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31 October 1636 Birth of Ferdinand Maria, Elector (Kurfürst) of Bavaria

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On October 31st. 1636 the eldest son of Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria and his second wife, Maria Anna of Austria was born. He received the name: Ferdinand Maria. Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria - Source picture: Wikipedia Through his mother, Ferdinand Maria was a first cousin of: Queen Mariana of Spain; Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. With such a an ancestry it wasn't difficult to find an appropriate wife. On December 8th. 1650 Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria married  Henriette Adelaide of Savoy.  She was the daughter of Victor Amadeus I of Savoy and Princess  Christine of France (daughter of Henry IV and Marie de' Medici). Ferdinand Maria and Henriette - Source picture: Wikipedia Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy had 7 children, 2 of them would have progeny. In 1651 Ferdinand Maria succeeded his father as elector of Bavaria, but he still was a minor. His mother and his uncle Albert VI of Bavaria served as regents

30 October 1563 Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg

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October 30th. 1563 marks the birth of Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Sophie of Brunswick-Lüneburg - Source picture: Wikipedia Sophie was the eldest child of Duke William the Younger of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Dorothea of Denmark (daughter of King Christian III of Denmark). In Dresden she married on May 3rd. 1579, Margrave George Frederick I of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmach. He was a powerful figure of his time.  This marriage remained childless. After the death of her husband, in 1604, Sophie returned to her family. She survived her husband for 36 years. She often stayed in Nuremberg with her sisters Clara, Countess of Schwarzburg and Sibylle, Duchess of  Brunswick-Dannenberg. On January 14th. 1639 she died in Nuremberg. There she was buried in the St.Lorenz Church. St.Lorenz Church Nuremberg on a rainy day - own picture

29 October 1266 Margaret of Austria, Queen of Bohemia, a pawn on the political chessboard

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Around 1204 a young girl was born, who received the name: Margaret of Austria Margaret of Austria - Source picture: Wikipedia Her life began promising because she was the eldest daughter of Leopold VI, Duke of Austria and Theodora Angelina, a member of the  Byzantine Imperial family. But on November 29th. 1225, Margaret (who was then 21 years old) had to marry the 14-year old Henry, King-elect of Germany. Henry was the  eldest son of Emperor Frederick II. The wedding took place in Nürnberg. Her coronation took place on March 23rd. 1227 in Aachen. King Henry and Queen Margaret had 2 short-lived sons. In 1235 Henry rebelled against his father, but he was defeated and dethroned. After that he died possibly on February 12th. 1242 (after a fall from his horse, which could be a possible attempted suicide).  Margaret (who didn't saw her husband a lot) moved to Würzburg,  where she lived in seclusion in the Markuskloster. On February 11th. 125

OTD 28 October 1696 Maurice de Saxe Count of Saxony

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Maurice de Saxe was born on October 28th. 1696 at Goslar (now: lower Saxony Germany). Maurice de Saxe - Source picture: Wikipedia He was the illegitimate son of Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony and Countess Maria Aurora of Königsmarck.  In 1698 the Countess sent him to his father in Warsaw, where his father had been elected King of Poland (in the previous year).  Unfortunately due to the unsettled condition of the country, Maurice was obliged to spend the greater part of his youth outside the borders of Poland. This separation from his father made him independent and had an important effect on his future career. When Maurice was 12 years old, he served in the army of Prince Eugene of Savoy. He next served under Peter the Great against the Swedes. In 1711 August formally recognized him as his son and Maurice was granted the rank of Count. At the age of 17 in 1713 he commanded his own  regiment. Maurice de Saxe - Sourc