All About Royal Families

On May 24th. 1671, Gian Gastone de' Medici was born in Florence, Tuscany as the son of Cosimo III de' Medici and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans. Gian Gastone de' Medici - Source picture: Wikipedia After Gian Gastone's birth, his parents frequently quarreled and Marguerite Louise returned to her home in France. Gian Gastone de' Medici was raised by his paternal grandmother Vittoria della Rovere. He was tutored by Cardinal Henry Noris and the Tuscan Prince became an avid intellectual, an antiquarian, a botanist and an amateur scientist. He also could speak English and several other languages. On July 2nd. 1697, Gian Gastone de' Medici married Anne Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg in Düsseldorf, who was already a widow.  In Tuscany the bride was described as a  'Bohemian peasant more than a princess' After their wedding, the couple moved to Prague, but the widow was not really  interested in Gian Gastone de' Me

My Treetuesday picture was taken a few years ago at the the Kur­sunlu Waterfalls. Kursunly Waterfalls Antalya Turkey Location The Kursunlu Waterfall Nature Park is located 19 km from Antaly in Turkey. History The waterfall and its surroundings covering and area of 586,50 ha (1,449 acres). The Site was declared a Nature park by the Ministry of Environment and Forest on May 21st. 1991. You can't see it exactly on the picture but in the environment of the Kursunlu Waterfalls there are a lot of picnic spots available. It really is a beautiful piece of nature.

July 8th. 1830 marks the birth of Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg. Her parents were Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Amelia of Württemberg. Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg - Source picture: Wikipedia In the summer of 1846 Princess Alexandra met Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich of Russia, when he 'visited' Altenburg. He was the second son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (born Princess Charlotte of Prussia). Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich was liberal and intellectual while  Prince Alexandra had more conservative views, but the Grand Duke liked her  youthful beauty and they both shared an interest in music.  On October 12th. 1847, Princess Alexandra arrived in Russia. She was greeted by a fanfare and popular celebrations with jubilant crowds. In February 1848, Princess Alexandra converted to Russian Orthodoxy and she took the name of Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna. On September 11th. 1848, P

Archduchess Anna of Austria was born on July 7th. 1528 in Prague as the third child of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. Archduchess Anna of Austria - Source picture: Wikipedia Anna had a lot of siblings who played, like her, an important role in history. She was a sister of inter alia: - Elizabeth, Queen of Poland; - Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor; - Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria; - Catherine, Queen of Poland; - Eleanor, Duchess of Mantua; - Barbara, Duchess of Ferrara; - Charles II, Archduke of Austria; - Johanna, Duchess of Tuscany. In the maze of Dynastic politics, Anna's possible marriage really was influential for the History in Europe. Finally she married Albert V, the later Duke of Bavaria in Regensburg (Germany)  on July 4th. 1546, at the age of 17. Own pictures taken in Regensburg in May 2014 Anna and Albert had great influence on the spiritual life in the Duchy. They