Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-12
RISE OF MONARCHS.
How Some of Them Gained Their Pre-
emit Lofty Places.

From Pearson's Weekly.
The dynastic troubles of the kingdom
Servia, settled for the time being by III
accession of King Peter. are merely n
continuance of a struggle between swine
herds. Both the founder of the prescf
dynasty. Karageorge, and of the late dy
nasty. Hilosh Obrenovitch, before their entr
into the realm of high politics ministere
to the needs of the humble porker. an
that only so recently as the beginning q
the last century
Somewhat more distinguished. but by nj
means august, is the lineage OF the King q
Sweden. Oscar ii. His line goes no fartheI
back than 1918. to Marshal Bernadotte|
one of Napoleon's henchmen, who wal
jumped into the Swedish throne bv hi
master on the reinforcement of GustsI
vus ".
The throne of Bulgaria is of course, d
intensely modern origin. Only In 1887 oil
the present prince, Ferdinand OF Coburfl
ascend the throne the abdication o.
Alexander of Hesse, both entire foreigner
to Bulgaria.
King Leopold of Belgium is an Admirable
and popular monarch. but his royal lind
only comes down from 1881, when hiI
father. a prince of Saxe-Coburg, was nopiI
mated king of the newly formed state Of
Belgium.
Newer still Is the origin of the royal fam|
lily of Greece. as only in 1853 did the pres|
ent dynasty assume power. without HAVING
ever had the remotest political connectioI
with their subjects. The present Kind
George of Greece is the first king of nil
race and is the son of the King of DEM
mark. In 1863 the Greeks were without
monarch. and almost unanimously elected
for the post Prince Alfred of Great Britain
the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg. The posi-
his august parents, and so the thron
passed over the then Prince George o
Schleswig- Holstein.
For an empire that dates back far befor
the Christian era, whose civilization 1
thousands of years older than our own
the Chinese dynasty are little more thai
modern upstairs. For the Using family
who hold sway at present, only came intd
power in 1913, and were from the Chinss(
mandarin point of view vulgar usurpers oil
Tartar origin.
The royal family OF Italy must also b(
included in list of newly made piacel
holders Their tenure of the crown Of
united Italy dates from 1861. when victu}
Emmanuel ii. King of Sardinia, assumed
Ii Prior to that Victor was the king onl5
of a small territory, which, In turn hid
ancestor had secured by exchange fol
Sicily, of which he was previously KING
Before that Victor Amadeus was merely
Duke of Savoy. The rise of the SavoJ
family from obscure dukedom to the crown
of one OF the great powers is one OF the
phenomena of history, and appeals greatly
to the Imagination.
When it was announced that Queen VII.
helmina of Holland would marry Duke
Henry of Mecklenburg- Schwerin opinion
generally regarded II as an act of conde
scension on the part of her majesty The
German princely family. on their part, re
garded IT as no small condescension 70,
one of their stock to unite himself with Sc
comparatively modern n royal family az
that of Holland. For, while the Mecklen.
burgs trace their descent to Genseric tho
Vandal, who ravaged the western empire
In the fifth century. the Dutch royal fam
lily of Orange only assumed the title OF
king and royal rank in 1915. Before that the
Orange position was that of stadt- holder q
kind of presidential office only.
Much is heard of the glories OF the Hon.
enzollern family, of which William III I.
the prevailing ornament. but only in 17G1
did the family attain kfngly rank having
previously held the obscure position OF
Margraves of Bradenburg, obtained origi
nally by purchase in the fifteenth century
AS everybody knows, the Hohenzollerns
only rose to imperial rank as German EN-.
perorS after the war with France in 1871
1t is, of course, only to the credit of the
Hohenzollerns that they have so raised
themselves in the world, and are there
fore, self-made monarchs. but it is only
fair to say that the majority of the obscure
princes of Germany could give them points
In the matter of lineage.