June 20th - 26th
“It’s all about the Kings this week in history, especially Edwards and Richards...”
On 20th June…
Baltimore raided by Barbary pirates
1631 - The Irish village of Baltimore was attacked during the night by Algerian pirates from the Barbary coast. In what has become known as The Sack of Baltimore, nearly all of the villagers, including women and children, were captured by the pirates and taken back to Algiers to be sold into slavery. This was the largest attack on mainland Ireland wiping out an entire village. In the 17th century raids by the Barbary pirates were carried out almost daily on the coasts of Cornwall and Devon.
King William IV dies
1837 - King William IV of England died. He had no surviving children so his niece, Alexandrina Victoria, became Queen Victoria.
On 21st June…
King Edward III dies
1377 - King Edward III died. He was crowned king of England at the age of fourteen, and ruled for fifty years before his death. The children of his seven sons and five daughters would be fighting for the throne in the Wars of the Roses nearly eighty years later.
1982 - Prince William was born in London. He was the first child to Prince Charles and Diana. Princess of Wales and is second in line to the British throne.
On 22nd June…
Richard II declared King
1377 - Richard II became king of England at the age of ten, following the death of his grandfather Edward III.
1535 - Cardinal John Fisher was executed at the Tower of London for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England.
On 23rd June…
King Edward VIII is born
1894 - King Edward VIII was born. He was king for just under a year before abdicating the throne so that he could marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Edward VIII is the only British monarch to abdicate (voluntarily give up the crown). His younger brother, and father to Queen Elizabeth II, became King George VI when he abdicated.
1912 - Alan Turing was born in London. He was a mathematician and early computer scientist who invented the Turing Machine and helped to decode the German Enigma machine during World War II.
On 24th June…
King Edward II loses to the Scots at Bannockburn
1314 - The Battle of Bannockburn was won by the Scots. Starting on the 23rd June, the battle took place between the Scottish armies led by King Robert the Bruce and the English led by King Edward II. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Scots won, easily defeating the English. This battle is seen as the end of the Scottish Wars of Independence although this was not officially recognised for another fourteen years.
1497 - John Cabot, landed in eastern Canada. He was an Italian explorer who had sailed west from Bristol under the commission of King Henry VII in the hope of finding a new route to Asia. When he spotted land, Cabot believed he had found Asia and claimed it for England calling it Newfoundland.
Henry VIII is crowned King of England
1509 - King Henry VIII was formally crowned King of England at his coronation in Westminster Abbey. His wife, Catherine of Aragon was crowned Queen Consort.
On 25th June…
King Edward V declared illegitimate
1483 - The English Parliament declared King Edward V to be illegitimate. He was the son of King Edward IV and had become king at the age of 12 when his father died. His uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester was made protector of the realm because Edward V was so young.
On 26th June…
Richard, Duke of Gloucester becomes King of England
1483 - The Duke of Gloucester became King Richard III because Parliament had declared his nephew, King Edward V to be illegitimate. It was declared that his mother and father were never married and therefore Edward did not have a rightful claim to the throne. Edward V and his younger brother Richard were taken to the Tower of London shortly afterwards and never seen again. It is believed that they were murdered by their uncle so that Edward V could never reclaim the throne.