All About Royal Families

On 30 May 1431, Joan of Arc died in Rouen, Normandy. Then Normandy was under English rule but nowadays it is a part of France. Joan of Arc, the heroine of France during the Hundred Years' War, was taken captive by a Burgundian fraction on 23 May 1430. After a short but fake trial, Joan was condemned to death. On 30 May 1431 she was burned on stake at the age of  about 19 years old! Already in 1456 the French held a new trial authorized by Pope Callixus III. He rebunked the charges against her and declared Joan of Arc a martyr. In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte declared Joan of Arc a national symbol of France. And this wasn't the end of her story. In 1909, Joan of Arc was beatified and canonized in 1920. She became one of the nine secondary patron saints of France together with Saint Denis, Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Louis, Saint Michel, Saint Rémi, Saint Patronilla, Saint Radegund and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Of course, Joan of Arc remained a popular fi

Each year, from the end of May till the begin of June the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition takes place in Belgium. The 2019's edition is about Violin. History This prestigious music competition was founded by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium . She was the wife of King Albert I of Belgium, both heroes from World War I. First the contest was named after Eugène Ysaÿe, later it was named after Queen Elisabeth. Ysaÿe was conductor at the royal court of Belgium. How does the competion work? The competition takes place in Brussels and offers a great chance to young musicians (piano and violin) and singers. In 2017 there was for the first time a contest for cellists. The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition is one of the most demanding music contests of the world. After the semi-finals the finalists are isolated from the world for one week. This happens at the Music Chappel of Queen Elisabeth in Waterloo. The finalists may not receive visitors there. They have to