All About Royal Families

March 30th. 1633 marks the birth of Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. He was a member of the noble House of Hesse. Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg - Source picture: Wikipedia His parents had been Frederick I, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and Margaret Elisabeth of Leiningen-Westerburg. Frederick was their seventh and youngest child. Frederick was educated by the private tutors of the sons of his cousin, George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. At the age of 16, Frederick started his Grand Tour of Europe. He visited Italy and France. He 'studied' at the University of Geneva. There Frederick learned dancing, riding, fencing and he polished his knowledge of the French Language. In 1654 he became a colonel in the army of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden. In 1659 Frederick was seriously wounded during the storming of Copenhagen. His lower right leg even had to be amputated. He was promoted as General-Major and had since then a wooden leg. He lef...

My Tree Tuesday picture was taken during a holiday in 2013 in Corfu. This was the favorite Isle of Empress Elisabeth of Austria also called Sisi. Tree Tuesday - olive tree own picture I always am fascinated by the Olive Tree because it was the symbol of the whole Mediterranean area during ancient times and it played an important role in the Greek mythology. The origin of the Olive Tree in Athens is even explained through the intervention of the Goddess Athena (daughter of Zeus and Metis). Athena was a warrior Goddess whose attributes were the spear, helmet, owl and the olive tree. Generally the olive tree symbolises peace, prosperity and hope . It is also present in many traditional religious celebrations. Olive Tree - own picture Today it is still used as an important symbol. You even can see an olive branch on the Great Seal of the United States. Source picture: Wikipedia

March 24th. 1441 marks the birth of Ernest, Elector of Saxony. Ernest, Elector of Saxony - Source picture: Wikipedia Ernest was the second son of eight children of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony and Margaret of Austria (sister of Frederick III, Holry Roman Emperor). In 1451 Ernest's elder brother Frederick died. This made him the new heir of Saxony. In 1455 Ernest and his brother Albert were kidnapped by the knight Kunz von Kaufungen. This episode in German History was known as the "Prinzenraub" translated "stealing of the Princes". On November 19th. 1460 Ernest married Elisabeth of Bavaria. They would have 7 children. Ernest was the founder of the Ernestine line of the Saxon Princes. Ernest was inter alia the ancestor of: King George I of Great Britain; Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom; King Leopold I of Belgium; Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (husband of Queen Victoria). In 1464 Frederick II died and Ernest succeeded h...

August 3rd. 1654 marks the birth of Charles of Hesse-Kassel. Charles I of Hesse-Kassel He was the second son of William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg. In 1670 Charles I succeeded his elder brother, William VII, as Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. William VII died shortly after he reached adulthood and before he had the chance to change the administration. On May 21st. 1673 Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel married his first cousin, Maria Amalia of Courland (daughter of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland). They would have 17 children, 14 of them lived long enough to have names. He had a big army who was in service during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). On March 23rd. 1730 Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel died. He was succeeded by his eldest son Frederick who was then already King of Sweden.

My Happy Weekend Picture was taken in 2013 during a trip to The Hague, former capital of The Netherlands. Royal Theater in The Hague - own picture At the picture you can see a magnificent building: the Royal Theater. Of course, this Palace has a great history. Charles Christian - Source picture: Wikipedia In 1766 Prince Charles Christian (in Dutch: Karel Christiaan) of Nassau-Weilburg, gave the order to build a palace in The Hague for himself and his wife Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau. Carolina of Orange-Nassau - Source picture: Wikipedia The architect became Pieter de Swart. He created a design in Louis XVI Style. Due to the French Occupation of The Netherlands, the construction of the palace was stopped. When Prince Charles Christian died in 1788, his heirs sold his possessions in The Hague, with the exception of this unfinished palace. For a long time the palace remained vacant and unfinished. There even was a proposition to pull down th...

Princess Astrid of Belgium will visit Qatar and United Arab Emirates between March 21st. 2015 and March 27th. 2015  with several federal and local ministers and a delegation from Belgian businesses. Source map: Wikipedia On March 23rd. Princess Astrid of Belgium met Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. You can see a picture on next link   On March 23rd. Princess Astrid of Belgium met Sheikha Moza. You can see a picture on next link  

March 20th. 1690 marks the birth of Giuseppe Gonzaga. His parents had been Vincenzo Gonzaga and Maria Vittoria Gonzaga. Giuseppe Gonzaga - Source picture: Wikipedia Giuseppe was mentally handicapped and wouldn't probably never have married but in 1731 there was an arragement with the 16th. year old Eleonore of Holstein (daughter of Leopold of Schleswig-Holstein). The marriage remained childless. Between 1734 and 1738 the Duchy was occupied by the French Troops. On August 16th. 1746 Giuseppe died. Later the Duchy was annexed with Austria. Guastalla is a town in Emilia-Romagna. This is located on the right banks of the Po River in Italy. 

My Tree Tuesday Picture was taken in 2013 during a visit to the wonderful city of Berlin. Reichstag Berlin - own picture After the Unification of Germany (1871) the parliament needed a bigger building. So, Emperor William I ordered to build a new one. The first architectural contest was in 1872 but conflicts between William I, Otto von Bismarck and members of the Reichstag delayed the construction. In 1882 another contest took place, with 200 architects participating. This time the winner was Paul Wallot, who came from Frankfurt. His project was executed between 1884 and 1894.  When William II was forced to abdicate in 1918, the Reichstag stayed the building of the parliament in the Weimar Republic. On February 27th. 1933 a huge fire took place. After World War II the building was seriously damaged.  However between 1961 and 1964 the reconstruction of the building took  place (after another contest).  Until 1990 the ...

Every year people around the world are celebrating Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick which took place on March 17th. Saint Patrick - Source picture: Wikipedia In the Early 17th. century Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian Feast Day. Nowadays it is still a public Holiday in Ireland and many Irish communities in the world. Well, I'd like to wish you a Happy Saint Patrick's Day.

Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg -What a long name -  was born on March 16th. 1729 in Obrigheim (Germany). Marie Louise Albertine - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents had been Count Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg and his wife Countess Katharina Polyxena of Solms-Rödelheim. On March 16th. 1748 she married Prince George William of Hesse-Darmstadt. Maria Louise was described as a magnificent person. But she spoke mostly the Palatinate dialect. She was the grandmother and educator of Princess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who later became Queen Consort of Prussia. Marie Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg died on March 11st. 1818 at the age of 88.

My Happy Weekend picture was taken several weeks ago in Bruges, Belgium. Bruges Belgium Own picture - Minnewater Bruges + castle At the picture you can see the Minnewater, a very romantic place in Bruges. You can also notice the castle de la Faille. This neogothic castle was built in 1893 to a design by Charles De Wulf for a florist Leon De Wulf. This Leon De Wulf also was a man who served in the executive board of the municipal of Bruges. castle de la Faille - Bruges - own picture In 1980 the castle de la Faille was purchased by the city of Bruges. From 1996 it is a protected monument. With this post, I like to wish you all a very Happy Weekend.  Thank you for reading my blog, your nice comments, the likes  and the reshares!

March 13th. 1716 marks the birth of Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia. This event took place at the Stadtschloss in Berlin (German Empire). Philippine Charlotte of Prussia - Source picture: Wikipedia Familie Ties Her parents had been King Frederick William I of Prussia and his wife Sophie Dorothea of Hanover. The next chapter proves how close the family ties are between the Royal Families in Europe   Coat of Arms - House of Hohenzolleren Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia was the sister of inter alia: King Frederick II of Prussia; Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Her mother was a daughter of King George I of Great Britain. Princess Philippine Charlotte was a niece of: King George II of United Kingdom; Anne, Princess of Orange; Queen Louise of Denmark and Norway. Marriage On July 2nd. 1733 Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia married Duke Charles of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. They would have 13 children. More about her Princes...

Princess Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt was born on March 12th. 1573 in Dessau, now located in Saxony-Anhalt a bundesland in Germany. Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents had been, Prince Joachim Ernest of Anhalt and Eleonore of Württemberg. Between 1581 and 1586 she was Abdess of the Imperial Abbey St. Cyriac in Gernrode. At the age of 13 Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt married Elector Augustus of Saxony on January 3rd. 1586. She became his second wife. A few weeks later Augustus of Saxony died. She received the Lichtenburg Castle but she never lived there. On February 14th. 1588 Agnes Hedwig married for the second time. She became the wife of Duke John II of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. From this marriage she would have nine children. Agnes Hedwig of Anhalt died on November 3rd. 1616 at the age of 43.

March 11th. 1895 marks the birth of Elisabeth Marie Alice Viktoria (nicknamed Ella). This event took place in Darmstadt (German Empire). Her parents were Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. They were both grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine - Source Wikipedia When Elisabeth was little, her father gave the order to build a playhouse where adults were not allowed. This frustrated her royal nurses and tutors. Elisabeth was the favorite of her great-grandmother Queen Victoria. She often stayed at Windsor Castle and the Queen called the girl 'my precious'. When the child heard Queen Victoria's pony coach approaching on the road bellow she ran to the balcony and called 'Granny Gran I'm here.' This made Queen Victoria laugh. On October 6th. 1903 Ernst Ludwig hosted a large family gathering in Darmstadt for the wedding of his niece Princess Al...

My Tree Tuesday Picture was taken in 2014 during a visit to Nuremberg. This lovely town is located in Bavaria (southern Germany). own picture of the Nuremberg Castle Of course the Nuremberg Castle has a huge history. It even was recorded for the first time in 1050 when Holy Roman Emperor Henry III visited the town. In 1140 King Conrad III of Germany started building a second Castle on the site. This was used as Royal Residence. In the 13th. century Nuremberg became an Imperial Free City (self ruling city) and the castle fell into the care of the city. own picture of the Nuremberg Castle The castle consists of three parts:  Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg); buildings of the Burgraves of Nuremberg (Burggrafenburg); and the municipal buildings of the city. Nowadays the castle and the city walls are considered as one of Europe's most fantastic medieval fortifications.

William VIII  was born on March 10th. 1682 in Kassel (Germany) as the 7th. son of Charles I of Hesse-Kassel and Maria Amalia of Courland. William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, source picture: Wikipedia On September 27th.1717 William married Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe-Zeith. They would have 3 children. 1720 was an important year, then his elder brother Frederick became King of Sweden. In 1730 his father died. Since then William VIII was de facto ruler of Hesse-Kassel although William could officially bear the title landgrave after the death of his brother on 25th. March 1751. In the Seven Years' War (1754-1763) Hesse-Kassel became an important Battle Field when William VIII joined the Prussian and British Army. Hesse-Kassel was often occupied by the French troops. During his reign, William VIII gave the order to start building the Wilhelmsthal Palace. There he collected paintings including works by Rembrandt. William VIII died on February 1st. 1760 in...

On March 9th. 1842 the premiere of the famous opera Nabucco took place at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan (Italy). Nabucco original costume - Source picture: Wikipedia Nabucco is a four acts opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi in Italian. It is based on biblical stories from the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Daniel. 'Thus said the Lord, Behold, I shall deliver this city into the hand of the King of Babylon, and he will burn it to fire.' The premiere of Nabucco was a colossal success. Numerous Italian and foreign theaters put the opera on their performance schedules. Nabucco libretto from 1842 - Source picture: Wikipedia On March 3rd. 1846 Nabucco's first performance in London took place in His Majesty's Theatre. Although in the United Kingdom the name Nabucco was changed in Nino. Nowadays, Nabucco is still frequently heard around the world and the best known number is the 'Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves'. You can listen to this song on ...

Peter the Great source in Spa - Belgium - own picture The Peter the Great Source is located in the center of Spa at the Place Pierre (the French name for Peter). Around 1717 Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, visited Spa. During that time Belgium was a part of the Austrian Netherlands. Peter the Great - Source picture: Wikipedia After this visit Peter the Great ordered to build spas around Russian hot springs.  The Tsar couldn't get enough from Spa and he made more visits to  this city.

Hapy Holi is a spring festival, also known as a festival of colours and a festival of Love. A Holi celebration in the 18th. Century. - Source picture: Wikipedia This event was first of all celebrated in India & Nepal. Later it became popular in many other places in Asia and in communities outside Asia. picture taken by Isabelle Dumon I wish you all a Happy Holi! More beautiful pictures taken by Isabelle ...

Sophie Friederike Dorothea Maria Josepha was born on March 5th. 1855 at Laxenburg Castle in Vienna (Austria). Sophie of Austria - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and his wife Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi). Archduchess Sophie was named after her grandmother Princess Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria. Little Sophie was baptised without Elisabeth's knowing. One year later with the birth of Archduchess Gisela Sisi's mother in law did the same. Birth of Sophie - Source picture: Wikipedia Sisi wrote about this: She took my children straight away. I was only allowed to see them when Sophie (of Bavaria) gave her consent. She was always present when I wanted to see the children.  Empress Elisabeth tried to discuss this with her husband . But her appeals were at the beginning unheard. Finally Sisi received the permission to take her children with her while traveling to Hungary. Unfortunately in Bud...

Karl Egon III Leopold Maria Wilhelm Maximilian zu Fürstenberg was born on March 4th. 1820 in Donaueschingen (Germany). Karl Egon III Zu Fürstenberg - Source picture: Wikipedia His parents were Karl Egon II zu Fürstenberg and Amallie, Princess of Baden. Between 1838 and 1841 Karl Egon III studied at the University of Heidelberg and in 1842 in Berlin. He followed Law, Economy, Mathematics and Nature Sciences. He also visited northern Germany and Scandinavia. On November 4th. 1844 Karl Egon married Princess Elisabeth Henriette Reus-Greiz. They would have two children. In 1854, after his father's death, Karl Egon became Fürst or Head of the Princely House zu Fürstenberg. Karl Egon III died on March 15th. 1892 in Paris (France). Coat of Arms House zu Fürstenberg - Source picture Wikipedia Other notable members of the House zu Fürstenberg : Egon von Fürstenberg - Prince zu Fürstenberg (1946-2004) who married Diane von Fürstenberg, a famous fashion ...

My Tree Tuesday picture was taken in the garden of the Archilleion in Corfu (Greece). Own picture This Achilleion and its amazing garden, was ordered by Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also called Sisi. Sisi was a devoted lover of the Greek Mythology and that's why there are so many interesting and beautiful statues in the gardens. Of course there is that famous statue of Achilles see my former posts on next links: link 1 link 2 But at this picture you can see a statue of Frini. She was a great beauty in the classic years and often portrayed as Aphrodite. There also is a nice story about her. Once upon a time Frini was accused for wanton behavior. She even had to go to a tribunal. There she was defended by Hyperides and his defense became very passionate. During his speech Hyperides took Frini's shawl away and ... Before the surprised eyes of the jury's and the witnesses she wore nothing. This action 'proved' that Frini's naked body...

Nicholas I of Russia was born on July 6th. 1796 in Gatchina, which is now located 45 kilometers from St. Petersburg. Nicholas I of Russia - Source picture: Wikipedia His parents had been Paul of Russia and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. As child, Nicholas was not brought up to become the emperor of Russia because he had two elder brothers Alexander I and Constantine Pavlovich. On July 13th. 1817 Nicholas married Charlotte of Prussia in the chapel of the Winter Palace. She took the name: Alexandra Feodorovna. They would have 11 children. When Alexander I died suddenly of typhus and Grand Duke Constantine refused the crown, he became the Tsar of Russia on December 1st. 1825. But some members of the military tried to decline Nicholas' power. Finally Nicholas' reign started on December 14th. 1825 which was a Monday and the Russian superstition held that Mondays were unlucky days. 1838 marks an important progress too. In that year the first Russian railway...