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...

Liechtenstein, a German-speaking micro state in the Alps in the southwest of Central Europe really has an interesting royal history. It is a principality headed by the Prince of Liechtenstein. Birth On 28 august 1853, Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein was born at Liechtenstein Castle,  near Vienna in the Austrian Empire.  His parents were Prince Aloys II of Liechtenstein and Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau.  Franz I attended the University of Vienna in Austria and later he went to the  University of Prague. He also was a Knight in the Austrian order of the Golden Fleece. Love and Marriage Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein fell in love to Elisabeth von Gutmann, a woman who had converted to Roman Catholicism from Judaism. The brother of Franz I, Prince Johann disapproved the relationship and he refused to give his consent. But Franz I married Elisabeth von Gutmann secretly after the death of his brother Johann.  Duty On 11 February 1929, Johann...