Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-07-26
RECENT EUROPEAN HISTORY
NOT WITHOUT MANY INSTANCES.
SOME GENUINE ROMANCES
Brother of the King of Spain An Ar
dent Suitor-love of the Emperor
Francis Joseph-Romeos and JuIi-
cts Among Rulers and Princes
Queen victoria's Love Match.

LnOSe VINO pear the Title OF queen ana
can be counted on the fingers of both
hands. has been increased by the
advent of the new queen of Spain,
the gracious Princess Ena Her mar
riage to King Alfonso, moreover, adds
still another to the rare and beauti-
full royal unions which have been
rightly termed love marriages.
Without going back very far into
past history, it is possible to find a
good many royal matches which have
proved exceptions to the general rule.
Alfonso XII, father of the present
king, was a case in point His first
marriage with the Princess Mercedes,
the daughter of the duke of Mont
pensier, was almost the romance of
Romeo and juliet over again.
The queen mother, Isabella, was
violently opposed to the contem-
plated union, and in defiance of all
etiquette, she encouraged the family
hatred which separated the relations
of the two young people in her eff
forts to prevent the marriage.
But the kings love triumphed
over all obstacles, and he married
Mercedes. His joy was, however,
short lived, for the young queen died
shortly afterward, to the great sor-
row of the Spanish people, among
whom she was enormously popular.
The love marriage of the late re-
vered Queen Victoria is a popular
story. 1t is we'll known how Prince
Albert impressed Queen Victoria al
most from the first moment she saw
him. Albert" wrote the queen to
her uncle and confidant, the then king
of the Belgians, SIS so handsome, SO
amiable! He has completely won my
heart!" Their married life was, as
everyone knows, one of the most per
feet happiness.
The Gar Nicholas II, also made a
love-match by marrying Princess
Alix of Hesse, in the face Of consid-
cradle opposition directed against the
union for political reasons. No prin-
cess was ever brought up more simply
than the wife Of Nicholas II.
She was educated at Darmstadt in
exactly the same way as middle
class girl, preparing for the ordinary
examinations at school and college
| just like her lowly born school fell
lows At fourteen years of age the
pocket money which she possessed
was of so modest an amount that her
COMPANIONS often twitted her about
F., it.
No more perfect love marriage was
ever made than that of the Emperor
of Austria, the dean of sovereigns,
who during his long life has expert
enced so much sorrow that nothing
but the happy companionship and de-
voted love of true wife could have
sustained him so long. He met Prin-
cess Elizabeth at ball at Ischl, where
he went on a visit during the pres
ence there of The young Bavarian
princess.
Young Francis Joseph, then twenty
three years of age, waltzed with the
charming Princess Elizabeth, who was
but sixteen. He was so smitten with
her that he devoted himself to her
for the rest of the evening.
At midnight, being seated with the
princess at table, looking through
books of pictures, he took up one con-
tanning illustrations Of the national
costumes of the inhabitants Of the
various parts of Austria. Those are
my subjects" he said. "a word from
you, and you may reign over them,
too"
The next morning he sent Elizabeth
an enormous bouquet Of Alpine flow
ers, and few days later, so great
was his Impotence, he called upon
Duke Max OF Bavaria, without con-
sulting any of his ministers, and de-
manded the princesss hand in mar
rage.
The course of true love ran very
smoothly in this case, and it was not
long before the emperor and his prin-
cess were united. On the day Of the
wedding he scorned the etiquette
which babe him await her arrival in
his capital, and sped to the frontier
to be the first to welcome her as she
set foot on Austrian soil.
Another royal marriage in which |
the heart was the sole guide to The
determination of the contracting par |
ties was that of The unfortunate Ger
man Emperor Frederick. When for |
the first time he saw the young En- |
glish princess who was destined TO |
become his bride she was only eleven
years Of age, but her pretiiness and
grace made such an impression upon ,
him that he exclaimed: What a de-
lightful woman that little girl will be
one day"
-Four years later he came again to
England, and found his little prin-
cess still more. charming. He paid