All About Royal Families

Yes! I've finished another very interesting book: The Countess, Napoleon and St. Helena. It is written by a wonderful author: Lally Brown. Readers of the Allaboutroyalfamiliesblog already know that I've a 'small' fascination about Napoleon Bonaparte, an ordinary man who became Emperor of France. On Twitter I've 'met' several years ago a lovely author: Lally Brown. We started to talk about my other passion gardening and about her amazing roses. Via Twitter and Lally I discovered her fascinating books: - The Volcano, Montserrat and me; - High and dry in the BVI; - The Countess, Napoleon and St. Helena. When reading books, I always love two important things: the style of the author and the fact if the book is written chronologically. For me the latter is very important in history works. Lally Brown, took me back to 1815. After the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated and he was forced to exile to St. Helena. So the Co...

Onthisday,  on 26 June 1866 George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert was born at Highclere Castle in Hampshire in the United Kingdom. Family His parents were Henry Herbert, the 4th. Earl of Carnavon and Lady Evelyn Stanhope. His maternal grandparents were George Stanhope, 6th. Earl of Chesterfield and Lady Anne. Love and Marriage Lord Carnavon married to Almina Victoria Maria Alexandra Wombwell. She was the illegitimate daughter of millionaire banker, Alfred de Rothschild of the famous Rothschild family. This wedding took place on 26 June 1895. They would have 2 children. Hobby's Carnavon first was best known as an owner of race horses and a reckless driver of early cars. His grandson the 7th. Earl of Carnavon was a racing manager to Queen Elizabeth II from 1969 and one of the Queen's closest friends. Egypt Lord Carnavon was an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist, he and his wife often spent their winters in Egypt, where they bought antiquities ...

While reading in a book about the history of the Belgian Royal family the name d'Oultremont was mentioned often. the coat of arms of Henriette d'Oultremont History The name d'Oultremont was originally from a town Warnant in the principality of Liège in Belgium. A certain Hustin de Warnant  d'Oultremont alderman of Huy and Wanze died on 17 May 1398. This is one of the first traces of the name: d'Oultremont. Due to the right marriages the family d'Oultremont could gain more power in Huy and in the region of Liège. In 1731, Emperor Charles VI, granted the hereditary title: Count to Jean-François d'Oultremont. In 1816, three great-grandsons of François d'Oultremont were included in the hereditary nobility of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands Famous personalities Elisabeth d'Oultremont (1867-1952) was the lady-in-waiting of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876-1965). But there were lots of more traces of connection o...

James Hamilton was born on 19 June 1606 at Hamilton Palace in Lanarkshire in Scotland. Family His parents were James, 1st. Marquis of Hamilton and Lady Ann Cunningham. Lady Ann Cunningham was the daughter of James, Earl of Glencairn. In 1609 James' insane great uncle, also called James (What's in a name?!) Earl of Arran died, so the little James was styled Earl of Arran. Heir to the throne The Young James's close ancestor was Princess Mary, daughter of King James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. After the death, in 1612, of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the young James became third in line to the Scottish throne, after Charles, Duke of Rothesay and his sister Elizabeth (who later became Queen of Bohemia). Later the Young James was sent to Exeter College in Oxford. Art From a very young age, James was interested in art. He collected Venetian painting through an agent: Viscount Basil Feilding. Nowadays this collection can be seen at the Ku...

14 June 1870 marks the birth of Sophia of Prussia. This lovely event took place at the New Palace in Potsdam near Berlin in Prussia (now a part of Germany). Family Sophia was the daughter of Frederick III (who became later German Emperor) and Victoria, Princess  Royal. Sophia was thus a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of The United Kingdom. Her paternal grandparents were Wilhelm I, German Emperor and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Sophia was a member of the House of Hohenzollern. Sophie was eleven years younger than her brother the future Wilhelm II, German Emperor. 6 days after Sophia's birth, Napoleon III of France declared war to Prussia. Childhood Sophia was known as Sossy during her childhood. Two other brothers Sigismund and Waldemar died during their childhood. This made that Sophia and her sisters had a good bond with their mother Victoria. She was raised with a great love for England and she made frequent visits to her grandm...

One of the most beautiful churches in Rome is without no doubt the Santi Michaele e Magno in Rome. Perhaps this name doesn't say anything to you, but it is better known as the Friezen church in Dutch. Frisian Church in Rome, Italy The Church is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel and Bishop Saint Magnus of Anagni. The Santi Michaele e Magno is located on the northern slope of Palazolo Hill in Rione Borgo near the Vatican in Rome. It is the national church dedicated to The Netherlands. Frisian Church in Rome Outside Some history From the 8th. century Frisian pilgrims regularly visited Rome. At the same time a colony of Frisians was living there. The Scola of Frisians was first mentioned by Pope Leo III's return to Rome in 799. In 845, the Frisians defended the Old St. Peter's Basilica against a Saracen invasion. Its patron was St. Michael the Archangel, who liberated Rome from the Plague and it was a favoured Saint during the Lombard...

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was born on 6 June 1772 at the Royal Palace in Naples. She was the eldest of 18 children. Family Her parents were Ferdinand IV & III of Naples and Sicily and Maria Carolina of Austria. She was the favourite child from her mother. Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was inter alia the sister of Maria Amelia Theresa who would marry Louis Philippe, the King of the French. Her paternal grandparents were King Charles III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony. Her maternal grandparents were Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa who became Holy Roman Empress. Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was thus a member of the royal house of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Maria Theresa was named after her maternal grandmother Maria Theresa of Austria. Love and Marriage On 15 September 1790, she married her double first cousin Francis. In 1792 he would become Holy Roman Emperor Francis II and Emperor Francis I of Austria. The ...

It has been a while but I finally finished reading a book. Readers of the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog know that travels, culture, art and of course royal history interest me very much. In particular the Royal History of the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire. So, recently I had the chance to read the 'History of the Ottoman Empire', written by William Deans and published on 6 October 2014 by Didactic Press. I really like chronological written history books and this is the case with 'History of the Ottoman Empire'. The author uses a clear timeline. The Ottoman Empire was founded around 1299 and lasted till 1922/ 1923. It was one of the powerfull states with a royal on top, which were doomed after World War I.  The Onthisday posts at this Allaboutroyalfamilies blog contain often very  short biographies about the Ottoman Sultans and of course the Ottoman Empire is mentioned on the page royal families in the world.  More on this link .  Sourc...