All About Royal Families

Charles of Egmond was born on November 9th. 1467 in the Netherlands as the son of Adolf of Egmond and Catherine of Bourbon. Charles of Egmond - Source picture: Wikipedia His Family The House of Egmond (also written Egmont) was named after the Dutch town Egmond which was located in North Holland. It played a very important role during the Middle Ages. This family gained a lot of importance during the Burgundian era and the era of the Habsburg. Did you know that the first wife of William the Silent was Anna van Egmond-Buren....? Interesting Facts Charles was raised at the Burgundian court of Charles the Bold, who had bought the Duchy of Guelders from Adolf of Egmond in 1473. Later Charles fought several battles against King Charles VIII of France, till he was taken captive during the battle of Béthune in 1487. Then a huge twist broke out between King Maximilian of Habsburg and the French King and Charles played a role in it. First the citizens of Guelde...

It is sure that Petronilla of Aragon was born in 1136 but her date of birth was different in a few sources. There is a doubt between June 29th and August 11th. Petronilla of Aragon - Source picture: Wikipedia The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern Kingdom,  corresponding with the modern-day autonomous province of Aragon  in Spain.  When Alfonso I, King of Navarre, died without an heir in 1134,  he left the crown to the 3 religious military orders.  This will was not respected and the aristocracy of Navarre elected a king of their own, and restored their independence. The nobility of Aragon raised Ramiro (brother of Alfonso I) to the throne. King Ramiro married Agnes of Aquitaine in 1135 and their only child was born the next year. Her marriage became a very important matter of state. On 11th August 1137 Petronilla was betrothed to Raymond Berengar IV, Count of Barcelona. She was only one year old and he was twenty th...

Princess Hedvig Sophia Augusta of Sweden was born on 26 June 1681 at the Three Crowns Castle in Stockholm as the eldest child of King Charles XI of Sweden and Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark. Princess Hedvig Sophia of Sweden - Source picture: Wikipedia However she was born at the Three Crowns Castle in Stockholm, Princess Hedvig spent a lot of her childhood at Karlberg Palace. After the death of her mother in 1693 she was placed under the custody of her grandmother Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. Princess Hedvig Sophia also was taken care by Juliana Schierberg, who became her confidante. Princess Hedvig Sophia was described in the history books as beautiful and she studied very well. She also liked painting and singing. People called her the "Happy Princess". On 12 May 1698 Princess Hedwig Sophia married her cousin, Frederick IV, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. This marriage took place against her will and it became not happy at all. She even didn't like th...

June 24th. 1532 marks the birth of William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. He also was called 'the wise'. William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel - picture: Wikipedia His parents were Philippe I, Landgrave of Hesse and Christine of Saxony. In 1567 Williams father died and his land was divided between the four sons of his father's first marriage. William only receive the portion around the capital: Kassel. William strongly was involved with Religion. He took a leading part in the Lutheran Reformation, so he chose Protestantism above Catholicism. However he never used military power in this conflict. William married Sabine of Württemberg, daughter of Duke Christoph of Württemberg. They had 11 children. He was a great admirer of the natural sciences and a good astronomer himself. William even had a catalogue about a thousand stars. The Hessian Star Catalogue was published in the Historia Coelestis made by Lucius Barettus. William IV, Ladgrave of Hesse...

22 June 1912 marks the birth of Princess Caroline Mathilde Helene Ludwiga Augusta Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This event took place at the Callenburg Castle in Coburg. Her parents were Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein. They called the girl: 'Calma'.  the baptism of Princess Caroline - Source picture: Wikipedia Family ties Her paternal grandparents were Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helene, Duchess of Albany. Leopold was the fourth and last son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Carolina was the younger sister of inter alia: Prince Johan Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess Sybilla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, (mother of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden) See also my page descendants of Queen Victoria (Great Grandchildren) (8.2) on top of my blog  and on next link . Love & Marriage Princess Caroline Mathilde married three times! On 14 December 1931 she marr...

Thomas Picton was born on August 24th as the 7th of 12 children of Thomas Picton of Poyston and his wife Cecil Powell. This event took place in Pembrokeshire in Wales. Sir Thomas Picton - Source picture: Wikipedia In 1772 Thomas Picton received an ensign's commission in the 12th. Regiment of the Foot, however he joined 2 years leater. At that time his regiment was stationed at Gibraltar. There he became captain in 1778, then he returned to Great Britain. 5 Years later the regiment was disbanded. In 1794 Picton went out to the West Indies. Sir John Vaughan, the commander in chief pointed him as captain in the 17th. Foot. Shortly afterwards Picton was promoted as major in the 58th. Foot. Travel for work Picton was in Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago. Europe again In 1810 Picton was appointed by Wellington to command a division in Spain. Waterloo On June 18th. 1815 the big Battle of Waterloo took place (in case you don't know it yet). When Napo...

Frederick Adam was born on June 17th. 1784 in Scotland as the 4th son of William Adam of Blair Adam and Eleanora Elphinstone. Source picture: Wikipedia Already at the age of 14 he entered the British army. He trained at the artillery school at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. In 1795 he became the first lieutenant and a year later he was promoted to second lieutenant. Under Ralph Abercomby he took part in the battles in The Netherlands and even in Egypt. In 1814 he was made Major General. Waterloo On June 18th. 1815 Frederick Adam commanded the 3rd. brigade in the Henry Clinton's (one of the British lieutenant generals) 2nd. division. During a crisis moment Adams 52nd Light Foot performed a left wheel to enfilade the flank of the French Imperial Guards, while the British guards engaged the head of the column. So the French came under fire by two sides, the French took a brief resistance and later they had to flee. Corfu From 1817 till 1824, Frederick Ada...

October 9th. 1771 marks the birth of Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He was a German Prince and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Oels. He received the nickname: 'The Black Prince' due to the uniforms of his regiment. Source picture: Wikipedia His parents had been Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Princess Augusta of Great-Britain. Frederick William was thus the cousin, brother-in-law and a good friend of George IV, Prince Regent of the United Kingdom. In 1789 Frederick William entered the Prussian army as captain against Revolutionary France. On November 1st. 1802 Frederick William married Princess Marie Elisabeth of Baden. They got 3 children. Two of them survived childhood. In 1806 he fought in the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt as major-general. In 1809 the war of the Fifth Coalition broke out. Frederick took the opportunity to create a corps of partisans. This was called the Black Brunswickers. Later he ha...

Just before the battle of Waterloo, on 15 June 1815, one of the famous balls in history was held in Brussels. Charlotte, the Duchess of Richmond invited many important guests. Charlotte was married Charles Lennox, 4th. Duke of Richmond. She and her husband lived in 1815 in Brussels (now capital of Belgium). Charles Lennox was commandant of a reserve force in Brussels. He had to protect that city in case Napoleon Bonaparte invaded.   @ the Duchess of Richmond's ball - Source picture: Wikipedia The ball was described as   "A brilliant affair" . It was during this ball that Arthur Wellesly, 1st. duke of Wellington received the confirmation that  Napoleon Bonaparte had crossed the frontier. "Whispered to ask the Duke of Richmond if he had a good map. The Duke of Richmond said he had and he took the Duke of Wellington to his dressing-room. Wellington shut the door and said 'Napoleon has humbugged me, by God; he has gained 24 hou...

One of the hidden gems in Germany is the relaxing and amazing Schliersee. This beautiful place on earth is located 53 km near Munich in Upper Bavaria. From the Schliersee you can see the Bavarian Alps. I had the chance to visit this lovely place in May 2014. own picture of the Schliersee The Schliersee already was mentioned in a document of 779, this piece of  paper confirmed that 5 brothers 'Slyrse' founded a monastic cell,  consecrated by bishop Arbeo of Freising. This foundation was probably  destroyed in the 10th. century.  In the 15th. century this area was ruled by the Counts of Waldeck and after  a long dispute Wolfgan Maxlrain aquired the region (1516).  This family ruled Schliersee till 1734. The first boom of tourism came in the 19th. century due to a train connection with Munich (August 1st. 1889).  Since 1880's skiing took place in the alps around Schliersee. Besides the lake there also is a town cal...

Friedrich Karl Ferdinand Freiherr von Müffing, also called Weiss was born on June 12th. 1775 in Halle. In 1790 Müffing entered the Prussian Army, later he was promoted and assigned to the general staffs, he served inter alia with: General von Wartensleben; Frederick Louis Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen; and not at least General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher . See my blog post on this link .  von Müffing - Source picture: Wikipedia Timeline : From 1792 till 1795 he fought in France against the Revolutionary armies. From 1797 till 1802 Müffing helped to improve the maps of Northern Germany. In 1799 he wrote some notes in a  military encyclopedia. Later Müffing participated in many famous fights. When Napoleon Bonaparte came back in 1815, all European armies were ready. Müffing became an officer at the British headquarter, he had to coordinate the strategy of the Battle of Ligny. After Napoleons second abdication Müffing became governor of Paris. L...

June 10th. 1865 marks an important date in the history of opera and music dramas. Then the first performance of Tristan and Isolde took place at the Hof-und Nationaltheater in Munich. Richard Wagner - own picture - picture & statue in Nymphenburg Castle Tristan & Isolde is a three act drama written by Richard Wagner based on the romance drama work made by Gottfried von Strassburg (13th. century).  This opera had a strong influence to the Western European Classical Composers, such as inter alia Richard Strauss. Tristan and Isolde - Source picture: Wikipedia On next link you can listen and see to the theme of the Tristan and Isolde opera.

Not only in Belgium there are traces derived from Napoleon Bonaparte. Soestdijk Palace, located in Baarn (The Netherlands) has a huge link to Napoleon Bonaparte and to Waterloo. old picture @ Soestdijk - Source: Wikipedia First of all, when  Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, became King of Holland (June 5th. 1806) he took possession of the Soestdijk Palace. He extended the palace and refurnished it. Louis Bonaparte stayed King till 1810. In 1815 Crown Prince William (the later King William II) fought as commander of the I Allied Corps in Quatre Bras (June 16th. 1815) and at the Battle of Waterloo (June 18th. 1815). There the Prince became wounded. Sources described him as short and skinny and in the army he  received the  nickname: 'Slender Billy'. As recognition for his participation in the Battle of Waterloo, William was offered Soestdijk Palace by the Dutch People. Do you want to know more about King William II of The Netherlan...

Prins Louis Maria of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was born on August 1st. 1838 in Naples as the son of Ferdinand II of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and Maria Theresa of Austria. Prince Louis - Source picture: Wikipedia On June 5th. 1861 Louis married Duchess Mathilda Ludovika in Bavaria. Duchess Mathilda Ludovika in Bavaria was a daughter of  Duke Maximilian in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. She was also a sister of inter alia Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi). From the beginning this marriage wasn't a big success at all. Louis fled into the alcohol and Duchess Mathilda Ludovika in Bavaria traveled from place to place often accompanied by one of her sisters. The couple had together one daughter and Louis had one natural son. Louis died of a heart disease in Paris on June 8th. 1886, although there are other rumors of his death....

History books always interest me, but I admit, I have a weakness for comics. Luckily Belgium has a lot of good comic books. At the picture you can see the statue of the Red Knight (in Dutch: Rode Ridder) near the beach in Middelkerke. Red Knight - Rode Ridder - Own picture In Middelkerke, every year there even is a comic festival! At the dike there are a lot of statues from comic characters, which you can see all the time. The Red Knight is a comic with the character called Johan. He is known by his red tunic. Johan's character embodies the chivalric ideal. He is brave, virtuous and loyal. In the comics Johan had to fight against bandits, ruthless noblemen or magicals. He would have lived at the Castle of Horst, as a member of the family of the lords of Rode (Rode is derived from ... Red). With this sunny Early Weekend Picture I want to wish you all a very happy weekend and a good start of the brand new week. I also want to thank you very much for all your n...

June 3rd. 1843 marks the birth of Christian Frederick, the later King Frederick VIII of Denmark. His parents had been Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. After his confirmation in 1860, Frederick received a military education. Later he studied at the University of Oxford. When King Christian IX ascended the throne, Frederick became Crown Prince and he returned to Denmark. There he sat in the State Council and he helped his father with the duties of the government. Especially Louise of Hesse, Frederick 's mother, was worried to find a good partner for all her children. She studied all suitors carefully. Source picture: Wikipedia Possible candidates Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom had two unmarried daughters but she didn't like that they should marry a crown prince, then her daughters had to live abroad. Alliance In 1868 Frederick of Denmark was invited to Sweden, there he met the 17 years old Princess Louise of Sweden, again. T...

Peregrine Maitland was born on July 6th. 1777 as the eldest of five sons of Thomas Maitland and Jane Mathew. His birth took place at Longparish House in Hampshire. At the age of 15 Maitland entered the army, he joined the 1st. Foot Guards. In 1794 he served in Flanders. After that Maitland was promoted to lieutenant. At the Peninsular war, Maitland served at the Battle of Vigo and at Corunna, there Maitland won a medal. In 1803 Maitland married for the first time. His bride was Louisa, daughter of Sir Edward Crofton, 2nd Baronet. Louisa died in 1805. They would have one son. In 1815 he married at the headquarters of the Duke of Wellington in Paris. Maitland 's bride was Lady Sara Lennox, daughter of 4th. Duke of Richmond. They would have at least 7 children. Maitland - Source picture: Wikipedia Before his second marriage, Maitland served in Quatre Bras during the Battle of Waterloo as Major General. His 'First Corps' was under the overall command ...