280 Items Tagged

Royalty

A fresco from a mansion, or haveli, depicting the sharing of a drink. In Rajput culture, the munawwar piyala meaning "cup of request" is liquor offered to guests during gatherings, especially marriages.

The Resurrection of Rajasthan’s Royal Liquors

After fading away post-Independence, Heritage Liquors are back and, this time, everyone can sip them.

N.C. Stevens April 19, 2024

Aranjuez, Spain

Museo de Falúas Reales (Royal Barges Museum)

A collection of riverboats of the Spanish royal family in a quaint museum.

Detail of a courtyard in the palace at Ninevah during the Assyrian Empire, illustration by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1853.

In Mesopotamia, Being 'King for a Day' Could be Deadly

Total solar eclipses were an omen of death for rulers of the Assyrian Empire. The fix? Install a fake king and then kill him.

Rebecca Boyle March 13, 2024

Jacksonville, Florida

Grave of Laura Adorkor Kofi

The final resting place of "Mother Kofi," a Black minister who was assassinated in the middle of a sermon.

Farnham, England

Victoria Garden

A former Victorian swimming pool is now a tranquil and secluded park.

Dyrehaven, Denmark

Eremitageslottet (Hermitage Hunting Lodge)

The castle used by the Danish Royal Family as a hunting retreat.

Kazichene, Bulgaria

Royal Station Kazichene

The Bulgarian royal family exclusively used this ornate, now-abandoned train station.

Podcast: Stone of Destiny

An unassuming rock in a Scottish bar may have quite a royal history.

The Podcast Team February 21, 2024

Taken in 1917 at Tsarskoye Selo, outside St. Petersburg, this is the only known color photo of the original Amber Room.

The Enduring Mystery of the Amber Room, Coveted by Tsars, Nazis, and Treasure Hunters

Crafted from amber and gold, it enthralled all who saw it. Then, near the end of World War II, it disappeared.

Stefan Bachmann and April Genevieve Tucholke February 14, 2024

Royal Palace of Madrid Statues

After the queen of Spain had a dream where these statues fell and crushed her, they were removed from the palace and given new homes around Madrid.

Park rangers at Culloden Battlefield have deployed some unusual lawnmowers, such as this Highland cow.

How Highland Cows Are Restoring Culloden Battlefield’s Historic Bog

Heritage breed cattle make quick work of the battlefield’s invasive plant species.

Kinsey Gidick January 4, 2024

Two stone tombs on a raised stone platform

New Delhi, India

Razia Sultan Tomb

Delhi's only female ruler is buried in this neglected, forgotten tomb.

Church View, Barbados

Gravesite of Ferdinand Paleologus

One of the last members of the Byzantine Empire's last ruling dynasty is buried in the far-off soil of Barbados.

A stone tower with brown pointed roof surveys a mountainous valley

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Schloss Vaduz

Liechtenstein's royal family calls this medieval alpine castle home.

Houyet, Belgium

Halte Royal d'Ardenne

The private train station King Leopold II built for the Belgian royal family now lies abandoned.

Seoul, South Korea

Hwangudan

The site where the Emperor of Korea performed the long-forbidden "rite of heaven" to demonstrate his absolute sovereignty.

Budapest, Hungary

Empress Sissi Statue

This memorial to a murdered empress took 20 years to design, then spent 30 years hidden away in storage.

The Rise and Fall of the Mormon King of Beaver Island

Rumors of piracy, polygamy, and betrayal shape the tumultuous history of King James Jesse Strang.

Roxanne Hoorn August 28, 2023