Nobility!

[The_Black_Cat]

For some it doesn't mean a thing...for others it's reality.

But I can tell you EVERYONE suffers from them somehow....

If you think of present day royalty sitting on the thrones on europe....

....think again....it's not just them.

And if you think they don't sit on any throne, so what?

Their power was never gone, their possessions still intact...

[The_Black_Cat]

First example: House of Wittelsbach...

The House of Wittelsbach (German pronunciation: [ˈvɪtəlsbax]) is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.

Members of the family reigned as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria (1180–1918), Counts Palatine of the Rhine (1214–1803 and 1816–1918), Margraves of Brandenburg (1323–1373), Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland (1345–1432), Elector-Archbishops of Cologne (1583–1761), Dukes of Jülich and Berg (1614–1794/1806), Kings of Sweden (1441–1448 and 1654–1720) and Dukes of Bremen-Verden (1654–1719).

The family also provided two Holy Roman Emperors (1328–1347/1742–1745), one King of the Romans (1400–1410), two Anti-Kings of Bohemia (1619–20/1742–43), one King of Hungary (1305–1309), one King of Denmark and Norway (1440–1447) and one King of Greece (1832–1862).

The family's head, since 1996, is Franz, Duke of Bavaria.

[The_Black_Cat]

photo taken from the air....

[The_Black_Cat]

The House of Hohenzollern [ˈhoːənˌʦɔlɐn] is a dynasty of former princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenburg, Prussia, the German Empire, and Romania. The family arose in the area around the town of Hechingen in Swabia during the 11th century and took their name from Hohenzollern Castle. The first ancestor of the Hohenzollerns was mentioned in 1061.

The Hohenzollern family split into two branches, the Catholic Swabian branch and the Protestant Franconian branch, which later became the Brandenburg-Prussian branch. The Swabian branch ruled the principalities of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen until 1849, and also ruled Romania from 1866 to 1947. Members of the Franconian branch became Margrave of Brandenburg in 1415 and Duke of Prussia in 1525.

The Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia were ruled in personal union after 1618 and were called Brandenburg-Prussia. The Kingdom of Prussia was created in 1701, eventually leading to the unification of Germany and the creation of the German Empire in 1871, with the Hohenzollerns as hereditary German Emperors and Kings of Prussia.

Germany's defeat in World War I in 1918 led to the German Revolution. The Hohenzollerns were overthrown and the Weimar Republic was established, thus bringing an end to the German monarchy. Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia is the current head of the royal Prussian line, while Karl Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern is the head of the princely Swabian line.

[The_Black_Cat]

....and still their home....

....and one of many castles they still own.

[Don-Sami]

Imagine playing hide or seek. Or paint balling in them places....

[Big_Sarge]

I bet they were the ones that funded IU and had part in changing the game.

[Drudge1]

I bet they were the ones that funded IU and had part in changing the game.

No, the Bank of Sheikh funded IU.

[The_Black_Cat]

The Rothschild family is a wealthy family descending from Mayer Amschel Rothschild, a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of Frankfurt, who established his banking business in the 1760s.

Unlike most previous court factors, Rothschild managed to bequeath his wealth and established an international banking family through his five sons, who established themselves in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, and Naples.

During the 19th century, the Rothschild family possessed the largest private fortune in the world, as well as the largest private fortune in modern world history. The family's wealth was divided among various descendants, and today their interests cover a diverse range of fields, including financial services, real estate, mining, energy, mixed farming, winemaking and nonprofits.

The Rothschild family has frequently been the subject of conspiracy theories, many of which have antisemitic origins.

[The_Black_Cat]

taken from the air...

[Ink-Slinger]

Beautiful images Black Cat, but please use smaller images for posting in the forums. Large images are not forum or user-friendly.

Thanks,
-Ink-

[The_Black_Cat]

Sure...will try!

[The_Black_Cat]

The House of Mecklenburg, also known as Nikloting, is a North German dynasty that ruled until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region, being among the longest-ruling families of Europe.

The family was established by Pribislav, an Obotrite (Slavic) prince who converted to Christianity and accepted the suzerainty of Saxon Duke Henry the Lion (r. 1142–1180), his fallen father's enemy, and became the Lord of Mecklenburg (derived from Mikla Burg, "big fortress", their main fortress). The Obotrites were subsequently Germanized. The main branch of the house was elevated in 1347 to ducal rank.

[The_Black_Cat]

Schwering Grand Ducal Palace....Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

[Eli_462]

a theme to all of these mostly German.... interesting