All About Royal Families

During the 2018 summer exhibition at the Royal Palace of Belgium two portraits of the late King Baudouin of Belgium, painted by his nephew Philippe, the current King of the Belgians, were shown. King Baudouin of Belgium painted by King Philippe of the Belgians Apparently King Philippe of the Belgians taught himself how to paint. The first portrait shows King Baudouin in a pensive mood with his dog and a walking stick. On this picture, people can see King Philippe of the Belgians in front of his painting of King Baudouin of Belgium. King Philippe of the Belgians in front of his painting of his uncle King Baudouin The other painting is a portrait of a smiling King Baudouin. King Baudouin painted by his nephew King Philippe of the Belgians The Paintings Though these paintings are rather modern, I must say I really like them. They display the late King Baudouin of Belgium in soft colours just the way people could remember him. The Belgian Royal fami

On 24 Febuary 1500, the future Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V was born at Gent (in English: Ghent) in the Prinsenhof. On the picture of the painting, which is now at the STAM Museum at Gent, people can see a part of the christening procession of Charles V. The neighbourhood of the Prinsenhof is located from the Rabot to the Gravensteen. Unfortunately this huge castle was demolished in the 19th century. However this castle really has a great and even a royal history. Some royal history In 1064, Count Baldwin V of Flanders offered a swampy area for use to Burgrave Hugo II and his wife Oda. In 1323 this region came into the possession of Simon de Mirabello. Later this man was killed by the people of Gent. In 1340, Louis II, Count of Flanders was the owner. He rebuilt the place to a home that was fit for the Count of Flanders. These Counts were vazals of the King of France! Later this place was inherited by the Valois Dukes of Burgundy. In 1477 the joyous entry

On 11 September 1364 Christine de Pizan was born at Venice. Family Christine was the daughter of Tommasso di Benvenuto da Pizzano. Her father worked as a physician, court astrologer and Councillor of the Republic of Venice. Later, Christine's father accepted an appointment to the court of Charles V of France as the king's astrologer. In 1368 the family moved to Paris. In 1378 Christine de Pizan married Etienne du Castel, who was a notary and royal secretary. In 1389 Christine's husband died of the plague. Her father had died a year before. In order to support herself and her family Christine started writing. Christine de Pizan offered a book to Margaret of Burgundy A great career Around 1394 she wrote love ballads, which caught the attention of some wealthy patrons within the court. Pizan expressed a fervent love for France and its culture. She gifted or dedicated her early ballades to members of the royal family such as Isabeau of Bavari

Recently I read an article in a German magazine about the noble family Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. It immediately took my attention because I'm very interested in the former royal families of Germany. See also my blog page on top of the blog or on this link . The article mentioned the quarrel in the family about the succession of the chief of the family Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. After the death of Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, who was married to Princess Benedikte of Denmark, a succession war broke out in this noble house. Author picture: Holger Motzkau Two candidates wanted to be the head of the family. 1/ Prince Gustav zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (the son of Prince Richard); 2/ Prince Ludwig-Ferdinand zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. (nephew of Prince Richard), who claimed his rights from an old testament dating from 1943. However it was not this quarrel who took my attention. No, I wanted to  know more about the family's hi