Middletown transcript., 1874-10-17
Who is Don Carlos 2

VINO l8 Ion carlos
0 Don Carlos. the Spanish insurge
chief, belongs to a rebellious famil
The rebellion in which be has been Il
leader for several years in Nortbel
Spain, is only the last Of series Of il
surrections which that country has su
: fered at the hands of its member
Don Carlos, like his uncle, and gran,
father before him. is fighting for Il
, Spanish throne, which he regards /,
his BY right. In order fully to unde
stand the reason of his claim, it is n,
cessary to 60 back more than fort
years
In the year 1880 Ferdinand VII,
weak, indolent man, was King ofSpair
His Queen, princess ef Naples. was
on the other hand. strong-willed an
ambitious woman; she was the fift
wife that Ferdinand had led to the al
tar.
i They had one child-tbe Infant lisa
bella. Ferdinand's second brother wa
Don Carlos, the grandfather Of th
present Don Carlos. By law, or Gus
tom which had required the force o
law, females were not eligible to tn
Spanish throne. Isabella, therefore
was excluded, and Don Carlos was heir
who should succeed when Ferdinant
died.
But Queen Christina. Ferdinand
wife, was not satisfied with this. Sh,
cajoled and threatened Ferdinand. unit
he at last consented, with the approva
Of his Parliament, to set aside Dor
Carlos, entitled to the throne ut biz
death.
He died in 1888. and Isabella be.
came Queen of Spain when she wai
three years old. With her mother
Christina, as regent of the kingdom
Then began the first "Carlos" rebellion.
Don Carlos, declaring that be bad been
defrauded Of his right, which was to
mount the throne when his brother
Ferdinand died. lost no time 10 waging
war upon his infant niece and her
strong minded mother; and this war
he kept up. 10 the same vicinity where
his grandson is now established, for
several years.
The Queen Regents vigor. however.
reude, cd bis every effort vain; and at
last, weary Of fruitless lighting, de-
serted BY multitudes of bis soldiers,
and exhausted in money and arms, Don
Carlos retired to France, where be
lived in sullen retirement for the rest
of his days.
The second Don Carlos was his old
est son. He made several attempts,
between l845 and 1861, to invade
Spain; but Spain was then governed
by vigorous statesmen like Espartero
aud O'Donnell, and his invasions were
easily repelled. This Don Carlos died
suddenly in 1851 0
The burden Of the Carlist cause now
devolved upon Don Juan, his younger
brother; but Don Juan, unlike the
rest Of the family. was not fond Of
fighting. and preferred the luxuries and
Incidence Of = quiet residence in France
to the chieftainship Of bands of rebels
10 the Pyrenees.
He had married Maria Beatrice, Arch
duchess of Este, daughter of the
Duke Of Modena; and he gave his
eldest son, who was born in 1849, the
traditional family name of Carlos.
When this boy was old enough to
enter actively upon the scene, Don
Juan abdicated his claimed right to the
Spanish throne in his favor. 1t was
six years ago that this third Don Car
los, the same who is now at the head
Of the Carlist forces, took command of
them, be being then but nineteen years
of age.
Don Carlos was brought up to believe
hat his right to govern Spain, whether
Spain wishes it or not, rests upon Di.
zine authority. His early years we're
spent in the sombre seclusiou of a
monastery in Styris, an Austrian prov
nee. There the monks treated him as
{ be were king, and at the same
line instilled the most autocratic ideas
uto his mind. He was taught military
exercises, and soon acquired taste for
Military life. such as his father had not.
'ut such as distinguished his grand.
ather and uncle of the same name.
Heis described BY those who have
cen him as of medium height. full and
trong in body. very dark in complex
on. with large dark eyes aud thick.
tubby, jet-black hair and beard
A would-be wit, strolling into bank
he other day, walked up to the counter