Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1903-11-04
THRONE OF BULGARIA
Behind 1t Moves the Firm, Able
Hand of the Kings Mother.
Remarkable Traits of Character of
Princess Clemcntine of Saxe-CO-
burg, Whose Efforts Placed
Prince Ferdinand ON Throne.

In some ways the present ruler Of
Bulgaria is the most interesting of the
royal personages engaged in playing
role in the near east. He has to be reek-
oned with, not only because he is an as
tute and interruptions man, but also be-
cause he is imbued by ties Of blood to
the whole Saxe-Coburg clan; that is to
the royal families of Great Britain, Ger
many, Portugal, Belgium, and last, not
least, Austria, his sister being Arch
duchess Clotilde, wife of the palatine Of
Hungary, and his niece. the duchess OF
Orleans.
Prince Ferdinand is the youngest OF
five children who were born to the late
Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg, Of the
Austrian or Kohary branch, and
Princess Clementine of Orleans, the de
termined, brilliant daughter of Louis
Philippe, whose brothers nicknamed her
even as girl, Clementine de Medicis
To this remarkable old French princess
now 85 years of age and the last sur
yivor among the group of princes ane
princesseS who called Queen Victoria
by her Christian name, Prince Ferdi
nand owes his unstable throne. He IL
her Benjamin, born seven years after
her eldest child, her favorite, and, in
a diplomatic sense, her own creation
Curiously enough, Prince Ferdinand
was the only one of Princess Clemen-
tines children who was born in vi.
emma. French influences were lacking in
his education and upbringing. His god
parents were the tragic couple on whom
in 1861 all seemed to smile, Macmillan
and Charlotte; and he was just sever
years old when his imperial godfather
was assassinated in Mexico. During the
years which followed, Princess Glenn
entine consolidated her elder children:
positions by series Of brilliant mar.
riages Her only daughter, as we have
said, xGarried Archduke Joseph, palatine
Of Hungary; Prince Philip married hi'
second cousin, the pretty, wilfu
Princess Louise of Belgium, who later
provided Europe with terrible and
sordid royal scandal; yet another OF
Prince Ferdinands brothers married Q
daughter of the emperor of Brazil.
In 1881, Prince Augustus, favorite
cousin, by the way. Of both Queen Vic
toria and Prince Albert, died prema-
turely, and Ferdinand passed entirely
under his mothers influence. AS a
young man, he bore, it must be admit
ted. the worst of regulations. He was
said to be idle, vicious. and what the
French eloquently style I'm fruit sec, "a
withered fruit" Princess Clementine' s
pride in her youngest born was thought.
even by her nearest relatives, to be a
sign of maternal infatuation, and the
late Comte de Paris refused with indig-
nation the idea of marriage between
one of his daughters and their cousin
Ferdinand. Great, therefore, was the
general amazement when the Bulgarian
national assembly elected this little.
known and even less respected prince as
ruler of Bulgaria; but only the princess.
mother knew what the cost in brains
and what was more important to an Or
leans, in hard cash, came to before the
triumphant election was secured.
During the six years that followed
Princess Clementine reigned in Sofia
adapting herself with astonishing ease
10 the strange, half barbarous way oil
life which obtained in the Bulgarian
capital. Her constant preoccupation in
those days-as indeed it has again been
recently-was to find a suitable bride
for her son. At last. repulsed on every
hand for neither the man nor his po-
sition inspired confidence. she secured
him consort in the eldest child of that
duke of Parma whose family of Is chill.
dren are the wonder of continental reg,
al circles.
The gentle, pious Marie-Louise Of
and ardent piety, soon found hersel
crushed between the upper and neither
miIlstones The birth of Prince Bori.
was followed in two short years by the
disgraceful quarrel concerning the
child's religious faith, and to his
mothers horror he was solemnly rebap-
tised according to the Greek rite. in or.
| der TO secure his father the friendship
of Russia Princess Ferdinand, by way
| of protest, left Sofia for awhile, but hel
love for her two little sons brought hel
back. Her death. in childbirth, occurred
| four years ago last January, and since
| then her four children. two boys anG
| two girls, have been under the care Of
| their redoubtable grandmother It i.
difficult to say how Prince Ferdi
nand is regarded in Bulgaria
! The astute. noiseless fashion IL
| which he contrived to rid himself O
Stambuloff. whSe apparently in ne
sense 10 blame. inspired fear and re-
\ Y. 81.