All About Royal Families

On September 30th. 1938 the Munich Agreement was signed between France, United Kingdom, Italy and Nazi Germany. However the document dated September 29th. 1938. This agreement was made during a conference in Munich. It allowed Nazi Germany the annexation of portions of Czechoslovakia then called 'Sudetenland'. The Sudetenland was a part of Czechoslovakia where the majority of the people was German. Besides the Sudetenland, Nazi Germany annexed Austria too in 1938. It was called the Anschluss. The Munich Agreement had to guarantee the peace. Even Premier Chamberlain of the United Kingdom claimed during a speech about the agreement: 'Peace for our time'. However Winston Churchill foresaw some troubles. He called the agreement " a total unmitigated defeat ". He also quoted: "And do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning. This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup

During the diner on September 29th. 1567, the Duke of Alba, arrested the Counts of Egmont and Horn for treason. Egmont and Horn Statue in Brussels - own picture taken in 2017 Despite the warning of William of Orange the Counts of Egmont and  Horn wanted to stay in in Brussels, while the William the Silent fled out of the country. They were taken captive in Ghent and on June 4th. 1568 condemned to death. On June 5th. 1568 they were beheaded before the Town Hall at the  Grand Place in Brussels. I think, I'm going to have a different  view  of the Town Hall at the  Grand Place  in Brussels, now I know  more about its history    ........ Their deaths led to huge protests in The Netherlands and contributed the resistance against the Spanish ruler. On a previous post I wrote about the Egmont Palace, which you can read on this link .  Trivia Did you know that even Goethe mentioned Egmont in a play? This play was complet

Cymburgis of Masovia was born around 1394 or 1397 in Warsaw, then located in the Duchy of Masovia now it is a famous place in Poland. Her parents were Siemowit IV, Duke of Masovia and his wife Alexandra of Lithuania. On January 25th. 1412 she married Ernst, Duke of Austria in Cracow but the rest of the family objected this marriage. However it turned out to be a happy one and they would have nine children, four of them survived childhood. Cymburgis of Masovia was the mother of Frederick who became later Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor. Due to this, Cymburgis she was the ancestress of the members from the House of Habsburg. Some historians claimed that she was the source for the famous Habsburg Lip also called the Habsburg Jaw which was characterized by a large under bite and and a strong chin. Cymburgis died on September 28th. 1429 in Türnitz (Austria) and she was buried at the Lilienfield Abbey. Cymburgis - Source picture: Wikipedia

On September 27th. 1389 Cosimo de' Medici was born in Florence. His parents were Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici and Piccarda Bueri. Cosimo de' Medici inherited the wealth and the expertise in banking from his father. Family In 1414 he married Contessina di Bardi. The couple lived with his parents. This marriage brought noble connections to the de' Medici family and she was very careful with money and managing the household. They would have two children. Cosimo would also have an illegitimate son called Charles. Work Cosimo used his fortune to control the politics in Florence and he sponsored artists. He built his empire on information. Literature He also founded the first public library in Florence at San Marco. Although the user-base of the library was the elite: those who were well educated. The books had topics about the political welfare of Florence. Time of troubles In 1433 he exiled. Cosimo went to Venice and Padua and he took his

Besides blogging is reading one of my favorite hobbies. I really read everything from novels till amazing history books because sometimes history is even better than  a story. This week, I read an amazing book called Former People. The last days of the Russian Aristocracy and it was written by Douglas Smith in 2012. This book is about the nobility in Russia during the time of Lenin and later  Stalin. It really touched me. The author did his research very well. He could use a lot of fragments from diaries! Even the Guardian made review about this book, which you can read on this link . History When Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicated in March 1917 a difficult time broke out for the Russian Aristocracy. They lost most of their possessions and their status in the society... portrait of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia made by Boris Kustodiev Source picture: Wikipedia

September 25th. 1680 marks the birth of Adam Franz Karl. This event took place in Linz. His parents were Ferdinand Wilhelm Prince of Schwarzenberg and Countess Maria Anna of Sulz. Schwarzenberg - Source picture: Wikipedia Love & Marriage On December 6th. 1701 he married Princess Eleonore Elisabeth Amalia Magdalena of Lobkowicz. They would have 2 children. Pursuits Prince Adam Franz Karl of Schwarzenberg was Grand Marshall at the Imperial Court. He had the following titles: Prince of Scharzenberg; Member of the Order of the Golden Fleece; Duke of Ceský. Death After 31 years of marriage Prince Adam Franz Karl of Schwarzenberg was killed in an hunting accident. Emperor Charles VI fired the shot. The Prince died on June 11th. 1732. He was buried in the Augustinian Church in Vienna. Afterwards Emperor Charles VI took the son of Prince Adam Franz Karl, to the imperial court. His widow would receive some money for his death.

September 24th. 1562 marks the birth of Ercole (also called Hercules). This took place in the beautiful  Monaco. His parents had been Honoré I, Lord of Monaco and Isabella Grimaldi. Ercole - Hercules - Source picture: Wikipedia Family Ercole was the youngest son of Honoré and Isabella. His elder brother Charles became Lord of Monaco in 1581. In 1587 Charles died without any children. Ercole became the new lord at the age of 27. Love & Marriage On September 15th. 1595 he married Maria Landi. They would have 3 children. On November 29th. 1604 Ercole was murdered and his six year old son Honoré became Lord of Monaco under the regency of his uncle (from mother side). Future This Honoré was the first Lord of Monaco who was called Prince ... Monaco - own picture taken in 2013

On September 23rd. 1158 a noble boy called Geoffrey was born. His parents were King Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Legitimate Children of King Henry II of England - Geoffrey is the 5th from left Geoffrey had a lot of famous brothers and sisters inter alia: King Richard I 'The Lionheart' Queen Eleanor Queen Joan Prince John Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany was named after his grandfather Geoffrey V of Anjou. Seal of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany How did Geoffrey become Duke of Brittany?  King Henry II of England was in war with Conan IV, Duke of Brittany. In order to conquer the region, the daughter of Conan, Constance, had to marry King Henry's son: Geoffrey. When he was duke of Brittany Geoffrey started a revolt against his own father King Henry II of England. He became a good friend with Prince Philip of France. Geoffrey also was known to attack monasteries and churches in order to raise funds for his campaigns.

King Philippe of the Belgians visited the German Community in Eupen and Amel. Eupen picture taken in 2014 In Eupen the King visited the joint campus of the training center for the Middle Class and the Vocational School. Eupen picture taken in 2014 In Amel, King Philippe of Belgium visited a company, which is internationally active in the mechanical and metal sector.  King Philippe and Queen Mathilde screenshot Some Facts and Figures :   Until 1920, the East Cantons were a part of the Rhine Provinces of Prussia  in Germany. They were made a part of Belgium by the Treaty of Versailles . In 1940 the new areas were taken again by Germany during World War II. Finally in 1945 they became a part of Belgium. In the  1970's Belgium was divided into a French, German and Dutch part. At the moment the German speaking community has his own government  and his own parliament. There are now 4 ministers in the Government. Thei

On September 21st.1722 the birth took place of Princess Gisela Agnes of Anhalt-Köthen. Her parents had been Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen and his wife Frederica Henriette of Anhalt-Bernburg. When her father died, in 1728, without a male heirs, he was succeeded by her uncle Augustus Louis of Anhalt-Köthen. Princess Gisela Agnes claimed that she was the heir and she took this case to the Imperial Chamber Court. Later she was compensated for her lost and she received money, some estates and some of her father 's collections. On May 25th. 1737 Princess Gisela Agnes married her first cousin Prince Leopold II Maximilian of Anhalt-Dessau. This marriage was described as happy. They would have 7 children, Princess Gisela Agnes of Anhalt-Köthen died on April 20th. 1751 at the age of 28. She was buried in the St. Mary's Church in Dessau.

When Barack Obama, the president of the United States of America, visited Belgium in 2014, he (and his entourage) stayed in The Hotel in Brussels. In this big Hotel and in the Crown Plaza Hotel he rented 283 rooms for his overnight. The Hotel Brussels Belgium The Hotel was designed by Montois Partners Architects and built between 1963 and 1967 on the Boulevard de Waterloo in Brussels. The Boulevard de Waterloo is located in the center of Brussels, near a very famous shopping street: the Avenue Louise. The Hotel Brussels Belgium It was opened as a Hilton in 1969 and it was the first international Hotel in Brussels! Now it is a part of the Swedish Hotel Group Pandox AB. The Hotel is a massive tower with 27 floors, with its 94 metres height it is the highest public viewpoint in Brussels. The Hotel Brussels Belgium On Tripadvisor it is ranked as the 6th. of the 196 Hotels in Brussels. On this link you can che

Duke Eberhard Louis, the 10th. Duke of Württemberg, was born on September 18th. 1676. Eberhard Ludwig - Source picture: Wikipedia His parents were William Louis, Duke of Württemberg and Magdalena Sibylla of Hesse-Darmstadt. In 1677 his father died unexpectedly. In 1693 Eberhard was proclaimed Duke of Württemberg by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. However the young Duke showed more interest in hunting and he left his administration to his advisors. In 1697 he married Johanna Elisabeth of Baden-Durlach. The couple tied two Lutheran dynasties in southern Germany together. Although Eberhard paid not much attention to his new wife. Instead he married her to be closer to one of her ladies-in-waiting...After the birth of their son (1698) the couple lived separated. In 1700 Eberhard visited King Louis XIV of France in Versailles. After that visit he raised the taxes in his Duchy. In 1704 he laid the foundation for his Ludwigsburg Palace. Ludwigsburg Palace - S

Paul Frederick (in German: Friedrich) was born on September 15th. 1800 in Ludwigslust (North Germany). Source picture: Wikipedia His parents had been Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Elena Pavlovna, Grand Duchess of Russia. One of his grandparents was Tsar Paul I of Russia. On May 25th. 1822 he married Princess Alexandrine of Prussia. The couple would have 2 children. He would also have issue with his mistress. On February 1st. 1837 Paul Frederick succeeded his grandfather as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He made a lot of reforms. During his reign he improved the infrastructure and the judicial system. However he also was interested in military. He drilled his troops very well. Paul Frederick of Mecklenburg-Schwerin died on March 7th. 1842 after he caught a cold.

Francis Hyacinth (in Italian: Francesco Giacinto di Savoia) was born on September 14th. 1632 at the Castle Valentino in Turin. Source picture: wikipedia His parents were Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy and Christine Marie of France (daughter of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici). The Duke of Savoy also held the following titles: Marquess of Saluzzo (was a place in Piedmont); Count of Aosta; Count of Morianna; Count of Nice In October 1637 his father died. Francis Hyacinth was then 5 years old and he succeeded as Duke of Savoy with his mother as regent. On October 4th. 1638 Francis Hyacinth caught a fever and he died. He was buried in the Sacra di San Michele in Turin. Francis Hyacinth was succeeded by his brother Charles Emmanuel II. Trivia by Lisi @empressofHAB on Twitter The father of Francis Hyacinth could become Emperor as Franz Joseph. Then Francis Hyacinth, might have been Crown Prince Rudolph who died at Mayerling. Luckily for Francis Hy

September 11th. 1937 marks the birth of Paola Ruffo di Calabria. This event took place in Forte dei Marmi in Italy. Her parents had been Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria and Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana. On July 2nd. 1959 Paola Ruffi di Calabria married Albert, Prince of Liège (son of King Leopold III of Belgium and Queen Astrid). They would have 3 children together: King Philippe of the Belgians; Princess Astrid; Prince Laurent. From August 9th. 1993 till July 21st. 2013 Paola became Queen of the Belgians. Now she still has the title Queen of Belgium. picture from 2005 - source: wikipedia On the picture you can see, the former presidential couple of the USA and then the Belgian King and Queen.  If you want to know more about the Royal History of Belgium, you'll find more on the page: Belgium a royal history from 1830 till now, on top of my blog or on this link  .  Queen Paola and King Albert II, picture taken @ the Museum Belvue in

In Vienna, on September 8th. 1633, Ferdinand IV was born as eldest son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. Ferdinand IV - King of the Romans - Source picture: Wikipedia From a very young age, Ferdinand IV took a lot from his father 's roles. First he became Archduke of Austria. On August 5th. 1646 Ferdinand was crowned as King of Bohemia, this title he shared with his father. The two also shared the role of Duke of Cieszyn (now located in Poland). On June 16th. 1647 Ferdinand IV was crowned as King of Hungary and Croatia. This event took place in Pressburg, now located in Slovakia. He shared this role with his father... On May 31st. 1653 he was crowned as King of the Romans this made him de facto heir to the Holy Roman Empire. The coronation took place in Ratisbon (now Regensburg and located in south East Germany). On July 9th. 1654 Ferdinand IV suddenly died of smallpox in Vienna. He was succeeded by his brother L

Doña Joanna de Austria was born on June 24th. 1535, in Madrid (Spain). Her parents had been: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and his consort Isabella of Portugal. Joanna's siblings were inter alia King Philip II of Spain and Maria, Holy Roman Empress. Joanna of Austria - picture: wikipedia Joanna had the titles by birth: - Archduchess of Austria; - Infanta of Castile and Aragon; - Princess of Burgundy. In 1552 she married her first cousin, John of Portugal, who was the heir of the Portuguese throne. In 1554 Joanna's only child, Sebastian of Portugal, was born, a couple of weeks after her husband 's death. In 1554 Joanna  was called back to Madrid by her brother, King Philip II of Spain to act as a regent during his absence in England. She filled this role very well. Joanna never remarried and never returned to Portugal, so she never saw her son Sebastian again. However she sent him letters and he gave her portraits, so she could see what he looked

September 4th. 1685 marks the birth of Johann Adollf II of Saxe-Weissenfels. He was the youngest of the twenty children of Johann Adolf I, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels and Johanna Magdalena of Saxe -Altenburg. picture: wikipedia On May 9th. 1721 Johann Adolf married Johannette Antoinette Juliane of Saxe-Eisenach. They would have one son together. She died in 1726. During the War of the Polish Succession, Johan Adolf led the Saxon troops into Poland (1733). This army stayed there for the next three years till the coronation of King Frederick August II of Saxony. In 1733 Johann Adolf inherited Saxe-Weissenfels when his brother Christian died without children. On November 27th. 1734 Johann Adolf married Fredericka of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. They would have 5 children. During the Second Silesian War, Prussian troops crossed the Saxon border. Saxony and Austria made an agreement to fight against Prussia. In June 1745 they were defeated at the Battle of Hohenfriedberg.

Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels was born on September 2nd. 1648. Her parents had been August, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels and his wife Anna Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Source picture: Wikipedia On November 14th. 1669 she married Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. They would have 8 children. These children would marry into very important German Families like: Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; Saxe-Meiningen; Anhalt-Zerbst; Mecklenburg Strelitz. Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels died on January 7th. 1681 and she was buried in Friedenstein Castle.

September 1st. 1821 marks the birth of Leopold III of Lippe. This event took place in Detmold (Germany). Source picture: wikipedia His parents were Leopold II of Lippe and his wife, Emilie of Schwarzburg Sonderhausen. In 1843/1844 he traveled to Italy and Constantinople as a study trip. In Constantinople, Leopold III was received by Sultan Abdülmecid I. On January 1st. 1851 he succeeded his father as Prince of Lippe. On April 17th. 1852 he married Princess Elisabeth of Schwarzburg- Rudolstadt. It is nice to know that Johannes Brahms, the famous composer, was a member of his household as music teacher of Leopold III's sister Friederike. Leopold III of Lippe died on December 8th. 1875 without heirs. Woldemar, his brother, succeeded him as Prince of Lippe.