The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-02-21
count Of the imperial States, and KONG for Hun


Holy Roman" Empire who lived in a well fortified
castle the river Aar the ruins of which all travel
ers in the north of Switzerland may see at the pre-
sent day. hundred years ago, with the death of
Kaiser Charles VI the male line OF the house be-
came extinct. but the kaisers only daughter,
Maria Theresa, again married prince of German
descent, Teutonc blood may be said to flow in its
purest state in the veins of the Austrian emperors
No regning family of Europe has derived so much
advantage from successful matrimonial alliances as
the house of Hapsburg The sword Of its founder,
Rudolf, constructed only the nucleus OF the vast
possessions which the family afterwards acquired.
Next to Rudolf, the greatest man whom the family
ever produced, Macmillan L., may be called the
founder Of the power of the house of Hapsburg. for
il was he who. by three lucky marriages-his own,
his sons and his grandsons- the rising
State.
Francis Joseph l. is at present in his twenty
seventh year. He is a pale, sicklylooking young
redtary big under lip. He married, about four
years ago, a daughter of the Duke of Bavaria Eliza
| beth; who has brought him two children, both
female, one Of whom, however, has already died.
| This union was brought about by the Emperors
mother, Archduchess Sophia, princess all powerful
at court, who may be regarded as the real ruler of
Austria. The Emperor has three brothers, Ferdi-
nand, Charles and Louis, the first and the last of
whom unmarried: but the second, Archduke
Charles was united, about year ago, to a daughter
Of the King of SaXony.
The Austrian imperial g family is very numerous at
widow of the late Emperor Francis l., Bavarian
Princess. now in her sixty sixth year; the Empress
Anne wife of Ferdinand and lastly, the consOrt of
the present Emperor. Besides these three En-
resses and the two Emperors there are sixteen
Arcbdukes aud seventeen Archduchesses. mostly de-
scendants Of the Emperor Francis l., who was mar
ried four times and of his brothers, each of whom
! had several cOnsOrts.
| The actual connections by marriage of the Aus
TRAN Imperial family do not extend very far.
they with very great houses: The prncely families
of almost the whole of Northern central and West
| Germany being Protestant the choice of the
kaers and Archdukes il re 'trcted to the houses of
| Bavaria and Saxony; unless they again hazard,
which they do not seem inclined to do, fresh matri-
monial alliances with the Bourbons of Naples and
of Spain-connections which have proved, in the
example of Ferdinand SO nearly fatal to the race of
Hapsburg.
FRANCE.
The third Emperor in our list of European sover-
eigns is Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor
OF the French: but we shall not have to say much of
him, as OF all the monarchs Of this quarter of the
globe, he-of course with the exception of the Pope
and Sultan-is the least connected with the rest by
family alliance He is certainly regarded as none-
| climate by all of them.
The whole or at least chief connection of the Bona
parte family with the other reignng houses II Europe
| is through the uncle and aunt of the Emperor
| The ancie1'ne mason royaie de France, the great
rival of the new family of Bonaparte derives its
| chief power from its connections with European
royalty, and has. for this alone, still pow
erful hold on public opinion in and out of France.
Far behind them in the night of time rise their
altogether. vet claimed by them), their Hugo Capet,
their Henri Quatre. their Louis lie Grand" Age is
their might ally, of whom they boast and to whom
they trust. Yet monarchy in France, though it is
old enough, has not always been very Legitimate"
The descendants of Clovis were robbed Of their
sovereign rights by Pepin, the major dono; and the
right OF his progeny again was overruled by the
of Hugh the Great, Lord of the Isle of France.
After him. the line Of Naois ruled the country of
Gauls till Henry ". of the younger branch of the
Hugo Capet family, laid hold of the crown by force
- \ 4. 1
on the scafod, the lire of legitimate French kings
is unbroken.
NAPLES.
The Bourbons have sunk immensely from their for
greatness yet they still in possession of three
crowns, and lay claim to the fourth The present
Queen of Spain, Isabel H. is the sixth Spanish mo-
march of the house Of Bourbon the kingdom Of Ma.
Piles and Sicily is ruled by the family for the last
century and half. and Portugal for nearly eight
hundred years. Ferdinand H., the present King of
Naples, has been married twice-the first time to
daughter Of Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia, who died
in 1886, and had not been dead many months before
the dsconsolate widower rushed of to Paris to ask
| for the hand OF daughter of Louis Philippe. The
arrangements between Naples and France were all
but concluded. when. one day. at table the Duke of
Orleans uttered few dsrespectful words about the
Duchess de Berry which offended the fraternal feel
ings of Ferdinand. A quarrel ensued, and the con
sequence OF il was, that King Ferdinand straight
way left Paris for Vienna and was mar.
ried in January. 1897. TO Princess The
resa, daughter Of the Archduke Charles. bro
ther to the late Emperor Francis L. of Austria BY this
princess the King has eight children; the last of
whom, born in 1855, is called Mary immaculate
Louise. BY his first marriage with the Princess of
Sardinia. Ferdinand had one son, Francis. who is
now twenty-five years old, and heir apparent to the
throne.
King Ferdinand has ten brothers and sisters. The
first il the somewhat i'll famed Duchess of Berry:
the second. the no less reputed Queen Christina OF
Spain; the third Prince Charles, married to Miss
Penelope Smith the fourth, Prince Leopold. united
TO PRINCESS of Savoy; the ffthis Antonette, Grand
Duchess OF Tuscany; the sixth and seventh, Amelia
and Caroline, are married to Spanish Princess the
eighth Theresa. Is the Empress of Brazil: the
ninth, Prince Louis. IL married to a daughter Of the
late Emperor Of Brazil: and the tenth. Francis de
Paul, has Princess Of Tuscany. The aunt Of King
Ferdinand is the exQueen Of the French. now re-
siding at Claremont a frequent vister at Windsor
Castle and the niece Of the King il married to the
Duke d'Aunale also at Clarenlont, Surrey. The
royal family Of Naples IL thus related by marriage
to the sovereigns Of Austria, Spain. Brazil Portu.
gal. Tuscany. Sardinia and TO the exiled house Of
Louis Philippe
The BOufbons OF Sp0in are not so ell fortified BY
family alliances as their friends at Naples. Queen
Isabella has married her cousin. Francis Maria Fer
dinand, and her sister is united TO the Duke II
Montpensier. The Greens mother has married A
tall Spanish grenadier the son Of Taraneon tobac.
const, with whom she j. living at present: and all
rle rest Of the Queens male and female cousins
some two dozen in number, have married among
themselves.
The process Of amaleamation Of the different royal
families of Europe, and the ultimate absorption into
the Ieutonc element Is not visible in Spain, but as
II in opposition becomes the more apparent in the
neighboring Portugal. The young King Of this
country, behind his array Of seventeen Christian
names. has the somewhat homely sounding title of
i" Duke Of Saxony:" and his father, also King car.
res this out still more by calling himself Ferdinand
." King Of Portugal and Duke Of Saxe.C oburg
Gotha.n
The grandson Of Hugo Capet Count Henry of
Bourgogne, came into the Iberian peninsula about
the year 1890 and received from King Alphonso w
permission TO fight the Moors, then still nhabiting
The western parts OF the country lie did SO sue
whole ~ the land thus conquered, fine little lord
ship extending from the Mimic 10 the Tagus Hen
rvs son and successor, Alfonso l.. completed the
work. and. with the helm OF the fleet OF the en-