The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-08-13
GERMAN NATIONALITY.

UOIu TIC homogeneous CHARACTER OF lnt
subjects of the various kingdoms, duchies, and
municipalities, there has ever been one people A
neglect of this distinction has caused recent events
TO be entirely misunderstood, and the ideas which
have actuated the great of the country in their
attempts 10 form a union or central power TO be
misconceived. The confederation now dsmember,
ed, or about to be, dates from 1915, and was COM
posed of various portions of the old Germanic en-
pre- out of the ashes of which sprang the power OF
Austria. 1t will be remembered that the empire of
Charemagne, after his DEATH was divided by his
sons into three parts-FRANCE the EMPIRE PRo-
PER, embracing Rome, Italy, and its dependencies,
and GERMANY; the first and the last of these were
kingdoms, and the second, after short existence,
was broken into petty principalities, which having
been successfully acquired by the German mon
archs in the middle of the tenth century, Ohio as
sumed the title of Cesar as the occupant of Con-
stantne throne not the successor of the French
monarchs This imperial dignity seems to con-
tinue inherent in Rome almost to our own days,
even Napoleon having thought the dignity Of King
of Rome indispensable to the perpetuity of his dy-
nasty in the person Of his son.
The tendency fthe Germanic power has always
arches. In France, Spain, and elsewhere, it was
long the policy of State to absorb the power and
estates of the great feudatories; and the thrones,
from elective, became hereditary. In Germany
from hereditary they became elective; and dukes,
princes, and margraves made themselves, step by
step, so independent that they became sovereigns
Ultimately, when the emperors of Germany were
selected from one family, neither the form nor es-
senta of an election ever omitted, and even in
late days stormy contentious and wars have risen
between the partisans of contendng candidates. In
the course Of the career of the present Austrian
reigning house, that of Hapsburg, more than one
prince has been asde and the very fact that the
founder, Rudolph lord ola petty Tyroese territory,
became Caesar, shows that, in theory, the empire
was no more hereditary than that of old Rome had
been
The homogeneous character which unites the
German people never contributed to the tenacty Of
the German empire; for, formed on tradition Of
that Rome which ruled all men and nations nation
atty was utterly excluded Slavic, Italian, Bur-
gundian, and Teuton races all were comprehended
by it; and however the world may exclaim against
the pretensions of the German emperor to portions
",
venerable as possible dating back fully one thou
sand years, to the conquest by Ohio, who united,
under his rule, the hertages of two Of the Of
Charlemagne. Italy is not, however, esteemed a
portion of the empire, though from that Italy the Ger
man and Austrian monarchs derived the title of
Kaiser and Imperator. As the kings of Belgium
and Hanover hold property in England, the Ger
man and Austrian emperors hold Lombardy and
their other Italian possessions.
Bohemia was never definitely recognised a
province of the empire, and the realm of Premsyl al
ways had quasi existence as a separate kingdom,
though surrounded by Austrian and German terri
tories. True, the emperor was king of Bohemia,
but it was by accident, as the English monarchs,
previous to the unions, were soveregns Of Scot
land and Ireland. Hungary never was considered
a part of the empire, though it always recognised
the Austrian and German emperors as kings An
attempt to bring it under the purvew of the lmpe-
rial council is the cause of the present war In the
sixteenth century it had no more come xion with
dhe empire than Poland had. When the house OF
Austria, however, became predominant, things
changed. Originally marquisaie or march-gra-
vate it became an arch-duchy in ll56; and when
Oiocar of Bohemia, died, reverted to the house Of
Hapsburg, the head Of which was Rudolph then
Kaiser For one hundred and fifty years the inn
perisl dignity was not with the Hapsburgers, who,
however. continued lords and archdukes Of Aus
tria TyroI and Trieste were acquired in the four
teenth century.
I'm the middle of the fifteenth century, Albert,
archduke of Austria, married the daughter Of Sig
ismond, king of Bohemia, and emperor. Under
Frederick the Fourth the fortunes Of the house
were NO decayed that nothing bu, his marriage with
Mary Of Burgundy saved them; and a similar
union Of Philip of Austria to the heress Of Rerdi-
nand and Isabella of Spain, at later date, saved
the Hapsburgers, who subsequently ruled half of
Europe and all the Indies.
Bot a new power arose Prussia, originally the
marauisate or march-gravate Of Brandenburg, by
the dissolution Of the Teutonc knights, became a
powerful State; first made Polish duchy, and
subsequently emancipated by Fred. William the
Gceat; anticipating Napoleon, Frederick William
1. crowned himself king in l70l. The Republic
Of Poland did not, however, acknowledge him un.
I'll 1863 though the Kaiser had done so in l70l.
Charles V. was called Emperor Of Germany, but
in all the Teuton, Rousniac, Slavic, and Magyar
Ststes, he had no power beyond the arch-duchy
Austria he inherited. Then came Luther and the
Reformation Other divisions arose, and the unity
even of the Teu,onic races was gone. BY the
treaty Of Westphalia, after the thirty years. war,
a compact, defining duties and powers, was made,
and something like consistency was restored to the
federation. The control or power Of the En-
peror over all Germany was expressly denied;
che sovereignty Of the several allied princes was
affirmed, and the Kaiser became president. Thus
things continued until the time Of Napoleon, who,
in 1901 occupied, by virtue Of the treaty Of Lune-
vile, the right bank Of the Rhine. After Aoster-
litz, Wirtemburg and Bavaria were made separate
Kingdoms, and the empire was dismembered by the
formation, under the protection Of France, Of the
confederation Of the Rhine by fifteen States al the
head of which were the new kings Of Bavario and
wiriemborg, and the sovereign Of Baden. Francis
the Second then cast off the other States, and as
sumed, in plaee Of the empty kaIsership Of Ger
many. the more substantial title Of Emperor Of
Austria. When Napoleon fell, on vague idea
Of nationality the Germsnic Confederation was
formed The kings of Prussia OF Holland, and