All About Royal Families

During a walk in Hulst, Zeelandic Flanders in The Netherlands, I saw the phrase "Concordia res parvae crecunt". Immediately I tried to translate these Latin words in Dutch (which is my mother tongue). So I translated it into "Eendracht maakt macht". In English the phrase is "Unity makes strength". First of all, I asked myself the question: When was Zeelandic Flanders a part of Belgium? Because the Belgian motto is "Unity makes strength". Curious as I was, I made a bit of a research and then I learned a very interesting history and knowledge.  "Unity makes strength" originally was used by the Dutch Republic (1581-1795) and during most of the Napoleonic time in The Netherlands (1802-1810). After the Dutch gained independence of the Spanish Habsburgs, the phrase became more and more familiar. In 1816, when the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was founded, the phrase "Je maintiendrai" was used (the motto of the Royal House of Ora...

The diplomatic skills of the Lannoy family 1 May 1456 marks the death of Hugo (also called Hue of Huges) van Lannoy. He was an important man at the court of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Hugo was born in 1384 as the son of Gilbert I van Lannoy and Catherine of Molembais (in Dutch: Molenbeek) . His brothers were Guillebert of Lannoy and Baldwin of Lannoy. As a young knight he traveled to Jerusalem and he even joined an armed expedition against the Tartars, who occupied Muscovy. Muscovy was the former name of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. It was the predecessor State of the Tsaredom of Russia. When Hugo returned to Europe, he first served John the Fearless. He also fought at the Battle of Agincourt, where he was taken captive by the English. After his release, he became a diplomat for Philip the Good, who succeeded his father in 1419. For Philip the Good, Hugo of Lannoy helped to arrange the wedding between Jacqueline, Countess of Holland and Humphrey, Duke...