All About Royal Families

The book "The Life and times of Elizabeth I, portraits of the Greatness" took my interest in the public library on my hometown. I had the chance to acquire this wonderful book and I discovered a true treasure! Book: "The Life and times of Elizabeth I, portraits of the Greatness" About the Book The life and times of Elizabeth I, portraits of the Greatness was published by The Hamlyn publishing Group Ltd.  The General Editor was Dr. Enzo Orlandi. The Text was written by Massimo Rossaro.  About the life and times of Elizabeth I The story starts on 17 November 1558, the day that Queen Mary I of England died.  Later it continues with the succession after King Henry VIII. First his son Edward became King, later Queen Mary and finally Queen Elizabeth. However when she became Queen, the country was a ruin. The English life then was a mixture of medieval crudeness and Renaissance refinement. Elizabeth's Court was a travelling c

On 19 March 1604 King John IV of Portugal was born at Vila Viçosa. John IV of Portugal - own picture taken in 2017 in Lisbon Family His parents were Teodósio II, Duke of Braganza and Ana de Valesco y Girón. John was thus a grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza. He belonged to the noble house of Braganza. Love and marriage In 1633, John married Luisa de Guzmán. She was a daughter of the 8th. Duke of Medina Sidonia. The royal couple would have had 7 children. Some of them died in childhood. One of their children Catherine would marry King Charles II of England and she became Queen Consort of England. John also had a natural daughter. Duty Around the time of his birth Portugal was ruled by the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg. King Philip II of Portugal (Philip III of Spain) and later King Philip III of Portugal (Philip IV of Spain) ruled the Portuguese issues. However in 1640 there was a huge revolution organized by the nobles and the bourgeo

On 18 March 1555 the youngest son of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici was born. Youth Francis was an attractive child but at the age of 8 he was scarred by smallpox. In 1574 after the death of his brother King Charles IX of France, his other brother Henry III was crowned King of France. Francis became heir to the throne. Following titles were granted to him: 1560-1584: Duke of Évreux; 1566-1584: Duke of Alençon, Duke of Châteaux-Thierry, Count of Perche,                    Count of Meulan, Count of Mantes 1576-1584: Duke of Anjou, Duke of Berry, Duke of Touraine. Duty On the night of 15 September 1575, Francis fled from the French Court after a difference with his brother King Henry III. Both Henry III and his mother feared that he would join the Protestant rebels. These fears were right. He joined the Prince of Condé and his forces in the south. In 1578 there were arrangements for marrying him to Queen  Elizabeth I of England. He w

Recently, I read the e-book Eleanor of Aquitaine, written by Anne Strickland and published by Paphos Publishers. I had the version of 2016. Anne Strickland also wrote a book about Catherine of Aragon. e-book Eleanor of Aquitaine About the book Eleanor of Aquitaine was an easy reading book. Eleanor was Queen of France and later Queen of England. She had at least 10 children and many descendants. The book gave a short synopsis of the history of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Though it was interesting. Eleanor of Aquitaine - Source picture: Wikipedia It mentioned inter alia her youth, her life at the Royal Court of France, the royal residences where she lived in England and her later life as prisoner of her husband King Henry II. She wasn't released until her son became king Richard I. Eleanor of Aquitaine certainly was a refreshment of my history knowledge.