All About Royal Families

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...

 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 ...

On 20 October 1941, Leopold Lippens was born as the son of Léon Lippens  and Suzanne Lippens. He was a grandson of Maurice August Lippens.  From 1970 Leopold Lippens entered the local politics of Knokke. From  1979 Leopold Lippens became the mayor of Knokke and Heist.  The Lippens family was original from Moerbeke Waas. Leopold's brother, Maurice was a board member of the Fortis Bank until the crisis of 2008. Leopold himself had the title of Count.  picture taken in Knokke-Heist in 2017 Leopold Lippens died on 19 february 2021 due to leukemia. On this link you  can find a picture of him. 

 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. 

On 17 November 1558, at the age of 25, Elizabeth I became Queen of England.  During a speech she declared her intentions: "My lords, the law of nature moves me to sorrow for my sister, the burden  that is fallen  upon me makes me amazed and yet, considering  I am God's creature, ordained to obey  His appointment,  I will thereto yield, desiring from the bottom of my heart that I may  have assistance of His grace to be the minister of  His heavenly will in this office now  committed to me.  And as I am but one body naturally considered through  by his  permission a body politic to govern, so shall I desire you all... to be  assistant to me  that I with my ruling and you with your service may make  a good account to the  Almighty God and leave some comfort to our  posterity on earth. I mean to direct  all my actions by good advice  and counsel." As her triumphal progress wound through the city o...

On 16 October 1430, James II of Scotland was born at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Family His parents were King James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort! He was a  member of the House of Stewart. Childhood By his first B-Day, his elder twin brother, Alexander died, so James became heir of the throne of Scotland. He was called the Duke of Rothesay. Love and Marriage On 3 July 1449, then 18 years-old, James married Mary of Guelders who only was 15 years old! She was the daughter of the Duke of Guelders. She bore him seven children.  Duty On 21 February 1437, his father King James I was assassinated. James' mother the Queen managed to get her 6- year-old son.  On 25 March 1437, James II was crowned in Holyrood Abbey as King of  Scotland. Until 1439, James II lived together with his mother and his sisters - one of his sisters, Margaret, would marry King Louis XI of France, at  Dunbar Castle. In 1449, James II reached adulthood but he had to struggle...

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...

On 9 August 1832, a real royal wedding took place between King Leopold I of Belgium and Princess Louise of Orléans. Hard Negotiations At the beginning the parents of Princess Louise of Orléans, King Louis Philippe I of France and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies, didn't like the idea that their daughter would marry King  Leopold I of the Belgians. They had several reasons to decline the marriage: - King Leopold had fought in the army of the Russian Tsar against France. - He (had) belonged to the court of the royal family of the United Kingdom. - He was not a Roman Catholic. Other objections were:  The mother of Princess Louise of Orléans would like to marry her daughter to the Duke of Calabria, who was also the heir to the kingdom of Naples to tighten the strings between France and her native country. Above all these arguments, King Leopold had a bad reputation. It was known that he was a womanizer. Besides these things, Belgium was at that moment a new...

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain visited Benidorm, the famous holiday resort at the Costa Blanca, during their tour on 3 July 2020. They did this to promote the Spanish tourism, just as other royals did in their countries, inter alia King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. Of course Benidorm is well-known for his mass tourism and less for its royal history, but, nevertheless I've found some lovely royal traces. Benidorm Spain History Since 1925, Benidorm had been a tourist destination in Spain, when its port was extended and the first hotels were built. In the 1950's there was a boom of tourism in Benidorm. People from Madrid like(d) to come to this place at the Costa Blanca. Benidorm Beach Today it is known for its hotel industry, its beaches and it skyscrapers and it receives many tourists from everywhere. This is the recent history, but Benidorm played an important role during the ancient times. Benidorm Buildings Alread...

James Hamilton was born on 19 June 1606 at Hamilton Palace in Lanarkshire in Scotland. Family His parents were James, 1st. Marquis of Hamilton and Lady Ann Cunningham. Lady Ann Cunningham was the daughter of James, Earl of Glencairn. In 1609 James' insane great uncle, also called James (What's in a name?!) Earl of Arran died, so the little James was styled Earl of Arran. Heir to the throne The Young James's close ancestor was Princess Mary, daughter of King James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. After the death, in 1612, of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the young James became third in line to the Scottish throne, after Charles, Duke of Rothesay and his sister Elizabeth (who later became Queen of Bohemia). Later the Young James was sent to Exeter College in Oxford. Art From a very young age, James was interested in art. He collected Venetian painting through an agent: Viscount Basil Feilding. Nowadays this collection can be seen at the Ku...

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was born on 6 June 1772 at the Royal Palace in Naples. She was the eldest of 18 children. Family Her parents were Ferdinand IV & III of Naples and Sicily and Maria Carolina of Austria. She was the favourite child from her mother. Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was inter alia the sister of Maria Amelia Theresa who would marry Louis Philippe, the King of the French. Her paternal grandparents were King Charles III of Spain and Maria Amalia of Saxony. Her maternal grandparents were Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa who became Holy Roman Empress. Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily was thus a member of the royal house of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Maria Theresa was named after her maternal grandmother Maria Theresa of Austria. Love and Marriage On 15 September 1790, she married her double first cousin Francis. In 1792 he would become Holy Roman Emperor Francis II and Emperor Francis I of Austria. The ...

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...

On 28 May 1660, the birth of George Louis (in German: Georg Ludwig) took place in the city of Hanover in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire. Family His parents were Ernest August, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate. Sophia was the granddaughter of King James of I of England, through her mother, Elizabeth of Bohemia. In letters, Sophia describes George as a responsible child who set an example to his younger brothers and sisters. George's father took him hunting and riding and introduced him to military matters, mindful of his uncertain future, Ernest August took the then 15 year old George on campaign in the Franco-Dutch War for testing and training his son in battle. Love and marriage In 1682, George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle. His mother first opposed the marriage because she looked down on Sophia Dorothea's mother, Eleonore (who came from lower nobility). She was eventually w...

On 24 May 1971, George Pompidou visited Brussels where he met the government leaders. He also was received by King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of the Belgians at the Royal Palace. It was the first official visit to Belgium by a French chief of State since 1929. George Pompidou was Prime Minister of France from 1962 till 1968. From 1969 till 1974 he was President of France. Baudouin was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 till 31 July 1993. If you want to know more, check this movie on this link . The latest State Visit From France to Belgium took place on 19 & 20 November 2018. Then president Macron and his wife visited Belgium. I took these pictures during several summer exhibitions at the Royal Palace in Brussels.

On 17 May 1971, Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta and Maria del Carmen Cerruti Carricart. She has two brothers and a sister (deceased) and three half-sisters. She is named after her paternal grand-mother Máxima Bonorio González (1874 - 1983). Máxima grew up in Buenos Aires. She graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina From 1989 Máxima started working. From May 2000 till March 2001, she worked for the Deutsche Bank in Brussels, Belgium. In April 1999, Máxima met Prince Willem-Alexander in Seville, Spain, during the Spring Fair. The news of the couple's relationship, caused lots of controversy, due to Máxima's father Jorge. He was a minister during the Dirty War in Argentina. The couple announced their engagement on 30 March 2001. Máxima addressed the nation in Dutch. On 17 May 2001, she received the Dutch citizenship. Máxima and Prince Willem-Alexander m...

Was Klemens (von) Metternich a real spider or just a  splendid diplomatic? Klemens Metternich was born on 15 May 1773 as the eldest son of Franz George Carl Count Metternich-Winneburg zu Bilstein and  Countess Maria Beatrice Aloysia von Kageneck. He was named in honour of Prince Clemens Wenceslaus of Saxony, the archbishop of Trier and the former employer of his father.  Education His education was handled by his mother , influenced by their  proximity to France. Metternich spoke French better than German. In 1788, Metternich started to study law at the University of Strasbourg. During his studies he met Prince Maximilian of Zweibrücken (who became later King of Bavaria).  At the end of 1790 till the summer of 1792, Metternich studied law at the University of Mainz. This was a more conservative education than at Strassbourg. In March 1792, Francis II succeeded as Holy Roman Emperor, he was  crowned in July. M...

On 10 May 2020, Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume, Prince of Luxembourg was born on 5.13 am. His parents are Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie (born de Lannoy). Prince Charles is the first son of the Hereditary Grand Ducal Couple and is second in Line of succession. His names The newborn Prince is named probably after his great-great grandmother Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg or he could be named after his great-uncle, Charles of Luxembourg . Charles also could named after Charles de Lannoy , 1st. Prince of Sulmona.He was in service for the Emperors Maximilian I and Charles V. His second name Jean, is named after Grand Duke Jean, the grandfather of Guillaume. Philippe is either the name of Stéphanie's father or named after King Philippe of the Belgians. Guillaume himself is the godfather of Prince Emmanuel of Belgium. Joseph could be probably the male name of Josephine, after Guillaume's gran...