All About Royal Families

Oh Vienna ... the lovely capital of Austria has tons of Royal History. Walking around the city we passed lots of palaces. One of the most interesting was the Palais Trautson. own picture taken in 2011 Not only the building style of the Palace attracted us, but also the beautiful royal history. The Palace, located at the Museumstrasse 7, once was owned by the Trautson family. Some history The land on which the palace is built originally belonged to Countess Maria Margareta Trautson in 1657 and consisted of a small house and a vineyard.  After the Battle of Vienna, during repairs Johann Leopold Donat von Trautson , the prince of Troutson, commissioned Christian Alexander Oedtl to build the palace in 1712.  Oedtl used designs by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.  Source picture: Wikipedia In 1760, the palace was bought by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria for 40,000 Guilders, who then gave the palace to the Hungarian Guard.  The Hungarian Guard converted the palac...

Most people know Roman Emperor Nero due to its bad reputation and his  role  in the Great Fire of Rome. But how did he become as he was? What's his  background? You'll read it in this post of the Roman Series.  Was Nero a bad guy?  Family Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus on 15 December 37 AD in Antium. He was the only son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahnobarbus and Agrippina the Younger. His maternal grandparents were Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder.  Nero was thus a great-great grandson of Augusts and he descended from  the first Emperor's only daughter Julia.  Early Life in 40 AD Nero's father Domitius died. A few years before his death  Domitius had been involved in a political scandal. The next year Nero's mother Agrippina had been caught up in a scandal on her own. She was suspected of adultery with her brother-in-law Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Agrippina and her sister Julia Livilla were banished by Caligula to a remote island in the Med...

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...

Nikolaus I was born on 18 December 1714 in Vienna as the son of Prince  Joseph and Mária Octavia Baroness Gilleis of Theras and Sonneberg.  Nikolaus was the younger brother of Paul II Anton, Prince of Esterházy. They were members of the famous Hungarian Esterházy family.  Early life Prince Nikolaus was educated by Jesuits. He became a military officer serving the Austrian Empire. He participated at the Battle of Kolin in 1757 where he led the wavering cavalry troops to victory. He was made Lieutenant Field Marshal. Prince Nikolaus became one of the original members of the Order of  Maria Theresa.  In 1762 he was appointed captain of Maria Theresa's Hungarian bodyguard. Other honours included the Golden Fleece and the Grade of Commander in  the Order of Maria Theresa.  Love and Marriage On 4 March 1737, Prince Nikolaus married Freiin Marie Elisabeth, a daughter of a Reichsgraf (Count of the Holy Roman Empire) Ferdinand von Weissenwolf.  Duty When h...

Rome and its history always have fascinated me. In 2017, I finally could visit this lovely city near the Tiber. Rome's history spans more than 28 centuries. It is the oldest occupied city in Europe. Rome became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire and it is the first ever Imperial City and metropolis.  These blog post series will focus on the history of the Roman Empire .  👉 The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period which started in 27 BC.  👉 The legitimacy of an emperor's rule depended on his control of the army and recognition by the Senate.  The first Emperor of the Roman Empire was Augustus. He refused recognition as a monarch. Augustus claimed that his power was republican.  * Who were the Emperors of Rome?  * How was the ordinary life during the Roman Empire?  * Which were the troubles of the Emperors? * More about the rise, decline and fall of the Empire....

30 May 1524 marks the birth of Selim. He was born in Constantinople (nowadays Istanbul) as the son of Suleiman the Magnificent. His mother was Hurrem Sultan, a slave and concubine, who was born as an Orthodox priest's daughter. Later she was freed and she became Suleiman's legal wife. Love and Marriage In 1545, Selim married to Konya Nurbanu Sultan. She was the mother of Murad III, Selim's successor. Reign Selim II took the throne after palace intrigue and fraternal dispute. He became Sultan on 7 September 1566. However Selim's Grand Vizier, Mehmed Sokullu controlled much of the State Affairs. They made an agreement with Holy roman emperor Maximilian II. Early in 1570, ambassadors of Tsar Ivan IV of Russia concluded at Istanbul a treaty that restored friendly relations between the Sultan and the Tsar. During the famine of 1573, due to a severe cold, the farmers of that time could not provide goods for the people. Selim gave the people food...