Evening star., 1902-02-21
RISE OF ROYAL HOUSES
ONE VOTE GAVE ENGLAND'S
CROWN TO HANovERs.
The Mikado's Line Has Ruled Japan
Since 666 B. C.-Humble Origin
Of Some Nobility.


If three generations unsoied by trade are
requisite to the making of a gentleman.
what are the qualifications for a king?
Monarchs claim to reign by the grace OF
God and their right of birth. but an inquiry
Into their first elevation to the royal state.
in many cases. reveals as startling and
piauant results as the proverbial examina
ton Of the dental equipment Of a gift horse
or the age of a lady in the parish register.
Both courses are impertinent-and inter-
esting. There is not royal house in Eu-
rope that has held its throne for more than
seven centuries or that can be compared
with the imperial house of Japan, founded
by q female goddess of the sun. The
Mikado Is the one hundred and twenty Sec
ond in unbroken descent of his line. his
family having sat on the throne Of Japan
since the time Of Nebuchadnezzar, 666 B. c.
The House Of Hanover.
King Edward VII can claim descent
through fifteen OF the thirty five monarchs
who have preceded him on the English
throne. from Alfred the Great and Egbert
first king of England, and further back still
from the emperors Of Rome. and even from
the Hebrew house of David. Nevertheless
1t Is fact that King Edward owes his
crown to a horses shoe. The act OF Settle
ment. by which In 1701 parliament elected
the house Of Hanover to the British throne
was passed by only one vote. And this
winning vote was cast by Sir Arthur Owen,
MP. for Pembrokeshire, who rode post
haste from Wales for the purpose. He had
relays Of fresh horses all along the route
but arrived. dusty and travel worn, at
Westminster only Just in time to enter the
aye lobby. II one OF his horses had gone
lame cast shoe he would have been too
late. Great Britain would have had no
Georgian era, and hence no Victoria or Ed
Rise Of Hohenzollerns.
The declamations OF the German emperor
on the divine right OF kings in general and
himself In particular are very picturesque
in this age Of prose- But, as a matter Of
history. the right of William II to the Prus-
sian crown and the German overlordship is
redeemed pledge. Five centuries ago Fred
erick HohenZollern was the burgrave Of a
small city Of Nuremberg. The Emperor
Sigismund was in state Of impecuniosity
Of 100000 gulden. Frederick lent this sum
(about f1O.OOO), and as security for it TOOK
the state Of Brandenburg. After Ave years,
as Sigismund did not repay the money,
gage and established himself as Frederick I
of Brandenburg and an elector Of the en-
pire. This was the first advance OF the
Hohenzollerns. Gradually increasing their
AMI in 1701 promoted themselves to the
rank Of king And now William Hohenzol-
lern descendant OF the money-lending bur-
grave OF Nuremburg, Is the third German
emperor.
The Family Hapsburg.
Not cash, but children. formed the step
ping-stone Of the imperial house Of Aus
tria- The Hapsburgs are the most illus
trious family in Europe: but they were only
The raiser Of the family was Rodolph. AZ
ter serving the usual apprenticeship to
knighthood in the court Of Emperor Fred
erick II he enlisted under the banner Of
the King OF Bohemia, Winning honor and
renown as warrior and ruler. his claims Tor
election to the imperial throne were pushed
forward. But his county of Hapsburg was
deemed too insignificant for the position
Rodolph, however. was blessed with seven
daughters. six Of them unmarried. and by
wedding these to the kings and mobiles Of
the empire. he secured his election. One
daughter became Queen of Bohemia, an
| other Queen Of Hungary, two Of them duch-
esses, one q marchioness and the sixth a
countess. And SO by the votes Of his sons
fn-law did Rodolph Hapsburg ascend the
imperial throne.
Cars Pagan Ancestor.
Religion. and that paganism, constituted
the stepping stone Of the Romanoffs The
Russian imperial family Is descended from
q heather freebooter-a fact which con-
trasts curtously with the czar's title as
defender OF orthodoxy" In the fourteenth
century the Christian knights Of Iithuania
rose against a Iordling called Kobyla, and
for his worship Of the sun drove him out
Of his domain. Kobyla ned to Russia,
where he was received by Gear Ivan I OF
the ruling house Of Moscow. Though he
had suffered exile for his pagan faith Ko-
byla was persuaded to accept Christianity
by Ivan and baptized by the name Of An
drew.
Serving as q soldier. he won honor ana
position, and established himself among
the mobiles OF Musoovy. Ivan w married q
Granddaughter of this exiled chieftain and
successful adyenturer: whose family was
thus allied to the royal house. In 1893 Ivan
Nv died. and with him his line As his
successor he nominated his cousin, Theo-
dore Ronanon. the great-grandson Of the
adventurer Koby1a- Then began a struggle
between the various claimants for the Rus
sian throne. The invasion Of Poles, Swedes
and Tartars carrying sword and Are into
the distracted realm gave the Romanoffs
| their opportunity. Freeing Russia Of these
enemies. they established themselves on
| the throne Of the country which their an
cestor had entered a. an outcast q century
or SO before