All About Royal Families

March 30th. 1633 marks the birth of Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. He was a member of the noble House of Hesse. Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg - Source picture: Wikipedia His parents had been Frederick I, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg and Margaret Elisabeth of Leiningen-Westerburg. Frederick was their seventh and youngest child. Frederick was educated by the private tutors of the sons of his cousin, George II, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. At the age of 16, Frederick started his Grand Tour of Europe. He visited Italy and France. He 'studied' at the University of Geneva. There Frederick learned dancing, riding, fencing and he polished his knowledge of the French Language. In 1654 he became a colonel in the army of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden. In 1659 Frederick was seriously wounded during the storming of Copenhagen. His lower right leg even had to be amputated. He was promoted as General-Major and had since then a wooden leg. He lef

My Tree Tuesday picture was taken during a holiday in 2013 in Corfu. This was the favorite Isle of Empress Elisabeth of Austria also called Sisi. Tree Tuesday - olive tree own picture I always am fascinated by the Olive Tree because it was the symbol of the whole Mediterranean area during ancient times and it played an important role in the Greek mythology. The origin of the Olive Tree in Athens is even explained through the intervention of the Goddess Athena (daughter of Zeus and Metis). Athena was a warrior Goddess whose attributes were the spear, helmet, owl and the olive tree. Generally the olive tree symbolises peace, prosperity and hope . It is also present in many traditional religious celebrations. Olive Tree - own picture Today it is still used as an important symbol. You even can see an olive branch on the Great Seal of the United States. Source picture: Wikipedia

March 24th. 1441 marks the birth of Ernest, Elector of Saxony. Ernest, Elector of Saxony - Source picture: Wikipedia Ernest was the second son of eight children of Frederick II, Elector of Saxony and Margaret of Austria (sister of Frederick III, Holry Roman Emperor). In 1451 Ernest's elder brother Frederick died. This made him the new heir of Saxony. In 1455 Ernest and his brother Albert were kidnapped by the knight Kunz von Kaufungen. This episode in German History was known as the "Prinzenraub" translated "stealing of the Princes". On November 19th. 1460 Ernest married Elisabeth of Bavaria. They would have 7 children. Ernest was the founder of the Ernestine line of the Saxon Princes. Ernest was inter alia the ancestor of: King George I of Great Britain; Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom; King Leopold I of Belgium; Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (husband of Queen Victoria). In 1464 Frederick II died and Ernest succeeded h

August 3rd. 1654 marks the birth of Charles of Hesse-Kassel. Charles I of Hesse-Kassel He was the second son of William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Hedwig Sophia of Brandenburg. In 1670 Charles I succeeded his elder brother, William VII, as Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel. William VII died shortly after he reached adulthood and before he had the chance to change the administration. On May 21st. 1673 Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel married his first cousin, Maria Amalia of Courland (daughter of Jacob Kettler, Duke of Courland). They would have 17 children, 14 of them lived long enough to have names. He had a big army who was in service during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). On March 23rd. 1730 Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel died. He was succeeded by his eldest son Frederick who was then already King of Sweden.