All About Royal Families

27 July 1678 marks the birth of Joseph Jacob Johann Anton Eustachius. This took place in Vienna, Austria. Family Joseph was the son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg. He was a member of the royal house of Habsburg. Youth Joseph was educated by Prince Dietrich Otto von Salm and he became a good linguist. On 9 December 1687, when he was 9 years old, Joseph was crowned King of Hungary. On 23 January 1690, at the age of 11, Joseph was crowned King of the Romans. Joseph had two great passions: music and hunting. Love and Marriage On 24 February 1699, Joseph married Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick- Lüneburg in Vienna. They would have three children but their only son died of hydrocephalus before his first B-day. Military service In 1702, at the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession, Joseph saw his only military service. He joined the Imperial General, Louis William Margrave of Baden-Baden. Duty

On 22 July 1812 the Battle of Salamanca was fought between an Anglo-Portuguese army under the command of the Duke of Wellington and a French Army under the command of August Marmont. The Battle took place at Arapiles, Salamanca in Spain. It was a part of the Penisular War against Napoleon Bonaparte. It ended in a victory for the allied forces and the French were defeated. The allied forced lost around 5,000 men and the French lost 13.000 people. After this victory the Duke of Wellington was able to liberate Madrid. The French lost their Spanish Kingdom ruled by King Joseph Bonaparte. King Joseph Bonaparte was an older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) became a famous legend. He is regarded as one of the greatest commanders of all time. Source pictures: Wikipedia

19 July 1234 marks the death of Floris. He was born on 24 June 1210 as a son of Count William I of Holland and Adelaide of Guelders. His paternal grandparents were Floris III, Count of Holland and Ada of Scotland. His maternal grandparents were Count Otto I of Guelders and Richardis, herself a daughter of Duke Otto I of Bavaria and Agnes van Loon. Love and Marriage Floris IV, Count of Holland married his stepaunt, Mathilda of Brabant, daughter of Duke Henry I of Brabant. They would have 5 children. Duty Floris IV succeeded his father William I of Holland in 1222. He acquired the land of Altena and had lots of disputes with Otto II of Lippe, the bishop of Utrecht. However Floris IV helped Otto against the peasants of Drenthe in 1227. In 1234, Floris fought in the crusade against the Stedinger north of Bremen. Death Floris IV, Count of Holland died on 19 July 1234, on a tournament in Corbie, France. He was buried at Rijnsburg Abbey. Source picture:

De Panne is a beautiful town near the North Sea in Flanders, Belgium. This municipality borders France and it has a great Royal History. De Panne Leopold I monument  It was here that Leopold I, the first King of Belgium arrived in his new country on July 17th. 1831. He came to Calais (France) from England. A huge statue  To remember this great historic event, a huge statue was created. This monument was made by René Cliquet and inaugurated in 1958 by King Baudouin. A closer view This is written (in Latin) on top of the monument: "Here is Leopold, the first King of Belgium, arrived on Belgian soil and received with a ceremony on July 17th. 1831."