All About Royal Families

On 27 August 1545 Alexander Farnese was born at Rome in the Papal States. Family Alexander was the son of Duke Ottavio Farnese of Parma (a grandchild of Pope Paul III) and Margaret of Parma, the natural daughter of Emperor Charles V. Alexander was a member of the noble house of Farnese. Youth Alexander's mother was the half-sister of King Philip II of Spain. So, he could led a significant military and diplomatic career in the service of Spain. He fought in the Battle of Lepanto (1571) and then in The Netherlands against the rebels. He accompanied his mother to Brussels, when she was appointed Governor of the Netherlands. Love and Marriage In 1565 his marriage with Maria of Portugal ( a granddaughter of King Manuel I of Portugal) was celebrated in Brussels. Duty In 1586, Alexander Farnese became Duke of Parma, through the death of his father. He named his son Ranuccio as Regent. In 1587, Farnese took Sluis for the Spanish King. De...

Around 1304 a very noble boy was born. He received the name Louis (in Dutch: Lodewijk). Family Louis was the son of Louis I, Count of Nevers and Joan, Countess of  Rethel. He was a grandson of Robert III of Flanders and Yolande II, Countess of Nevers. He was thus a member of the noble family of Dampierre Life Louis I succeeded his father as Count of Nevers and his grandfather as Count of Flanders in 1322. He also inherited the County of Rethel from his mother.  In 1320 Louis married Margaret, she was the second daughter of  King Philip V of France and Joan II, Countess of Burgundy. In 1361 Margaret would inherit her mother's counties of Burgundy and Artois.  Louis I was pro-French. He also ordered excessive taxations and that  caused an uprising in 1323. A peasant insurrection escalated into a full rebellion that dominated the public affairs in Flanders until 1328! The rebels were led by Nicolaas...

It is always nice to visit a castle, a palace or even a fort on a city trip. When this special building also is located near the beach it must be absolutely beautiful, especially on a day with good weather. Luckily Portugal and especially Porto most of the time have great weather. So on the end of May 2019, during the election weekend (26 May) I visited the amazing city of Porto in Portugal and the Fort of São Francisco Xavier . It also is called the Castelo do Queijo . Although a visit to this Fort is not that much interesting, it has some really nice sea views and a splendid royal history. Fort Sao Francisco Xavier in Porto Royal History In 1643, King John IV of Portugal  ordered the construction of a new Fort, designed by the French military engineer Miguel de L'Ecole. The works were finally finished somewhere between 1661 and 1662. In 1751, a private chapel was constructed to assist military officers serving at the Fort. Between 1807-1811, during ...

On 25 August 1707 a royal boy was born at the Buen Retiro in Madrid, Spain. He was named Louis after his grandfather King Louis XIV of France. Family King Louis I of Spain was the son of King Philip V of Spain and Maria Luisa of Savoy. His paternal grandparents were Louis Grand Dauphin of France and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. His maternal grandparents were Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and Anne Marie d'Orléans. King Louis I of Spain was thus a member of the royal house of Bourbon. Love and Marriage On 20 January 1722 at Lerma, Louis married  Louise Elisabeth d'Orléans, a daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, who was the regent of France. Duty King Louis I of Spain ruled from 15 January 1724, after his father abdicated in his favour. However Louis died seven months later on 31 August 1724 due to smallpox. He was succeeded by his father who ruled again until 1746. Source picture: Wikipedia

Isabella of Aragon was born on 2 October 1470 as the eldest child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Family Her siblings were: - John, Prince of Asturias; - Joanna, who married Philip the Handsome; - Maria, who became Queen of Portugal; - Catherine, who became Queen of England when she married Henry VIII. Youth When her parents were involved in a civil war in Spain, Princess Isabella was left in Segovia with Andrés de Cabréra and his wife Beatriz de Bobadilla. However the city residents of Segovia rose up and seized control of the city. Princess Isabella was locked up in the Alcázar until her mother returned to Segovia and took control again of the city. Love and marriage Isabella of Aragon married in November 1490 to Afonso, Prince of Portugal. However he died on 13 July 1491. She was heartbroken about his death and she was convinced that he died because God was angry that Portugal had provided a refuge for the Jews her pa...

The imperial history of Russia always has fascinated me, due to the 'sudden' fall of the  dynasty in 1917. Reading a book about this amazing history always is a special  treat for me. The more when the lecture is written very well and very  interesting. Alexander II The Last Great Tsar screenshot About the book 'Alexander II the last Great Tsar' Alexander II (1818-1881) was not just a biography about the Tsar but the book also told the story of his era, the dissatisfaction of the Russian nobility and the common citizens. The book also mentioned lots of chapters about Terrorism, which started during the life of Alexander II. It even hinted about the start of the fall of the monarchy (which ended in 1917). I really liked this book: Alexander II the last Great Tsar, because it wasn't written in a boring or dry way at all. It was very vibrant and easy to read. bookcover Alexander II De Laatste grote Tsaar in Dutch About Edvar...

On 16 August 2019, my husband and I went to the 2019's Summer  exhibition of the Royal Palace in Brussels.  For us, it is a yearly tradition to visit the Royal Palace in Brussels during the opening in the summer months. King Leopold I of Belgium and an English uniform This year there are 2 special exhibitons. 1/ Royally adorned. Royal uniforms This is about the costumes and uniforms of the former Kings and present King of the Royal Family of Belgium. This is an exhibition in collaboration with the War Herritage Institute. 2/ The moon: between dream and reality Is a special exhibition which gives an original version about art and science. It is a collaboration of 10 scientific institutes. King Baudouin of Belgium, Prince Albert (now King Albert) and Prince Philippe (now King Philippe) Besides these two interesting exhibitions there also is a part of Technopolis, a To-Do to practice basic physics mechanisms, which always is inte...

Recently, I read the interesting book 'Ambition & Desire the dangerous life of Joséphine Bonaparte', written by Kate Williams. In this book, Kate Williams not only tells about the life of Joséphine Bonaparte but also about the history of France during her time. It was nice to see shocking events as the French revolution, the reign of Terror, the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte through the eyes of Joséphine. It was a different but fascinating view. It proved that Joséphine really was a strong woman, with her own problems, her own sorrows and her own strength. Joséphine - screenshot book  More about the author Kate Williams is a British author, historian and television presenter. She is a professor of history at the University of Reading. She also wrote about Queen Victoria, Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II and many more. Joséphine the Dutch book cover More about Empress Joséphine Joséphine was born on 23 June 1763 as Marie J...

Seville really has everything for a perfect holiday: fantastic weather, great food, nice drinks, tapas, Flamenco and of course many famous city views. Seville is the captial of the autonomous province of Andalusia and the province of Seville in Spain. This amazing beautiful city contains at least three places listed on the Unesco World Heritage lists: the Alcázar Palace complex; the General Archive of des Indies and last but not least the Cathedral. This Cathedral not only is a fantastic architectural building, it also has a very important royal history. Seville Cathedral on top of the roof Seville Cathedral entrance Royal history At the very beginning the Seville Cathedral was an Almohad mosque (1172-1248). It was Almohad caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf, who ordered the construction of a new grand mosque for the city. However, shortly after Seville's conquest by King Ferdinand III, the mosque was converted into the city's cathedral. Almost the entire ea...

On 8 August 1648 Mehmed IV became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after Sultan Ibrahim abdicated from the throne. Mehmed IV was the son of Ibrahim and Valide Sultan Turhan Hatice, a concubine of Ukrainian origin. He was born on 2 January 1642. When Mehmed IV ascended the throne there were lots of intrigues in the Imperial Palace as well as uprisings in Anatolia. Under Mehmed IV's reign, the Ottoman Empire regained the Aegean islands from Venice. His army marched to Hungary and later his soldiers besieged Vienna in Austria (1683). This was the start of the Great Turkish Wars, as the armies of the Holy League began their succesful campaign to push the Ottomans back over the Balkans. His reign ended on 8 November 1687, and Mehmed IV died on 6 January 1693. He was buried at the New Mosque in Istanbul. Source pictures: Wikipedia

One of my most amazing museum experiences took place in 2017. Then I visited Rome and Vatican City. I never realized that the Vatican houses so many beautiful and well known art works. Though I've seen (a part) of the Vatican museums I really want to return once to discover more. Be sure, you can't see all the museums in one time because there are some 20,000 art works on display. Besides my own modest meaning, the Vatican Museums have a very interesting history. On Top of the Vatican Museums  Some Royal History The buildings of the Vatican Museums were once papal residences. It was Pope Julius II, who founded the museums in the early 16th. century (1506). The Vatican museums are a huge complex of different pontifical museums which started under the patronage of the Popes Clement (1769-1774) and Pius VI (1775-1799). Later Pius VII (1800-1823) expanded lot. Views from the Vatican Museums Modern Art at the Vatican Museums As mentioned b...

On 1 August 1924 (some sources said he could be older), Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was born at Riyadh. Then it was a part of the Sultanate of Nejd. Now it is of course the capital of Saudi Arabia. Family His parents were Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim. She was one of King Abdulaziz 's spouses. They were all members of the House of Saud. Army Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was made commander of the Saudi National Gard (SANG) in 1963. In March 1975, he became Deputy Prime Minister, which secured his place as second in line of the throne. Duty On 13 June 1982, his half-brother Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became the new King of of Saudi Arabia, due to the death of King Khalid. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became now the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. In May 2001, he made a visit to Washington (United States of America). He also pushed for Saudi Membership for the World Trade Organization. King On 1 August 2005, Kin...