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Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia
September 3, 1467 – Death of Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress, wife of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor in Wiener Neustadt, Duchy of Styria, now in Austria; buried at the Neukloster Abbey in Wiener Neustadt
In 1452, Eleanor married Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, who was also Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola and then Duke of Austria, later Archduke of Austria. Friedrich and Eleanor had five children but only two survived childhood. Eleanor and Friedrich were very different and their marriage was not a happy one. Eleanor loved dancing, gambling, and hunting while Friedrich was more serious. After fifteen years of marriage, Eleanor, aged 32, died on September 3, 1467, from dysentery in Wiener Neustadt, Duchy of Styria, now in Austria. She was buried at the Neukloster Abbey in Wiener Neustadt which was founded by her husband and where her three children who died in childhood were buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress
September 3, 1499 – Birth of Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henri II of France at the Château de Saint-Vallier, in Saint-Vallier, France
Diane de Poitiers was the royal mistress of King Henri II of France from around 1534 until the King’s death in 1559. During that time, she was considered by most to be the most powerful and influential woman in France, far surpassing the King’s wife Catherine de’ Medici.
Unofficial Royalty: Diane de Poitiers
September 3, 1757 – Birth of Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in Weimar, Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, now in Thuringia, Germany
When his father died in May 1758, Karl August became Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Duke of Saxe-Eisenach at just nine months old. His mother served as regent and is recognized for having built up the resources and strength of the duchies during her son’s youth. In 1809, the two duchies were united as one, and Karl August became Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Six years later, following the Congress of Vienna, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was elevated to a Grand Duchy with Karl August as its first Grand Duke. Much more liberal than many of his contemporaries, Karl August was the first German prince to grant a liberal constitution and to promote the freedom of the press.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
September 3, 1783 – Birth of Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria
Born Anna Maria Stanhope, she was the eldest daughter of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington. She married Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford
September 3, 1792 – Death of Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe in Paris, France, favorite of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, by a mob during the September Massacres of 1792 (French Revolution); her remains were lost or destroyed
On September 3, 1792, Marie Thérèse went before a tribunal that insisted she swear “hatred to the King and the Queen and to the monarchy”. Refusing to do so, she was released to the streets where she was quickly killed by an angry mob. Her head was placed on a pike, and numerous reports claim that it was paraded below the windows where Queen Marie Antoinette was being held. Most historians agree that the Queen never actually saw this, but she was made aware of the Princess’s death. Her body was turned over to the authorities, but their whereabouts are unknown.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe in Paris, France, favorite of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France
September 3, 1810 – Birth of Ferdinand-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, Prince Royal, Prince of Orléans, eldest son of King Louis Philippe I of the French, at the Royal Palace in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
In 1830, Ferdinand-Philippe’s father became King of the French, and he became the heir apparent to the French throne and received the title Prince Royal as well as the titles of Duke of Orléans and Prince of Orléans. Twelve years later, Ferdinand-Philippe died from injuries received in a carriage accident.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinand-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, Prince Royal, Prince of Orléans
September 3, 1851 – Birth of Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of Greece, wife of King George I of Greece, at Pavlovsk Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia
Olga was the daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia, a son of Nicholas I, Emperor of all Russia. In 1867, she married King George I of the Hellenes. born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, son of King Christian IX of Denmark. The couple had eight children including the father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Unofficial Royalty: Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of the Hellenes
September 3, 1899 – Birth of Magda Lupescu, mistress and third wife of King Carol II of Romania, born Elena Lupescu in Iaşi, Romania
Magda Lupescu was the mistress, and then the third wife of King Carol II of Romania. The couple was married several years after Carol abdicated the Romanian throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Magda Lupescu, mistress and third wife of King Carol II of Romania
September 3, 1955 – Death of Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg, second wife of Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, at Schloss Schaumberg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany; buried at the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
Elisabeth Alexandrine was the last Grand Duchess of Oldenburg through her marriage to Grand Duke Friedrich August II. After her husband was forced to abdicate on November 11, 1918, when the German Empire fell, the couple took up residence at Rastede Castle in Rastede near Oldenburg, Germany. Elisabeth Alexandrine remained close to her large family, often spending time in the Netherlands with her brother Heinrich who had married Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Friedrich August died in 1931, and Elisabeth Alexandrine survived him by 24 years, dying at Schloss Schaumburg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the home of her son-in-law Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and her daughter Altburg Marie.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg
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