The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-21

king. his second Wlte, lsaDeua OF Portu-
gal. (the mother of Isabella. wife Of Ferii-
nand and the great patroness Of Columbusl
was insane in her old age. Neither Ferdl-
nand nor Isabella, however. showed any
symptoms of insanity, but Juana their
daughter, VINO inherited the dual crown.
became mad upon the death Of her bus
band, the Austrian archduke Philip. She
was confined for fifty years IN the castle of
Tordesillas. We are told that 'she sank
down to a deploreble state of almost british
| existence" Her son, the Emperor Charles
V, was one Of the greatest monarchs OF
Europe During bis youth and middle age
he displayed great mental vigor Toward
the end of his life, however. he was subject
to melancholia, had epileptic fits. but on
the whole, cannot be said to have been IN
mistakably insane; although, doubtless, he
was extraordinarily eccentric Ia connec-
ton with Charles ', it may here be sold
that he was the grandson of Mary If Bur-
gundy, the daughter of "Charles the Bold, -
and of the latter it is alleged that he be-
| came deranged shortly before his death.
from brooding over the ruinous defeats he
sustained at the hands of the Swiss, whose
liberties he attempted so unJustly to de-
stroy.
Charles V. was succeeded by his brother
Ferdinand, whose son Macmillan married
his cousin Mary daughter of Charles W;
Il
great talents of Charles V. did not descend
TO his legitimate children. His natural son,
Don John of Austria, was great general
and Alexander Farnese, the son of Mar
garet Of Austria, an illegitimate daughter
of Charles V, was undoubtedly the grand
est military genius of his time Philip II,
the eldest son of Charles V, by his lawful
wife, Isabella of Portugal, was Of weakly
frame, melancholic passionate" supersti-
fiOus and from tiyna IN time aXhj bitad q nv
surprising eccentricities.
He was married four times--first, TO his
cousin, Mary of Portugal granddaughter
of the mad Juana) by whom he became
the father OF Don Carlos, S,hiller's hero.
To this son of Philip. the German poet as
cribes abilities and talents that have given
the unfortunate youth false and exagger-
ated place in legend and history Don
Carlos was mad, if the truth is to be told.
We have the word of his own father to
prove it, aud the melancholy prince who
died in his twenty fourth year, attempted
several times to commit suicide. OF the
second wife of Philip III, Mary Tudor Of
England, who can doubt that she was
affected with hysterical mania, inherited,
perhaps, from her mother.
THE HOUSE OF SAVOY.
By Philips third wife, Elizabeth Of
France, he had two daughters-,he younger
married into the Ducal House Of Savoy
(progenitors of the present king Of Italy,
and her descendants have from time to time
betrayed symptoms of neurotic tendencies.
The fourth wife of Philip ii was his own
niece. daughter of Maximllian ii, by Mary
daughter of Charles V. By this lady (Anne
of Ausiria) Philip had four children who
all died in their youth, aud one son who is
known to history as Philip Ill. From this
time on until the time of Charles II, who
as we have seen, died IN 100, leaving no
child to inherit his throne, the annals of the
Spanish kings are but the history of q
dynasty cursed with hereditary madness,
epilepsy, hypochondria, melancholia.n
mania and imbecility.
Upon the death of Charles ii Europe
was plunged into the horrors of the
Spanish War Of Succession which ended
by tine seating of a grandson Of Louis XIV
on the throne Of Ferdinand and Isabella.
This Bourbon prince assumed the title of
Philip V. He was, 1t must be remem bered
the great grandson Of Philip ~ of Spain,
and there Is abundant evidence that the
family madness tainted the blood Of the first
Bourbon king of Spain and Of bis success
sors. His son. Ferdinand VI, became in
sane; his balf-brother, Charles III, was an
able monarch in his way. but Charles had a
SOD who was an inbecile, and who was de-
clared incapable of reigning.
While the Roman Caesars became the vic
tins of the luxury of power of their mad
indulgence of inhunan appettes, while the
Russian czRFs seem TO have lost their reason
by the Unrestricted, ungovernable greed for
dominion and tyrannical rule, The Spanish
royal family the house Of Castile-Arragon)
undout teddy was extinguished by the bale
full tendency to close intermarriages with
families OF the same stockn-relatives
tainted with the same hereditary neurosis.
Abundant proof that thlsstatement regard
ing the royal house of Spain is true can be
found in the undeniable fact that 'what
vigor was in the first Spanish kings APP
peared in their iliegiiimate descendants,
and those born in wedlock only inherited
their diseases"