All About Royal Families

Imperial Interferences  with disastrous consequences In Ghent, the capital of Eastern Flanders in the northern part of Belgium,  there once was a beautiful Abbey called the Saint Bavo's Abbey.  However due to Imperial Interferences, this Abbey was demolished in the 16th. century.  Luckily for us, there still are a few traces from the Saint Bavo's Abbey and it still has a wonderful royal history. St. Bavo's Abbey and the eldest wall of Ghent Royal history Saint Bavo's Abbey was founded in the 7th. century by Saint Amand, who also founded the Saint Peter's Abbey in Ghent. Originally the Saint Bavo's Abbey was called Ganda, which meant "river mouth in Celtic" referring to the location of the area.  Louis the Pious , the youngest son of Charlemagne and also King of the  Franks, from 814-840 chose Einhard as abbot of the St. Bavo's Abbey. Einhard was the biographer of Charlemagne.  In the 9th. century, the St. Bavo's Abbey was raided twice by the Vi...

History of ballet and  the royals as influencers During the Italian Renaissance and in the fifteenth century, Ballet, a certain type of dance was founded. Later it spread its wings to France and Russia.  Ballet started in the Italian Renaissance courts of the fifteenth and the sixteenth centuries. When Catherine de'Medici became Queen of France, Ballet became popular. However it reached its height under the reign of King Louis XIV of France. King Louis XIV of France founded the Royal Dance Academy (Académie Royale de Danse) in 1661.  After 1830, ballet started to decline in France, but it continued to develop in Europe. It became popular in Denmark, Italy and Russia.  👉 Did you know that Tsar Nicholas II of Russia had a mistress (before his marriage). It was the prima Polish ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska . She would have had a relationship with at least two Grand Dukes from Russia: - Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia (died on 18 July 1918) ; - Grand Duke ...

King William I of The Netherlands and his statue in Ghent, Belgium  People from Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, have not only the language in common with citizens from The Netherlands but they also share some royal history together. Common royal history From 1815  Belgium and thus Flanders, was a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. But not everybody was happy with this union it led to the independence of Belgium in 1830.  However in Ghent, the capital of Eastern Flanders, the people were happy with the reign of King William I of The United Kingdom of The Netherlands.  The Monarch founded the University of Ghent and he gave the order to create  the canal of Ghent-Terneuzen.  A statue In 2015 (200 years after the formation of the United Kingdom of The Netherlands), Ghent honoured King William I with a statue. This statue was erected on a beautiful location at the Reep and was revealed on 20 October 2018. The statue costed 25....

On 19 September 1551, Henry was born at the royal castle of Fontainebleau in France. Family He was the fourth son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de'Medici. His paternal grandparents were King Francis I of France and Claude of France. His maternal grandparents were Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auverge.  His older brothers were Francis II of France; Charles IX of France and  Louis of Valois. Henry was a member of the royal house of Valois-Angoulême. He was raised under the supervision of Diane de Poitiers.  Childhood & Youth Henry was considered one of the best of the sons of Catherine de'Medici and Henry II. Unlike his father and his elder brothers, he had little interest in the traditional Valois pastimes such as hunting and physical exercise. He preferred the arts and reading.  There were reports that Henry engaged in same-sex relations with his court favourites known as the mignons.  Love & Marriage There were...

In 2014, president Xi Jinping of China and his wife Peng Liyuan opened the new panda pavillion in Pairi Daiza in Brugelette. T hey were on an official visit to Belgium.  King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde accompanied them.  On 11 July 2015, King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Mathilde of Belgium and  their children: Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eléonore visited Pairi Daiza. More about the royal visit on this link .  It took a while but on 17 august 2020, during my staycation, I finally could visit Pairi Daiza. It is a wonderful park with amazing gardens and buildings, however it was way too busy. Especially during Covid-19 time.  Pairi Daiza also has a very nice and long royal history. History In 1148, the Abbot of Clairvaux, Bernard (who became later Saint Bernard) sent  twelve monks to Cambron after an invitation of Anselm of Trazegnies, who had offered them land at the edge of the river Dender.  After th...

On 13 September 1843, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert visited Belgium. The visit Their Royal Yacht brought the couple to Ostend. During this visit, the Queen of the United Kingdom and her husband were officially received in Bruges, Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp. Ostend nowadays - a lot of differences when Queen Victoria paid a visit there ...  Of course the Queen and her husband visited uncle King Leopold I of Belgium and his wife Queen Louise-Marie. Waterloo In these days the battlefield of Waterloo wasn't officially visited. King Leopold I of Belgium didn't want that the ties between France and England deteriorated.  However in all silence, lord Aberdeen, the British minister of Foreign Affairs, visited the battlefield of Waterloo. His younger brother had died there in 1815. The Return In Antwerp the royal company embarked to their yacht to return to London. Source pictures: Wikipedia

George I Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, was born on 10 September 1547 in Kassel, nowadays located in Germany. Family His parents were Philips I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Christine of Saxony.  His paternal grandparents were William II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and Anna Mecklenburg-Schwerin. His maternal grandparents were George, Duke of Saxony and Barbara  Jagiellon, herself a daughter of King Casimir IV of Poland and Elisabeth of Austria. George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt was thus a member of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt. Love and Marriage On 17 August 1572 George I Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt married to Magdalene of Lippe. She was a daughter of Bernhard VIII, Count of Lippe and Catherine of Waldeck -Eisenberg. Duty Georgen I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt recieved the County of Katzenelnbogen and he selected Darmstadt as his residence.  Death On  7 February 1596, George I Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt died. He became 48 years old. 

On 4 September 1557, Sophie of Mecklenburg was born in Wismar (nowadays located in Northern Germany).  Family Her parents were Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Elizabeth of Denmark. Her paternal grandparents were Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg and Anna of Brandenburg. Her maternal grandparents were King Frederick I of Denmark and Sophie of  Pomerania.  Sophie of Mecklenburg was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Love and Marriage On 20 July 1572, Sophie of Mecklenburg married to Frederick II of Denmark. She was only 14 years old, he was 38! They were half-cousins, through their grandfather King Frederick I of Denmark and Norway.  Despite the difference of age between Sophie and Frederick the marriage was described as harmonious. The couple would have 7 children! Her daughter,  Anne would marry King James VI of Scotland.  Duty In 1575, King Frederick II of Denmark became ill due to malaria. Sophie  nursed her husband personally. When...

Spain is known for its churches and its typical Spanish building style, however there are exceptions. In Barcelona Gaudi has created lovely houses but Valencia has it own great architecture in the City of Arts and Sciences.  Although the buildings are modern, I really liked it there, due to the beauty of the place and of course the royal history.  The City of Arts and Sciences is the most important modern tourist destination in the city of Valencia  and one of the 12 Treasures of Spain.  The area is designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. Santiago Calatrava also is the architect who designed the railwaystation of Liège-Guillemins in Belgium see on this link . Famous buildings The City of Arts and Sciences is made up of several buildings inter alia: L'Hemisfèric (opened in 1998); On 13 November 2000 the Museu de les Ciènces Principe Felipe was opened for public. It inter alia has a section about Climate Change.  On 14 February 2003 the Ocean...