All About Royal Families

On August 20th. 1613 a girl was born at the court in Güstrow. She received the names: Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg. Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg - Source picture: Wikipedia At the court of her father, John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg the girl began to  study music. There even was an orchestra known for its use of fine English musicians such like William Brade. Elisabeth Sophie married in 1635 Augustus the younger, Duke of Brunswick- Lüneburg. They had 2 children. At her husband's court, she was appointed to organize the court orchestra but the  Duchess also played an  important role in other entertainment like masquerades,  plays and ballets.  Elisabeth Sophie of Mecklenburg died on July 12th. 1676. 

My Treetuesday picture of this week is taken in Brussels, capital of Belgium. Brussels Warandepark Belgium This beautiful place is located in Brussels Park which is called in Dutch: Warandepark. Facts about Brussels Park * the largest urban public park in Brussels.  * surrounded by the Royal Palace, the Houses of Parliament and    the United States Embassy.  At the picture you can see a glimpse of the Houses of Parliament. During the summer months a lot of events takes place there.  History Brussels Park was created between 1776 and 1783 on the site of the Former gardens of Coudenberg Palace.  Design Brussels Park was designed in a neoclassic, geometric style by Gilles-Barnabé Guimard and Joachim Zimmer. 

At Dunfermline Palace in Fife a young girl was born on August 19th. 1596. She received the name Elizabeth Stuart. Elizabeth Stuart - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were James V of Scotland (who also became James I of England) and Anne of Denmark. Elizabeth received the proper education for a princess. She learned not only several languages like French and Latin but the princess also knew something about history, geography, theology, writing, music and dancing. As daughter of a reigning monarch, the young Elizabeth was seen as very  desirable. Many suitors wanted to marry her inter alia: Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden; Frederic Ulric, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel; Prince Maurice of Nassau; Henry Howard, 1st. Earl of Northampton; Otto, Hereditary Prince of Hesse; Victor Amadeus, Prince of Piedmont. Finally Frederick V, Count Palatine of the Rhine was chosen. He had a great lineage, was a second Prince of the Empire and a staunch defen

Infanta Maria Anna of Spain was born on August 18th. 1606 in El Escorial near Madrid. Maria Anna of Spain - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were King Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria. With such a genealogy the search of a proper wedding partner started early. On February 20th. 1631, Maria Anna of Spain married her first cousin, Ferdinand III, the future Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary. The festivities around the wedding lasted a month! Although it was an arranged marriage, the history books described it as friendly. Maria Anna became happy in her new home country Austria. The same history books mentioned her as: tempered and intelligent. Sometimes she even acted as advisor for her spouse. They had 6 children. In 1646 the Royal Family moved to Linz because of the Thirty Year's War. There Maria Anna was poisoned while she was pregnant of a child. She died on May 13th. 1646 only 39 years old. The child, also a Maria,

On my blog I have a lot of pages about Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom  and her descendants. It interests me very much how her children and grandchildren and their descendants are spread through Europe. My Today in History is traveling back in time because on August 17th. 1786 a little girl was born in Coburg (Germany).  She received the name: Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld -  Source picture: Wikipedia Her brothers were inter alia Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Leopold,  who married in 1816 Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate daughter of  King George IV and heiress to the British throne. In 1803, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Saalfeld married Charles, Prince of Leinigen. They had 2 children: a girl and a boy. Her husband died in 1814. When Princess Charlotte of Wales died in 1817, a succession crisis for the  British throne became an important issue. Three