All About Royal Families

On  6 July 1387, Blanche (also called Blanca) I of Navarre was born in Pamplona, then the capital of the Kingdom of Navarre. The Kingdom of Navarre was a basque-based kingdom located on the western side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean between France and Spain. Family Blanche I of Navarre was the second eldest daughter of King Charles III of Navarra and infanta Eleanor of Castile. Blanche became heir to the throne of Navarre, when her elder sister, Joan died in 1413. Blanche and her family were members from the house of Évreux . This noble family came originally from France and they were a cadet branch  of the  Capetan dynasty.  They florished in the 14th and 15th century and ended  by the death of  Blanche I of Navarre.  coat of Arms of the Counts of Évreux Love and Marriage 1 Blanche I of Navarre married Martin the Younger, King of Sicily and Prince of Aragon on 21 May 1402 by proxy in Catania. Blanche traveled to meet Martin and they

Town Hall of Sintra, Porugal, own picture The hilly and slightly cooler climate of Sintra attracted many nobles in the 19th century to build their houses there. One of the most important families was of course the royal family of Portugal which were mostly members of the House of Braganza and later of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The 19th century was a decade full of changing. The official opening of the Lisbon-Sintra railway line in 1889 had a major effect on Sintra. It led to the building of a new district which was called Estefânia in honour of Queen Stephanie of Hohenzolleren-Sigmaringen, wife of King Pedro V of Portugal. Queen Stephanie of Hohenzolleren was the sister of inter alia Princess Marie of Hohenzolleren-Sigmaringen, countess of Flanders. Princess Marie was the mother of King Albert I of Belgium.  Pedro V and his wife Source picture: Wikipedia A place was chosen for the construction of the new Municipal Offices in Sintra. Finally it w

One of the most beautiful regions in Switzerland is the Berner Oberland area. This is the higher part of the canton of Bern, which really has it all: from amazing nature, the mountains (inter alia Jungfrau) , lakes (Lake Thun and Lake Brienz) till great cities as Bern and Adelboden. Berner Oberland, Switzerland typical valleys - own picture Besides the stunning geographical aspect, the Berner Oberland region also has an exceptional history with many royal links. Berner Oberland, Switzerland - own picture Some royal history The first settlements in the Berner Oberland region were from the Roman era. The Romans settled along the river and the lakes. During the High Middle Ages, a number of villages in Berner Oberland grew around valley parish churches, which were religious and cultural centers within each surrounding valley. Around 800 the Berner Oberland region first belonged to the Kingdom of  Burgundy . Later the Dukes of Zähringen had all the power

Philippa of Hainault was born on June 24th. between 1310 and 1315 at Valenciennes, in the County of Hainault in the Low Countries. Nowadays Valenciennes is located in France, just over the border with Belgium.  Family Philippa of Hainault was the daughter of William I, Count of Hainault and Joan of Valois, Countess of Hainault. Joan was a granddaughter of King Philip III of France. Philippa's eldest sister, Margaret, married to the German King Louis IV and she became Holy Roman Empress. Philippa of Hainault and her family were members of the noble House of Avesnes. Love and Marriage King Edward II wanted a strong alliance between Flanders and England, therefore he sent Bishop Stapledon of Exeter on the Continent as an ambassador. On this trip, the bishop passed the County of Hainault to inspect the count William's daughters. Four years later Philippa was betrothed to Prince Edward. As the couple were second cousins (through their mothers), a Papal