All About Royal Families

Princess Isabella Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria was born on August 31st. 1863 as a daughter of Prince Adalbert of Bavaria and his wife Infanta Amelia Philippina of Spain. Source picture: wikipedia Family ties Prince Adalbert of Bavaria was the fourth son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Infanta Amelia was a daughter of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, a younger brother of Ferdinand VII of Spain. Love & Marriage In 1883 @ Nymphenburg Palace in Bavaria, Princess Isabella married Prince Thomas, Duke of Genoa. He was the only son of Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Genoa and his wife Princess Elisabeth of Saxony. The wedding was described as remarkable for good taste and simplicity. King Ludwig II of Bavaria (Isabella's cousin) did not attend, he rarely went to public events. One attendee observed that: the absence of the King  meant that the wedding guests could  enjoy themselves in an atmosphere of conviviality which...

On August 29th. 1935, Astrid of Sweden, Queen Consort of Belgium, died in a car accident in Küssnacht, Switzerland. A memorial chapel was built at the accident scene. I could visit this place full of tragic history in 2010 during a visit to Switzerland. Küssnacht is situated at the north shore of the lake Lucerne and it is really a nice and quiet municipality. The Astrid Chapel was for me the main reason to visit this beautiful place. Astrid Chapel in Küssnacht - Switzerland There are a lot of traces which refer to the Belgian Royal Family. Belgian Royal Family traces in Küssnacht - Switzerland Memorial plate in Küssnacht - Switzerland And of course there is a memorial plate too. own picture 2010 In 2015, King Philippe of the Belgians, grandson of Queen Astrid,  attended a service in this Astrid Chapel, to remember her tragic  death 80 years ago. If you want to know more about th...

August 28th. 1744 marks the birth of Friederike Auguste of Anhalt-Bernburg. She was the daughter of Victor Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg and Albertine of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Source picture: Wikipedia On May 22nd. 1764 Friederike Auguste married Frederick Augustus, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst. Their almost identical names must have been confusing. He was a younger brother of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. To know more about Empress Catherine the Great of Russia, check the page Russia: House of Romanov (1762-1917) on top of my blog or on this link .  In 1765 the couple settled in Basel. Frederick August was living in exile, due to a conflict with Prussia.  Between 1780-1791 Friederike Auguste left in Basel apart from her husband who moved to Luxembourg. In 1793 her husband died and their marriage remained childless. His territories were divided between his relatives. However in one area, Jever (northern Germany), a female rule was allowed. ...

Joseph Georg Friedrich Ernst Karl was born on August 27th. 1789 as a son of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen (from 1826 Frederick became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg) and his wife Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Source picture: wikipedia In 1814 Joseph and his brother George fought with the allies against France in the Napoleonic Wars. Later he was a General Major in Saxon services. On April 24th. 1817 Joseph married Amelia of Württemberg in Kirchheim under Teck. She was a daughter of Duke Louis of Württemberg. Joseph and Amelia would have 6 daughters. Their eldest daughter Marie would marry King George V of Hanover. Another daughter, Alexandra would marry Grand Duke Konstantine Nikolayevich of Russia see my page House of Romanov 1762-1917  on top of my blog or on this link In 1834 Joseph succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. He implemented several buildings in Altenburg but he didn't like to reform. This was the main reaso...

Constanze Therese Adelheit Geiger was born on October 16th. 1835 in Vienna as a daughter of Joseph Geiger (composer) and Theresia Geiger (milliner). Source picture: Wikipedia Constanze 's musical talent became soon clear. At the age of 6 she was a concert pianist and at the age of 13 she gave performances. Constanze became very famous as composer and actress and she even was a good friend of Johann Strauss. On October 12th. 1860 Constanze bore a son Franz. The father was Prince Leopold of Saxe- Coburg and Gotha Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third son of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Maria Anronia Koháry.  Prince Ferdinand was an elder brother of inter alia: King Leopold of Belgium; Princess Victoria (mother of Queen Victoria). Constanze married Prince Leopold on April 23rd. 1861. In 1862 Hertzog Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha gave her the title of baroness. The couple lived in Schloss Friedrichsthal near Gotha an...

Besides places with a huge History, I'm fascinated by City Halls. The combination of the two is wonderful for me. That was in Aachen (Western Germany) certainly the case. Aachen was the favorite residence of Charlemagne and the place where the German Kings were crowned.The most famous landmark of Aachen is the Cathedral, but I liked the Rathaus very much. Own picture - Aachen Rathaus In the first half of the 14th. century Aachens 's citizenry built the City Hall under the leadership of its acting mayor Gerhard Chorus to show their civic freedom, however the citizens made a promise to establish a space in the new City Hall that could host the traditional coronation meals. Rathaus Tower- Old & New standing next to each other -  Own picture  The Construction of the Rathaus began in 1330 on top of the foundation walls of the Aula Regia, built during the time of Charlemagne. It was completed in 1349 and the City Ha...

Princess Friederike Caroline Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt was born on August 20th. 1752. Her parents were Prince Georg William of Hesse-Darmstadt and Countess Maria Louise Albertine of Leiningen-Falkenburg-Dagsburg. picture:wikipedia On September 18th. 1768 she married Duke Charles of Mecklenburg- Strelitz. They would have 10 children. Two of her daughters even became Queen Consort. Louise married Frederick William III of Prussia and Frederica married Ernst August I of Hanover. Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt is a direct ancestor of inter alia: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands; King Philippe of Belgium; King Harald of Norway; Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. She died on May 22nd. 1782 at the age of 29, three days after she gave birth to her 10th. child. She was buried in the Royal Crypt of the church of St.John the Baptist in Mirow (northern Germany).

Birth Princess Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern was born on August 19th. 1890 in Potsdam as a daughter of William, Prince of Hohenzollern and his first wife Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Family ties Her paternal grandparents were: Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern and Infanta Antónia of Portugal. Her maternal grandparents were: Prince Louis, Count of Trani and Mathilda Ludovika, Duchess in Bavaria (sister of Sisi) Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern - picture: Wikipedia Love & Marriage On September 4th. 1913, Princess Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern married Manuel II of Portugal. Manuel II of Portugal had succeeded the Portuguese throne after the  assassination of his father and his elder brother. Manuel had been  deposed on October 5th. 1910. Manuel II died on July 2nd. 1932 in England. The couple didn't have any children. On April 23rd. 1939 Augusta Victoria married her second husband. This was Count Robert Douglas...

August 17th.1887 marks the birth of Charles (in German: Karl) of Austria. His parents were Archduke Otto Franz of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony. This event took place at the Castle of Persenbeug. Charles was privately educated but he attended the gymnasium for the sake of demonstrations in scientific subjects. Later he entered the army. From 1906 until 1908 Charles was an officer chiefly in Prague. Meanwhile he studied law and political science. Source picture: Wikipedia On October 21st.  1911 Charles married Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. The two met each other as children, but then they did not see another for almost 10 years.However in 1909 Charles visited her family and it was then that he met her again. Their wedding was attended by the 81 year old emperor Franz Joseph. The couple would have 8 children. They would became the grandparents of inter alia Prince Lorenz of Belgium. On this Youtube link you can see a movie of the wedding of Cha...

One of the most beautiful palaces in Brussels (capital of Belgium) is the Egmont Palace. You can see the amazing building from the Egmont Park but it is not open for public because it houses the Belgian Ministry for foreign affairs. Egmont Palace seen from the Egmont Park - own picture Between 1548 and 1560 it was built by Françoise of Luxembourg and her son Lamoral, Count of Egmont. Lamoral, Count of Egmont, source picture: wikipedia History about Lamoral, Count of Egmont Lamoral, Count of Egmont was a great general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Year's War. He was at the head of a powerful and wealthy family in the Low Countries. His father was John IV of Egmont, a knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece. Egmont was a member of King Philip II of Spain's official council of state for Flanders and Artois.  Together with William, Prince of Orange and the Count of Horn he protest...

The Battle of Blenheim (also referred as the Second Battle of Höchstädt) took place on August 13th. 1704. The town Blenheim was located near the Danube, about 16 km in the southwest of Donauwörth in Bavaria (southern Germany). Battle of Blenheim - Source picture: Wikipedia This important battle of the War of the Spanish Succession was fought between the Allied troops (England; Austria and the Dutch Republic) and the Franco-Bavarian Army.The Allied troops were led by the Duke of Marlborough. The Franco-Bavarian troops were led by the Elector of Bavaria, Marshal Marsin, Tallard and Marshal Vendôme. John Churchill - Duke of Marlborough - picture: Wikipedia He was helped by Prince Eugene of Savoy, who was one of the commanders of the Imperial Army. Prince Eugene of Savoy - Source picture: Wikipedia      The Battlefield was very strategic. The Franco Bavarian Army was protected  by the Danube, at the left side wer...

Isabella Clara Eugenia, also referred as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was born on August 12th. 1566 in Segovia (Spain). Her parents were King Philip II of Spain and his third wife, Elisabeth of Valois. She was thus an infanta of Spain and Portugal. Her maternal grandparents were also very interesting. These were King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici. Isabella was allowed to help her father with his work! She translated papers for him. At the age of two, Isabella was promised to Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II. However Rudolf declared that he had no intention to marry anybody. Isabella and Albert - picture: wikipedia Then her father decided to cede the Spanish Netherlands on her on one condition: she had to marry her cousin Archduke Albert of Austria. On April 18th. 1599, she married Archduke Albert of Austria. Since 1601 the couple ruled the Spanish Netherlands together. This reign was considered as the Golden Age for the Spanish Netherlands.They brough...

The Museum of Natural History (in German: Naturhistorisches Museum) was opened om August 10th. 1889. This museum has a royal connection and so a great history for me. Emperor Franz Joseph I (husband of Sisi) ordered to build a Ringstrasse in Vienna and he asked for a place were the private collection of different members of the House of Habsburg could be exhibited for public. On the Maria Theresien Platz in Vienna a beautiful building, almost a palace was created. The architect was Karl Hasenauer (who won a competition). The construction works started in 1871. Me before the Museum of Natural History in Vienna The collection was bought in 1750 by Emperor Francis II (in German: Franz). He was the husband of Maria Theresia (who actually ruled the areas of the House of Habsburg).   See my page the House of Habsburg on top of my blog or on this link .  inside the Museum of Natural History in Vienna Each year, over 500.000 tourists visits thi...

In June 2015, I made a lot of blog posts about Napoleon Bonaparte, his generals and his opponents and finally I got some pictures of Waterloo itself and of the reenactment of the Battle. So, I wanted to share some lovely pictures with you, which are taken by my mom. Waterloo painting Reenactment actors and their beautiful uniforms With such an important historical event, a lot of commerce is going on too. Belgium wouldn't be Belgium if people don't make beer. Of course there is a new beer called: Waterloo. On this link you'll discover more.