All About Royal Families

Belgium has lots of noble and even royal families, one of them, at least one of the most important old dynasties is the Noble House of Ursel or in French d'Ursel. Roots The House d'Ursel has its roots in Schmalkalden in Thuringia, Germany. In the late 15th. century some of the members of the d'Ursel family came to Hasselt (nowadays located in Belgium).  Among them was Gaspard II Schetz, who had married to Catherine of Ursel, daughter of Lancelot II of Ursel. When the three daughters of Lancelot II d'Ursel died without heirs and by request of Barbe d'Ursel, Conrad III Schetz was adopted by her. It were his descendants who carried the name d'Ursel. These descendants carried important offices. Some Royal History Conrad Albert, baron of Wesemael and lord of Hingene was created the First Duke of Ursel by the imperial decree of Charles VI on 19 August 1716, later he was created the First Duke of Hoboken (1717). Family ties

Portugal really is an amazing country, not only due to its people, nature, food, culture and history but also due to its railway stations. Traveling from Lisbon to Sintra, my husband and I had to use the Rossio Railway station. We were amazed by its beauty and I wanted to know more about its royal history. Rossio Station Lisbon Portugal Some royal history The Rossio Railway Station was ordered by the Portuguese Royal Railway Company and it was designed between 1886 and 1887 by the Portuguese architect José Louis Monteiro.  It was built in one of the most important squares of Lisbon, the Rossio. The Rossio was built during the reign of King Louis I of Portugal (reigned from 1861-1889 over Portugal).  King Louis I of Portugal was the son of Maria II and Ferdinand II. He became King after the death of his brother Pedro V.  King Louis I of Portugal Source picture: Wikipedia In 1918, Sidónio Pais, the fourth President of Portugal, was assassinated in th

Christopher Clark wrote a splendid book about Emperor Wilhelm (William) II of Germany. Wilhelm II  ruled from 15 June 1888 till 9 November 1918 over Germany. He was a weak ruler, disorganized and impulsive. But he wasn't that involved in the military and the army as I expected. Clark wrote very well about the era and about the German society during the reign of Wilhelm II. He also mentioned the foreign policy of the country and the role of Bismarck. Wilhelm II the last Emperor of Germany Christopher Clark bookcover As a grandson of Queen Victoria, Wilhelm II had many important royal family ties, however he was too narcissistic to use them very well. Although, I thought it was more of a biography about the last German Emperor, this book was all about the politics during the reign of Wilhelm II . So, I learned lot of new things. This book is a must read for every history lover and especially the ones who are interested in Germany. Christopher

20 July 1973 marks the birth of Prince Haakon of Norway. His birth took place at The National Hospital in Oslo. Family His parents were then Crown Prince Harald of Norway (now King) and Crown Princess Sonja (now Queen). His paternal grandparents were King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. Haakon has one sibling: Princess Märtha Louise of Norway who was born in 1971. Prince Haakon also is in the line of succession of the British throne as a great-great-grandson of King Edward VII and a great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria. Army & education Crown Prince Haakon has served in the Royal Norwegian Army. He also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political sience from the University of California in Berkeley. Later Haakon attended lectures at the University of Oslo. In 2003 he completed his education at the London School of Economics. Love and Marriage Crown Prince Haakon married a commoner and a single mother: Mette-Marit Tjess