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February 13, 1457 – Birth of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right, daughter of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy and wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, at the Castle of Coudenberg in Brussels, Duchy of Burgundy now in Belgium
The daughter of the powerful Charles I the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right was his only child and heir presumptive. Her father’s vast and rich Burgundian State consisted of parts of the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany. Mary married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, son of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria. It was through the marriage of Maximilian and Mary’s son Philip IV, Duke of Burgundy, also called Philip of Habsburg and Philip the Handsome, to Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, Queen of Aragon that the Habsburg lands would be joined with the Spanish lands. Philip and Juana’s son Carlos, best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms. Sadly, 25-year-old Mary died from injuries sustained in a horse-riding accident while pregnant.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, Archduchess of Austria

February 13, 1542 – Execution of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of King Henry VIII of England, at the Tower of London in London, England; buried at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London in London, England
Henry VIII married the teenage Catherine Howard, a first cousin of Henry’s beheaded second wife Anne Boleyn, in 1540. Less than two years later, Catherine Howard was indicted for high treason on charges of premarital relations and extramarital relations with Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpeper who were both executed. Catherine’s lady-in-waiting, Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford, the widow of George Boleyn, who had been accused, convicted, and executed for adultery with his sister Anne Boleyn, was charged with aiding and abetting Catherine. Catherine was brought to the Tower of London on February 10, 1542, by barge, passing under London Bridge where Dereham and Culpepper’s heads were displayed and remained displayed until 1546. Her execution by beheading was to take place on February 13, 1542, at 7:00 AM. The night before her execution, Catherine is believed to have practiced how to lay her head upon the block, which had been brought to her at her request. Catherine was beheaded with one stroke on Tower Green within the Tower of London.  Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford, was executed immediately afterward.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine Howard, Queen of England

February 13, 1660 – Death of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden at Gothenburg, Sweden; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
Karl Gustav was the eldest of the three sons of Johann Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Princess Katarina of Sweden. In 1654, he became King of Sweden upon the abdication of his cousin Christina, Queen of Sweden. Four months after becoming king, Karl Gustav married Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. They had only one child, the future Karl XI, King of Sweden, who succeeded his father. Karl Gustav’s short reign concentrated on the healing of domestic discords from the reign of Queen Christina and the rallying of Sweden around his new policy of conquest. He achieved great military successes in the Second Northern War against Denmark-Norway and Poland-Lithuania. In February 1660, Karl Gustav became ill with influenza which developed into pneumonia. He became increasingly ill with a high fever and had difficulty breathing. He signed his will appointing a regency consisting of six relatives and close friends for his four-year-old son who would soon be Karl XI, King of Sweden. Karl Gustav said goodbye to his wife, his son, and his closest friends. In the early evening, his condition worsened again and he could not lie down due to his breathing difficulties. He was held up in the arms of two of his friends. At midnight, the doctors announced that death was approaching, and Karl Gustav said goodbye to those present again, and he died at the age of 37 in the early morning hours of February 13, 1660.
Unofficial Royalty: King Karl X Gustav of Sweden

February 13, 1662 – Death of Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine of the Rhine, daughter of King James I of England, wife of Friedrich V, Elector of Palatine of the Rhine, at Leicester House in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
In 1613, Elizabeth married Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine and the couple had thirteen children. Through her daughter Sophia, Electress of Hanover whose son succeeded to the British throne as King George I after the Protestant Stuarts died out, Elizabeth is the ancestor of the British royal family and most other European royal families, including those of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, as well as the former royal families of Greece, Romania, Prussia, and Russia. Elizabeth’s husband Friedrich died from an infection in 1632, at the age of 36. Between her husband’s death in 1632 and her death in 1662, Elizabeth suffered the death of four of her children and the execution of her brother King Charles I of England in 1649. In 1660, Elizabeth’s nephew King Charles II was restored as King of England and Elizabeth decided to visit England. She arrived in England on May 26, 1661, and by July she was determined to remain there. She first lived in Drury House on Wych Street in London. In January of 1662, she moved to Leicester House on the north side of present-day Leicester Square. On February 13, 1662, Elizabeth died of bronchitis at the age of 65 and was buried in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey near her brother Henry, Prince of Wales.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine of the Rhine

February 13, 1904 – Birth of Princess Irene of Greece, Duchess of Aosta, daughter of King Constantine I of Greece, in Athens, Greece
Irene was the daughter of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Irene and her sister Katherine served as bridesmaids for their cousin Princess Marina of Greece when she married Prince George, Duke of Kent in 1934.  In 1939, Irene married Prince Aimone of Savoy, 4th Duke of Aosta, and the couple had one son. After the fall of the Italian monarchy in 1946, Irene and her son escaped to Switzerland while Aimone fled to Argentina. The couple was effectively separated after this time, having spent little time together during the preceding years. Aimone died in Buenos Aires in 1948. Irene lived at Villa Domenico in Fiesole, Italy, near her sister Helen, who lived in Villa Sparta. Irene died in 1974, after a long illness, at her home in Fiesole, Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Irene of Greece, Duchess of Aosta

February 13, 1913 – Birth of King Khalid of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Saudi, Arabia
Khalid was the son of Abdulaziz, the first King of Saudi Arabia, and Al Jawhara bint Musaed bin Jiluwi Al Saud, one of Abdulaziz’s many wives. On March 25, 1975, 68-year-old King Faisal, Khalid’s half-brother, was shot and killed by his 30-year-old nephew Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Palace in Riyadh. Khalid, who did not even want to be Crown Prince, succeeded to the throne of Saudi Arabia. Although Khalid initially was reluctant to rule Saudi Arabia, he gradually warmed to his role and worked on improving the education, health care, and infrastructure of Saudi Arabia during his seven-year reign.
Unofficial Royalty: King Khalid of Saudi Arabia

February 13, 1991 – Death of Georg Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Altenburg, Head of the House of Saxe-Altenburg in Rendsburg, Germany
Georg Moritz was the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Altenburg and the last Head of the House of Saxe-Altenburg. He died from pneumonia with no heir and the House of Saxe-Altenburg merged into the House of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Altenburg, Head of the House of Saxe-Altenburg

February 13, 2018 – Death of Prince Henrik of Denmark, born Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, husband of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, at Fredensborg Palace in Denmark; his remains were cremated with half of his ashes spread over Danish seas, and the other half interred in the private garden at Fredensborg Castle
Prince Henrik’s parents were members of the French nobility. After a brief stint in the military, Henrik entered the French foreign services. At the time he met Princess Margrethe of Denmark, the eldest daughter of King Frederik IX of Denmark in 1965, Henri was working as the third secretary at the French embassy in the Department of Oriental Affairs in London. Princess Margrethe married Henrik in 1967 and the couple had two sons. In 1972, Margrethe became Queen of Denmark upon the death of her father. In April 2016, Henrik renounced the title of Prince Consort, which he had been given in 2005. He retired from public life and decided to participate in official events to a very limited extent. In 2017, it was announced that Henrik was suffering from dementia. Henrik was hospitalized on January 28, 2018, with a benign tumor in his left lung. His condition severely deteriorated, and on February 13, 2018, Henrik was transferred from the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen to Fredensborg Castle, where he wished to stay during his remaining time. Later that day Prince Henrik died peacefully in his sleep.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henrik of Denmark
Unofficial Royalty: The Funeral of Prince Henrik of Denmark

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