All About Royal Families

At the year of the Platinum Jubilee of The Queen, the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog wants to talk about the jewelries, the history and the residences of the royal House of Windsor. This is a blogpost/bookreview about Windsor Castle, nowadays the main royal  residence of Queen Elizabeth.   Windsor Castle - An Illustrated History  Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. History Of course, the book Windsor Castle - An Illustrated History contains a lot of history, which goes back to William The Conqueror.  The Medieval Castle It was built in the decade after the Norman conquest of 1066. William established a defensive ring of motte and bailey castles around London; each was a day's march – about 20 miles (32 km) – from the City and from the next castle, allowing for eas...

If you like a palace, built in the amazing Rococo style, then you certainly have to visit the Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas in Valencia, Spain. This Palace is now owned by the Spanish State and it houses the Conzález Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts. It also has a nice noble and royal history. Royal History In the15th. century there was a noble knight called Don Francisco Perellós. He was a descendant of the counts of Tolosa and he married to Joanna Perellós, the only daughter of the wealthy Mosen Gines de Rabassa. Their descendants took the surname of Rabassa de Perellós. This family bought the barony of Dosaigües in 1496. In 1699 this was elevated to a marquisate by King Charles II of Spain. It was known that the name Dosaigües was transformed in Dos Aguas. The Marquis of Dos Aguas and his decendants lived in Valencia for many centuries and they were known as wealthy merchants and businessmen. Through marriage with other important Val...

Usually beautiful castles or palaces are located in or near a town. However there are some exceptions, inter alia the Jagdschloss Grunewald.  This hunting lodge, near the Grunewaldsee in Dahlem, Berlin, Germany  really is a royal surprise. It also has a very nice history. Some royal history At the beginning of the 16th. century, Elector Joachim II Hector started to order the building of some hunting lodges in the Margraviate of Brandenburg in the wooded and wild area around Alt-Berlin and Cölln. For the construction of a hunting lodge in the forest area of the Teltower Heide today's Grunewald, Elector Joachim II acquired from the noble  family of Spi(e)l a plot of land.  During the reign of Joachim II, Renaissance architecture also found its way into the Margraviate of Brandenburg. He received inspiration for  the design of his buildings from his cousin the Saxon Elector Johann Friederich I. The act...

D'Ursel Castle located in the lovely town of Hingene in the municipality of Bornem at the Province of Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium, is really a wonderful royal destination. Not only it has lots of royal history but it also is a very beautiful residence and it has an amazing Park for walking. d'Ursel Castle own picture taken in Hingene Flanders Belgium Some Royal History D'Ursel castle was used as summer residence for the noble family of d'Ursel. I already have written a blog post about this dynasty on this link .  The first inhabitant of D'Ursel Castle was Diederik van de Werve. In 1608 his descendants sold the residence to Conrad III Schetz and through him the castle became a summer home for the Ursel family. They lived there for more than 350 years. d'Ursel Castle inside A famous occupant of the Castle was Conrad-Albert the first Duke of Ursel (1665-1738). His son Charles, the 2nd Duke of Ursel, asked the famous archi...

Gravensteen Castle view from the water in Gent, Flanders, Belgium One of the most important historical buildings in Ghent, certainly is the Gravensteen, which meant actually the 'castle of the count'. Gravensteen Castle view from the street in Ghent, Flanders, Belgium. Sorry for the annoying car on it.  Some (royal) history The Gravensteen Castle was actually the castle of the Counts of Flanders, who were vassals of the King of France. Gravensteen Ghent, Flanders Belgium, entrance This magnificent building was built by count Philip of Alsace in 1180 and it was modeled after the crusaders castles that Philip had seen when he participated in the second crusade. Count Philip of Alsace Source picture: Wikipedia Before the construction of the Gravensteen (the castle in stone) there was a wooden building on the same place probably built in the 9th century. This castle served as the main seat of the Count of Flanders until they abandoned it in...

Arenberg Castle near Louvain, Belgium The Arenberg Castle really is a must see near Louvain in Belgium. It has everything: beauty and a rich, royal history. Arenberg Castle Entry - own picture taken in 2017 Some royal history Since the 12th. century, at the site of the castle there already was a domain of the Lords of Heverlee. However this family became poorer and in 1445 it was bought by the mighty  Croÿ family . The Croÿ family came into power under the reign of the Dukes of Burgundy. The most well known member of this powerful family was William of Croÿ. He was the chief tutor and first chamberlain of emperor Charles V. William of Croÿ painted by Quenten Matsys  Source picture: Wikipedia Under this William of Croÿ, the works of the castle were completed. Arenberg Castle buildings near Louvain, Belgium - own picture taken in 2017 Charles III of Croÿ was the last duke of the Croÿ family and after his death in 1612,...