All About Royal Families

Only a few noble families are intertwined with the history of  a country.  The de Liedekerke family has it all: a long and interesting history and close ties to the rules of their country.  Let's take a closer look!  History It was in 1301 that the history of the family de Liedekerke started.  Then Knight Raas of Herzele signed an official document in Beveren. His son was Raas of Herzele of (de) Liedekerke. His descendants called themselves de Liedekerke.  But there were many interesting people in the family de Liedekerke. connections with the Duke of Burgundy Raas of Liedekerke, lord of Nieuwerkerken (+/- 1421 - 1494/1495) was married to a certain Johanna. Due to his marriage he became Lord of Heestert and Zulte. In 1476 he went on a military campaign with Charles the Bold. Duke of Burgundy. In 1477, Mary of Burgundy, appointed him as bailiff of Aalst and Geraardsbergen.  Charles the Bold Mary of Burgundy Connections with the House of Habsburg Steven of Liedekerke (+/- 1457 - 1530

Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria was born on 4 December 1808 at Bamberg.  Family He was the only son of Duke Pius August in Bavaria (1786-1837) and his wife Princess Amélie Louise of Arenberg. He was a member of the junior branch of the royal House of Wittelsbach. Love and Marriage On 9 September 1828, at Tegernsee in Bavaria, a royal wedding took  place. Then Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria married Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. She was the sixth daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, his father's cousin. Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika would have 10 children. He was the father of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) and the grandfather of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. Duty In 1834 he purchased Possenhoven Castle on Lake Starnberg. This became his major residence for the rest of his life.  In 1838 Maximilian Joseph travelled to Egypt and Palestine. While climbing the Great Pyramid he arranged for his servants to yodel as if they were  climbing in t

Although 2020 wasn't a splendid year for travellers due to the Covid-19  pandemic, we tried to make the best of it.  During the staycation we visited some lovely cities in our home country, Belgium with lots of history. Cities such as Ghent and Bruges.  The main square of the city of Bruges is without a doubt the Market Square in Dutch called "Markt". It is the heart of the historical city and has a surface of around 1 hectares.  At the south of the the square one of the main historical buildings of Bruges is located: the Belfry.  Some history The market of Bruges already attracted people in the 10th. century! Around 1200 the first international fair was held. Around 1220 the first Market Hall arose.  Since 1396 fish trade took place there. In 1709 an iron fish mine was erected.  In the 13th. century the Belfry of Bruges was built. This was typical for cities in Flanders. It was a symbol of freedom, wealth and urban power. On 7 January 1430, Philip the Good, Duke of Burgu

Augustus: The first Roman Emperor In this second  post about the Roman Empire series , there is a main role for Augustus.  Early Life Augustus was born in the city of Rome, very close to the Roman Forum on 23 September 63 BC.  He was named Gaius Octavius Thurinus.  Due to the crowded places in Rome during that time, Octavius was taken to his father's home at Velletri to be raised. His mother, Atia was the niece of Julius Caesar.  In 59 BC his father died, when he was just four years old. His mother remarried a former governor of Syria, Lucius Marcius Philippus. Then Octavius was raised by his grandmother, Julia, the sister of  Julius Caesar.  Julia died in 52 or 51 BC and Octavius delivered the funeral oration for his grandmother. From this point his mother and stepfather took more interest in Octavius.  In 47 BC Octavius was elected to the College of Pontiffs. A turning point When Julius Caesar was killed on the Ides of March in 44 BC, Octavius was studying and followed a military