Notable Deaths on February 26

Q: Who died on February 26?

Notable people who died on February 26 include: Porphyry of Gaza, Muirchertach mac Néill, Roger II of Sicily (born 1095), Manfred, Margaret of England.

Q: What is Manfred known for?

Manfred, King of Sicily (born 1232)

1266 — Manfred

King of Sicily (born 1232)

February 26 has seen 89 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 420 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · February 26 — Wikipedia

Notable Deaths 89 people 420 – 2025

Did you know

The natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, Manfred became regent over the Kingdom of Sicily on behalf of his nephew Conradin in 1254

Did you know

Excommunicated by three successive popes, Manfred was the target of a Crusade (1255–1266) called first by Pope Alexander IV and then by Urban IV

Did you know

Manfred was the last King of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen dynasty, reigning from 1258 until his death

Did you know

As regent he subdued rebellions in the kingdom, until in 1258 he usurped Conradin's rule

Did you know

He defeated the papal army at Foggia on 2 December 1254

Porphyry of Gaza

Greek bishop and saint (born 347)

Year 420 (CDXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Constantius. The denomination 420 for this year has been used since…

420

Muirchertach mac Néill

King of Ailech (Ireland)

Muirchertach mac Néill, called Muirchertach of the Leather Cloaks, was a King of Ailech.

943

Roger II of Sicily (born 1095)

Roger II or Roger the Great was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in 1127, then King…

1154

Margaret of England

Queen consort of Scots (born 1240)

Margaret of England was Queen of Alba (Scotland) by marriage to King Alexander III.

1275

Fatima bint al-Ahmar

Nasrid princess in the Emirate of Granada (born c.1260)

Fatima bint Muhammad bint al-Ahmar was a Nasrid princess of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula. A daughter of Sultan Muhammad II and an expert in the study of barnamaj, she married…

1349

Roger Mortimer

2nd Earl of March, English commander (born 1328)

Roger de Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, 4th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.

1360

John de Vere

12th Earl of Oxford, English politician (born 1408)

John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, was the son of Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, and his second wife, Alice Sergeaux (1386–1452). A Lancastrian loyalist during the latter part of his life, he was convicted of…

1462

Lorenzino de' Medici

Italian writer and assassin (born 1514)

Lorenzino de' Medici, also known as Lorenzaccio, was an Italian politician, writer, and dramatist, and a member of the Medici family. He became famous for assassinating his cousin, Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of…

1548

Eric XIV of Sweden (born 1533)

Erik XIV or Eric XIV became King of Sweden following the death of his father, Gustav I, on 29 September 1560. During a 1568 rebellion against him, Erik was incarcerated by his half-brother John III. He was formally…

1577

Maria of Austria

Holy Roman Empress, spouse of Maximilian II (born 1528)

Maria of Austria or Maria of Spain, also known as Isabel, was the empress consort and queen consort of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia and Hungary. She served as regent of Spain in the absence of her…

1603

John Still

English bishop (born 1543)

John Still was Master of two Cambridge colleges and then, from 1593, Bishop of Bath and Wells. He enjoyed considerable fame as an English preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of an early…

1608

Antonio Possevino

Italian priest and diplomat (born 1533)

Antonio Possevino was a Jesuit protagonist of Counter-Reformation, serving as a papal diplomat, Jesuit controversialist, polemicist, encyclopedist, and bibliographer. He was the first Jesuit to visit Russia, Sweden,…

1611

Anna Vasa of Sweden

Polish and Swedish princess (born 1568)

Anna Vasa of Sweden was a Swedish princess heavily involved in the politics of that country and of Poland. She was starosta of Brodnica and Golub. The youngest child of King John III of Sweden and Catherine Jagiellon,…

1625

William Brade

English violinist and composer (born 1560)

William Brade was an English composer, violinist, and viol player of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras, mainly active in northern Germany. He was the first Englishman to write a canzona, an Italian form, and…

1630

Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac

French mathematician and linguist (born 1581)

Claude Gaspar Bachet Sieur de Méziriac was a French mathematician and poet born in Bourg-en-Bresse, at that time belonging to Duchy of Savoy. He wrote Problèmes plaisans et délectables qui se font par les nombres, Les…

1638

Thomas d'Urfey

English poet and playwright (born 1653)

Thomas d'Urfey was an English writer and playwright. He wrote plays, songs, jokes, and poems. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the ballad opera.

1723

Maximilian II Emanuel

Elector of Bavaria (born 1662)

Maximilian II, also known as Max Emanuel or Maximilian Emanuel, was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last governor of the Spanish Netherlands and Duke of…

1726

Giuseppe Tartini

Italian violinist and composer (born 1692)

Giuseppe Tartini was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era born in Pirano in the Republic of Venice. Tartini was a prolific composer, composing over a hundred pieces for the violin, the majority of them…

1770

Joshua Rowley

English admiral (born 1730)

Vice-Admiral of the White Sir Joshua Rowley, 1st Baronet was a Royal Navy officer who served in the War of the Austrian Succession, Seven Years' War and American War of Independence. The fourth son of Admiral of the…

1790

Esek Hopkins

American admiral (born 1718)

Commodore Esek Hopkins was a Continental Navy officer and privateer. He served as the only commander-in-chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War, when the Continental Congress appointed him to…

1802

Thomas-Alexandre Dumas

Haitian-French general (born 1762)

Army-General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French Army officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars. Along with fellow French officers Joseph Serrant and Toussaint Louverture, Abram…

1806

Robert R. Livingston

American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (born 1746)

Robert Robert Livingston was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from New York, as well as a Founding Father of the United States. He was known as "The Chancellor" after the high New York state legal office he…

1813

Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (born 1737)

General Field Marshal Frederick Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was an Austrian army officer who served in the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor. He began his career at the age of 18 in a cavalry regiment with…

1815

Joseph de Maistre

French lawyer and diplomat (born 1753)

Joseph Marie, comte de Maistre was a Savoyard lawyer, diplomat, and political philosopher. He is chiefly remembered as one of the intellectual forefathers of modern conservatism.

1821

Sybil Ludington

American figure of the American Revolutionary War (born 1761)

Sybil Ludington was an alleged heroine of the American Revolution and daughter of Patriot colonel Henry Ludington. Relatives of Ludington have claimed that on April 26, 1777, at age 16, she made an all-night horseback…

1839

Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine

Canadian jurist and politician, 3rd Premier of Canada East (born 1807)

Sir Louis-Hippolyte Ménard dit La Fontaine, 1st Baronet, KCMG was a Canadian politician, jurist and statesman, who served as the first Premier of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible…

1864

Afzal-ud-Daulah

Asaf Jah V, 5th Nizam of Hyderabad State (born 1827)

Afzal ad-Dawlah, Asaf Jah V Mir Tahniyat Ali Khan Siddiqi was the fifth Nizam of Hyderabad, India, from 1857 to 1869.

1869

Alexandros Koumoundouros

Greek lawyer and politician, 56th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1817)

Alexandros Koumoundouros was a Greek politician and founder of the Nationalist Party, who served as Prime Minister of Greece ten times, from 1865 to 1867, 1870 to 1871, and from 1875 to 1882. Born in Kampos, on the…

1883

Anandi Gopal Joshi

First Indian women physician (born 1865)

Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi was the first certified Indian female doctor of western medicine but Kadambini Ganguly was the first Indian female doctor who actually practiced doctory.

1887

Karl Davydov

Russian cellist and composer (born 1838)

Karl Yulievich Davydov was a Russian cellist, described by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as the "czar of cellists". He was also a composer, mainly for the cello. His name also appears in various different spellings: Davydov,…

1889

Kathinka Kraft

Norwegian memoirist (born 1826)

Kathinka Kraft was a Norwegian memoirist best known for her sole work Et og andet fra min Tid. Erindringer about her experiences growing up in Christiania and living in the countryside.

1895

Richard Jordan Gatling

American engineer, invented the Gatling gun (born 1818)

Richard Jordan Gatling was an American inventor. He is best known for having invented the Gatling gun, which is considered to be the first successful machine gun.

1903

Jean Lanfray

Swiss convicted murderer (born 1874)

Jean Lanfray was a French labourer in Switzerland who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and two children in a drunken rage on the afternoon of 28 August 1905 in Commugny, Switzerland. It was later revealed by…

1906

Felix Draeseke

German composer and academic (born 1835)

Felix August Bernhard Draeseke was a composer of the "New German School" admiring Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. He wrote compositions in most forms including eight operas and stage works, four symphonies, and much…

1913

Carl Menger

Polish-Austrian economist and academic (born 1840)

Carl Menger von Wolfensgrün was an Austrian economist who contributed to the marginal theory of value. Menger is considered the founder of the Austrian school of economics.

1921

Mary Whiton Calkins

American philosopher and psychologist (born 1863)

Mary Whiton Calkins was an American philosopher and psychologist, whose work informed theory and research of memory, dreams and the self. She developed the paired-associate learning technique and the theory of…

1930

Otto Wallach

German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1847)

Otto Wallach was a German chemist and recipient of the 1910 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on alicyclic compounds.

1931

February 26 Incident:

Viscount Takahashi Korekiyo was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1921 to 1922 and Minister of Finance when he was assassinated. He was also a member of the House of Peers and head of the…

1936

February 26 Incident:

Viscount Saitō Makoto was a Japanese admiral and politician who was prime minister of Japan from 1932 to 1934. Upon distinguishing himself during his command of two cruisers in the First Sino-Japanese War, Saitō rose…

1936

February 26 Incident:

Jōtarō Watanabe was a general in the early Shōwa period Imperial Japanese Army, noted as one of the victims of the February 26 Incident.

1936

Potato Creek Johnny

American gold prospector (born c. 1866)

John Eli Perrett, better known as Potato Creek Johnny, was an American frontiersman and gold miner, best known for having discovered one of the largest gold nuggets ever discovered in the Black Hills in 1929. From then…

1943

Theodor Eicke

German general (born 1892)

Theodor Eicke was a German military officer who served as both a senior SS functionary and a Waffen-SS divisional commander in Nazi Germany. He was a key figure in the development of Nazi concentration camps. Eicke…

1943

Sándor Szurmay

Minister of Defence of the Hungarian portion of Austria-Hungary (born 1860)

Vitéz Baron Sándor Szurmay de Uzsok was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence for the Hungarian portion of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary between 1917 and 1918.

1945

Heinrich Häberlin

Swiss judge and politician, President of the Swiss National Council (born 1868)

Heinrich Häberlin was a Swiss politician, judge and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1920–1934).

1947

Harry Lauder

Scottish comedian and singer (born 1870)

Sir Harry Lauder was a Scottish singer, comedian and actor. Popular in both music hall and vaudeville theatre traditions; he achieved international success.

1950

Sabiha Kasimati

Albanian ichthyologist (born 1912) executed with 21 others

Sabiha Kasimati was an Albanian professor of biology and ichthyologist, cited as one of the first women scientists in Albania. She was arrested by the communist regime on 20 February 1951, after the bombing of the…

1951

Theodoros Pangalos

Greek general and politician, President of Greece (born 1878)

Theodoros Pangalos was a Greek general, politician and dictator, who ruled Greece from 24 June 1925 to 22 August 1926. A distinguished staff officer and an ardent Venizelist and anti-royalist, Pangalos participated in…

1952

Karl Albiker

German sculptor, lithographer, and educator (born 1878)

Karl Albiker was a German sculptor, lithographer and teacher of fine arts. Albiker studied with Auguste Rodin in Paris. From 1919 to 1945 he was a professor at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. His monumental statues,…

1961

Mohammed V of Morocco (born 1909)

Mohammed al-Khamis bin Yusef bin Hassan al-Alawi, better known simply as Mohammed V, was the last Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953 and from 1955 to 1957, and first King of Morocco from 1957 to 1961. A member of the…

1961

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

Indian poet and politician (born 1883)

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar also called Veer Savarkar, was an Indian politician and ideologue. Savarkar developed the Hindu nationalist political ideology of Hindutva during his incarceration at Ratnagiri in 1922. He was a…

1966

Levi Eshkol

Israeli soldier and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Israel (born 1895)

Levi Eshkol, born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik, was the prime minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. A founder of the Israeli Labor Party, he served in numerous senior roles, including…

1969

Karl Jaspers

German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (born 1883)

Karl Theodor Jaspers was a German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher who had a strong influence on modern theology, psychiatry, and philosophy. His 1913 work General Psychopathology influenced many later diagnostic…

1969

Robert Aickman

English author and activist (born 1914)

Robert Fordyce Aickman was an English writer and conservationist. As a conservationist, he co-founded the Inland Waterways Association, a group which has preserved from destruction and restored England's inland canal…

1981

Howard Hanson

American composer, conductor, and educator (born 1896)

Howard Harold Hanson was an American composer, conductor, educator and music theorist. As director for forty years of the Eastman School of Music, he raised its quality and provided opportunities for commissioning and…

1981

Tjalling Koopmans

Dutch-American economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1910)

Tjalling Charles Koopmans was a Dutch-American mathematician and economist. He was the joint winner with Leonid Kantorovich of the 1975 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on the theory of the optimum…

1985

Roy Eldridge

American trumpet player (born 1911)

David Roy Eldridge, nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from the dominant…

1989

Constance Ford

American model and actress (born 1923)

Constance Ford was an American actress and model. She portrayed Ada Lucas Hobson on the long-running daytime soap opera Another World, from 1967 until shortly before her death in 1993. She also appeared in nearly two…

1993

Bill Hicks

American comedian (born 1961)

William Melvin Hicks was an American stand-up comedian and satirist. His material— encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy— was controversial and often steeped in dark…

1994

Jack Clayton

English director and producer (born 1921)

Jack Isaac Clayton was an English film director and producer, known for his skill directing literary adaptations. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for his feature-length debut, Room at the Top…

1995

David Doyle

American actor (born 1929)

David Fitzgerald Doyle was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of John Bosley on the 1970s TV series Charlie's Angels. Doyle and Jaclyn Smith were the only actors to appear in every episode of the…

1997

Theodore Schultz

American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902)

Theodore William Schultz was an American agricultural economist and chairman of the University of Chicago Department of Economics. Schultz rose to national prominence after winning the 1979 Nobel Memorial Prize in…

1998

George L. Street III

American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1913)

George Levick Street III was a submariner in the United States Navy. He received the Medal of Honor during World War II.

2000

Raosaheb Gogte

Indian industrialist (born 1916)

Balkrishna Mahadev Gogte, known colloquially as Raosaheb Gogte, was an Indian lawyer, industrialist, philanthropist and educationist.

2000

Lawrence Tierney

American actor (born 1919)

Lawrence James Tierney was an American film and television actor who is best known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and "tough guys" in a career that spanned over fifty years. His roles mirrored his own…

2002

Adolf Ehrnrooth

Finnish general (born 1905)

Adolf Erik Ehrnrooth was a Finnish general who served during the Winter and Continuation wars. He also competed in two equestrian events at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

2004

Boris Trajkovski

Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (born 1956)

Boris Trajkovski was a Macedonian politician who served as the president of Macedonia from 1999 until his death in 2004 in a plane crash.

2004

Jef Raskin

American computer scientist, created Macintosh (born 1943)

Jef Raskin was an American human–computer interface expert who conceived and began leading the Macintosh project at Apple in the late 1970s.

2005

Georgina Battiscombe

British biographer (born 1905)

Georgina Battiscombe was a British biographer, specialising mainly in lives from the Victorian era.

2006

Bodil Udsen

Danish actress (born 1925)

Bodil Birgitte Udsen was a Danish actress.

2008

Johnny Kerr

American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1932)

John Graham Kerr, also known as Red Kerr, was an American basketball player, coach, executive and broadcaster who devoted six decades to the sport at all levels. In 2009, he was honored with the Naismith Memorial…

2009

Wendy Richard

English actress (born 1943)

Wendy Richard was an English actress, best known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to…

2009

Norm Van Lier

American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1947)

Norman Allen Van Lier III was an American professional basketball player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls.

2009

Jun Seba

also known as "Nujabes", Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (born 1974)

Jun Seba , born Jun Yamada , better known by his stage name Nujabes, was a Japanese music producer best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip-hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating…

2010

Arnošt Lustig

Czech author, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1926)

Arnošt Lustig was a Czech Jewish writer, playwright and screenwriter. His works have often involved the Holocaust.

2011

Richard Carpenter

English actor and screenwriter (born 1929)

Richard Michael "Kip" Carpenter was an English screenwriter, author and actor. He created a number of British television series, including Robin of Sherwood and Catweazle.

2012

Marie-Claire Alain

French organist and educator (born 1926)

Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain-Gommier was a French organist, scholar and teacher best known for her prolific recording career, with 260 recordings, making her the most-recorded classical organist in the world. She taught…

2013

Stéphane Hessel

German-French diplomat and author (born 1917)

Stéphane Frédéric Hessel was a French diplomat, ambassador, writer, concentration camp survivor, Resistance member and BCRA agent. Born German, he became a naturalised French citizen in 1939. He became an observer of…

2013

Simon Li

Hong Kong judge and politician (born 1922)

Simon Li Fook-sean was a Hong Kong senior judge and politician.

2013

Sorel Etrog

Romanian-Canadian sculptor, painter, and illustrator (born 1933)

Sorel Etrog, was a Romanian-born Israeli-Canadian artist, writer, and primarily, a sculptor. He specialized in modern art works and contemporary sculpture. Etrog's works explore his first-hand experience of the Second…

2014

Phyllis Krasilovsky

American author and academic (born 1927)

Phyllis Louise Krasilovsky was an American writer of children's books.

2014

Sheppard Frere

English historian and archaeologist (born 1916)

Sheppard Sunderland Frere, CBE, FSA, FBA was a British historian and archaeologist who studied the Roman Empire. He was a fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.

2015

Theodore Hesburgh

American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (born 1917)

Theodore Martin Hesburgh, C.S.C. was an American Catholic priest and academic who was a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He served as president of the University of Notre Dame for 35 years from 1952 to 1987,…

2015

Earl Lloyd

American basketball player and coach (born 1928)

Earl Francis Lloyd was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was the first African American player to play a game in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

2015

Tom Schweich

American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (born 1960)

Thomas A. Schweich was an American politician, diplomat, attorney, and author. A member of the Republican Party, Schweich served as State Auditor of Missouri from 2011 until his death in 2015.

2015

Andy Bathgate

Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (born 1932)

Andrew James Bathgate was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins…

2016

Don Getty

Canadian football player and politician, 11th Premier of Alberta (born 1933)

Donald Ross Getty was a Canadian athlete, businessman, and politician who served as the 11th premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992.

2016

Joseph Wapner

American judge and TV personality (born 1919)

Joseph Albert Wapner was an American judge and television personality. He is best known as the first presiding judge of the reality court show The People's Court. The show's first run in syndication, with Judge Wapner…

2017

Michelle Trachtenberg

American actress (born 1985)

Michelle Christine Trachtenberg was an American actress. After beginning her career in commercials at age three, she made her television debut in her first credited role on the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete…

2025

Notable deaths

Who died on February 26?

Manfred — King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266

FeaturedManfred

Death year1266

Known forThe natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, Manfred became regent over the Kingdom of Sicily on behalf of his nephew Conradin in 1254

Deaths on this date89 (420 – 2025)

Explore February 26

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

Events on February 26 Birthdays on February 26 Deaths on February 26 February 26 quiz

Also on February 26 in History

2026

The government of Pakistan declares "open war" against the Taliban in Afghanistan, initiating the 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan War. Wikipedia →

2021

A total of 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 are kidnapped by bandits in the Zamfara kidnapping in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Wikipedia →

2019

Indian Air Force fighter-jets target Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camps in Balakot, Pakistan. Wikipedia →

See all events on February 26

February 25 February 27

Explore notable deaths on the interactive calendar.

Open the Calendar All Blog Posts

Notable Deaths on February 26

1266 — Manfred

Who died on February 26?

Explore February 26

Also on February 26 in History

History runs on facts, and this project runs on coffee!