January 16th - 22nd
“A French king is executed, and an English king goes on trial for treason and other high crimes this week in history....”
On 16th January…
1245 - The second son of King Henry III, Prince Edmund Crouchback was born. His nickname of Crouchback was not because he had a humped back but most likely from his surcoat (robe worn over armour) with a cross on the back worn by Crusaders (crouchback = crossback). In 1269, he and his wife Aveline de Forz were the first royal couple to get married in Westminster Abbey.
On 17th January…
First recorded crossing of the Antarctic Circle
1773 - Captain James Cook aboard his ship, the Resolution, became the first to cross the Antarctic Circle approximately 66.5 degrees south of the equator. Despite January being summertime in the southern hemisphere it was still extremely cold, and he wrote in the ship’s diary that he was glad he had to turn back northwards because it was impossible for him to continue south towards the pole.
1863 - David Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister who was in power during World War I, was born in Lancashire, England.
On 18th January…
Marriage of Henry VII to Elizabeth of York
1486 - King Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, the daughter of King Edward IV. Henry was from the House of Lancaster and by marrying Elizabeth he united the two warring Houses of the Wars of the Roses. To highlight this union he created a new emblem for a new family. The Tudor Rose brings together the red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York into one red and white rose.
1882 - A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie the Pooh books was born in Hampstead, London. Did you know that it was A.A. Milne who adapted the Wind in the Willows story by Kenneth Grahame into the stage play Toad of Toad Hall?
On 19th January…
1736 - James Watt, the Scottish inventor, engineer and chemist was born in Greenock, Scotland. He is possibly best known for his improvements to the steam engine which made his design more efficient than other steam engines. The watt (the electrical unit of measurement) is named after him.
1915 - The first direct attack on English soil by Germany during World War I occurred when two German Zeppelins (airships) bombed Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn on the coast of Norfolk.
On 20th January…
The king goes on trial
1649 - Following his defeat and capture during the English Civil War, King Charles I went on trial for treason and other ‘high crimes’. His trial was one of the most famous events to have taken place in Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament.
Death of King George V
1936 - King George V of Great Britain died at the age of 71 years. During World War I he had changed the royal family surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor to break associations with his family’s German heritage. His son David inherited the crown and became King Edward VIII.
On 21st January…
1793 - King Louis XVI of France was executed by guillotine after being found guilty of treason during the French Revolution.
On 22nd January…
871 - The Battle of Basing took place between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in the kingdom of Wessex, England. The Anglo-Saxons, led by King Ethelred and his younger brother Alfred, were defeated despite their victory in the previous battle at Ashdown just two weeks earlier. This was the third time that the Saxon armies faced the Vikings in January, and there would be many more battles to come before the end of the year.
Queen Victoria dies on the Isle of Wight
1901 - Queen Victoria died, at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, after reigning for 64 years. During her time as queen the world had changed dramatically with inventions such as the telephone and motorcar.