Royal families have always fascinated us, either by their glorious achievements of their tragic fates. The following ten awesome royal dynasties are truly the most impressive from our history, whether they lived in Europe, Asia or South America.
1. Solomonic Dynasty
Our top of awesome royal dynasties starts with an Ethiopian line that is believed to have started with Solomon of Israel and Queen Sheba. Solomon was King David’s son and is considered the ancestor of Jesus Christ. The line is one of the longest lived in history, since anecdotes report that is started in the year 950 BC until the deposition of Haile Selassie in 1975. This means the incredible dynasty lasted for 2924 years!
2. Imperial House of Japan
The Imperial House of Japan is also believed to have started sometime before Jesus Christ was born. Emperor Jimmu founded the dynasty in 660 BC. There is not much information on the first 25 emperors of this line, but all the other monarchs are accounted for. Thus, the Japanese dynasty in the second longest in history, reaching an incredible 2673 years. The current monarch is emperor Akihito.
3. House of Habsburg
The most interconnected of the top awesome royal dynasties has to be the House of Habsburg, and thus the one with the most genetic disorders. This did not stop the dynasty from ruling Europe for an immense period of time, starting in the Middle Ages and ending in the 18th century. The first ruler from this house was Rudolph I from Germany. Rudolph ascended to the throne in 1273 and later on added Austria to the empire. The subsequent leaders ruled both countries and Bohemia for two hundred years, after which they started a line of kings for Spain. The line eventually died out sometime in 1780.
4. House of Braganza
The members of the “Most Serene House of Braganza” ruled Portugal and Brazil. The dynasty started in 1442 with Alfonzo Braganza who received a dukedom from the King. However, the first king from the family occupied the throne only two hundred years later. The Algarves and Brazil were added to the United Kingdom of Portugal in 1815, but the unified empire only lived for ten years. Nevertheless, Brazil remained ruled by Pedro I, a member of the Braganza dynasty. The line lasted until Portugal and Brazil were transformed into republics, in 1910 and 1889.
5. Piast Dynasty
Many believe the name of this Polish dynasty comes from Piast the Wheelwright, a legendary figure in the country. However, historically speaking, the kings were never called the Piasts. The line started in 960 with Prince Miesko I and lasted until 1370 when the last member, Casimir III the Great died. During the time of the dynasty, Poland was constantly threatened by the expansion of the Holy Roman Empire. Thus, its members had a difficult time defending it, as well as ruling over a split country.
6. House of Romanov
Some royal houses have bloodier ends than others. The leaders of Russia started becoming unpopular at the beginning of the 20th century, mostly because they were living in luxury while the poor population was starving. The closeness between tsarina Alexandra and the spooky Rasputin did not help either. In 1917, the Bolsheviks managed to overthrow them, but it wasn’t enough for them. All members of the royal family were executed after ruling for 305 years. For a time many believed that princess Anastasia managed to escape the slaughter, which led to interesting theories until the discovery of the bitter truth.
7. Ming Dynasty
One of the most well known awesome royal dynasties has to be the Ming Dynasty of China. Its members ruled the country for 276 years. The line was founded by Emperor Hongwu in 1368 and during its time China flourished in every aspect: culture, literature, art, military and so on. This was the time when the Four Masters of the Ming Dynasty emerged: Qui Ying, Tang Yin, Shen Zhou and Wen Zhengming. The dynasty came to end with the rebellion in 1664 because of the economic breakdown of the country and the war. When the rebels entered Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen took his own life.
8. Qajar Dynasty
Some leaders were more ruthless than others, and this was the case of Mohammed Khan Qajar from Persia, which is Iran in our days. In order to get rid of his rivals, Mohammad massacred entire populations and in 1796 he was finally proclaimed Shah of Persia. However, his happiness did not last for long, as he was assassinated only one year later. His successors led the country for another 128 years, during which they were defeated by Russia and have to give them parts of their land. The best leader was without a doubt Nasser-e-Din who ascended to the throne in 1848 and managed to enhance the culture and build many learning facilities. In the end, the Qajar dynasty was deposed by Reza Khan in 1925.
9. House of Tudor
One of the top awesome royal dynasties is the Tudor one, which incidentally was a very powerful one. Henry VIII is truly the most prolific figure from this house, who introduced Henry’s Reformation, but also got rid of his wives by either divorcing them or beheading them. This dynasty also features one of the most important female leaders in history. During the reign of Henry VIII’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, the country recorded amazing exploratory and artistic breakthroughs, among which the passage to the American continent and the works of Shakespeare.
10. House of Windsor
The current ruling house of Britain is the house of Windsor, led by Queen Elizabeth II. The dynasty was established by George V, her grandfather, in 1917. The family has not been spared from troubles, since Princess Diana died in 1997 in a car crash and the two sons of the Queen divorced their wives. However, popularity returned to the House of Windsor when the eldest son of Diana, Prince William, got married to Kate Middleton. The couple is well regarded by the public and has two children: Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
