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William the Silent, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia
July 10, 1086 – Murder of (Saint) Cnut IV, King of Denmark, at St. Alban’s Priory Church in Odense, Denmark; buried in front of the main altar of St. Alban’s Priory Church
Cnut feared the nobles’ support of his half-brother, the future King Olaf I of Denmark. Olaf had concerns about Cnut’s ambitions and saw his young son Carl, born the previous year, as a future rival for power. Cnut blamed Olaf for stirring up trouble, and Olaf was imprisoned by their brother Eric, the future King Eric I of Denmark. Olaf was banished to Flanders, under the supervision of Robert I, Count of Flanders, Cnut’s father-in-law. However, Cnut’s actions resulted in open rebellion. On July 10, 1086, Cnut, his brother Benedikt, and seventeen of their followers took refuge in the wooden, Viking Age St. Alban’s Priory Church (link in Danish) at St. Alban’s Priory in Odense. The rebels stormed into the church and killed Cnut, his brother Benedikt, and their seventeen followers before the altar.
Unofficial Royalty: (Saint) Cnut IV, King of Denmark
July 10, 1103 – Death of Eric I, King of Denmark in Paphos, Cyprus; buried at Chrysopolitissa Basilica in Paphos, Cyprus
King Eric I and his wife Bodil were travelling to the Holy Land to make a pilgrimage. However, Eric never made it to the Holy Land. While in Constantinople, Eric became ill, and despite his illness, he continued his travels by sea. King Eric I of Denmark died on July 10, 1103, in Paphos, Cyprus, where his wife had him buried. However, the location of his grave is no longer known. After Eric died, Bodil continued the journey and reached Jerusalem later in 1103. She died in Jerusalem that same year and was buried on the Mount of Olives or at its foot in the Valley of Josaphat.
Unofficial Royalty: Eric I, King of Denmark
July 10, 1451 – Birth of James III, King of Scots at Stirling Castle in Scotland
James III’s birth date and birthplace are uncertain: either May 1452 at St. Andrew’s Castle or July 10, 1451, or July 20, 1451 at Stirling Castle. James III became King of Scots when he was nine years old. On August 3, 1460, his father, 29-year-old James II, King of Scots, was accidentally killed during the siege of Roxburgh Castle near the English border when a cannon nearby where he was standing exploded. As with the start of the reigns of James I and James II, Scotland once again had a child king. Mary of Guelders, the young king’s mother, served as the regent for her son until her death three years later. The remaining Scottish Stuarts, James IV, James V, Mary, Queen of Scots, and James VI, would also be child monarchs. James II’s death also continued the violent deaths of the Scottish Stuarts, which started with the assassination of his father James I and continued with the deaths in battle of James III and James IV and the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Unofficial Royalty: James III, King of Scots
July 10, 1559 – Death of King Henri II of France from injuries suffered during a tournament at the Hôtel des Tournelles (now the Place des Vosges) in Paris, France; buried at Saint-Denis Basilica near Paris, France
King Henri II, at age 40, still liked to participate in tournaments even though he had been advised not to because of dizziness after physical exertion. On June 30, 1559, Henri participated in what would be his last tournament. Henri and Gabriel de Lorges, Comte de Montgomery, Captain of the Scotch Guard, jousted, and Henri had been almost unseated from his horse. He insisted upon a rematch despite the urgings of his wife, the Duke of Savoy, and other friends to stop. The Comte de Montgomery reluctantly agreed to participate. de Montgomery’s lance struck the king’s helmet, splintered, and went through the visor, going through the king’s right eye and his temple into the brain. The king was bleeding profusely and was nearly unconscious. Henri’s wife, Catherine d’Medici, desperate to find a way to cure her husband, had four criminals beheaded and then had splintered lances poked through the eyes at the same angle the lance had gone through Henry’s eye. Henri’s condition continued to worsen. On July 9, he was given the last rites, and after suffering horribly for eleven days, Henri died, probably from a subdural hematoma and sepsis.
Unofficial Royalty: Henri II, King of France
July 10, 1584 – Assassination of Willem I, Prince of Orange (the Silent) at Prinsenhof in Delft, the Netherlands; buried at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, is known as the Vader des Vaderlands (Father of the Fatherland), and the Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus, was written in his honor. He got his nickname “the Silent” (in Dutch De Zwijger) not because he was quiet, but because of his habit of holding his tongue in difficult situations. Willem is the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau and the ancestor of the Dutch monarchs, the British monarchs from King George I forward, and other European royal families. Willem left the Roman Catholic Church and became a member of the Dutch Reformed Church. He was declared an outlaw by King Philip II of Spain, who offered 25,000 crowns to anyone who killed Willem. The assassin Balthasar Gérard went to the Prinsenhof, Willem’s home, announcing that he wanted to speak to Willem. He was told that Willem was at lunch and would speak with him afterward. Gérard went to his inn to get his pistols and returned to the Prinsenhof. Willem had finished his lunch and made his way to the stairs to his second-floor chamber, where he worked and slept. Gérard, who had been hiding behind a pillar, jumped out and fired two shots, hitting Willem in the chest at close range. Willem collapsed and died instantly.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Willem I the Silent, Prince of Orange
Unofficial Royalty: Willem I, Prince of Orange (the Silent)
July 10, 1867 – Birth of Prince Maximilian of Baden, Margrave of Baden, pretender to the former throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden and the Head of the House of Zähringen from 1928 until he died in 1929, in Baden-Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
Full name: Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Maximilian of Baden, Margrave of Baden
July 10, 1886 – Death of Duchess Agnes of Württemberg, Princess Reuss of Gera, wife of Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera, at Schloss Osterstein in Gera, Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried at the Bergkirche St. Marien in Schleiz, Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany
As Princess of Reuss-Gera, Agnes founded numerous organizations and institutes that bore her name, such as the Agnes School, a training institute for female servants in Gera, the capital of the Principality of Reuss-Gera. She was also an author and used Angelica Hohenstein as her pen name.
Unofficial Royalty: Duchess Agnes of Württemberg, Princess Reuss of Gera
July 10, 1953 – Birth of Princess Takamado, widow of Prince Takamado of Japan, born Hisako Tottori in Tokyo, Japan
Born Hisako Tottori, she married Prince Takamado of Mikasa, son of Prince Mikasa, who was the youngest son of Emperor Taishō, the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa), and the uncle of Emperor Akihito. The couple had three daughters. Princess Takamado’s husband suddenly died of a cardiopulmonary arrest while playing squash with the Canadian ambassador. Although Princess Takamado was left a widow with three daughters, she continued her husband’s efforts to foster international goodwill. She has been extremely active with charitable organizations involving sports, cultural exchange, and the environment, taking on all the positions formerly held by her late husband, and many new positions. Princess Takamado often represents the Japanese Imperial Family at royal events in other monarchies.
Unofficial Royalty: Hisako Tottori, Princess Takamado
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