All About Royal Families

On 31 July 1993, King Baudouin of Belgium died during his holiday in the Villa Astrida at Motril, Spain. King Baudouin of Belgium at his last Te Deum screenshot His sudden death came unexpectedly and soon Belgium turned into a period of deep mourning. It was just as if the Belgians lost their father. His death stopped the 1993-24hours of Spa. Radio and Television had an adapted programm. Within a few hours, the Royal Palace and the enclosure were covered up with lots of flowers, which people brought spontaneously. King Baudouin of Belgium and Queen Fabiola during his last celebration of the National Day in 1993 screenshot A viewing of the body was held at the Royal Palace. Around 500,000 people went to Brussels to pay their respect to their monarch. NMBS Belgian Railways issued special tickets to travel to Brussels. Collection: on the picture you see a train ticket from 1993 available  from Sint-Niklaas  to the capital  of Belgium issued f...

Many legends tell about courage, strength, power and cleverness. Stories made in the duchy of Burgundy (nowadays France), the county of Hainault and even from the county of Flanders (nowadays located in Belgium) whisper the name of one noble man: Simon de Lalaing . This Simon de Lalaing was a member of the House of Lalaing, a noble family, which originally came from the County of Hainault (nowadays split between Northern France and Southern Belgium). In 1431 Simon de Lalaing was elected as knight of the prestigious Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece. Simon's son Joost de Lalaing  also was closely connected with the ducal court of  Burgundy. He became Chamberlain of Charles the Bold, was named as bailiff of Flanders. In 1478 he was elected as Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Joost of Lalaing also became stadtholder of Holland and Zeeland for Archduke Maximilian of Austria (widower of Mary of Burgundy). During the reign of King Henry V...

painting of the Château de Versailles Source picture: Wikipedia Versailles entrance Gate - Paris, France own picture taken in 2017 The royal palace of all palaces certainly is Versailles, located near Paris in France. Versailles France Some royal history At the very beginning the site of the palace of Versailles was occupied by a small village and church, surrounded by forests. It was owned by the Gondi Family and the priory of St. Julian. In 1589, King Henry IV of France went hunting here and he came back in 1604 and 1609. He stayed in the village inn. Henry's son, the future King Louis XIII, came on his own hunting trip in 1607. After he became King in 1610 Louis XIII returned to the village and he bought some land. Versailles France In 1623-1624 Louis XIII built a modest two-story hunting lodge which was the site of the current marble courtyard. Later Louis XIII decided to make his hunting lodge at Versailles into a real château of b...

On 28 July 1516 William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was born at Düsseldorf, then a part of the Duchy of Berg, nowadays a part of Germany. Family William was the only son of John III, Duke of Cleves and Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg. He was thus a brother of Anne of Cleves, who was for 6 months the 4th wife of King Henry VIII of England. William is the ancestor of Maria Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Love and Marriage William of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was married to Jeanne d'Albret, the heiress of Navarra. This wedding took place in 1541, when she was just 13 years old. However this political marriage was annuled four years later. On 18 July 1546, William married Maria of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. They would have 7 children together and a lot of royal descendants. Duty In 1539 William took over the rule over the Duchy of Cleves and the County of Mark. He also became Duke of Berg and Jülich and Count of R...

On 26 or 27 July 1612, Murad IV was born in Istanbul. Then the city was a part of the Ottoman Empire. Now it is a huge and cultural city in Turkey. Family Murad IV was a son of Ahmed I, Ottoman Sultan and Kösem Sultan. He had an elder brother Osman II and a younger brother Ibrahim. Murad IV also had sisters. Duty Murad IV became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire on 10 September 1623. During his early reign, his mother essentially ruled through him but the Empire fell into anarchy. In 1631 the Janissaries stormed the royal palace and they killed the Grand Vizier. Murad IV banned alcohol, tobacco and coffee in Istanbul. He also ordered execution for breaking this ban. He would even patrol the streets and the lowest taverns of Istanbul in civilian clothes that night, to control the violators of his own law. Between 1623 and 1639 the Ottoman-Safavid War against Persia (now Iran) took place. Ottoman forces managed to conquer, Azerbaijan and they captured Baghdad i...

During the Wars of the Roses Baynard's castle became the safe house for the royal family of York. It was a large residence capable of accomodating some 400 armed men. The  Great Hall was over 40 feet long and 24 feet wide. There were large under crofts and several country yards. It laid between Thames Street and the river and its pleasant gardens ran beside the Thames. The views of the terraces were spectacular. The Thames was full of ships ...  From Margaret of York the diabolical duchess.  Some Royal History Baynard's Castle was first a Norman fortification constructed by Ralph Baynard and demolished by King John in 1213 (son of Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine) The second Baynard's Castle was a beautiful medieval palace as people can read in the description above. Both King Edward IV and Queen Mary I of England were crowned at Baynard's Castle. At the end of the 15th century King Henry VIII gave it to Catherine of Aragon on the e...

On 21 July , the National Day of Belgium is celebrated, especially in Brussels, Belgium. Royal Palace of Belgium 21 July 2018 remarks the special celebration of King Philippe of the Belgians, who sat then exactly 5 years on the throne. King Philippe of the Belgians - screenshot taken in 2013 King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and some of their children, screenshot taken in 2017 On 20 July , King Philippe of the Belgians makes his annual speech on the occasion of the National Day. On 20 July, there is a concert in the Bozar in Brussels. This is attended by King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz. Afterwards there is a Bal National in the "Vossenplein" at Brussels. Bozar Brussels, Belgium, own picture Bozar Brussels, Belgium, own picture On 21 July , the days starts early with a Te Deum, which takes place in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. St. Michael and St. Gudula cathedral, Brussels On 21 Jul...

On 18 July 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte visited Sint-Niklaas. Then it still was a town. But thanks to the Emperor this place became a real city. Town Hall of Sint-Niklaas, own picture taken in 2016 Due to the population at that time (11,000 people) Napoleon Bonaparte promoted the town to a city. Napoleon Bonaparte Source picture: Wikipedia Nowadays Sint-Niklaas has a population around 76,000 people (in 2017). It is located in the Province of East-Flanders, between Antwerp and Ghent in Flanders in Belgium. The Town Hall on top of this blog post is now one of the main sights in Sint-Niklaas. However during the time of Napoleon's visit there was no such a great building. The first City Hall was built in 1841.

On 17 July 1119, Baldwin VII, Count of Flanders died, when he returned to Wijnendale Castle (nowadays at Torhout in West-Flanders, Belgium) Family Baldwin VII of Flanders was the son of Robert II, count of Flanders and Clementia of Burgundy. His uncles were Pope Callixtus II and Raymond of Burgundy, the husband of the future Queen Urraca of León and Castile. Baldwin VII of Flanders and King Alfonso VII of León and Castile were thus cousins. Baldwin VII had other important first cousins: - Amadeus III, count of Savoy; - William V, Marquess of Montferrat Duty On 5 October 1111, Baldwin succeeded his father as Count of Flanders. He was then only 18 years old. In 1118 Baldwin arranged the marriage of Charles the Good to Margaret of Clermont, the heiress of the County of Amiens. Love and Marriage In 1105, Baldwin married Hawise of Brittany, daughter of Alan IV, duke of Brittany. The groom was twelve, the bride only nine years old! They were divorced ...

Brussels Town Hall - own picture On Sunday 15 July 2018, the players and coach of the National Football team of Belgium 'the Red Devils' will be celebrated in 'hellhole' Brussels, the capital of Belgium. First of all, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians will receive their National football team at home: the Royal Palace at Laeken. From Laeken, the Red Devils will be driving by open bus to the center of Brussels. Later the major of Brussels will receive the National Football Team and there will be a huge celebration in the Grand Place. There the Red Devils will be on the balcony of the Town Hall. Let's take a closer look of the royal history of this magnificent Town Hall of Brussels. The Left wing and oldest part of the Brussels Town Hall Some Royal History In 1420 the eldest part of the Brussels Town Hall, which is the left wing, facing the front, was built under the direction of Jacob van Tienen. However soon this pl...

On 12 July 1651, Margaret Theresa of Spain was born at the Royal Alcazar in Madrid. Family Margaret Theresa was a daughter of King Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria. Margaret's mother was nearly thirty years younger than her father. Margaret's paternal grandparents were King Philip III of Spain and his wife Archduchess Margaret of Austria. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and Infanta Maria Anna of Spain, the daughter of her paternal grandparents. Margaret was the sister of King Charles II of Spain. Margaret and her family belonged to the royal house of Habsburg . Youth Margaret hadn't serious health problems. She had an attractive appearance and a lively character. Her parents and close friends called her the "little angel". She grew up in the Queen's chambers in the Royal Alcazar of Madrid, surrounded by many maids and servants. In his private letters, King Philip IV of Spain called he...

St. Martin's Church - Ypres - Belgium - Own picture One of the tallest buildings in Belgium, certainly is the St.Martin's Church in Ypres. However this magnificent Gothic architectural highlight is often in the shadow of the Cloth Hall. Nevertheless it really has a splendid royal history. Some royal history The construction of the new St. Martin's Church started in 1230 and it was finished in 1370. Previously there was a Romanesque church in the region, which dated from the 10th or 11th century. During those times, the diocese of Ypres was a part of the diocese of Thérouanne, which was established in the 7th or the 8th century. In 1553, Charles V besieged the city of Thérouanne, then a French enclave in the Holy Roman Empire as a revenge for a defeat by the French at Metz. Charles V - Source picture: Wikipedia After Charles V captured the city he razed it. In 1557, as a result of the war damage to its see, the diocese of Thérouanne was abolished...