July 11th - 17th
“A revolution begins in France; a Russian Revolution executes an entire royal family; Henry marries his sixth wife; and three men set off for the moon...”
On 11th July…
138 - Antoninus Pius became Emperor of Rome after Hadrian died. Antoninus ordered the construction of the Antonine Wall which is further north in Scotland than the wall Emperor Hadrian had ordered to be built. The Antonine Wall stretched between the rivers Clyde and Forth. It was a 36-mile long barrier attempting to keep the Northern tribes including the Picts from invading the Roman ruled lands. Unlike Hadrian’s Wall it was not built of stone but was constructed out of layers of turf reaching up to 3 metres in height and had a huge ditch along the northern edge. The ditch was 5 metres deep in places and the earth that was dug out of the ditch was thrown into a pile which created a second, outer mound. The wall was guarded by 6,000 - 7,000 soldiers who were stationed in 17 main forts and additional smaller ‘fortlets’ along the 36-mile barrier.
1274 - Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland was born. He defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn and re-established an independent Scottish monarchy. He is also known as King Robert I of Scotland.
On 12th July…
Katherine Parr becomes the sixth wife of Henry VIII
1543 - King Henry VIII married his sixth wife Katherine Parr at Hampton Court Palace. Katherine was the first English queen to publish and write her own books. She cared for and nursed Henry in the last years of his life. And in the rhyme we use to remember the fates of Henry VIII’s wives ‘divorced, beheaded, died, divorced beheaded survived’ she is the queen who survived.
On 13th July…
Julius Caesar was born
100BCE - Julius Caesar is thought to have been born on this day. Although he never became an emperor, Julius Caesar is possibly the most famous of all Roman military and political leaders. It was his desire to become King of Rome that led to his eventual downfall. The Roman Senate, who were the people that made all of the decisions, a bit like our government today, did not like Caesar’s growing power and popularity, and decided that they needed to put an end to it. A group of men from the Senate, including some of Julius Caesar’s closest friends got together and ended his power by stabbing him to death.
On 14th July…
The storming of the Bastille in Paris
1789 - The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris. The revolution lasted over ten years and brought an end to the monarchy in France when both King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine. Bastille Day is celebrated by French nationals around the world every year on 14th July.
On 15th July…
The architect Inigo Jones was born
1573 - Inigo Jones the architect, painter and designer who founded the English classical tradition of architecture was born in London. One of his more famous pieces of architecture is the Banqueting House in Whitehall which is where King Charles I was executed in 1649.
Women’s rights campaigner Emmeline Pankhurst was born
1858 - Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union, and leader of the women’s suffragette movement in Britain, was born in Manchester. She fought for the right to vote for women and died shortly before seeing her campaign succeed.
On 16th July…
Anne of Cleves dies
1557 - Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife died. She was married to Henry for just four months before he demanded an annulment to their marriage. In the rhyme we use to remember the fates of Henry VIII’s wives ‘divorced, beheaded, died, divorced beheaded survived’ Anne of Cleves is the second divorced.
1969 - Apollo 11 was launched from Cape Kennedy in Florida, USA on its journey carrying the first men to the moon. Those astronauts were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
On 17th July…
924 - Saxon king Edward the Elder of Wessex, England died. He was a son of Alfred the Great and by the time of his death he ruled the vast majority of England including lands held by the Vikings.
1918 - The Romanov royal family of Russia were executed by a Bolshevik firing squad. Tsar Nicolas II, his wife, their five children and some of their loyal servants were shot dead whilst under house arrest during the Russian Revolution.