The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-02-21
TIE ROYAL FAMILIES OF EUROPE.
Hhsir Origin, Inter sriIages. and Com
beCtiDps.


TIKI REIGNINo LINES or EUROPE
There are forty-eight crowned heads in Europe
namely, three Emperors of France, OF Russia, ana
of Austria; two Queens, of Great Britain and OF
pain; thirteen Kings. of Prussia, of Sweden, oil
olland. Of Belgium, of Sardinia, OF Denmark, OF
prtugal. of Greece of Bavaria, of Hanover OF Saxe.
iWurtembeig, and of Naples; one Sultan OF Iur.
"; one Pope of Rome: one Elector OF Hesse
zen Grand Dukes OF Tuscany. of Baden, OF SAKE
slmar. of Hesse Darnstadt, Of Odenburg, OF Meek
4 cnlurg Schwern and OF Mcckenburg Stleltz; nine
Dukes, OF Parma, OF Modena OF Anhai' Dessau, Oh
Alenhurg, of SAKE Meiningen. and OF SaXe-Coburg
Goths; and ten Princes. OF lippe, OF Wadeck, OF
Hesse. homhurg, Of Schwarzburg Londershausen,
of Schwarzburg Rudolstad, Of Lichtenstein,
of Schamburg-Iippe OF Reuss Grez, of Reuss.
Schleis and of Monaco All these princely person
ages are sovereign rulers of their respective coun-
tries and as such equal in rank; although the En-
peror of Russia is master a territory of more
than millions of square miles and the Princes
OF Monaco and of Lichtensten have less than fifty
each. Nevertheless. in the eyes OF every faithful
roya!st, well as of the Alm0nach de Gotha, all
legitimate princes are ebenIurtig" or equal born
whatever may be their political power the extent
of their dominions. They are in their own order
"po rs and if the eldest daughter of the Car of
tie Austrian Kaiser chose to marry the poorest
Prince of Reuss-G reiz no herald at arms could call
ii a mesalliance.
There are however, some other minor differences
OF rank which determine the position Of these
forty ght sOvereigns, rather these forty-six;
for two OF them, the Sultan and the Pope, must,
tor o'v;ou. reasons be excluded from the family"
TIE bIei instance great point with royalty
j. legitimacy or length Of tenure and it is tacitly
understood that all roya! houses whose pedigree
does not extend at least couple of centuries
are non-legtimate. Measured by this standard the
soyeregns of France and of Sweden cannot he said
to belong to the circle of equal born N archs
whose number is thus reduced to forty-fO.r. The
forty four, again, may be divided into two classes
namely, princes of German origin and princes of
Gallo descent; that altogether the European sove
l. Sovereigns quite unoOnnected with the rest
two In number, the Sultan and the Pope.
2. Sovereigns OF recent creation-two in number
the rulers Of France and of Sweden.
3. Sovereigns of Gallo orign-three in number
the Queen of Spain and the Kings of Naples and of
Portugal, the descendants of Hugh Capet, or the
Bourbon family
4. Sovereins of Teutonic origin-forty-one Yin
number. namely the rulers Of the whole of Europe.
with the exception Of those OF the lbeIian PENN
suia of small part of Italy, of France of Sweden,
and of Turkey.
In this concise classification already a singular
fact forces itself attention. The inhabitants
Of Europe number about 260 millions. OF these rs
millions are Slavonans: 81 millions belong to the
Latin, and So to the Teutonic races; and, conse-
qUenty, if every nation were governed by rulers of
the same origin as themselves, the proportion of
soveieigns of Europe would consist, in about three
equal thirds of monarchs of these three divisions of
mankind. But so far is this from being the case
that the Slayonic tribes furnish no ruling
princes at all to Europe, and that the Latin races
contribute but a proportionately small number; so
that the sovereign power of the most important
quarter of the world is chiefly in the hands of mo-
narchs Of Teutonc origin. IL was not always So in
asnuch rs only about three centuries ago the sover-
eign rulers belonged more equally to the three domi
nact races in proportion to their political influence
The present prepolderance of German royalty has
come.about gradually and very steadily, and the
tendency of the present state Of affairs in Europe is
certainly rather towards further increase OF leu
tonic kngshps, and further decrease of Latin and
Sayonic power, than the contrary. II is curious how
race has worked its way in this respect The house
OF Stuart. with few drops Of Celtic blood in its
veins had to give way before the German family of
Brunswick Luneburg, which has since received new
elements of race by fresh infusion Of Saxon blood.
Again. the house of Romanof, Of pure Slavonic orr
GIN made room for the line of Hol>tein t,ottOrp, by
birth and by continued alliances completely Teu-
tonic: and before this. the Savonic families which
ruled Austria and Bohemia were unseated by Ger
man prince Of very modest fortune Rudolf Won Haps
burg, whose' descendants up to this day govern a
multitude Of foreign tribes but conclude their matri
monial alliances only in the land of their origin.
Nay even in the classic islands Of the Mediterranean
q German king holds the sceptre, and the Iberian
peninsula is successfully invaded by the house of
Coburg.
These princely German houses, through centuries
OF matrimonial alliances, have become united INTO
one large family, with greater or lesser grades of
cOnsanguinity between the different crowned heads.
They all may be traced however. TO six different
lines. growing up almost simultaneously in the soil Of
q country highly favorable in its feuda constitution
for the production Of kingship The first of these
lines Is that OF SaXony the princes Of which trace
their origin up TO Duke WittekiDd leader Of some
hall savage tribes on the river Elbe, who con-
ycrted 20 Christianity by the Emperor Charlemange
about the year 7s5. The Princes Of Savoy who have
become at present Kings Of Sardinia. as well the
king- Of SaXony, the Grand Duke of SaXe-Weimar
and the three ducal houses of SAKE Meinngen SAKE
ATTENDING and SaXe-C oburg Gotha. are reported
to lie the descendants of this Duke Wit'ekind. The
second line Of sovereign German princes j. that Of
Alssee, whose members fnd their ancestor in
Adelhert, duke Of q territory on the Rhine who
lived in the beginning Of the eighth century
and whose descendants are the Emperor of Aus.
tria. the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and of Baden,
and the Dukes Of Parma. The third line IL that of
Oldenburg founded by Count of Ringelheim in the
eleventh century; and from IL springs the kings Of
Denmark the depOsed kings Of Sweden the Grand
Dukes Of Oldenburg, and the Dukes Of Hostein.
younger branch OF the latter house has filed for
the last century the throne Of Russia The fourth
lie Is that Of DEste, founded by AEON L. Margrave
q Este, In the beginning OF the eleventh century:
and from Il the present royal family OF Great Britain
The Kings Of Hanover. the Dukes OF Brunswick and
ot Modena and the Princes Of Lichtenstein. draw
their origin. The fifth line is that Of Zoern or a.
II j. commonly called, Hohenzollern, which has its
ancestors in the Counts Of Zohlern who lived in the
tenth century. and from whom descend the Kings Of
Prussia. Lastly. the sixth line is that OF Nassau,
founded in the twelfth century. from which spring
the Kings Of the Netherlands and the Dukes Of
NassTn. The rest Of the sovereens of Teutonic
origin come all indirectly from these six great
sources.
There are, already said. only three monarchs Of
The Gallo OF Latin race, tie Queen of Spain. and the
Kings Of Naples and q Portugal They are de-
scendsnts Of Hugo Capet Count Of Paris.
RUSSIA.
The rulers Of the vast dominons cooauiay in
olUded under that name. down 10 the time Of Peter
the Great, were natives q the country descendants
al the old chieftains Rurick and Romanof Peter
az j. well known, married o Liyonian peasant girl
Catherine who brought him two children, Anna
and Elizabeth. The first OF these, Princess Anna,
united herself 90 a Duke Of Hostein Gottoro, and
became in Of time the mother Of little Ger
man Prince. called Peter Urich WHO after his aunt
Elizabeth by the aid Of sundry conspiracies and as
sas-inaions had assembled the throne Of the Cars
was named her successor.
The Cars Of the house Of Holsten. Gottorp are
physically fine body Of men.
The present Emperor Of Russia l. tall and some
what stout man, with pleasing countenance but
look a. u suffering under some hidden maIady or
sorrow. His eyelids drop the inner corner Of
the eve with doom mnlanchnlN. and thnnrh tno