All About Royal Families

One of the oldest families in Europe is without any doubt The House of  Limburg Stirum. It is the eldest and only surviving branch of the House of Berg, which was among the most powerful dynasties in the region of the Lower Rhine duing the Middle Ages.  Some History The Counts of Limburg descended from Count Adolf I van Berg.  Diederik I, Count of Isenberg-Limburg received in 1243 a part of his father's territorium and he called himself: of Limburg. He also possessed the manor of Stirum.  However the titles of the House of Limburg Stirum were confirmed in  1812 by Napoleon Bonaparte.  In 1814 the family was recognised in the nobility of the Kingdom of The Netherlands.  Who is who? Herman Otto II of Limburg Stirum  (1675-1704) fought in the War of the Spanish Succession in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, against France and Bavaria. He lost the Battle of Höchstadt and the Battle of Schellenberg.  Leopold, Count of Limburg Stir...

On 27 March 1746, Carlo Maria Buonaparte also called Charles-Marie Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio Corsica (then a part of the Republic of Genoa) as the youngest of three children.  Family His parents were Giuseppe Buonaparte, who had represented Ajaccio at the Council of Corte in 1749 and Maria Saveria Paravicini.  The Corsican Buonapartes were descended from minor Italian nobility of Tuscan origin, who had come to Corsica from Liguria in the 16th. century.  Carlo studied to be a lawyer at the Pisa University but he left before earning his degree to take charge of family responsibilities.  Love and marriage Carlo married Donna Maria Letizia Ramolino. Both were of Corsican nobility and very young at the time of their marriage. Carlo was 17, Letizia was 13! Their marriage was arranged.  They would have 13 children between 1768 and 1784. Five of them died, eight children survived.  Among them: Napoleon Bonaparte, who became later Emperor of the French.  Ga...

Marcus Salvius Otho was born on 28 April 32 AD as the son of Lucius Alvius Otho and Terentia Albia. He was born in Ferento, a former city in Lazio (nowadays located in central Italy). Way to power Otho's grandfather had been a senator and Claudius granted Otho's father patrician status.  An aged freedwoman brought Otho in the company of the emperor Nero. Otho married the emperor's mistress Poppae Sabina. Later Nero forced Otho to divorce Poppae so that he himself could marry her. Otto was exiled to the province of Lusitania. There he became a capable governor.  Otho allied himself with Galba, then governor of neighboring Hispania Tarraconensis. Later Galba was proclaimed emperor by the Senate. Otho accompanied the new  emperor to Rome in October 68.  Galba was kiled by the Praetorians on 15 January 69. Otho was proclaimed Emperor. Reign Vitellius, the commander of the legions on the lower Rhine River, was already advancing upon Italy. Otho prepared for war.  Dea...

Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte was born on 20 March 1811 at the Tuileries Palace in Paris.  Family His parents were Emperor Napoleon I of France and Empress Marie Louise  born Marie Louise of Austria).  Since his birth Napoléon II had been Prince Imperial of France and King of Rome as well.  Childhood On 9 June 1811 Napoléon II was baptised in the Notre Dame de Paris. Napoléon was put in the care of Louise Charlotte Françoise Le Tellier  de Montesquiou. She was affectionate and intelligent. The governess assembled a considerable collection of books intended to give the infant a strong grounding in religion philosophy, and military matters.  Napoleon I saw his second wife and their son for the last time on 24 January 1814.  The Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1814 gave Napoleon II the right to use the title of Prince of Parma, of Placentia and Guastalla. His mother was styled the Duchess of Parma, of Placentia and of Guastalla.  On 13 April ...

Equestrian Equestrian is commonly known as horse riding. It includes the disciplines of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses.  own picture Some history The exact date horses were domesticated is unknown, just as the date when  they were first ridden. The best estimate is that horses first were ridden about 3500 BC.  Equestrianism was introduced in the 1900 Summer Olympics as a Olympic sport with jumping events.  By 1912, all three Olympic disciplines still seen today were a part of the games. They are governed by the rules of the International Federation for  Equestrian Sports (FEI). * Dressage; * Show Jumping; * Eventing.  Royals and their love for horse riding Austria On 2 January 1743, Maria Theresa of Austria held a ladies carousel in the Winter Riding School of the Hofburg.  Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi)  (1837 - 1898)  was a keen equestrian. She loved horse riding. She rode every day for hours on end. She became the...

 On 6 March 1405, John (in Spanish Juan) was born at Toro, Zamora.  Family John was the son of King Henry III of Castile and Catherine of Lancaster. His paternal grandparents were John I, King of Castile (after who John was named) and Eleanor of Aragon.  His maternal grandparents were John of Gaunt, 1st. Duke of Lancaster and Constance of Castile.  John was a member of the house of Trastámara. Reign On 25 December 1406, John became King of Castile and León. His mother  and his uncle, King Ferdinand I of Aragon, were co-regents during his minority. When Ferdinand I died in 1416, his mother governed alone until her death in 1418. The rule of King John II of Castile lasted 48 years, it was one of the longest in Castilian history, although John himself was not a great monarch. He spent his time verse-making, hunting and holding tournaments.  Love and Marriage  In 1418, John married Maria of Aragon, the oldest daughter of his paternal uncle: Ferdinand I of ...

68-69 The year of the Four Emperors Birth & family Serverius Sulpicius Galba (sounds as a name in Harry Potter) was born near Terracina on 24 December 3 BC.  He was not related to any of the emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty but he was a member of a distinguished noble family.  Love and marriage Galba had a sexual preference for men above women. Nevertheless he married a woman named Azmilia Lepida and he had two sons. Aemilia and their sons died during the early years of the reign of Claudius (41-54) and Galba would remain a widower for the rest of his life. Public life Galba became praetor in about 30, then he became governor of Aquitania for  about a year, then consul in 33.  In 39, Emperor Caligula learned of a plot against himself in which Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus, the general of the Upper German legions was a key figure. Caligula installed Galba in the post held by Gaetulicus. As commander, Galba gained a reputation as a disciplinarian....