All About Royal Families

On 30 August 1334, Peter (in Spanish: Pedro) was born in the defensive tower of the Monasterio de Santa Maria la Real de Las Huelgas in Burgos, Spain. Family His parents were Alfonso XI of Castile and Maria of Portugal. His paternal grandparents were Ferdinand IV of Castile and Constance of Portugal. His maternal grandparents were Alfonso IV of Portugal and Beatrice of Castile. Reign Peter started his reign at the age of almost 16 years old. He was under the control of his mother and her favourites. Love & Marriage He was to be married to Joan, daughter of King Edward III of England. But on her way to Castile, she was confronted with the Black Death. Joan who was then 14 years old, died. Peter later married in secret to Maria de Padilla. This happened in 1353. On 3 June 1353, Peter married Blanche of Bourbon. The young King thus denied his previous marriage. He also had a kind of marriage with Juana de Castro, the widow of Don Diego de Haro,...

On 29 August 1935, King Leopold III of Belgium and his wife Queen Astrid (born Princess Astrid of Sweden on 17 November 1905) wanted to do a last hike in the Mountains near Küssnacht, Switzerland. However King Leopold III of Belgium wanted to drive the car himself, so the chauffeur was sitting in the back of the Packard one-Twenty convertible. So the King was driving and the Queen was looking at the map and she pointed out something to her husband and the car went off the road, down a deep slope, and slammed into a pear of trees. Queen Astrid had opened the door of the car but she was thrown out upon impact. Her body clashed with the tree while the car slipped to the second tree. She died immediately on the site of the crash. King Leopold was thrown out of the car as well, but he was only lightly injured. The car went on, only to stop into the lake. This drama happened on 29 August 1935 at 9:30 am. The mourning Queen Astrid of Belgium was deeply mourned...

On 28 August 1749, Johann Wolfgang Goethe was born in the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt. Then the city was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. At the royal court At the age of 25, Goethe was ennobled by Karl August, Duke of Saxe-Weimar in 1782 after taking up residence here in 1775 following the success of his first novel: 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' (1774). During his first ten years in Weimar, Goethe was a member of the Duke's privy council, was member of the war and highway commissions, oversaw the reopening of silver mines, and implemented a series of administrative reforms at the University of Jena. Goethe also contibuted to the planning of Weimar's botanical park and the rebuilding of its Ducal Place, which in 1998 were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Young Goethe Source picture: Wikipedia Important work Goethe's first major scientific work 'the Metamorphosis of Plants' was published after he re...

Bookcover Margaret of York The Diabolical Duchess Margaret of York, born on 3 May 1446 - died on 23 November 1503, was an important leading woman in the 15th. century. She was the daughter of Richard Plantagenet, the 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville. As a daughter from the House of York she would always be loyal to her royal family. On 3 July 1468, Margaret of York married Charles the Bold, the duke of Burgundy at Damme (nowadays located in Flanders, Belgium). After her marriage she became duchess of Burgundy, however she stayed in touch with her family and the politics in England, although she lived in her amazing court at Malines (also located in Flanders, Belgium). In January 1477, Charles the Bold died at the Battle of Nancy and Margaret became the Dowager Duchess, however she had a great influence over her stepdaughter, Duchess Mary of Burgundy and her stepson in law: Archduke Maximilian of Austria (who became later the Holy Roman Emperor Maxim...

One of the most sad tangible legacies of World War I is located near the Klinge on the border between Belgium and The Netherlands. It is called the Wire of Death. Dodendraad - Wire of Death History In 1914 the German Empire invaded Belgium, although King Albert I of Belgium once said: Belgium is a nation not a road. Shortly after the German invasion, Belgians started to cross the border to The Netherlands en masse. In 1914 one million Belgian refugees were already in The Netherlands, but because of the war a lot of people tried to cross the border. Many wanted to escape the German occupation, others wanted to join their relatives who had already fled, and some of them wanted to take part in the war to join the forces on the allied front. Others were spies, smugglers or deliverers of clandestine mail. During World War I, the Netherlands stayed neutral, they were forced by the German Empire to control their borders, the Wire of Death made it more easier for t...

Grace of Monaco  Grace of Monaco is a biographical drama film directed by Olivier Dahan and written by Arash Amel. The movie stars Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly. First schedule of the release was in November 2013 however it was postponed untill March 2014. Grace of Monaco was the opening film at the Film Festival of Cannes in 2014. Screenschot Grace of Monaco the arrival of Grace Kelly as Princess in Monaco About the movie Grace of Monaco is about the life of the movie star Grace Kelly. It is focused on the period when she already is a Princess of Monaco. She had a crisis in her marriage during Monaco's dispute with the French President: Charles de Gaulle. Meanwhile Alfred Hitchcock visited her in Monaco, offering her a role in his movie Marnie. During the diplomatic war between France and Monaco, Princess Grace had her own struggles. However she decided to take up more responsibility and became the real Princess of Monaco, in the hope that every...

On 25 August 2018 the movie Diana finally was shown on Belgian Television. About the movie In 2013 a biographical drama film about Diana, Princess of Wales was created. It was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. The drama told about the last two years of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. The screenplay was based on Kate Snell's book 'Diana: Her Last Love' from 2001. It was Naomi Watts who had the honour to play the role of Diana, Princess of Wales. The world premiere of the film was held in London on 5 September 2013. It was released in the UK on 20 September 2013. The events of the movie The movie started with the events when Diana divorced Charles, Prince of Wales. Then she meets and falls in love with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. The film shows Diana's historic tours of Angola in her campaign against the use of land mines. It also shows Diana's trips to Australia, Pakistan, New York City, Bosnia, Italy and finally Paris. ...

On 23 August 1514, the Battle of Chaldiran took place at Chaldiran near Khoy, nowadays located in the north western part of Iran. Some Royal History In 1512 Selim I became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after a successful battle against his brothers for the throne. The Sultan believed that these struggles were stirred up by  Ismail I , who had sized with other members of the dynasty against him. Selim I of the Ottoman Empire Shah Ismail Selim feared that the population would turn against him in favour of Shah Ismail, the leader of the Shia Safavids. Shah Ismail on the other hand accused Sultan Selim of aggression against fellow Muslims, violating religious sexual rules and shedding innocent blood. Before Selim I started the Battle of Chaldiran he ordered the execution of some 40,000 Qizilbash of Anatolia as punishment for their rebellious behaviour. He also tried to block the import of Iranian silk into his realm. The Battle At Chaldiran th...

On 22 August 1854, Milan Obrenovic was born in Moldavia. There his family lived in exile since 1842. Family Milan Obrenovic was the son of Milos Obrenovic and his Moldavian wife Elena Maria Catargiu (in Serbia known as Marija Obrenovic). Shortly after Milans birth his parents divorced. On 20 November 1861, at the age of seven, Milan lost his father Milos who died fighting against the Turks of the Ottoman Empire near Bucharest as foreign mercenary in the Romanian army. Milan was legally adopted by his cousing Mihailo Obrenovic III who had returned to Serbia and where Mihailo had become the ruling prince in 1860. Duty On 10 June 1868, when Milan was only fourteen years old, his nephew, the ruling Prince, was assassinated. This man did not have any male heirs and the succession of the throne of Serbia was difficult. As Milan was still underage to rule on his own, a regency was established to rule in Milan's name. The three-man council was headed by Blazn...

Rome, the capital of Italy, still has lots of palaces, although the Italian monarchy was abolished in 1946. Quirinal Palace, Rome Italy own pictures taken in December 2017 One of those palaces is located on the Quirinal hill and it was named after it: the Quirinal Palace. An amazing royal history The location on the Quirinal hill was used since Roman times. They built temples dedicated from Flora to Quirinus (after whom the hill was named). During the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great , a complex of Roman  baths was built here.  The Quirinal was the highest hill in Rome and the place became a popular location for Roman patricians, who built here their luxurious villas.  In 1583, Pope Gregory XIII ordered to built a papal summer residence. He wanted to find a great location which was away from the humidity and stench  coming from the river Tiber and the unhealthy conditions of the Lateran Palace. Of course, he ...

Castel Sant' Angelo in Art - Source pictures: Wikipedia Castel Sant' Angelo in Rome Italy Rome, the capital of Italy, really has some amazing castles with a great royal history which went back to the very beginning of the Roman Empire. One of those magnificent buildings is the Castel Sant' Angelo, located in the Parco Adriano in Rome. Castel Sant' Angelo in Rome - Italy own picture taken in december 2017 Some Royal History The Castel Sant' Angelo also is called the Mausoleum of Hadrian, or the tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian . Hadrian - Source picture: Wikipedia This beautiful building was erected on the right bank of the Tiber between 134 and 139 AD! Hadrian's ashes were placed here a year after his death in Baiae in 138, together with those of his wife Sabina and his first adopted son Lucius Aelius who died in 138. After him the remains of the succeeding emperors were also placed here, though the last one ...

Louvre Museum Paris, France On 10 August 1793, the Louvre museum in Paris, France went open for public for the first time. The public was given free access on three days per week, which was perceived as a major accomplishment and was generally appreciated. Why 10 August? On 10 August 1792, King Louis XVI of France was imprisoned and the royal collection in the Louvre became national property. Because of the fear of vandalism or theft on 19 August 1792 the National Assembly pronounced the museum's preparation as urgent. In October, a committee to "preserve the national memory" began assembling the collection for display. The opening On 10 August 1793, on the first anniversary of the monarchy's demise the Louvre museum opened. The collection showed 537 paintings and 184 objects of art. To expand and organize the collection the Republic dedicated 100,000 livres a year. poster in front of the Louvre, Paris, France Building a collecti...

On 8 August 1831, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia was born in the Tsarskoye Selo at Saint Petersburg, then a part of the Russian Empire. Family Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia was the son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia. His paternal grandparents were Tsar Paul I of Russia and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. His maternal grandparents were King Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg Strelitz. He and his family were members of the House of Romanov. Career Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, the father of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich arranged a career in the army for him. On the day he was born, he was already appointed honorary colonel in the Life Guard Lancers and enlisted into the Life Guard Sappers battalion. Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich was first in active service during the Crimea War. He took part in the Battle of Inkerman (1854). In 1856 he was appointed as general Inspector of engineers...