The New York herald., 1874-11-07
/" PoR Dlos Y REY."
The Story of the Carlist Wars
from 1888 to 1874.
From Father to Son Through
Three Generations.
Fortv Years Warfare For a
Crown.


Since the year 1888, when the death Of Ferdinand
VII. served as the signal for tne outbreak OF the
parttsans OF Don Carlos, the Kings brother and
the nrst IN the list OF claimants OF that name to
the Spanish throne, the bloody romance OF Carl!sm
has periodically played q prominent part on the
political stage In that country
The birth Of the ex-Queen isabella on October
10, 1880, was the apparently trlning prologue to
the drama OF war which has already lasted forty
years, with occasional intervals OF peace, and
which promises to continue Indefinitely, unless
indeed, some casual Don Carlos shall finally sue
ceed IN the future in reaching the throne and
establishing his dynasty there Tor all time or that
that branch OF the Spanish Bourbons shall have
become extinct In the male line.
The story OF the successive Carlist rlsngs is full
OF fromance-not only the romance OF the conflict
OF arms, bus the romance of long and persistent
devotion on the part OF the Carsts to their motto
''for Dios, Pdtri0 Rey!" aud the romance OF
personal pertls undergone by food and field by
each successive Don Carlos in his efforts to make
good his CLAIMS to the throne.
The wanderIngs OF Prince Charles Edward in the
Scottish Highlands, after the fatal battle OF Gull
loden, would serve as a text for a description OF
similar wanderings OF the Carlist pretenders; and
the village annals OF the Basque provinces,
wherein has always lain the chief strength Of the
fought are full OF memories Of the Carist wars.
The first bon Carlos, the grandfather OF the pres
enu pretender, was born in l7ss. He was the sec
ond son of carlos w., King OF Spain, who reigned
from 1880 to 1908 He shared In the exile and mis-
fortune OF his family In consequence OF the occupa-
tlon OF Spain by Napoleon, and when the over
throw Of that conqueror IN 1914 restored to his
elder brother Ferdinand the throne OF which he
had been despoiled ne went back to Madrid. Up
TO the marriage, In 1929. OF King Ferdinand to
Maria Christina. OF Naples, his fourth wife, hand
seOme ambitious and intriguing woman, much
younger than her husband, the succession OF Don
Carlos to the throne had seemed unlmpaired. Ferd-
inand had had no children by his former marriages,
and in the contingency OF his dying without male
issue Don Carlos, under the Spanish law Of sue
cessiOn, would have ascended the throne. Soon
after the Kings marriage with Maria Christina,
however, the fact having become apparent that
the union would not be without Issue, the ambi-
tiOn OF the Queen dictated to the weak and infrm
King baneu policy, which was destined to en-
tail upon Spain untold horrors. The Salic law OF
Philip ", proclaimed In 17l3, made the succession
to the throne ineligible to female heirs OF the
sovereign, and this law Ferdinand, at the instiga.
tion OF Maria Christina was induced to annul. BY
what Is called the pragmatic sanction OF March
29 1920 1t decreed that the child of the Queen,
throne on the death OF Ferdinand. When this
decree was made public the nation was seized
with anxious !ears. The birth OF a son would have
given Don Carlos no reason TO complain, since in
the succession of male heir no inlracti0n OF the
Old Salic law OF the Kingdom would have occurred;
but in the contingency that daughter should be
born 1t was felt throughout spain that Don Carlos
and his friends would resort to arms defend the
succession which, under the only law that they
recognized, and which was sanctioned by the
usage OF a century, should be his
On October 10, 1920, the doubt was ended Isa-
bella was born and the voice OF the oraces had
spoken for war. Divided by bitterly hostile fac
tlons Spain uneasily awaited the result. The
Carlst party comprised the absou lists OF the King
dom, together with the clergy; the supporters OF
Queen Maria Christina, who really welded the
Bceptre Of Spain, were the moderates and liberals.
The Queens party hailed the birth OF Isabella with
10y. The Carlists, on the contrary, not only pro-
tested vigorously against the fulflment OF the
pragmatic sanction as unjust to their CHIEF, but
they went further. They declared the infant Isa-
bella to be iliegitmate. charging tnat she was not
the daughter OF Ferdinand, but the Offspring OF an
amour or the Queens. Ferdinand becoming
alarmed at the troubles that prevailed. was in
duced by friends OF Don Carlos. during an illness
from when ne suffered, to abrogate his decree and
to restore the law OF Philip "; but again the tn
uueuCe Ol the Quecu pTeVdlleu, 6uu lot lHe ScCOuu
time he proclaimed the pragmatic sanction, and
declared Isabella his successor.
In consequence OF the known determination OF
Don Carlos to proceed to war to maintain his
claims to the throne IN the event OF the death OF
the King without q male ner, the intrigues OF the
Queens party we're 80 directed against him that
he and many OF his most influential partisans were
panished from Court Don Carlos took up uls resi-
When When the news OF the Kings death, whcn oc.
Cured in September, 1889 reached him. After the
death OF Ferdinand mis- daughter was proclaimed
title. of Iaabaila III. Maria
Christina was declared Regent TO govern during
her minority. Everything favored the Cnristnos,
seemed to irown on Don Carlos whose preten-
sions received only che weak recognition OF the
But on the otner hand the Christlnos possessed
the army, navy and treasury. while lsabea's sue
cession was recognized BY the courts OF England,
: fne arst carlist war was now on the eve OF
commencement. With the ns.op hope Of Of rslylng
Portugal into SPAN. news having reached
provinces. But tue hope that had inspired him
proved visionary, and ne was driven back unto
ns ana Of % his
devoted friends he wandered ABOUT, fugitive,
undergoing many hard experiences and con
seemed on the point OF capturing HIM. On one oc-
cas,on he and his escort were followed SO hotly
pursuers end he and his party escaped with only
the clothes they w0re At another time. after
long days journey, Io0tsore ana weary, they
TOOK refuge on small ~arm and while the
pretender and his male cohpanions sept on the
ground, the scanty supper was prepared 6y the
royal ladies'. The Intervention OF the British
Minister finally induced the Chrstnos to aban.
don the chase OF the fugitive prince, and Don
Carlos was enabled to make hts way to England.
1t Was In June, 1894, that he set foot on British
soil, and while in London he rejected With lndig-
nation Lord Palmerst0n's proposition to MIN TO
fOrsake his pretensons to the Spanish throne
and accept pension from the government OF the
Regency.
In the meantime the robust, strong limbed
mountalneers OF the BASQUE provinces, aided BY
the expressed determination OF the queens party
to deprive them OF their time honored Jaeros, or
Tree constitutions, which had been granted them
centuries before by the old Spanish kings, es-
poused the cause Of Don Carlos which they main
tanned under the command Of Zumalacarregui q
entertain whose military merits and success were
SO noteworthy that the Duke OF Wellington pro-
nounced him lone OF the greatest captains OF the
age" Ihese provinces, situated among the Pyr-
enees, and comprising Upper Navarro. Biscay,
Guipuzcoa and Aiava. have ever jealousy guarded
their hDerties from the enc:oachments OF Madrid.
ro q al N