All About Royal Families

Philippa of Lancaster was born on March 31st. 1360 in Leicester Castle, England. Family Philippa was the oldest child of John of Gaunt, 1st. Duke of Lancaster and Blance of Lancaster. They were members of the House of Plantagenet and they founded the House of Lancaster. Philippa 's siblings were inter alia: - Elizabeth, Duchess of Exeter, - Henry IV Bolingbroke, King of England. Their Wedding  Love and Marriage Trough Philippa 's marriage to King John I of Portugal, she became Queen Consort. The couple were blessed by the church in the Cathedral of Porto on February 2nd. 1387 and their marriage took place on February 14th. 1387. The Portuguese court celebrated this Royal union for fifteen days! This Royal Couple would have 9 children inter alia: - Edward, King of Portugal, - Henry, called the "Navigator", - Isabella, who married Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Duty After her marriage she had a significant influence in ...

Albert III the Pius, Duke of Bavaria - Munich was born on March 27th. 1401 at Munich (now located in Bavaria, Germany). Family His parents were Ernest, Duke of Bavaria and Elisabetta Visconti. Elisabetta Visconti was the daughter of Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan. His family were members of the noble House of Wittelsbach. Love and Marriage Albert III, Duke of Bavaria first was engaged to Elisabeth, daughter of the Count of Württemberg but she married the Count of Weldenberg, who had been a page at her father's court. In 1432, Albert married secretly to Anna Bernauer, a maid. His father was against this marriage, and he ordered the murder of Anna. She was accused from witchcraft and her murderers threw her in the river the Danube. Albert was angry and he left his father's court, he took himself to Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria at Ingolstadt. Although in November Albert and his father reconciled with each other and Albert married Princess Anna of Brunswic...

Jan van Eyck (born around 1390 - died on July 9th. 1441) was a Flemish/Netherlandish painter, active in Bruges. He was one of the most important representatives of Northern Renaissance art. Portrait of a Man - Jan van Eyck  Personal Life Around 1432, Jan van Eyck married the much younger Margaret, in the same period he bought a house in Bruges. The couple had two children. He also had some brothers. Hubert van Eyck worked together with Jan on their most famous works: the Ghent Altarpiece . Rechtvaardige rechters - Jan van Eyck Court Life van Eyck served John of Bavaria - Straubing, the ruler of Holland, Hainault and Zeeland. The painter was thus involved in redecorating the Binnenhof palace in The Hague. After John's death, in 1425, Jan van Eyck moved to Bruges. Then Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, persuaded the painter to work for him. He appointed Jan van Eyck as official ducal painter In the order of Philip the Good, Jan van Eyck undertoo...

On March 20th. 1619, Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor died in Vienna, Austria. Family Matthias was the son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and his wife Maria of Austria. He was thus the brother of inter alia: Anna, Queen of Spain; Rudolf, Holy Roman Emperor; Elisabeth, Queen of France; and more Love and Marriage On December 4th. 1611, in the Augustinian Church, Matthias married Archduchess Anna of Austria, daughter of his uncle Ferdinand II of Austria. They had no children. Duty In 1578, Matthias was invited to the Netherlands by the States-General of the rebellious provinces, who offered him the position of Governor-General. Matthias accepted the appointment, but this was not recognized by his uncle, King Philip II of Spain, the ruler of the Netherlands. In 1579 he participated in the Union of Utrecht, which established freedom of religion as a locally determined issue. In 1581 Matthias returned home. In 1593, Matthias was appointed governor of...

After the February Revolution of 1917, Tsar Nicolas II of Russia was forced to abdicate. This took place on March 15th. 1917. First he abdicated in favor of his son Alexei. However doctors advised him that Alexei wouldn't live long separated from his parents. Then the Tsar drew up a new manifesto to his brother Grand Duke Michael as the next Emperor of all Russians. However, Grand Duke Michael declined to accept the throne until people were allowed to vote through a Constituent Assembly for the continuance of the monarchy. Due to the abdication of the Tsar, 3 centuries of Romanov's dynasty came to an end. The Tsar 's abdication caused a lot of emotions like: delight, relief, fear and most of all a lot of confusion. This issued Tsar Nicolas II at his abdication: in the days of the great struggle against the foreign enemies who for nearly three years have tried to enslave our fatherland the Lord God has been pleased to send down on Russia a new h...

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/1530 - 9 September 1569) was one of the most prominent artists of the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, well known for his landscapes and his peasant scenes. Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Census at Bethlehem (1566) own picture taken in 2016 Personal life In 1551, Bruegel became a free master in the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp. Later he traveled to France and Italy. The painter visited Rome and he had probably reached Sicily. In 1554/1555, Bruegel returned to Antwerp, then it was the publishing center of Northern Europe. There he made over 40 prints for Hieronymus Cock, an important print publisher. In 1563, Bruegel was married in Brussels to Mayken Coecke, a daughter of the painters Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Mayken Verhulst. Bruegel and his wife had at least 3 children inter alia: Pieter Bruegel the Younger and Jan Bruegel the Elder. Pieter I Bruegel - The Fall of Icarus (around 1560's) own picture taken in 201...

Elisabeth of Hesse was born on March 4th. 1502 in Marburg, now located in Germany. Family Elisabeth 's parents were William II of Hesse and, his wife Anna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her brother was Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. Love and Marriage Elisabeth's aunt (the sister of her mother Anna) was married to Duke Henry IV of Saxony. Anna wanted to introduce Elisabeth at the Saxon court. Since a long time, Elisabeth had been promised to John, the eldest son of George the Bearded. On March 8th. 1515, Elisabeth and John were engaged, after the Pope issued a dispensation (cause they were related to each other). From January 1519, Elisabeth lived permanent at the court in Dresden. The marriage took place on 7 June 1519 in Kassel. Duty On January 11th. 1537, John died and Elisabeth moved to her dominion Rochlitz. She also often is referred in literature by the nickname of "Rochlitz". From 1547, Elisabeth lived at the court in Hesse. There s...

Volksgarten, Austria, own picture taken in 2011 On March 1st. 1823, the Volksgarten in Vienna, then a part of the Austrian Empire, became a public park. Volksgarten - Austria - own picture taken in 2011 History Initially the Volksgarten was used for fortifications. A fortress was built on the east side of the park. In 1809 these fortifications were destroyed by Napoléon Bonaparte 's French troops. Between 1817 and 1821, there were plans to make a private garden for the Archdukes, however the court garden administration turned it into a public garden. Volksgarten, Austria, own picture taken in 2011 A nice place The Volksgarten in Vienna is a nice place to walk around. There is a statue from Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) and at the center of the park there is a neoclassical Temple, which is a replica of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. Volksgarten, Temple, Austria, own picture taken in 2011