All About Royal Families

In 2013, I went together with my husband and with Oscar Meijer, creator of the Dutch blog 'De Staat van Oranje', see next link to Royal Delft. Delft is a city located in the Netherlands between Rotterdam and The Hague. Delft also is known for its association with the Dutch Royal Family, which made it an interesting visit for me. Delft City Hall - own picture Due to my work, I'm interested in City Halls too and this one really is a beauty, restored in its Renaissance style. In this magnificent building there are portraits from the Counts of Orange and Nassau.  The Tower called the 'Stone' or in Dutch het 'Steen' was originally built in 1300. In the tower there is an old city prison where Balthasar Gérard, the murderer of William the Silent was taken captive before sentencing. With this post I'd like to thank all of you for the support with the likes, the reshares and your comments. Besides that I'd like to wish y...

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria was born on August 21st. 1858 in Laxenburg (near Vienna in Austria). Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria - Source picture: Wikipedia Crown Prince Rudolf was the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi).  On May 10th. 1881 Crown Prince Rudolf married Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium.This marriage wasn't happy at all.  Crown Prince Rudolf found soulace in drink and other women. In 1887 Rudolf bought Mayerling Hunting Lodg. In 1888 he met the 17-years old Barones Marie Vetsera. On January 30th. 1889 they both were found dead in the Mayerling Hunting Lodge. After the death of Rudolf, the Mayerling Hunting Lodge was transformed into a  convent where the sisters could pray for Rudolf's soul. Crown Prince Rudolf was buried in the Capuchin Church in Vienna.  However, this tragedy still causes a lot of questions and rumors. 

On January 29th. 1602 the birth of Countess Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg took place. Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were Philip Louis II, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg and Countess Catharina Belgica of Nassau. Countess Amalie Elisabeth was through her mother a granddaughter of William the Silent. Via her mother's numerous siblings, Amalie Elisabeth even was related to many of the noble Houses of Europe. In 1619, Amalie Elisabeth married Landgrave William V of Hesse-Kassel. They would have 14 children. In 1627 William became the ruler of Hesse-Kassel. During the Thirty Years' War, William fought on the Portestant side, however later he was defeated by the Emperor's troops. Troughout his flight, William and Amalie Elisabeth had to leave their little daughters: Amalia, Charlotte and Elisabeth behind in Kassel. Amalie Elisabeth only saw her daughters again three years later. In 1637, William V of Hess...

Countess Anna of Stolberg-Wernigerode was born on January 28th. 1504 in Stolberg (Saxony-Anhalt). Anna of Stolberg-Wernigerode- Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were Bodo VIII, Count of Stolberg-Wernigerode and Anna of Eppstein-Königstein. Anna was the older sister of the famous Juliana of Stolberg. In 1516 Anna of Stolberg-Wernigerode became Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg. She was the first Abbess who followed Lutheranism. During her reign she established Lutheranism in all the Houses. As Princess Abbess Anna controlled nine churches, two male monasteries and a hospital. Anna died on March 4th. 1574 at the age of 70.

My Tree Tuesday picture was taken several years ago when I visited Dinant. This is located in the southern part of my country: Belgium. own picture - Dinant At the picture you can see of course trees and an Aerial Tramway. This was the easiest way to 'climb' the citadel. Unfortunately I never like those things and I had to climb all those stairs :-) The citadel of Dinant also played an important role in the History.  own picture - Dinant In the 11th. century emperor Henri IV granted several rights over Dinant to the Prince Bishop of Liège, including market and justice rights. Due to its strategic location near the Meuse they needed a citadel to protect the city against enemies. In 1051 there already was a structure. In 1466 the city and the citadele were destroyed by Charles the Bold. 800 citizens were thrown in the Meuse and the city was in fire. But the city raised again from its ashes. After Charles the Bold, the rights of Dinant were violated by...

Joachim III Frederick (in German: Friedrich) was born on January 27th. 1546. This event took place in Cölln (sister town of old Berlin).His parents were John George, Elector of Brandenburg and Sophie of Legnica. Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg - Source picture: Wikipedia From 1566 till 1598 Joachim III Frederick served as administrator of the Archbishop of Magdeburg. On January 8th. 1570, Joachim III Frederick married Catherine of Brandenburg- Küstrin. They would have 11 children. In 1598 Joachim III Frederick succeeded his father as Elector of Brandenburg. On October 23rd. 1603, Joachim III Frederick married Eleanor of Prussia. They would have 1 child. In 1605 Joachim III Frederick even became regent of Prussia. He also had the titles Duke of: - Stettin; - Pomerania; - Cassubia; - Vandalorum; - Crossen. Besides Elector of Brandenburg he was a member of the House of Hohenzollern too. Joachim III Frederick died on July 18th. 1608 at the age...

Louis Frederick of Württemberg-Montbéliard was born on January 29th. 1586 as the 5th child of Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg and Sibylla of Anhalt. Louis Frederick, Duke of Württemberg-Montbéliard - Source picture: Wikipedia On May 28th. 1617, Louis Frederick agreed with his older brother, Duke John Frederick, to divide the possessions of Württemberg. Louis Frederick received the possessions on the left bank of the Rhine: Montbéliard, Riquewihr and Horburg. Louis Frederick married twice. 1/ Elisabeth Magdalene of Hesse-Darmstadt on July 14th. 1617. They would have 3 children. 2/ Anna Eleonora of Nassau-Weilburg-Saarbrücken on May 15th. 1625. They also would have 3 children. On July 28th. 1828, Duke John Frederick died and Louis Frederick moved to Stuttgart to act as regent for his nephew Eberhard III. This period wasn't a great success because Württemberg lost a third of his possessions. Louis Frederick died on January 26th. 1631 at the age of 44.

My Happy Weekend Picture was taken in Maria Alm in 2012. own picture taken in 2012  - Maria Alm Maria Alm is located in the Salzburger Region in Austria, it also is a famous place for skiing. In the summer there are a lot of other sports to do like: mountain biking, climbing, golf and hiking... During World War II the town played an important role. It was here that German and American officers negotiated about the German capitulation. With this post I'd like to wish you all a very happy weekend and a super start of next week!

January 22nd. 1536 marks the birth of Philibert, Margrave of Baden-Baden. Philibert, Margrave of Baden-Baden: Source picture: Wikipedia His parents had been Bernhard III, Margrave of Baden-Baden and Franziska of Luxembourg. On January 17th. 1557, Philibert married Mechthild of Bavaria, they would have five children. Mechthild of Bavaria was the daughter of Duke William IV of Bavaria, who was a strict Catholic. Despite the wish of his father-in-law, Philibert became a protestant. Philibert fought in the Imperial army and died during his duty  on October 3rd. 1569 in Montcontour (France).

Duchess Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg was born on January 21st. 1675 at Ratzeburg Castle as the daughter of Julius Francis, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Countess Palatine Maria Hedwig of Sulzbach. Duchess Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg - Source picture: Wikipedia In 1676 the family moved to Bohemia where she and her sister spent their youth. When their mother died in 1681, Countess Eva Polyxena of Werschowitz was entrusted with the education of the girls. They were teached in the art of etiquette, conversation, painting and music (the traditional education for a female in that era). Sibylle was a desirable candidate for marriage and she could chose. She had the chance to marry Prince Eugene of Savoy but Sibylle preferred the other, older, candidate: Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden. He arrived in Bohemia on January 10th. 1690 and the 'lovebirds' were officially betrothed on January 14th. The actual marriage took place on March 27th. 1690. But Sibylle was often ...

My Tree Tuesday picture was taken in 2007 in Luxembourg City, which is the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Luxembourg City The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium (west en north); Germany (east) and France (south). The Congress of Vienna declared in 1815 that Luxembourg became a part of the United Kingdom of The Netherlands. Only in 1890 with the death of King William III, who died without male heirs, Luxembourg had his own Grand Duke:  Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg. As you can see on the picture, Luxembourg City has a beautiful landscape and it also is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. With this picture and little story,  I'd like to wish you all a very  good Tuesday.

January 20th. 1292 marks the birth of Elizabeth of Bohemia. Elizabeth of Bohemia - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and Judith of Habsburg. When Elizabeth was five years old, her mother died. Six years later her father remarried. This time he chose a Polish Princess called Elizabeth Richeza of Poland. Wenceslaus II gained then the King of Poland. At the age of 13, Elizabeth of Bohemia became an orphan. Her father died and her brother was assassinated. In 1306 the marriage question of Elizabeth of Bohemia became important. In September 1310 Elizabeth finally married John of Luxembourg, he was the son of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor. The coronation of John and Elizabeth took place in 1311. At the beginning the marriage was a disaster because Elizabeth needed to give birth to a son. Six years after her wedding she gave birth to the later Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI. The marriage became worser and Elizabeth grew jealous ...

On January 19th. 1889, Sophie Taeuber Arp was born in Davos (Switzerland). Her parents were Emil Taeuber and Sophie Taeuber-Krüsi. Sophie Taeuber - Source picture: Wikipedia When she was two years old, her father died of tuberculosis. After his death, all the family moved to Trogen, where her mother opened a pension. Sophie Taeuber began her studies at the School of Art in St. Gallen. Later she studied in a workshop in Munich, at the School of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg. She also attended the Laban School of Dance in Zurich. In 1915 at an exhibition of the Tanner Gallery, Sophie met the avant-garde artist Jean Arp. The two married in in 1922 and she changed her last name in Taeuber-Arp. From 1916 till 1920 Sophie Taeuber-Arp started with textile and graphic works, she designed puppet costumes and sets for the theater as well. In 1926 the talented couple moved to Strasbourg in France. There they both took the French nationality. In 1927 they wrote together a book...

My Happy Weekend Picture was taken in Berlin, at the tea house in the Charlottenburg Palace garden. These sets were used by some Prussian Queens. a pink tea set As you can see on the picture(s) the Prussian Royal Family took the tea ceremony very serious. They had a lot of own Porcelain tea sets. Everything is very well preserved.  another tea set On September 19th. 1763, King Frederick II of Prussia established the Royal Porcelain factory in Berlin. This factory still exists today. So: Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things :-) (Quote from Chaim Potok). With this quote I wish you all a very good Saturday and of course a  happy Sunday as well!

Anna Margareta von Haugwitz was born on January 16th. 1622  in Calbe as a poor orphan from lower German nobility. Anna Margareta von Haugwitz - Source picture: Wikipedia In 1635 she moved to Sweden as ward of Elisabeth Juliana of Erbach and met a Swedish commander, Carl Gustaf Wrangel, the two fell in love, despite their difference in rank.The couple married in 1640 and this turned out to be a happy family life. After her death on March 20th. 1673, Anna Margareta von Haugwitz,  surprisingly, provide a large sum of money to her birth city, Calbe.

Friedrich von Amerling was born on April 14th. 1803 in Vienna as the son of Franz Amerling and Theresia Kargl. Friedrich von Amerling - Source picture: Wikipedia First he studied in the Academy of the Arts in Vienna from 1815 till 1824. Later Friedrich traveled inter alia to Prague, London, Italy, The Netherlands, Munich, Spain, Greece, Norway and Egypt. Between 1835 and 1880 Friedrich Amerling was a painter at the Court of Emperor Franz Joseph. He became one of the most outstanding Austrian portrait painters. Friedrich von Amerling received many honors and he had his own post stamp (after his death). He died on January 14th. 1887.

My Tree Tuesday was taken in 2011 during a visit to Vienna, the amazing capital of Austria. own picture - Votive Church - Vienna Readers of this blog already know, that I like trees especially in an urban environment and that is here certainly the case.  The Votive Church, which you can see on the picture has a very special royal history related to members of the House of Habsburg. In 1853 Emperor Frans Joseph of Austria escaped from a attempted  assassination. His brother Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian wanted to thank  God for saving the Emperor's life. The church was inaugurated in 1879, when Emperor Frans Joseph celebrated his silver wedding anniversary with Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi). With this post, I'd like to wish you all a very good Tuesday and a wonderful rest of the week.

Joachim II Hector was born on January 13th. 1505 as a member of the House of Hohenzollern. His parents were Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg and his wife Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg - Source picture: Wikipedia Joachim II Hector was born in Cölln (sister town of old Berlin). There wasn't much known about his youth, except that his mother, Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, became Protestant and she left the court of her husband. His father made Joachim Hector sign an inheritance contract in which he  promised to remain Roman Catholic.  On November 6th. 1524 Joachim II Hector married Magdalena of Saxony. They would have 7 children inter alia John George, Elector of Brandenburg. See my Today in History of September 11th. on next link . Magdalena of Saxony died in 1534 and in 1535 he married Hedwig of Poland (daughter of King Sigismund I the Old of the Poland Lithuania and the...

Count Henry III of Nassau-Dillenburg-Dietz was born on January 12th. 1483 in Siegen (now located in Germany). His parents were John V of Nassau-Dillenburg and Elisabeth of Hesse-Marburg. Count Henry III of Nassau-Dillenburg was the elder brother of William I, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg (father of William the silent). Henry III, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, Source picture: Wikipedia Count Engelbert II of Nassau invited his nephew, Henry III, to visit him in the Burgundian Netherlands. This took place in 1499.  Later Henry III traveled  together with Philip the Handsome to Castile. On August 3rd. 1503 Henry III married the first time. His wife became  Louise-Françoise of Savoy. She died in 1511. In 1504 Henry III inherited his uncle's possessions in The Netherlands inter alia the wealthy Breda.  Also in 1504, Henry III was chosen as Knight in the  Order of the Golden Fleece. In 1506 he became a close confidant of the young ...

Although I do hate war and violence, I visited the Military Museum at the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels (capital of Belgium). This interesting place was founded in 1910, when a section of military history was presented to the public with success! Military Museum in Brussels Belgium - own picture taken in 2014 Due to the enthusiasm of the public the authorities established the Army Museum, which was a risk with the tensions of the Great War. own picture of the model of the Army Museum The exhibitions inside really are interesting (and free to visit except the special ones). However I don't know a lot about Army things or ranks.  But there was a room which interested me very much because of the History. Treasures of Imperial Russia In this room there were portraits of the Russian Tsars: portrait of Russian Tsar Uniforms Uniform of the Imperial Russian Army And other beautiful things. A treasure from Imperial R...

Johann Eduard Strauss was born on February 16th. 1866 in Vienna, capital of Austria. Johann Strauss III - Source picture: Wikipedia His parents were Eduard Strauss and Maria Klenkhart. As member of the famous Strauss family he was entrusted with the task of upholding the family's tradition after the desolution of the Strauss Orchestra in 1901. Therefor the family Strauss  dominated the Viennese light orchestra world for decades. On April 17th. 1894, Johan Strauss III married Maria Emilie Karoline Hofner. They would have 4 children. Initially Johann Strauss III was beter known for his conductor capacities than  for his composings. Although his later work like Op. 40, or the Coronation Waltz became very  famous.This was played on the Coronation of King Edward VII on  August 9th. 1902. He died on January 9th. 1939 in Berlin (Germany).

January 8th. 1874 marks the birth of Princess Elisabeth Marie of Bavaria . Princess Elisabeth Marie of Bavaria Her parents were Prince Leopold (in German: Luitpold) of Bavaria and Archduchess Gisela of Austria. Princess Elisabeth Marie had three siblings: one younger sister and two younger brothers. In Love On November 2nd. 1893, Princess Elisabeth Marie married Otto Ludwig Philipp von Seefried auf Buttenheim. This wedding took place at Genoa (Italy) and wasn't known by the family because the lovebirds would never receive an official permission. First of all, Otto had a lower rank than Princess Elisabeth Marie. Secondly he also was a protestant while the Bavarian Royal Family was Catholic. The official announcement of the wedding was made by letter. This horrified Elisabeth's parents, especially her father, Prince Leopold. It took years to recover their relationship. Due to efforts made by Archduchess Gisela (Elisabeth's...

On January 7th. 1753 Countess Augusta Louise zu Stolberg-Stolberg was born in Bramstedt, Duchy of Holstein, which is now a part of the German state: Schleswig-Holstein. Augusta Louise zu Stolberg-Stolberg - Source picture: Wikipedia Her brothers, Count Leopold and Count Christian were close friends of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Countess Augusta Louise zu Stolberg-Stolberg lived in a pension for young girls. Between 1775 and 1776 she had a lively correspondence with Goethe, although they never met each other in person. In 1783 Augusta Louise moved to Copenhagen and later she married the Danish Minister of State Andreas Peter Bernstorff.   Andreas Peter Bernstorff - Source picture: Wikipedia She died on May 30th. 1835 in Kiel.

January 6th. 1653 marks the birth of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Eisenberg the eight and fifth surviving son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg and Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. Source picture: Wikipedia Christian was very interested in traveling, history and art. He made in Eisenberg his residence and in 1677 he gave the order to build Schloss Christiansburg. During his last years he became interested in alchemy. Christian also believed in connections with ghosts. He married twice: 1/ On February 13th. 1677 to Christiane of Saxe-Merseburg, they had one daughter 2/ On February 9th. 1681 to Sophie Marie of Hesse-Darmstadt. They had no children. Christian died on April 28th. 1707. After his death Christians lands were disputed between the remaining Coburg brothers and their descendants. This was called the: ' Coburg-Eisenberg-Römhild inheritance dispute '. It took to 1735 to resolve.

On January 5th. 1425, Henry IV of Castile was born in Valladolid as the son of John II of Castile and Maria of Aragon. Henry IV of Castile - Source picture: Wikipedia   In 1440 Prince Henry celebrated his first marriage to the infanta Blanche, who became later Queen Blanche II of Navarra. In that year Henry was only 15 years old! The marriage had been agreed in 1436 as part of the peace negotiations between Castile and Navarre. In 1453, bishop Segovia Luis Vázquez de Acuña annulled their marriage on grounds of Henry's sexual impotence due to a curse. Later Henry wanted to marry Joan of Portugal. Because they were cousins, Pope Nicholas V had to give his agreement for this marriage. Their wedding was celebrated in May 1455 and finally on February 28th. 1462, the queen gave birth to a daughter called: Joanna la Beltraneja. This birth became a cause for gossips - Was Henry the father? Henry died in 1474 and he was buried at the Santa Maria de Guadalupe, n...

In the former Royal stables of Nymphenburg Palace (Munich) there is a big Carriage Museum with one of the largest coach collections of Europe. own picture of a Royal sleigh There even are some Royal sleighs which were very handy during the winter in the snow. A model of a Royal sleigh with horses - own picture As always each Bavarian King had his sleigh with his own escutcheon. Even with the sleighs you can see the different styles and periods of time. own picture of a Royal sleigh I visited this wonderful museum on May 27th. 2014 in the morning, then It  wasn't that busy, so it was easy to take pictures. With this post I'd like to wish you all a very happy weekend.

In Parma (Italy) a very noble girl was born on December 9th. 1751. That girl received the names Luisa Maria Teresa Anna but she became famous as Maria Luisa of Parma. Maria Luisa of Parma - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were Philip, Duke of Parma and Princess Louise Élisabeth of France (daughter of King Louis XV of France). Maria Luisa of Parma was educated by Étienne Bonnot de Condillac, a well known French philosopher.  Her mother tried to engage her to Louis, Duke of Burgundy, heir to the French throne but he died in 1761. One year later, in 1762, Maria Luisa became engaged to Charles, Prince of Asturias, heir of the Spanish throne, who reigned as King Charles IV of Spain since 1788. The two married in 1765. They would have 14 children. In Spain Maria Luisa had well known rivals like the Duchess of Alba and the Duchess of Osuna and even her sister-in-law Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples. There were gossips that Maria Luisa had many love a...