All About Royal Families

It is always nice to visit a castle, a palace or even a fort on a city trip. When this special building also is located near the beach it must be absolutely beautiful, especially on a day with good weather. Luckily Portugal and especially Porto most of the time have great weather. So on the end of May 2019, during the election weekend (26 May) I visited the amazing city of Porto in Portugal and the Fort of São Francisco Xavier . It also is called the Castelo do Queijo . Although a visit to this Fort is not that much interesting, it has some really nice sea views and a splendid royal history. Fort Sao Francisco Xavier in Porto Royal History In 1643, King John IV of Portugal  ordered the construction of a new Fort, designed by the French military engineer Miguel de L'Ecole. The works were finally finished somewhere between 1661 and 1662. In 1751, a private chapel was constructed to assist military officers serving at the Fort. Between 1807-1811, during

On 25 August 1707 a royal boy was born at the Buen Retiro in Madrid, Spain. He was named Louis after his grandfather King Louis XIV of France. Family King Louis I of Spain was the son of King Philip V of Spain and Maria Luisa of Savoy. His paternal grandparents were Louis Grand Dauphin of France and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. His maternal grandparents were Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy and Anne Marie d'Orléans. King Louis I of Spain was thus a member of the royal house of Bourbon. Love and Marriage On 20 January 1722 at Lerma, Louis married  Louise Elisabeth d'Orléans, a daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, who was the regent of France. Duty King Louis I of Spain ruled from 15 January 1724, after his father abdicated in his favour. However Louis died seven months later on 31 August 1724 due to smallpox. He was succeeded by his father who ruled again until 1746. Source picture: Wikipedia

Isabella of Aragon was born on 2 October 1470 as the eldest child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Family Her siblings were: - John, Prince of Asturias; - Joanna, who married Philip the Handsome; - Maria, who became Queen of Portugal; - Catherine, who became Queen of England when she married Henry VIII. Youth When her parents were involved in a civil war in Spain, Princess Isabella was left in Segovia with Andrés de Cabréra and his wife Beatriz de Bobadilla. However the city residents of Segovia rose up and seized control of the city. Princess Isabella was locked up in the Alcázar until her mother returned to Segovia and took control again of the city. Love and marriage Isabella of Aragon married in November 1490 to Afonso, Prince of Portugal. However he died on 13 July 1491. She was heartbroken about his death and she was convinced that he died because God was angry that Portugal had provided a refuge for the Jews her pa

The imperial history of Russia always has fascinated me, due to the 'sudden' fall of the  dynasty in 1917. Reading a book about this amazing history always is a special  treat for me. The more when the lecture is written very well and very  interesting. Alexander II The Last Great Tsar screenshot About the book 'Alexander II the last Great Tsar' Alexander II (1818-1881) was not just a biography about the Tsar but the book also told the story of his era, the dissatisfaction of the Russian nobility and the common citizens. The book also mentioned lots of chapters about Terrorism, which started during the life of Alexander II. It even hinted about the start of the fall of the monarchy (which ended in 1917). I really liked this book: Alexander II the last Great Tsar, because it wasn't written in a boring or dry way at all. It was very vibrant and easy to read. bookcover Alexander II De Laatste grote Tsaar in Dutch About Edvar