The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-01
CHILDREN ON THRONES.
The Worlds History Has Had Much to
Do with Them.

New York Sun
Alfonso XIII of Spain. when he takes the
oath of allegiance TO the constitution, will
be the only unmarried King in Europe and
the youngest King in the world.
The southwestern peninsula of thesconti-
nent of Europe has produced it's full quota
of the potentates in pinafores who have
helped to rule the world. In the last sixty
nine years, counting Alfonso in the ranks
of the interesting little company, Spain and
Portugal between them have seen two
Queens in tiny, short dresses and two
Kings in Elton Jackets.
Modern history numbers thirty-six small
monarchs, Brazil, Greece, France, England,
Scotland, Sweden and Austria each contrib
uting to the total of twenty-five royal girls.
most of whom lived unhappy lives, and
many of whom met untimely or violent
deaths.
Alfonso's own grandmother. Isabella H.
was one of those into whose life came much
sorrow. She came TO the throne when a
child of three, and actually took up the
relnS OF government ten years later.
Her troubles then began to be steadily
continued throughout her life. First her
mother, Maria Cristina, tried to force her
to marry a man she did not love. Then
the enmity of her mother made trouble
for her after the little Queen had been
welded TO her cousin, Francisco de Assist.
Then there was an uprising of the popu-
lace against Maria, which drove her into
France, and then, dozen years later, a
similar outbreak of the mercurial Spanish
temper forced Isabella herself to follow
her mother. She abdicated two years later
in favor of her son, Alfonso XII, the father
of the present King.
In the meantime, across the line in Por
tugal, Queen Maria, whose father, Dom
Pedro Y given throne w
she was but slip of child not yet seven,
was trying against an Unaffected people
and hostile Ministry to hold the power
for herself while over in Brazil her
brother Pedro, one of the most charming
of young men, was doing his childish best
to satisfy the demands of a rebellious peo-
pie.
Maria of Portugal died of discourage
ment, it is said. Pedro of Brazil, driven
from his kingdom, died of broken heart
When. in 1893. Isabella was Queen of
Spain at the age of three, and Maria was
Queen of Portugal at the age of seven and
Pedro was Emperor of Brazil at the ma
ture age of eight, Greece was in the rule of
boy not yet out of his teens, Prince Ohio
of Bavaria. He sat on the throne at
Athens during twenty-nine years of almost
constant disaffection and turbulence and
ceeded by another young man of eighteen.
Prince George of Denmark, brother of
Queen Alexandra of England
England has entered upon her chronicles
of whom was Victoria herself, who was
but eighteen on that historic June night
when she was awakened from her sleep IN
the palace at Kensington to hear that the
King was dead and that the Queen ruled.
Henry III came to the English throne
when he was ten, Edward III when he was
fifteen and Richard ii when he was eleven
Two of the Kings in whose reigns the
island was rent and torn by the wars of
the roses. Henry VI and Edward w, began
their ruling when little more than mere
boys; Edward " at twenty and Henry VI
when scarcely eight.
The next Edward never lived even to be
crowned for Edward V, rightfully sue
ceeding to the throne when thirteen, spent
the twelve weeks of his mockery of a
reign as the prisoner of his uncle of Glou-
cester in the tower of London, where he
was murdered.
Henry VIII began his reign when
eighteen. and when the throne descended
to his son, Edward VI, that boy was in his
tenth year; he died before he sixteen
Lady Jane Grey was England's Queen for
just eleven months, which measured for
her forty-five weeks of plots and counter
plots, strife and suspicion, ending in her
execution before her nineteenth birthday.
Five of the seven potentates in pinafores
who sat upon the ancient Stone of Scone in
the neighboring kingdom of Scotland met
untimely deaths. James /. who began to
rule when twelve, was murdered when for
ty-three, ,and his son, James ii, was acct
dentally killed when thirty. having worn
the crown of his father twenty-three years.
Inc third James, coming TO the throne at
the age of nine, was murdered when forty
five: the fourth. who began to rule when
fifteen. was slain in battle when forty-one;
the fifth. only sixteen months when his lit
tie head was first weighed down by the
crown, was dead at thirty. while James
VI, under whom the two Kingdoms were at
last united. was the only of all the line
of whom il may be said that he lived out
the natural span of life He came to the
throne when only month more than one
year old and died when ffty-nine.
His mother. the Inflated Mary Queen of
Scots found in her portion all the sorrow
lives of infant monarchs. She was crowned
eight days after her birth: she was a
widow at eighteen.
When twenty-three she married Darnley.
Boutwell, when twenty-five. and through
all these years her hopes were constantly
disappointed and her plans turned 10
naught. Forced 10 abdicate the throne
that was hers by right she was beheaded
in the end.
On the continent eight kings have as
sumed the reins of government when only
boys. The present Emperor of Austria was
eighteen when. in 1S4s. he was proclaimed.
Charles XII Of Sweden was fifteen. Louis
TX of France eleven. Louis XIII nine.
Louis XIV and Louis XIV each five. Louis
XVI was sixteen when he began the reign
that was to end in deposition and death on
the scaffold: Louis XVII. who became
rightful king when eight years old. was
dead two years later.
On the other hand. Louis XIV wore the
diadem of France royalty for seventy-two
years. the longest reign in history.
To this company of boy rulers Alfonso
XIII of Spain is now TO be added.
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