You know what I love? Looking 'Wiener Neustadt' up on Wikipedia so I could see where it was, and reading the following:

The city was founded by the Babenberger Duke Leopold V in 1194, who financed the construction of the city with the ransom paid for the English king Richard the Lionheart, who had previously been held as a hostage in Austria at Dürnstein.

And knowing exactly what it is talking about. Every bit of it. My University degree is about as useful as toilet paper (which..technically, is pretty useful but only for one purpose...) but damn do I know random crap, thanks to the history component of having a Bachelor of Arts-German Language and Literature major. Like who Leopold V was. And, for that matter, who the Babenbergs were. And the Hapsburgs. Who I know were not mentioned, but they made an empire through marriage instead of killing (though they did that too). Marie Antionette was a Hapsburg! Her mother, Maria Theresia was Empress of Austria for 40 years (exactly) and she had 49729475312 babies most of whom died as kids though the ones that didn't married all over. AND the child Mozart performed for her and she adored him.

And don't get me started on Empress Elisabeth because I can go on all day. The paper I wrote on her got me my very own 98% in a unit, as the paper was the only thing graded in that unit. She's fascinating.

And, back on Richard the Lionheart, the castle in Dürnstein is along the Danube and we stopped there on our way back to Vienna from Melk. And our teacher told us the (fake) tale of the minstrel who came to sing under Richard's window, and that's how they discovered where he was. Ah, legends. So I found it on the web here.

History is my crack for SRS. But I cannot for the life of me remember the word for 'minstrel' in German, but I remember I liked the word! MY LANGUAGE SKILLS HAVE FAILED ME!

Edit: BWUAAHHAHAA - Minnesänger I so just used freetranslation.com. Fail. :D

From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_honeyspider/


Richard the Lionheart is totally my only famous historical relative person (I keep wanting to write 'descendent', but that's the opposite, and 'backstory' is also not correct. My English sucks today.)

From: [identity profile] artemisofluna.livejournal.com


Holy crap, will you marry me?

THAT MEANS YOU'RE RELATED TO THE PLANTAGENETS OMGGGGGGG

Henry Tudor so had the last of them killed, the whore. Her name was Margaret and she was his ex-wife's best friend. *sigh* I love the history of Queen Katherine of Aragon. Even if I do keep saying 'Aragorn'. Damn you, Viggo.

From: [identity profile] treacleangel.livejournal.com


I know! I'm super priveleged to be living with someone who is descended from Eleanor of Aquitaine who is without a doubt the most awesomely powerful meddling queen in European history ever!
Catherine of Aragon is my favourite of Henry's poor wives. Katherine Swynford is another fascinating woman. She was John of Gaunt's long time mistress and eventual wife and also the sister-in-law of Chaucer. Both sides of the War of the Roses are descended from her.

Sorry will stop geeking out now

From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_honeyspider/


Okay, let's get sexy married! :D

I have not a clue what the Plantagenets is but it sounds awesome so I shall approve.

From: [identity profile] artemisofluna.livejournal.com


YAY!

The Plantagenet is a royal bloodline...okay I'll WIKI!

OOOOH ANJOU! I didn't know that! See, you CAN learn from Wiki! HERE!

They lost the throne when Henry Tudor kicked Richard the Third's arse alllll oovvveerrr the battlefield and then some and the Tudors took over. And then they made very sure to kill off all the remaining Plantagenets with claims to the throne. They kill off one of them in an episode of The Tudors! And Lady Margaret Pole was the last member of that bloodline with a claim. She was Katherine of Aragon's lady and her best friend and when she was replaced by Anne Boleyn, Henry sent Margaret Pole to a nunnery and then he had her executed around the same time he bumped off his child-bride Katherine Howard.

Aaaaaaaand I'll stop.

From: [identity profile] moment-of-sen.livejournal.com


Ancestor is the word you want I think =)

Also, Lara, P.S. your icon wants me to get my dvd and watch it over again. I heart that movie so much!

From: [identity profile] moment-of-sen.livejournal.com


It's from the very beginning of The Secret Garden, when Mary is still in India. I'm 95% sure it is, anyway! heh. It's such an adorable movie.

From: [identity profile] artemisofluna.livejournal.com


Oh THAT icon!! I thought you meant the lady lying on the ground. Yes, The Secret Garden! I love that movie so much!!

From: [identity profile] moment-of-sen.livejournal.com


Oops, LOL! I guess I wasn't specific enough! I have no idea where the lady comes from. Sorry!

From: [identity profile] artemisofluna.livejournal.com


I think she may just be a model they draped on a floor for a photo :D

It's all good, I love Secret Garden and A Little Princess so much. I read them over and over as a kid and now I have both movies. Because I'm a nerd. As if this post didn't already prove that :D

From: [identity profile] moment-of-sen.livejournal.com


I found my copies of those books on the weekend, I might have to read them again =D The movie version of A Little Princess ended more excitingly than the book tho, from what I remember of it. I love Mary tho, being such a prissy little princess- "If everybody said that about me, I wouldn't do it!"

From: [identity profile] artemisofluna.livejournal.com


The movie DID though I still re-read the book all the time. I love it. And YES MARY kicks arse! She's awesome!

From: [identity profile] sancta-terra.livejournal.com


Heh, weird story here, the girl who played Mary was on holiday in the same villa as me in Italy when I was about eight. I was devastated when she told me that her hair was different in real life because Mary's hair was a wig. She was really sweet actually, I guess that was my first fangirling experience heh.
.

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