saw him besiege Roxburgh Castle in 1460, one of the last Scottish castles still held by the English after the Wars of Independence.
For this siege, James took a large number of cannons imported from Flanders. On 3 August, he was standing near one of these cannons, known as "the Lion", when it exploded & killed him. Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie stated in his history of James's reign that "as the King stood near a piece of artillery, his thigh bone was dug in two with a piece of misframed gun that brake in shooting, by which he was stricken to the ground and died hastily."
The Scots carried on with the siege, led by George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, & the castle fell a few days later. Once the castle was captured, James' widow, Mary of Guelders, ordered its destruction. James' son became king as James III & Mary acted as regent until her own death three years later.
James II key facts;
Born: 16 October 1430, Holyrood Abbey, Scotland.
House: Stewart.
Father: James I of Scotland.
Mother: Joan Beaufort.
Married: Mary of Guelders, at Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, on 3 July 1449.
Children;
Unnamed son - (b.19 May 1450).
James III, (10 July 1451-11 June 1488). James's successor as King of Scots.
Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran, (13 May 1453-May 1488). Wife of (firstly) Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran; (secondly) James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton.
Alexander, Duke of Albany (c. 1454 7 August 1485)
David, Earl of Moray - (c. 1455 Bef. July 1457)
John, Earl of Mar and Garioch c. 1456 c. 1479
Margaret: 1453/60 unknown.
Reign: 21 February 1437 – 3 August 1460.
Coronation: 25 March 1437.
Died: 3 August 1460, Roxburgh Castle, Roxburghshire, Scotland.
Burial: Holyrood Abbey.
Did you know? James II was the first Scottish monarch not to be crowned at Scone, James II's coronation took place at Holyrood Abbey.
4 August
4 August 1265
Second Barons' War: Battle of Evesham
The army of Prince Edward (the future king Edward I of England) defeats the forces of rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, killing de Montfort & many of his allies.
The Battle of Evesham was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, & the rebellious barons by the future King Edward I, who led the forces of his father, King Henry III. It took place on 4 August 1265, near the town of Evesham, Worcestershire.
With the Battle of Lewes (14 May 1264), de Montfort had won control of royal government, but after the defection of several close allies & the escape from captivity of Prince Edward, he found himself on the defensive. Forced to engage the royalists at Evesham, he faced an army twice the size of his own. The battle soon turned into a massacre.
With their defeat at Lewes still fresh in memory, the royalists fought with a strong sense of bitterness & resentment. As a result, & despite attempts to surrender, most of the baronial rebels were killed on the battlefield rather than taken prisoner & ransomed, as was the common custom & practice. In what has been referred to as "an episode of noble bloodletting unprecedented since the Conquest", de Montfort's son Henry was killed first, then Simon himself lost his horse & died fighting. His body was mutilated; his head, hands, feet & testicles cut off. King Henry himself, who had been in the custody of de Montfort & dressed up in his colours, was barely rescued from the mêlée by Roger de Leybourne, a converted rebel.
Death & mutilation of Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham. Above Simon is the body of Hugh le Despencer, 1st Baron le Despencer (1223-1265) (with arms of Despencer on his surcoat) an important ally of Simon de Montfort who served briefly as Justiciar of England in 1260 & as Constable of the Tower of London. He was killed fighting on de Montfort's side at the Battle of Evesham in August, 1265.
It was described by the contemporary historian Robert of Gloucester as the "murder of Evesham, for battle it was none". Though the battle effectively restored royal authority, scattered resistance remained until the Dictum of Kenilworth was signed in 1267.
4 August 1900
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was born
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom & the Dominions from 1936 to 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the last Empress of India from 1936 until India gained independence from Britain in 1947. After her husband died, she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the youngest daughter & the ninth of ten children of Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis (later the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in the Peerage of Scotland), & his wife, Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. Her mother was descended from British Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, & Governor-General of India Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, who was the elder brother of another prime minister, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother) by Philip de László, 1925
Elizabeth came to prominence in 1923 when she married the Duke of York, the second son of King George V & Queen Mary. The couple & their daughters Elizabeth & Margaret embodied traditional ideas of family & public service. The Duchess undertook a variety of public engagements & became known for her consistently cheerful countenance.
In 1936, Elizabeth's husband unexpectedly became king when his older brother, Edward VIII, abdicated in order to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth then became queen. She accompanied her husband on diplomatic tours to France & North America before the start of the Second World War.
The Queen & Princess Elizabeth talk to paratroopers preparing for D-Day, 19 May 1944
During the war, her seemingly indomitable spirit provided moral support to the British public. After the war, her husband's health deteriorated, & she was widowed at the age of 51.
Coronation portrait of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) by Gerald Kelly, c.1938.
Her elder daughter Elizabeth, aged 25, became the new queen on 6 February 1952. After the death of Queen Mary in 1953, Elizabeth was viewed as the matriarch of the British royal family.
In her later years, she was a consistently popular member of the family, even when other members were suffering from low levels of public approval. She continued an active public life until just a few months before her death at the age of 101 years, 238 days, which was seven weeks after the death of her younger daughter, Princess Margaret.
5 August
5 August 910
The Battle of Tettenhall
The Battle of Tettenhall took place, according to the chronicler Æthelweard, near Tettenhall on 5 August 910. The allied forces of Mercia & Wessex met an army of Northumbrian Vikings in Mercia. After successful raids by Danish Vikings, significant parts of northeastern England, formerly Northumbria, were under their control. Danish attacks into central England had been resisted & effectively reduced by Alfred the Great, to the point where his son, King Edward of Wessex, could launch offensive attacks against the foreigners. Edward was allied with the Mercians under his sister Æthelflæd, & their combined forces were formidable. The allies launched a five-week campaign against Northumbrian Danes in 909.
The Vikings quickly sought retaliation for the Northern excursion. In 910, King Edward was in Kent waiting for a fleet he had summoned, & the Vikings, believing that most of the king's troops were on board ship, launched an invasion of Mercia. They raided as far as the Avon near Bristol, & then harried along the Severn until they reached the Bridgnorth area. They now moved east, followed by a joint Mercian & West Saxon army, which caught up with the Vikings near Tettenhall. The raiders were annihilated & three kings were killed: Ingwær, Eowils & Halfdan.
With the Northern Danes subdued, the forces of Wessex & Mercia could be focused against the Vikings who had settled further south, & there was no further incursion from the north for a generation.
5 August 1063
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd died
5 August 1100
Henry I of England coronation at Westminster Abbey
Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror & Matilda of Flanders.
5 August 1901
Victoria, Princess royal, German Empress & Queen of Prussia died
Victoria, Princess Royal (born. 21 November 1840) was German Empress & Queen of Prussia as the wife of German Emperor Frederick III. She was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom & Albert, Prince Consort, & was created Princess Royal in 1841. She was the mother of Wilhelm II, German Emperor.
Educated by her father in a politically liberal environment, Victoria was married at age 17 to Prince Frederick of Prussia, with whom she had eight children.
Victoria was empress for only a few months, during which she had opportunity to influence the policy of the German Empire. Frederick III died in 1888 – 99 days after his accession – from laryngeal cancer & was succeeded by their son William II, who had much more conservative views than his parents. After her husband's death, she became widely known as Empress Frederick (German: Kaiserin Friedrich). The empress dowager then settled in Kronberg im Taunus, where she built Friedrichshof, a castle, named in honour of her late husband. Increasingly isolated after the weddings of her younger daughters, Victoria died of breast cancer on 5 August 1901, not long after her mother's death on 22 January 1901.
The correspondence between Victoria & her parents has been preserved almost completely: 3,777 letters from Queen Victoria to her eldest daughter, & about 4,000 letters from the empress to her mother are preserved & catalogued. These give a detailed insight into life at the Prussian court between 1858 & 1900.
6 August
6 August 1844
Prince Alfred was born.
7 August
7 August 1385
Joan of Kent, died.
7 August 1821
Caroline of Brunswick died
Caroline of Brunswick (Caroline Amelia Elizabeth; 17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821) was Queen of the United Kingdom & Hanover as the wife of King George IV from 29 January 1820 until her death in 1821. She was Princess of Wales from 1795 to 1820.
The daughter of Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, & Princess Augusta of Great Britain, Caroline was engaged to her cousin George in 1794, despite their never having met. He was already illegally married to Maria Fitzherbert. George & Caroline married the following year but separated shortly after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, in 1796. By 1806, rumours that Caroline had taken lovers & had an illegitimate child led to an investigation into her private life. The dignitaries who led the investigation concluded that there was "no foundation" to the rumours, but Caroline's access to her daughter was nonetheless restricted. In 1814, Caroline moved to Italy, where she employed Bartolomeo Pergami as a servant. Pergami soon became Caroline's closest companion, & it was widely assumed that they were lovers. In 1817, Caroline was devastated when Charlotte died in childbirth. She heard the news from a passing courier as George had refused to write & tell her. He was determined to divorce Caroline, & set up a second investigation to collect evidence of her adultery.
In January 1820, George became King of the United Kingdom & Hanover. He insisted on a divorce from Caroline, which she refused. A legal divorce was possible but difficult to obtain. Caroline returned to Britain to assert her position as queen. She was wildly popular with the British people, who sympathised with her & despised the new king for his immoral behaviour. On the basis of the loose evidence collected against her, George attempted to divorce Caroline by introducing the Pains & Penalties Bill 1820 to Parliament, but he & the bill were so unpopular, & Caroline so popular with the masses, that it was withdrawn by the Liverpool ministry. The King barred Caroline from his coronation in July 1821. She fell ill in London & died three weeks later. Her funeral procession passed through London on its way to her native Braunschweig, where she was buried.
8 August
8 August 1503
King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland.
In a ceremony at the altar of Glasgow Cathedral on 10 December 1502, James confirmed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Henry VII of England. By this treaty James married Henry VII's daughter Margaret Tudor. After a wedding by proxy in London, the marriage was confirmed in person on 8 August 1503 at Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh. Their wedding was commemorated by the gift of a Book of Hours.
The union produced four children plus two stillbirths:
James, Duke of Rothesay (21 February 1507, Holyrood Palace – 27 February 1508, Stirling Castle).
A stillborn daughter at Holyrood Palace on 15 July 1508.
Arthur, Duke of Rothesay (20 October 1509, Holyrood Palace – Edinburgh Castle, 14 July 1510).
James V (Linlithgow Palace, 10 April 1512 – Falkland Palace, Fife, 14 December 1542), the only one to reach adulthood, and the successor of his father. James V was the father of Mary, Queen of Scots.
A second stillborn daughter at Holyrood Palace in November 1512.
Alexander, Duke of Ross (Stirling Castle, 30 April 1514 – Stirling Castle, 18 December 1515), born after James's death.
8 August 1588
Queen Elizabeth I delivers her Tilbury speech to her troops.
Because of the threat of invasion from the Netherlands, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester assembled a force of 4,000 militia at West Tilbury, Essex, to defend the Thames Estuary against any incursion up-river toward London. Because the result of the English fire ship attack & the sea battle of Gravelines had not yet reached England, on 8 August, Elizabeth went to Tilbury to review her forces, arriving on horseback in ceremonial armour to imply to the militia she was prepared to lead them in the ensuing battle. She gave to them her royal address, which survives in at least six slightly different versions.
"My loving people, we have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes for fear of treachery; but, I do assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful & loving people. Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself, that under God I have placed my chiefest strength & safeguard in the loyal hearts & goodwill of my subjects; &, therefore, I am come amongst you as you see at this time, not for my recreation & disport, but being resolved, in the midst & heat of battle, to live or die amongst you all – to lay down for my God, & for my kingdoms, & for my people, my honour & my blood even in the dust.
I know I have the body of a weak & feeble woman; but I have the heart & stomach of a king – & of a King of England too,
& think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which, rather than any dishonour should grow by me, I myself will take up arms – I myself will be your general, judge, & rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness, you have deserved rewards & crowns, &, we do assure you, on the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, & your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, & of my people."
8 August 1988
Princess Beatrice of York was born.
Beatrice was born on 8 August 1988, at 8:18 pm at the Portland Hospital, the first child of the Duke & Duchess of York, & fifth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She is currently tenth in line of succession to the British throne, followed by her sister, Princess Eugenie.
Born in Portland Hospital, London, Beatrice attended St George's School, Ascot before studying at Goldsmiths College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in history. She was briefly employed at the Foreign Office & Sony Pictures before joining software company Afiniti as a Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Beatrice also works privately with a number of charitable organisations, including the Teenage Cancer Trust & Outward Bound. She married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a property developer, in 2020. Their daughter Sienna Elizabeth was born on 18 September 2021.
Did You Know? Beatrice was the first member of the family to appear in a non-documentary film when she had a small, non-speaking role as an extra in The Young Victoria (2009), based on the accession and early reign of her ancestor Queen Victoria.
9 August
9 August 1386
Henry V was born
Henry was born in the tower above the gatehouse of Monmouth Castle in Wales, & for that reason was sometimes called Henry of Monmouth. He was the son of Henry of Bolingbroke (later Henry IV of England) & Mary de Bohun. His father's cousin was the reigning English monarch, King Richard II. Henry's paternal grandfather was the influential John of Gaunt, a son of King Edward III.
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years' War against France made England one of the strongest military powers in Europe. Immortalised in Shakespeare's "Henriad" plays, Henry is known & celebrated as one of the greatest warrior kings of medieval England.
9 August 1902
Edward VII coronation
Edward VII & Alexandra of Denmark are crowned King & Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland at Westminster Abbey.
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland & the British Dominions, & Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The eldest son of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, & nicknamed "Bertie", Edward was related to royalty throughout Europe. He was Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the British throne for almost 60 years.
Edward was related to nearly every other European monarch, & came to be known as the "uncle of Europe". German Emperor Wilhelm II & Emperor Nicholas II of Russia were his nephews; Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain, Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden, Crown Princess Marie of Romania, Crown Princess Sophia of Greece, & Empress Alexandra of Russia were his nieces; King Haakon VII of Norway was both his nephew & his son-in-law; kings Frederick VIII of Denmark & George I of Greece were his brothers-in-law; kings Albert I of Belgium, Ferdinand of Bulgaria, & Charles I & Manuel II of Portugal were his second cousins. Edward doted on his grandchildren, & indulged them, to the consternation of their governesses. However, there was one relation whom Edward did not like: Wilhelm II. His difficult relationship with his nephew exacerbated the tensions between Germany & Britain.
10 August
10 August 1520
Madeleine of Valois was born at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France.
Madeleine of Valois was a French princess who became Queen of Scotland as the first spouse of King James V.
Madeleine was born at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, the fifth child & third daughter of King Francis I of France & Claude, Duchess of Brittany (daughter of King Louis XII of France & Anne, Duchess of Brittany).
She married James V of Scotland on 1 January 1537 at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. There was a banquet that night in the Louvre Palace. Francis I also provided Madeleine with a very generous dowry, which considerably boosted the Scottish treasury. According to the marriage contract made at Blois, Madeleine renounced her & any of her heirs' claims to the French throne. If James died first, Madeleine would retain for her lifetime assets including the Earldoms of Fife, Strathearn, Ross, & Orkney with Falkland Palace, Stirling Castle, & Dingwall Castle, with the Lordship of Galloway & Threave Castle. After months of festivities & celebrations, the couple left France for Scotland in May 1537. Madeleine's health deteriorated even further, & she was very sick when the royal pair landed in Scotland.
Madeleine wrote to her father from Edinburgh on 8 June 1537 saying that she was better & her symptoms had diminished. James V had written to Francis I asking him to send the physician Master Francisco, & Madeleine wrote that he was now needed only to perfect her cure. She signed this letter "Magdalene de France". However, a month later, on 7 July 1537, (a month before her 17th birthday), Madeleine, the so-called "Summer Queen" of Scots, died in her husband's arms at Holyrood Palace. James V wrote to Francis I informing him of his daughter's death.
Queen Madeleine was interred in Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, next to King James II of Scotland. The grave was desecrated by a mob in 1776 & her allegedly still beautiful head was stolen.
11 August
11 August 991
Battle of Maldon: The English, led by Byrhtnoth, Ealdorman of Essex, are defeated by a band of inland-raiding Vikings near Maldon, Essex.
12 August
12 August 1762
King George IV was born
George IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland & King of Hanover.
Reign: 29 January 1820 – 26 June 1830.
Coronation: 19 July 1821.
Born: 12 August 1762, St James's Palace.
Parents: King George III & Queen Charlotte.
House of: Hanover.
Married: Caroline of Brunswick, 8 April 1795 at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. Caroline (17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821) was the daughter of Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, & his wife Princess Augusta of Great Britain, eldest sister of King George III.
Children;
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales (7 January 1796 – 6 November 1817). Had she outlived both her grandfather George III & her father, she would have become Queen of the United Kingdom, but she died at the age of 21, predeceasing them both.
George IV died: 26 June 1830, Windsor Castle.
Burial: 15 July 1830, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Successor: William IV (brother).
Did you know? George's coronation was a magnificent & expensive affair, costing about £243,000 (approximately £23,558,000 in 2023; for comparison, his father's coronation had only cost about £10,000).
13 August
13 August 1792
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was born at Meiningen, Germany
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was Queen of the United Kingdom & Hanover as the wife of King William IV. Adelaide was the daughter of George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, & Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
Saxe-Meiningen was a small state, covering about 423 square miles (1,100 km2). It was the most liberal German state &, unlike its neighbours, permitted a free press & criticism of the ruler.
Did You Know? Adelaide had twenty-one Godparents, including her mother, the Holy Roman Empress, the Queen of Naples & Sicily, the Crown Princess of Saxony, the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg, the Duchess of Saxe-Weimar, the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, & the Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld
Adelaide married William, The Duke of Clarence & St Andrews (later William IV) in a double wedding with William's brother, Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent & Strathearn, & his bride Victoria, Dowager Princess of Leiningen, on 11 July 1818, at Kew Palace in Surrey, England. They had only met for the first time a week earlier on 4 July at Grillon's Hotel in Bond Street. Neither William nor Adelaide had been married before, & William was 27 years her senior. Although William from 1791 had lived with an Irish actress, Dorothea Bland, better known by her stage name, Mrs. Jordan. The couple had ten illegitimate children—five sons & five daughters—nine of whom were named after William's siblings; each was given the surname "FitzClarence". Their affair lasted for twenty years before ending in 1811.
The couple settled amicably in Hanover & by all accounts were devoted to each other throughout their marriage. Adelaide improved William's behaviour; he drank less, swore less, & became more tactful!
Did You Know? Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is named after her.
On the Continent, Adelaide became pregnant, but in her seventh month of pregnancy, she caught pleurisy & gave birth prematurely on 27 March 1819 at the Fürstenhof Palace in Hanover. Her daughter, Charlotte Augusta Louise, lived only a few hours. Another pregnancy in the same year caused William to move the household to England so his future heir would be born on British soil; however, Adelaide miscarried at Calais or Dunkirk during the journey on 5 September 1819. Back in London, they moved into Clarence House, but preferred to stay at Bushy House near Hampton Court, where William had already lived with Dorothea. She became pregnant again, & a second daughter, Elizabeth Georgiana Adelaide, was born on 10 December 1820 at St James's Palace. Elizabeth seemed strong but died less than three months old on 4 March 1821 of "inflammation in the Bowels". Ultimately, William & Adelaide had no surviving children. Twin boys were stillborn on 8 April 1822 at Bushy Park & a possible brief pregnancy may have occurred within the same year. Princess Victoria of Kent came to be acknowledged as William's heir presumptive, as Adelaide had no further pregnancies.
In 1830, on the death of his elder brother, George IV, William acceded to the throne. One of King William's first acts was to confer the Rangership of Bushy Park (for 33 years held by himself) on Queen Adelaide. This act allowed Adelaide to remain at Bushy House for her lifetime. William & Adelaide were crowned on 8 September 1831 at Westminster Abbey. Adelaide was deeply religious & took the service very seriously. William despised the ceremony & acted throughout, it is presumed deliberately, as if he was "a character in a comic opera", making a mockery of what he thought to be a ridiculous charade. Adelaide, alone among those attending received praise for her "dignity, repose & characteristic grace".
Adelaide was beloved by the British people for her piety, modesty, charity, & her tragic childbirth history. A large portion of her household income was given to charitable causes. She also treated the young Princess Victoria of Kent (William's heir presumptive & later Queen Victoria) with kindness, despite her inability to produce an heir & the open hostility between William & Victoria's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Kent.
By June 1837, it became evident that the King was fatally ill. Adelaide stayed beside William's deathbed devotedly, not going to bed herself for more than ten days. William IV died from heart failure in the early hours of the morning of 20 June 1837 at Windsor Castle. Victoria was proclaimed as queen, but subject to the rights of any issue that might be born to Adelaide on the remotely possible chance that she was pregnant.
Did You Know? Adelaide was the first queen dowager in over a century (Charles II's widow, Catherine of Braganza, had died in 1705, & Mary of Modena, wife of the deposed James II, died in 1718), Adelaide survived her husband by twelve years.
She died on 2 December 1849 of natural causes at Bentley Priory in Middlesex. She was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. She wrote instructions for her funeral during an illness in 1841 at Sudbury Hall: I die in all humility … we are alike before the throne of God, & I request therefore that my mortal remains be conveyed to the grave without pomp or state … to have as private & quiet a funeral as possible. I particularly desire not to be laid out in state … I die in peace & wish to be carried to the fount in peace, & free from the vanities & pomp of this world.
Children;
Princess Charlotte of Clarence (27 March 1819). Died a few hours after being baptised, in Hanover.
Stillborn child (5 September 1819). Born dead at Calais or Dunkirk.
Princess Elizabeth of Clarence (10 December 1820 - 4 March 1821). Born & died at St James's Palace.
Stillborn twin boys (8 April 1822). Born dead at Bushy Park.
14 August
14 August 1479
Catherine of York was born at Eltham Palace.
The five daughters of King Edward IV (1461–1483) & Elizabeth Woodville, (left to right): Elizabeth, Cecily, Anne, Catherine, & Mary. Royal Window, Northwest Transept, Canterbury Cathedral
Catherine or Katherine of York (14 August 1479 – 15 November 1527) was the ninth child & sixth daughter of King Edward IV by his wife Elizabeth Woodville. She was the daughter of Edward IV, sister to Edward V, niece to Richard III, sister-in-law to Henry VII & aunt to Henry VIII.
In October 1495, Henry VII arranged a marriage between Catherine & William Courtenay. They were parents to three children:
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter (c. 1496 – 9 January 1539)
Edward Courtenay (c. 1497 – 12/13 July 1502);
Margaret Courtenay (c. 1499 – bef. 1526) married Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
In 1500, Catherine & William Courtenay moved to their home on Warwick Lane. Catherine was the chief mourner at the funeral of her sister, Elizabeth of York, in 1503. In 1504, William Courtenay was charged with treason in relation to his dealings with Edmund de la Pole. Catherine remained at court. William Courtenay was pardoned in 1509 & restored by Henry VIII in 1511. After William Courtenay's death in 1511, Henry VIII gave Catherine control of the earldom. The title went to the couple's son Henry. On 13 July 1511, Catherine took a vow of celibacy in the presence of Richard FitzJames, Bishop of London. For the rest of her life, Catherine remained in the favour of her nephew Henry VIII. She was godmother to his daughter Mary. Catherine outlived all of her siblings by over a decade, dying in 1527. She died at Tiverton Castle & was buried next door at St Peter's Church following an elaborate funeral.
15 August
15 August 1369
Philippa of Hainault, wife of king Edward III died
15 August 1950
Princess Anne was born
Anne is the second child & only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She is 17th in the line of succession to the British throne & has been Princess Royal since 1987.
For more about the Princess Royal visit my Princess Royal blog.
16 August
16 August 1513
Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England & his Imperial allies defeat French Forces who are then forced to retreat.
For more about The Battle of the Spurs tap here.
17 August
17 August 1786
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was born
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, later Princess of Leiningen & subsequently Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, was a German princess and the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. As the widow of Charles, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814), from 1814 she served as regent of the Principality during the minority of her son from her first marriage, Carl, until her second wedding in 1818 to Prince Edward, son of King George III of the United Kingdom.
Victoria was born in Coburg on 17 August 1786 in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation & was named Marie Louise Victoire. She was the fourth daughter & seventh child of Franz Frederick Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, & Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf.
On 21 December 1803 at Coburg, a young Victoria married (as his second wife) Charles, Prince of Leiningen (1763–1814), whose first wife, Countess Henrietta of Reuss-Ebersdorf, had been her aunt. The couple had two children, Prince Carl, born on 12 September 1804, & Princess Feodora of Leiningen, born on 7 December 1807. Through her first marriage, she is a direct matrilineal ancestor to various members of royalty in Europe, including Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Felipe VI of Spain, & Constantine II of Greece. After the death of her first spouse, she served as regent of the Principality of Leiningen during the minority of their son, Carl.
Victoria, Duchess of Kent (1786-1861) with Princess Victoria (after Beechey) c.1824.
In 1817 Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767–1820), son of George III proposed to Victoria & she accepted. The couple were married on 29 May 1818 at Amorbach & on 11 July 1818 at Kew, a joint ceremony at which Edward's brother, the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV, married Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. Shortly after their marriage, the Kents moved to Germany. Soon after, Victoria became pregnant, & the Duke & Duchess, determined to have their child born in England, raced back. Arriving at Dover on 23 April 1819, they moved into Kensington Palace, where Victoria gave birth to a daughter on 24 May 1819, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, later Queen Victoria. An efficient organiser, Sir John Conroy, ensured the Kents' speedy return to England in time for the birth of their first child. The Duke of Kent died suddenly of pneumonia in January 1820, six days before his father, King George III.
The Duchess died at 09:30 on 16 March 1861, aged 74 years, with her daughter Victoria at her side. The Queen was much affected by her mother's death.
18 August
18 August 1342
The battle of Brest took place in Brittany
It was an action in 1342 between an English squadron of converted merchant ships & that of a mercenary galley force from Genoa fighting for the Franco-Breton faction of Charles of Blois during the Breton War of Succession, a side conflict of the Hundred Years War, resulting in an English victory.
19 August
19 August 1274
Edward I coronation at Westminster Abbey
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks & the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Edward was taking part in the Ninth Crusade when his father died. Making a slow return, he reached England on 2 August 1274, and was crowned on 19 August.
19 August 1596
Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia was born
For more about Elizabeth Stuart visit my Winter Queen blog
20 August
20 August 1782
Prince Alfred of Great Britain died
Alfred was the fourteenth child & ninth son of King George III & Queen Charlotte.
He became seriously ill after his inoculation against smallpox, it was a major shock for his parents, especially as only six months later Alfred's young brother Prince Octavius died too. It is said that during his later bouts of madness the King would have imaginary conversations with both of his youngest sons.
Prince Alfred: Queen Charlotte gave birth to her fourteenth child & ninth son on 22 September 1780, at Windsor Castle. He was baptised by The Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Great Council Chamber at St James's Palace on 21 October 1780. Among his godparents were his eldest brother (the Prince of Wales, later George IV); his second oldest brother (Prince Frederick) & his eldest sister the Princess Royal.
His birth brought great joy to his family & he was adored by his parents, he was also a favourite of his older sister Sophia, who, along with their sister Elizabeth reportedly, called the new baby her "grandson".
In 1782, Prince Alfred's life was cut short after he was inoculated against smallpox. The sickness proved too much for the child & in June he was taken to Deal on the south east coast with his governess Lady Charlotte Finch to recover. The family hoped that the sea air, & bathing in the water, would improve his condition.
He returned to Windsor in August 1782, once there his doctors inspected him & realized that he had only weeks to live. After suffering from bouts of fever & continuing problems with his chest, the young Prince died on 20 August 1782, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, not even two years old.
Although the household did not go into mourning (it was not prescribed for royal children younger than fourteen, *a very odd rule I must add!), his parents took the loss severely. According to Lady Charlotte Finch, the Queen "cried vastly" & was "very much hurt by her loss & the King also."
Later in August 1782 the Queen sent Finch a lock of Alfred's hair stating "Receive This ... as an Acknowledgement for Your very affectionate attendance upon my dear little Angel Alfred, & wear the enclosed Hair, not only in remembrance of that dear Object, but also as a mark of esteem from Your Affectionate Queen". He was buried at Westminster Abbey, though his remains were later moved to the Royal Vault in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on 11 February 1820. His youngest sister Princess Amelia was conceived in the months after Alfred's death, born almost exactly a year after he died. The first of George III & Queen Charlotte's children to die, Alfred died nearly seventy five years before his older sister Mary, who was the last survivor of George III & Queen Charlotte's fifteen children.
21 August
21 August 1765
William IV was born
21 August 1930
Princess Margaret was born
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger daughter of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth, & the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.
Visit My Princess Margaret blog for more; Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
22 August
22 August 1358
Isabella of France died
Isabella of France (c. 1295 – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France, was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, & regent of England from 1327 until 1330.
She was the youngest surviving child & only surviving daughter of Philip IV, king of France & Joan I of Navarre. Isabella was notable in her lifetime for her diplomatic skills, intelligence, & beauty. She became a "femme fatale" figure in plays & literature over the years, usually portrayed as a beautiful but cruel & manipulative figure. Isabella arrived in England at the age of 12 during a period of growing conflict between the king & the powerful baronial factions. Her new husband was notorious for the patronage he lavished on his favourite, Piers Gaveston, but the queen supported Edward during these early years, forming a working relationship with Piers & using her relationship with the French monarchy to bolster her own authority & power. After the death of Gaveston at the hands of the barons in 1312, however, Edward later turned to a new favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger, & attempted to take revenge on the barons, resulting in the Despenser War & a period of internal repression across England. Isabella could not tolerate Hugh Despenser & by 1325 her marriage to Edward was at a breaking point.
Travelling to France on a diplomatic mission, Isabella may have begun an affair with Roger Mortimer, & the two may possibly have agreed at this point to depose Edward & oust the Despenser family. The Queen returned to England with a small mercenary army in 1326, moving rapidly across England. The King's forces deserted him. Isabella deposed Edward, becoming regent on behalf of her son, Edward III. Some believe that Isabella then arranged the murder of Edward II. Isabella & Mortimer's regime began to crumble, partly because of her lavish spending, but also because the Queen successfully, but unpopularly, resolved long-running problems such as the wars with Scotland. In 1330, aged 18, Edward III forcibly asserted his authority, & Mortimer was executed. Isabella lost her regency & was put under arrest for two years, but afterwards she lived for many years in considerable style; though she did not reside at court, she often visited to see her grandchildren.
Hugh Despenser the Younger & Edmund Fitzalan brought before Isabella for trial in 1326; the pair were gruesomely executed.
22 August 1485
The Battle of Bosworth
For more about The Battle of Bosworth tap here
22 August 1485
Richard III was killed during the Battle of Bosworth.
For more about Richard III tap here
22 August 1485
Henry Tudor becomes Henry VII
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was the King of England & Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown after The Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
He attained the throne when his forces, supported by France, Scotland, & Wales, defeated Edward IV's brother Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward.
22 August 1642
Charles I raises his standard in Nottingham, which marks the beginning of the English Civil War.
At the outset of the conflict, much of the country remained neutral, though the Royal Navy & most English cities favoured Parliament, while the King found marked support in rural communities. Historians estimate that both sides had only about 15,000 men between them, but the war quickly spread & eventually involved every level of society. Many areas attempted to remain neutral. Some formed bands of Clubmen to protect their localities from the worst excesses of the armies of both sides, but most found it impossible to withstand both King & Parliament. On one side, the King & his supporters fought for traditional government in church & state, while on the other, most Parliamentarians initially took up arms to defend what they saw as a traditional balance of government in church & state, which the bad advice the King received from his advisers had undermined before & during the "Eleven Years' Tyranny". The views of the members of Parliament ranged from unquestioning support of the King – at one point during the First Civil War, more members of the Commons & Lords gathered in the King's Oxford Parliament than at Westminster — through to radicals who sought major reforms in religious independence & redistribution of power at a national level. However, even the most radical Parliamentarian supporters still favoured keeping Charles on the throne.
Charles moved on to Nottingham, raising the royal standard there on 22 August 1642. At the time, Charles had with him about 2,000 cavalry & a small number of Yorkshire infantrymen, & using the archaic system of a Commission of Array, his supporters started to build a larger army around the standard. Charles moved in a westerly direction, first to Stafford, then on to Shrewsbury, as support for his cause seemed particularly strong in the Severn valley area & in North Wales. While passing through Wellington, he declared in what became known as the "Wellington Declaration" that he would uphold the "Protestant religion, the laws of England, & the liberty of Parliament
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars & political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") & Royalists ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance & issues of religious freedom. It was part of the wider Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The first (1642–1646) & second (1648–1649) wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third (1649–1651) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II & supporters of the Rump Parliament. The wars also involved the Scottish Covenanters & Irish Confederates. The war ended with Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651.
Unlike other civil wars in England, which were mainly fought over who should rule, these conflicts were also concerned with how the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland & Ireland should be governed. The outcome was threefold: the trial & the execution of Charles I (1649); the exile of his son, Charles II (1651); & the replacement of English monarchy with the Commonwealth of England, which from 1653 (as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, & Ireland) unified the British Isles under the personal rule of Oliver Cromwell (1653–1658) & briefly his son Richard (1658–1659). In England, the monopoly of the Church of England on Christian worship was ended, & in Ireland, the victors consolidated the established Protestant Ascendancy. Constitutionally, the wars established the precedent that an English monarch cannot govern without Parliament's consent, but the idea of Parliamentary sovereignty was legally established only as part of the Glorious Revolution in 1688.
23 August
23 August 1305
Sir William Wallace is executed.
24 August
24 August 1200
King John married Isabella of Angoulême
25 August
25 August 1482
Margaret of Anjou died
Margaret of Anjou (French: Marguerite; 23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482) was the Queen of England & nominally Queen of France by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 & again from 1470 to 1471. Born in the Duchy of Lorraine into the House of Valois-Anjou, Margaret was the second eldest daughter of René, King of Naples, & Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. She was one of the principal figures in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses & at times personally led the Lancastrian faction. Some of her contemporaries such as the Duke of Suffolk praised "Her valiant courage & undaunted spirit" & Edward Hall describes her personality: "This woman excelled all other, as well in beauty & favour, as in wit and policy, & was of stomach & courage, more like to a man, than a woman." Owing to her husband's frequent bouts of insanity, Margaret ruled the kingdom in his place. It was she who called for a Great Council in May 1455 that excluded the Yorkist faction headed by Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, & this provided the spark that ignited a civil conflict that lasted for more than 30 years, decimated the old nobility of England, & caused the deaths of thousands of men, including her only son Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. Margaret was taken prisoner by the victorious Yorkists after the Lancastrian defeat at Tewkesbury. In 1475, she was ransomed by her cousin, King Louis XI of France. She went to live in France as a poor relation of the French king, & she died there at the age of 52.
25 August 1942
Prince George, Duke of Kent died
Prince George was born on 20 December 1902 at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. His father was the Prince of Wales (later King George V), the only surviving son of King Edward VII & Queen Alexandra.
His mother was the Princess of Wales (later Queen Mary), the only daughter & eldest child of the Duke & Duchess of Teck. At the time of his birth, he was fifth in the line of succession to the throne, behind his father & three older brothers Edward, Albert & Henry.
At the age of 13, like his brothers, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) & Prince Albert (later King George VI), before him, he went to naval college, first at Osborne &, later, at Dartmouth. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 15 February 1924, & was promoted to lieutenant on 15 February 1926. He remained on active service in the Royal Navy until March 1929, serving on HMS Iron Duke & later on the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet (renamed the Home Fleet in 1932), HMS Nelson. He served on the latter as a lieutenant on the Admiral's staff before transferring in 1928 to HMS Durban on the America & West Indies Station, based at the Royal Naval Dockyard at Bermuda (where his father had previously served on HMS Canada & HMS Thrush), as a watch-keeping Lieutenant. After leaving the navy, he briefly held posts at the Foreign Office & later the Home Office, becoming the first member of the royal family to work as a civil servant. He continued to receive promotions after leaving active service: to commander on 15 February 1934 & to captain on 1 January 1937.
From January to April 1931, Prince George & his elder brother the Prince of Wales travelled 18,000 miles on a tour of South America. On 23 June 1936, George was appointed a personal aide-de-camp to his eldest brother, the new King Edward VIII. Following the abdication of Edward VIII, he was appointed a personal naval aide-de-camp to his elder brother, now George VI. On 12 March 1937, he was commissioned as a colonel in the British Army & in the equivalent rank of group captain in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was also appointed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Fusiliers from the same date.
On 8 June 1939, George was promoted to the ranks of rear admiral in the Royal Navy, major-general in the British Army & air vice-marshal in the Royal Air Force. At the start of the Second World War, George returned to active naval service with the rank of rear admiral, briefly serving in the Intelligence Division of the Admiralty. He was patron of the Society for Nautical Research between 1926 & 1942.
On 12 October 1934, in anticipation of his forthcoming marriage to his second cousin, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, he was created Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews, & Baron Downpatrick. The couple married on 29 November 1934 at Westminster Abbey They had three children:
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (9 October 1935). He married Katharine Worsley on 8 June 1961.
Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy (25 December 1936). She married the Hon. Angus Ogilvy, son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie & Lady Alexandra Coke, on 24 April 1963.
Prince Michael of Kent (4 July 1942). He married Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz on 30 June 1978.
On 25 August 1942, George & 14 others took off in a RAF Short Sunderland flying boat W4026 from Invergordon, Ross & Cromarty, to fly to Iceland on non-operational duties. The aircraft crashed on Eagle's Rock, a hillside near Dunbeath, Caithness, Scotland. All but one were killed, including George, who was 39 years old.
His death in RAF service marked the first time in more than 450 years that a member of the royal family died on active service. The prince's body was transferred initially to St. George's Chapel, Windsor, & he was buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, directly behind Queen Victoria's mausoleum. His elder son, six-year-old Prince Edward, succeeded him as Duke of Kent. Princess Marina, his wife, had given birth to their third child, Prince Michael, only seven weeks before Prince George's death.
26 August
26 August 1346
The Battle of Crécy
26 August 1819
Prince Albert was born
Prince Albert was the consort of Queen Victoria from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his death in 1861.
Read more about Prince Albert here
26 August
1944 Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester was born
He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester & Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, as well as the youngest of the nine grandchildren of King George V & Queen Mary. He is currently 31st in line of succession to the British throne, & the highest person on the list who is not a direct descendant of King George VI, who was his uncle.
He practised as an architect until the death of his elder brother placed him in direct line to inherit his father's dukedom of Gloucester, which he assumed in 1974. He is a paternal first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He married Birgitte van Deurs in July 1972. They have three children.
For more about Prince Richard visit....
27 August
27 August 1968
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent died
Marina was a princess of the Greek royal house, who married Prince George, Duke of Kent, fourth son of George V & Queen Mary, in 1934. They had three children: Prince Edward, Princess Alexandra, & Prince Michael.
For more about Princess Marina visit
27 August 1979
Louis Mountbatten was assassinated
28 August
28 August 1972
Prince William of Gloucester died in a plane crash
Prince William was born on 18 December 1941 at Hadley Common, Hertfordshire.
His father was Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of George V & Queen Mary. His mother was Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the third daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch & Lady Margaret Bridgeman. A Cambridge & Stanford graduate, he joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, serving in Lagos & Tokyo, before returning to take over royal duties. He led an active life, flying Piper aircraft, trekking through the Sahara, & even ballooning.
A licensed pilot & President of the British Light Aviation Centre, Prince William owned several aircraft & competed in amateur air show races. On 28 August 1972, he was competing in the Goodyear International Air Trophy at Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton, with Vyrell Mitchell, a pilot with whom the prince had often raced listed as a passenger. Shortly after their take-off & at a very low altitude, the Piper Cherokee banked abruptly to port, with an extreme increase in the rate of turn & corresponding loss of altitude; the wing hit a tree & sheared off, & the out-of-control plane flipped over & crashed into an earthen bank, bursting into flames. Prince William & Mitchell were killed. The crash happened before 30,000 spectators, the fire took two hours to control, & the bodies were identified at inquest the next day from dental records. His father, Prince Henry, was in such poor health at the time of his death that his mother hesitated whether to tell him. She later admitted in her memoirs that she did not, but that he may have learned of their son's death from television coverage.
Prince William was buried in the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore. The comprehensive school in Oundle, which he opened in 1971, was renamed Prince William School in his memory. William was the heir apparent of his father's peerages, Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster, & Baron Culloden. Upon his death, his younger brother Prince Richard of Gloucester became heir apparent, & succeeded to these peerages in 1974. William was the first grandchild of King George V & Queen Mary to die.
29 August
29 August 1189
King john married Isabella, Countess of Gloucester
On 28 September 1176, King Henry II betrothed Isabella to his youngest son, John Lackland. John & Isabella were half-second cousins as great-grandchildren of Henry I, & thus within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity. But in the marriage agreement, the King agreed to find the best husband possible for Isabella should the Pope refuse to grant a dispensation for the marriage. Henry also declared Isabella the sole heir to Gloucester, disinheriting her two sisters. On 29 August 1189, John & Isabella were married at Marlborough Castle in Wiltshire, & John assumed the Earldom of Gloucester in her right. Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury, declared the marriage null by reason of consanguinity & placed their lands under interdict. The interdict was lifted by Pope Clement III. The Pope granted a dispensation to marry but forbade the couple from having sexual relations. Shortly after John acceded to the throne in 1199, & before the end of August, he obtained an annulment of the marriage. The annulment was granted on the grounds of consanguinity, by the bishops of Lisieux, Bayeux, and Avranches, sitting in Normandy. John, however, kept her lands, & Isabella did not contest the annulment.
King John married Isabella of Angoulême (c. 1186/1188 – 4 June 1246) in 1200. She was also suo jure Countess of Angoulême from 1202 until 1246. Isabel Countess of Gloucester later married Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex, on 20 January 1214. He died in 1216. A year after Essex's demise, she married Hubert de Burgh (later Earl of Kent), later the justiciar of England, in September 1217.
29 August 1350
The Battle of Winchelsea
The Battle of Winchelsea was a naval battle that took place on 29 August 1350 as part of the Hundred Years' War between England & France. It was a victory for an English fleet of 50 ships, commanded by the King of England, Edward III, over a Castilian fleet of 47 larger vessels, commanded by Charles de la Cerda. Between 14 & 26 Castilian ships were captured, & several were sunk. Only two English vessels are known to have been sunk, but there was a significant loss of life.
England's trade, its war finance & its ability to bring force to bear against France were heavily reliant on seaborne transportation, especially to its territory in Gascony. With its own ability to raise & support a fleet much reduced by English activities, the French hired Castilian ships to blockade English ports. Frustrated by their effectiveness, Edward III himself led the fleet that intercepted them & inflicted heavy losses. In spite of that success, English trade & ports saw little relief from naval harassment by the French & their allies.
29 August 2012
The Queen accompanied by the Earl & Countess of Wessex opened the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium
30 August
30 August 1548
Catharine Parr gave birth to a daughter, Mary Seymour
Henry VIII died on 28 January 1547. After the king's death, Catherine was allowed to keep the queen's jewels & dresses as queen dowager. About six months after Henry's death, she married her fourth & final husband, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley. The marriage was short-lived, as she died on Wednesday, 5 September 1548 due to complications of childbirth.
Mary Seymour (30 August 1548 – unknown), was born at her father’s country seat, Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Although Catherine was married four times, Mary was her only child. Complications from Mary's birth would claim the life of her mother on 5 September 1548, & her father was executed less than a year later for treason against Edward VI. In 1549, the Parliament of England passed an Act (3 & 4 Edw. 6 C A P. XIV) removing the attainder placed on her father from Mary, but his lands remained property of the Crown. As her mother's wealth was left entirely to her father & later confiscated by the Crown, Mary was left a destitute orphan in the care of Katherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk, who appears to have resented this imposition. After 1550 Mary disappears from historical record completely, & no claim was ever made on her father's meagre estate, leading to the conclusion that she did not live past the age of two.
31 August
31 August 1422
King Henry V of England died
Henry V died on 31 August 1422, at the Château de Vincennes. He had been weakened by dysentery, contracted during the siege of Meaux, & had to be carried in a litter towards the end of his journey. A possible contributory factor is heatstroke; the last day he was active he had been riding in full armour in blistering heat. He was 35 years old & had reigned for nine years. Henry's comrade-in-arms & Lord Steward, John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, brought Henry's body back to England & bore the royal standard at his funeral. Henry V was buried in Westminster Abbey on 7 November 1422.
Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years' War against France made England one of the strongest military powers in Europe. Immortalised in Shakespeare's "Henriad" plays, Henry is known & celebrated as one of the greatest warrior kings of medieval England.
During the reign of his father Henry IV, Henry gained military experience fighting the Welsh during the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr & against the powerful aristocratic Percy family of Northumberland at the Battle of Shrewsbury. Henry acquired an increasing role in England's government due to the king's declining health, but disagreements between father & son led to political conflict between the two. After his father's death in 1413, Henry assumed control of the country & asserted the pending English claim to the French throne. In 1415, Henry embarked on war with France in the ongoing Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) between the two nations. His military successes culminated in his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt (1415) & saw him come close to conquering France. Taking advantage of political divisions within France, he conquered large portions of the kingdom, resulting in Normandy's occupation by the English for the first time since 1345–1360. After months of negotiation with Charles VI of France, the Treaty of Troyes (1420) recognised Henry V as regent & heir apparent to the French throne, & he was subsequently married to Charles's daughter, Catherine of Valois. Everything seemed to point to the formation of a union between the kingdoms, in the person of Henry. However, he died two years later & was succeeded by his only child, the infant Henry VI.
31 August 1997 - Diana, Princess of Wales, died
The tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales happened on Sunday 31 August 1997 following a car accident in Paris, France. The vehicle in which The Princess was travelling was involved in a high-speed accident in the Place de l'Alma underpass in central Paris shortly before midnight on Saturday 30 August.
The Princess was taken to the La Pitie Salpetriere Hospital, where she underwent two hours of emergency surgery before being declared dead at 0300 BST. The Princess's companion, Mr Dodi Fayed, & the driver of the vehicle died in the accident, whilst a bodyguard was seriously injured.
Read more about Diana here...
Visit Tatler Magazine
Thank you for reading
Visit our new online store for a range a custom made gift ideas, orders over £30 can be paid over three monthly interest free payments via Paypal.
Some places of interest mentioned in this blog;
Visit: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For more royal history visit our Royal Blog page.
https://yetiskinchatt.blogspot.com/
https://livechattt.blogspot.com/
https://askyeriniz.blogspot.com/
https://soh--bet.blogspot.com/
Cinsel Sohbet ve cinsel chat uygulaması.
Yetişkin Sohbet ve yetişkin chat uygulaması.
Üyeliksiz Sohbet ve üyeliksiz chat uygulaması.
Gabile sohbet ve gabile chat uygulaması.
With tense gameplay and scary sounds, Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF) is an experience not to be missed for horror fans.
大多数专业的代写 http://www.hotessay.net/ 机构会在其网站上提供一些样本作品供潜在客户参考。通过查看这些样本作品，留学生可以初步评估机构的写作风格、专业水平和质量标准。这一过程可以帮助学生判断该机构是否能够满足其特定的学术需求。
The article states that the Pope allowed marriage, but prohibited sexual relations. however, this prohibition was ignored and many people had sex every day and several times a day. The number of sex activities per day was limited only by how many times can a man ejaculate in one day. In general, this ban was ignored by most people.