All About Royal Families

On 26 September 1870 at Charlottenlund Palace in Copenhagen, a royal boy was born. He received the long name: Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm. Family He was the oldest son of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and his wife, Louise of Sweden. He was a member of the House of Glücksburg. Among his siblings was King Haakon VII of Norway. Love and marriage On 26 April 1898, Christian married Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in Cannes. She was a daughter of Frederick, Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. Christian and Alexandrine had 2 sons. Reign On 29 January 1906, King Christian IX died and Christian's father ascended the throne as King Frederick VIII. Christian became Crown Prince. On 14 May 1912, King Frederick VIII died after collapsing from shortness of breath while walking in a park in Hamburg, Germany. Shortly afterwards Christian took up the reign as King Christian ...

Sometimes summer destinations do have a royal link. The history of Hurghada, located at the Red Sea Coast in Egypt, is surprising but very interesting. El Gouna, near Hurghada Beach view- own picture taken in 2009 History The village of what's now Hurghada was settled in 1905. It was named after a plant which grew naturally in the environment in ancient times. In 1913, oil was discovered. The exploitation and export started in 1921 by British oil magnates. It was  King Farouk I of Egypt  who ordered to build a recreation center in Hurghada. King Farouk I of Egypt, Source picture: Wikipedia Under president Nasser the nationalization of Egypt's industries was turned over to armed forces. During the war of 1973, Hurghada 's harbor was the target of Israeli troops. Hurghada Harbor and the building works of the El Mina mosque- own picture taken in 2009 Tourism Nowadays Hurghada is a great tourist retreat. It provides sport facilities ...

Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor was born on 21 September 1415 in Innsbruck, Tyrol (now a part of Austria). He was called the Peaceful or the Fat. Family Frederick was the eldest son of the Inner Austrian Duke, Ernest the Iron and  his second wife Cymburgis of Masovia. Ernest the Iron was a member of the Leopoldian line of the House of Habsburg. According to the treaty of 1379, the Leopoldian branch ruled over the duchies of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola (referred as Inner Austria). Only 3 of Frederick's 8 siblings survived childhood: - His younger brother Albert, who became later Albert VI, Archduke of Austria. - His sisters Margaret (later Electress of Saxony) and Catherine. Duty In 1424, Frederick 's father died. Frederick, then 9 years old, became Duke of Inner Austria. He ruled as Frederick V together with his uncle Duke Frederick IV of Tyrol as regent. In 1431, Frederick tried to obtain majority but for several years this was den...

Painting with the history of Brussels @ the Town Hall own picture taken in 2017 During a visit in the Town Hall of Brussels, the amazing history of the city is explicated in an original way: through paintings. The official founding of Brussels took place around 979, when Duke Charles of Lower Lotharingia transferred the relics from St. Gudula from Moorsel to Brussels. This Charles would construct the first fortification of the city. Charles Duke of Lower Lotharingia, who founded Brussels - Source picture: Wikipedia In the Middle Ages, Lambert I of Louvain gained the County of Brussels by marrying Charles 's daughter. Unlike the County of Flanders, the city wasn't a fief of France but a part of the Holy Roman Empire.  Brussels was and still is located very well. During the Middle Ages the city was located near the Senne and on an important trade route between Bruges, Ghent (Belgium) and Cologne (Germany). Brussels became a commercial ce...

Nathan Mayer Rothschild was born on 16 September 1777 in Frankfurt am Main in Germany. Nathan Mayer Rothschild, Source: Wikipedia Family He was one of the five sons of the second generation of the Rothschild banking dynasty. His parents were Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812) and Gutle Schnapper (1753-1849). At the age of 21, in 1798, Nathan Mayer Rothschild moved to Manchester in England where he founded a business in textile trading and finance. Later he moved to London, where he made a fortune in trading bills of exchange through a banking enterprise started in 1805. Love and marriage On 22 October 1806 he married Hannah Barent-Cohen, the daughter of Levy Barent Cohen and Lydia Diamantschleifer. They would have 7 children. Business In 1809 Rothschild began to deal in gold bullion and he developed this as a cornerstone of his business. From 1811, he undertook to transfer money to pay Wellington's troops on campaign in Portugal and Spain against Napoleon...

On 14 September 1889, the opening of the Volkstheater in Vienna, capital of Austria took place. Volkstheater in Vienna - painting - Source picture: Wikipedia Some history The Volkstheater was founded at the request of the citizens of Vienna. It is located in Neubeu, the 7th. district of Vienna. Volkstheater in Vienna - own picture taken in 2011 Since its opening the Volkstheater had many directors inter alia: - Rudolf Beer; - Rolf Jahn; - Günther Haenel; - Leon Epp; - Gustav Manker; - Emmy Werner; - Anna Badora. Royal history The Volkstheater was built under the rule of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) of Austria. Volkstheater in Vienna Wien - own picture taken in 2011

The Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon in Brussels really is a Royal Destination, besides that it certainly is worth to pay a visit. Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon - own picture taken in Brussels in 2012 Some royal history According to a legend, a local devout lady, Beatrijs Soetkens, had a vision from the Virgin Mary to steal the statue of 'Our Lady on a little stick' in Antwerp and bring it to Brussels. In Brussels, Duke John III of Brabant waited for the arrival of the statue. Each year, members of the crossbow guild carried the statue around the church and then in procession to the Grand Place, this was called the 'Ommegang'. Interior of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon Church in Brussels  Interior of Our Lady of the Sablon Church in Brussels In the 15th. century the area around the church was renewed and extended in order of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy . In 1505, the christening of  Maria, Duchess of Burgundy (who...

António Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo was born on 8 September 1819 in Santa Isabel, Lisbon, Portugal. Family He was the son of João de Fontes Pereira de Melo, a Portuguese General, politician and Governor of Cape Verde and Minister of the Maritime and Overseas. His mother was Jacinta Venãncia Rosa da Cunha Matos. Duty António was, like his father, a Portuguese statesman, politician and engineer. Historically he became a very important political figure, deputy and he served even six times as Minister of Finance. He is remembered for conducting industrial and public infrastructure, which is known as Fontismo (after his name). He also implemented educational reforms in accordance with the industrialization process. He initiated the Instituto Industrial de Lisboa and the Escola Industrial do Porto. Death António Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo died on 22 January 1887, in Lisbon, Portugal at the age of 67. Legacy The Fontes Pereira de Melo Lighthouse...

Peter II of Yugoslavia was born on 6 September 1923 at the Royal Palace of Belgrade, then a part of Yugoslavia. Peter II of Yugoslavia - Source picture: Wikipedia Family Peter II of Yugoslavia was the eldest son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Maria of Romania. Peter II of Yugoslavia was the godson of King George V of the United Kingdom. He was a member of the royal house of Karadordevic. In 1934, King Alexander I of Yugoslavia was assassinated at Marseille during a state visit in France. Peter II of Yugoslavia was then very young, a regency was set up under his father's cousin, Prince Paul. Karadordevic dynasty - coat of arms  Source picture: Wikipedia World War II King Peter II of Yugoslavia was opposed to Nazi Germany during World War II, however his uncle Prince Paul joined the Tripartite Pact with Germany. Two days later, Peter II was declared at age, when he was 17 years old, after a British supported coup d'état. On 6 April 1941, N...

The Basilica of the Royal Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria is a very surprising and beautiful royal destination at Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria Tenerife - own picture taken in  2016 Some, royal, history On an evening, two natives leading their cattle saw some goats refusing to come to the mouth of the ravine. They sent forward one of them thinking that there were people who wanted to steal them. Suddenly they found, on a rock, the statue of the Virgin of Candelaria. Later this Virgin was declared the principal patron of the Canary Islands. Shortly after a chapel was built. Our lady of Candelaria - own picture - taken in 2016 In 1596, King Philip III of Spain   became the protector of the Virgin of Candelaria. Felipe III of Spain - Source picture: Wikipedia After ascending the throne, the Spanish monarch gave the title of "Royal" to the sanctuary of the Candelaria. It is also the first sanctuary t...

Jan Fabre (born in 1958) is a well known name in the art scene around the world. He is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist, playwright,stage director, choreographer and designer. Jan Fabre at the royal palace in Brussels - own picture taken in 2017 Some history Jan Fabre studied at the Municipal Institute of Decorative Arts and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. Jan Fabre @ Royal Palace in Brussels - own picture taken in 2017 His art I 'met' his art the first time as student in Ghent. In 2000 he plastered the columns of the university of Ghent with ... real meat (ham). I found it improbable because it smelled terrible. But apparently it was art :-) Jan Fabre at the royal palace in Brussels - own picture Royal palace Jan Fabre worked also for the Royal family. Queen Paola of Belgium asked him to create a piece of art in the royal palace of Brussels. Jan Fabre decorated the ceiling with one million six hundred thousand jewel...