People who held their land directly from the monarch.
Tenants-in-chief
Fact of the Day
Between April 1669 and the end of 1684, Charles II touched a total of 28,983 people (about 1,800 p.a.) for the King's Evil.
Quote of the Day
"Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets.
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~ George S. Patton, US general
On This Day
193 Roman emperor Didius Julianus was executed by his successor, Septimius Severus. He had been emperor for a mere nine weeks, having bought the position when it was auctioned off by the Praetorian Guard.
1533 Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, was crowned Queen of England.
1939 Naval submarine HMS Thetis sank during trials in Liverpool Bay. Ninety-nine of her crew suffocated and there were just four survivors.
1962 Adolf Eichmann, organiser of the Holocaust, was executed at midnight (between 31 May and 1 June) for crimes against the Jewish people. He had evaded capture and justice for 15 years.