Royal Christmas in Germany, 1907 - German Holiday Traditions

The Romanov Imperial House ruled Russia with an iron fist for 300 years. In that time they made plenty of enemies. From a grief-stricken mother who foretold the demise of the dynasty, to a scorned Tsaritsa who cursed St. Petersburg to calamity. From a hermit monk who claimed to know the hour of Catherine the Great’s death, to another monk, Rasputin, who cursed Tsar Nikolai’s family for causing his death. All culminating in the tragic slaying of the Imperial family, which fulfilled not one but two famous curses. Let’s take a spooky stroll through 3 centuries of Russia’s dark history and explore 4 curses and ominous prophecies laid on the Romanov dynasty. 1. “You began with the death of a Tsarevich, you will end with the death of a Tsarevich!” Ivan the Terrible, False Dmitry, Marina Mniszech, Michael Romanov 2. “St. Petersburg shall be empty!” Peter the Great, Eudoxia Lopukhina, Empress Catherine I 3. “Empress Catherine will die in 10 months and 10 days!” Catherine the Great, Monk Abel, Emperor Peter III, Emperor Paul I 4. Rasputin’s Curse "The Russian people will kill them!" Emperor Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodrovna, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, Alexei

For millennia, royals have claimed that their right to rule over the unwashed masses was granted to them by God. But a few have been associated with powers originating far south of heaven. Tonight I’ll share with you the spooky and salacious tales of the demon countess who spawned the bloodthirsty Plantagenet dynasty, an unholy canine who ferociously defended his master on the battlefield; A holy roman Emperor who was not very holy and performed black masses on his Empress’s naked body; and a Spanish king who underwent exorcisms in an attempt to rid himself of his terrible afflictions. The Demon Countess of Anjou The Prince’s Poodle From Hell The UnHoly Roman Emperor’s Black Masses The Exorcisms of The King of Spain

From sex-crazed libertines, to noble courtesans, to innocent Empresses; syphilis was a devastating disease which ravaged many, and sometimes changed the course of history. Let’s meet 10 royal and noble victims of this sexually transmitted infection. Lorenzo de’Medici, Duke of Urbino 1492 – 1519 Maria Salviati de’ Medici 1499 – 1543 Abbas II of Persia, Shah of Iran 1632 – 1666 John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester 1647 – 1680 Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor 1678 – 1711 Sally Salisbury 1692 – 1724 Lola Montez, Countess of Landsfeld 1821 – 1861 Luís I, King of Portugal 1838 – 1889 Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria 1858 – 1889 Archduke Otto Franz Joseph of Austria 1865 – 1906

In 1700 the Stuart Dynasty was out of heirs, save one, Princess Anne. Parliament studied the royal family tree to determine who was next in line. The problem was they were all catholic. The succession skipped over 41 closer relations until they got to the nearest living Protestant, Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The Act of Settlement of 1701 declared that all future British monarchs must be her descendant. She ended up dying before Anne and the throne went to her son, George I. But who were the 41 royals skipped over? French Princes, Italian Kings, A Queen of Spain and a couple of Holy Roman Empresses, let’s meet the fascinating potential British Monarchs that never where. This succession uses the rules of male-preference primogeneture, the law of the land at the time. And only looks at dynasts who were alive in the year 1701.

Queen Anne was the younger sister of Mary II, half of England’s only joint monarchy, William and Mary. When they died, Anne had no interest in sharing the throne with her husband. She was the first married Queen of England to rule on her own. Anne was a strong political player and oversaw the creation of the new nation of Great Britain. She had a long term, possibly romantic relationship with Sarah Churchill, but when political differences tore them apart, she transferred her affections to another lady in waiting, Abigail Marsham. Anne had 17 pregnancies, but none of her children survived childhood. Her death meant the end of the Stuart Dynasty and the throne went to her German cousin, George I. Let's examine the life of Queen Anne.