All About Royal Families

One of the oldest Belgian noble families is without no doubt the  House of Ligne. The family was named from the village of Ligne, located between Ath and Tournai (nowadays the Hainaut province of Belgium).  Some Royal History At the time of the Crusades, the lords of Ligne belonged to the  entourage of the Count of Hainaut.  In the Battle of Bouvines, which took place in 1214, they were described as "great name and men of honour". Thierry de Ligne was mentioned than for the very first time.  In 1544 Jacob of Ligne was granted by Emperor Charles V as Count of Ligne.  On 20 March 1601 Lamoral I of Ligne received from Emperor Rudolf II the title prince of the Holy Roman Empire. This was granted for himself and for all his descendants both male and  female.  King Willem I of the Netherlands granted on 13 March 1816, Eugène of Ligne as prince for him and all his descendants.  In 1923, King Albert I of Belgium granted Ernest of Ligne the right to u...

On 1 August 10 BC Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born at Lugdunum (nowadays Lyon in France). own picture of Claudius Taken at the Vatican Museums in 2017 Family Claudius was the son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia. His maternal grandparents were Mark Antony and Octavia Minor, Augustus' sister. Claudius was thus the great-great grand nephew of Tiberius Claudius Nero.  Claudius had two older siblings Germanicus and Livia. His mother had two other children who died young.  Youth In 9 BC , Claudius' father Drusus unexpectedly died on campaign in Germania, possibly from illness. He was then left to be raised by his mother, who never remarried.  In 7 AD, Livy was hired as tutor of Claudius. He also took lessons  from the philosopher Athenodorus.  The guards proclaimed Claudius Emperor Source picture: Wikipedia Raise to power When Augustus died in AD 14,Claudius was 23 years old. He appealed to his uncle Tiberius, to allow him to begin the curus h...

On 17 January 1991, King Olav V of Norway died. He was King from 1957 till his death. In 2005, a poll organized by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation named King Olav "Norwegian of the Century." But what do we know about this popular King? Birth Prince Alexander Edward Christian Frederik was born in Appleton House on the Royal Sandringham Estate, Flitcham in the United Kingdom.  His parents were Prince Carl, second son of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark (later King Frederick VIII) and Princess Maud. She was the youngest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, himself the eldest son of Britain's  Queen Victoria.   The newborn Prince was a member of the House of Glücksburg.  Early Life In 1905, Prince Carl, Olav's father was elected King of Norway and he took the name Haakon VII. One day Haakon was crowned he gave his two-year old son the Norwegian name Olav, after Olaf Haakonsson, King of Norway and  Denmark.  Olav was thus the first hei...

"A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in."  This was quoted by King Frederick the Great of Prussia. History  Since 1987,  the Belgian Fabienne Delvigne has specialized in the  design of Haute Couture Hats, jewellery and headgear. After  studying Marketing she launched her own company and she became one of the most influential hat designers of Europe.  In 2001, Fabienne Delvigne became Royal Warrant holder of the royal family of Belgium. Then Albert II and Paola were King and Queen of the Belgians.  At the inauguration of King Philippe on 21 July 2013, Fabienne Delvigne made for Queen Mathilde a wonderful symbolic hat.  King Philippe also granted Fabienne Delvigne a royal warrant.  The shop of Fabienne Delvigne is located at: 8 André Fauchille Street 1150 Brussels - Belgium.  Royal clients: * Queen Paola of Belgium;  * Queen Mathilde of the Belgians; * Princess Elisabeth of Belgium; * Queen Máxima of the Netherlands;  * Ma...

On 31 Augustus 12 AD , Gaius Julius Caesar (named in honour of his famous relative) was born in Antium (Anzio).  Family His parents were Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder, who was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder. She was the granddaughter of  Augustus.  Gaius was the nephew of Claudius, Germanicus' younger brother.  Caligula - Source picture: Wikipedia Childhood As a child of just two or three Gaius accompanied his father, Germanicus, on campaigns in the north of Germania. The soldiers were amused that Gaius  was dressed in a miniature soldier's outfit, including boots and armour. He was soon given an affectionate  nickname, Caligula, which meant little soldier boot in Latin. Gaius disliked his nickname. After the death of his father, Caligula lived with his mother until her relations with Tiberius deteriorated. Tiberius would not allow Agrippina to remarry for fear her husband would be a rival. Agrippina and Caligula's  b...

 On 2 January 1699, Osman III was born in the Edirne Palace (now it is located in the north of Turkey). Family His parents were Sultan Mustafa II of the Ottoman Empire and Sesuvar Sultan. He was a member of the House of Ottoman. When his father was enthroned Osman was taken captive in the Kafes, this was a part of the imperial harem. He lived there for more than 51 years! Reign On 13 December 1754 he became the 25th. Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.  Due to his captivity he hated music. He banned all the musicians from the palace! Osman III gave the order to build the Nuruosmaniye Mosque in Istanbul. The construction of it started under the reign of Mahmud I. Death On 30 October 1757, at the age of 58, Osman III died at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. He was succeeded by his nephew Mustafa III.