All About Royal Families

January 10th. 1864 marks the birth of Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia. Family Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia was a son of Grand Duke Nikolaievich the Elder and Duchess Alexandra of Oldenburg. He was a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I and thus a member of the Russian imperial family. Love and Marriage On July 26th. 1889 he married Princess Milica of Montenegro. They had 4 children. His elder brother, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich married Princess Anastasia of Montenegro (Milica's sister). The two couples had a huge influence on the imperial court. The women were called the 'Black Perils'. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the couple fled from Russia and they moved to the South of France. Death Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia died at Cap d'Antibes on June 17th. 1931. Source picture: Wikipedia

On January 5th. 1477 the final battle of the Burgundian Wars took place outside the walls of Nancy (located in France). It was there that Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy fought against René II, Duke of Lorraine and the Swiss Confederacy. In 1477, Charles was besieging the city of Nancy (the capital of Lorraine). He wanted to bring the siege to an end at all costs. René had gathered around 12.000 men from Lorraine and the Lower Union of the Rhine. A Swiss Army of 10.000 men arrived to help him. They reached Nancy in the morning of January 5th. and Charles learned that his opponents were too strong. The Duke was seen to fall but the battle flowed on around him. Three days later the Duke's body was finally found. The news of the Burgundian defeat and the death of Charles the Bold was spread across Europe. Many couldn't believe this. Charles the Bold was succeeded by his daughter Mary, who inherited a lot of troubles in the lands of her father.

On December 30th. 1525, one of the most important merchants and bankers of Europe died. His name was Jakob Fugger also called the Lily or the Rich. Family Jakob Fugger was born on March 6th. 1459 as the tenth of eleven children to Jakob Fugger the Elder and his wife Barbara Bäsinger. The Fuggers already had established themselves as successful merchants in the city of Ausburg (now Germany). Jakob had older brothers. Inter alia Ulrich and Georg created the base for the rise of the company in Europe. Around 1470 they founded companies in Venice and Nuremberg, in that time important centers of trade. Royal Links The Fuggers gave loans to Emperor Frederick III. He granted the Fugger family the Lily Coat of Arms. Jakob Fugger met Archduke Maximilian of Austria (Later Holy Roman Emperor) for the first time in 1489 at a Frankfurt Fair. The Fuggers became one of the most important bankers of the Emperor. In 1511, Maximilian I elevated Jakob Fugger into the nobil

Source picture: Wikipedia In 2016, Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450 - August 9th. 1516) was probably one of the most bespoken painters of the year. This had a lot to do with the remembrance of his death, 500 years ago. His pessimistic and fantastical style still are things to discus about ... Hieronymus Bosch in Brussels Life Hieronymus Bosch was born as Jheronimus (Jeroen) van Aken and he lived most of his life in 's Hertogenbosch. During his life, 's Hertogenbosch was a part of Brabant, a Duchy in the Burgundian Netherlands (later ruled by the Habsburgs). Royal Links In the late 16th. century, King Philip II of Spain, confiscated and acquired a lot of Bosch' paintings. In 2016, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands traveled to Madrid. There she opened, together with King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, an exhibition about Bosch. link Famous works Nowadays his paintings are spread around the world. There are works of him inter alia in: - Bruss