All About Royal Families

Dom Pedro was born on September 16th. 1837 in Lisbon (Portugal). Pedro V of Portugal - Source picture: Wikipedia His parents were Ferdinand II of Portugal and Maria II of Portugal. He was nicknamed 'The Hopefull'. Besides Prince Royal, Dom Pedro had the title of 19th. Duke of Braganza. In 1853 he became monarch of Portugal. He had the name to be hard working, and he wanted radical modernisation of the Portugese state infrastructure.  Roads, telegraphs and railways were constructed under his reign. When cholera broke out in Portugal his popularity increased but he visited  hospitals and gave gifts. Pedro married on May 18th. 1858 Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern- Sigmaringen (aunt of the late King Albert I of Belgium). This was an happy marriage until Queen Stephanie died of diphtheria. Pedro and some other members of the Portuguese Royal family had cholera or typhoid fever. He died on November 11th. 1861 at the age of 24 in Lisbon.

Sophia Dorothea of Celle was born on September 15th. 1666 in Celle (Germany). Sophia Dorothea of Celle - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his long time mistress Eleonore d'Esmier d'Olbreuse. Her future husband was a big deal. There were rumors that she had to marry the later King of Denmark but it never came so far. Instead she had to marry her cousin George Louis, the later King George I of Great Britain, which Sophia Dorothea called a pig. Besides her 'reservation' the wedding ceremony took place on November 22nd. 1682 in Celle. This marriage really was an unhappy one. They had two children: 1/ George Augustus, who became King George II of Great Britain; 2/ Sophia Dorothea, who married King Frederick William I of Prussia. George Louis acquired a mistress and started neglecting his wife.  In 1688, Sophia Dorothea on the other hand met a Swedish Count called 

My happy Sunday Picture is taken in 2010 above the beautiful place Spiez in Switzerland. Own picture Spiez is located on Lake Thun in the Berner Oberland Region of the Swiss Canton Bern. It has not only wonderful views but also some impressive landmarks like a castle (some pieces were built in 933), a church and a harbour. With this picture I want to wish you all a very happy and relaxing Sunday!

February 23rd. 1800 marks the birth of Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg- Schauburg-Hoym. Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym - Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were Victor II, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym and Amalia of Nassau-Weilburg. She had 3 sisters: Hermine, Emma and Ida. On July 24th. 1817 (at the age of 17) Princess Adelheid married Duke Paul Frederick Augustus of Oldenburg. They had 2 children. One of them, Amalia, married later Prince Otto of Bavara, who became King of Greece. However Princess Adelheid died suddenly on September 13th. 1820, after 3 years marriage. Duke Paul Frederick Augustus of Oldenburg married in 1825 Princess Adelheid's younger sister Princess Ida, who died 3 years after their marriage too...

Louis IV Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Karl was born on September 12th. 1837 in Darmstadt (Germany).   Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse - Source picture: Wikipedia His parents were Prince Charles of Hesse and by Rhine and  Princess Elisabeth of Prussia. On July 1st. 1862, Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse married Princess Alice (the third child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert). They had 7 children. Through his own and his children's marriage(s) Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse was connected  with the  British Royal Family, the Imperial House of Russia, and other Royal Houses in Europe. After the death of his wife he married morganatic with Alexandrina Hutten-Czapska. This caused a lot of trouble in his family. He annulled it within a year. Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse died on March 13th. 1892.