All About Royal Families

Philip I of Castile also known as the Handsome was born on July 22nd. 1478 in Bruges (now located in Belgium). source picture: Wikipedia He was the son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy. Philip was named after his grandfather, Philip the Good. His mother died when he was 4 and Philip became heir but his father was regent. The boy was raised by his aunt Margaret of York in Mechlin (now also located in Belgium). On October 20th.  1496 he married Joanna of Castile (the mad) in Lier. Due to this marriage and several inheritances of Johanna, Philip would became the ruler of The Netherlands, Austria and Spain. In 1506 he moved to Spain. There he died on September 25th. suddenly,  apparently of typhoid fever, although poisoning by his wife was rumored. Philip I was buried in Royal Chapel of Granada alongside his parents.

On August 15th. 1171, the only son of King Ferdinand II of Léon and Urraca of Portugal was born in Zamora (now North West of Spain). The boy received the name Alfonso. Alfonso IX- Source picture: Wikipedia On January 22nd. 1188 Alfonso became King of Léon and Galicia.  He gave the order to found the University of Salamanca in 1212. Besides that Alfonso was known for his battles against the Moors. He won in Cáceres, Mérida and Badajoz (1229-1230). Alfonso IX married two times with one of his cousins 1/ Theresa of Portugal 2/ Berengaria of Castile The marriages were dissolved by Pope Celestine III, although there were children. Alfonso IX had a lot of children by his wives and other women (total children of Alfonso IX: 21). He died on September 24th. 1230. Alfonso IX was buried in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

September 23rd. 1781 marks the birth of Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in Coburg (Germany). Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld- Source picture: Wikipedia Her parents were Franz Frederic Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Countess Augusta Caroline Reuss of Ebersdorf. Juliane was the sister of  King Leopold I of Belgium, a niece of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and of King Ferdinand II of Portugal. After the wedding of Grand Duke Alexander of Russia (later Tsar Alexander I), Empress Catherine II of Russia looked for a suitable bride for her other grandson Grand Duke Constantine. The Empress invited Countess Augusta and three of her daughters.  They traveled to Saint Petersburg and received good comments like: it's sad that Grand Duke Constantine couldn't marry the three ... Finally the Grand Duke chosed Juliane. At that time she wasn't 15 yet! Juliana converted to Orthodox faith and she took the name Anna Feodorovna.

In Spa, the First Beauty Pageant, or Miss election, took place on September 19th. 1888 in Spa (Belgium). own picture taken in Spa Bertha Soucaret, a girl who was 18-year and came from Guadeloupe won the  competition. She received 5000 Belgian Francs, which was a lot during that time. The First Beauty Pageant was held already in 1859 in Scotland and organized by Archibald Montgomerie,13th. Earl of Eglinton. The competition was won by Georgiana Seymour,Duchess of Somerset and she was proclaimed as 'Queen of Beauty'. First Beauty Pageant - Picture: Wikipedia