The Washington herald., 1906-12-30


Britain are 50 much accustomed To as
s3ciate the title Of Prince Of Orange with
the reiRning house Of Holland, Z. coun-
try in which it is usually borne by the
eldest son and heir Of the sovereign, that
IL will doubtless surprise many Of the
readers Of The Herald 10 know chat there
are other princes Of Orange. who do no.
accord any allegiance to the young Queen
4 the Netherlands A glance through
the long list Of 6ign'ties Of the KAISER
enumerated in the Almanach de GOtha
will show that they include that of Prince
Of Orange But there is no record in that
red ana gold wade mecum Of the titled
and official classes Of a French Prince Of
Orange. Yet the latter exists in the
I flesh. For he is the head of the his
I toric House Of de Mailly Nesie. and his
marquisate is Of such antiquity as 20
invest him with The rank of premier
marquis of France. That he values It
above all his other h0nors is shown by
I he fact that he is content 10 use the
/ style Of Prince Of Orange as his second
I and minor titIe. That ne should employ
/ it at all seems strange when the TACT IS
taken into consideration tina. whereas
/ his Marqulsate de Mailly Nesle is alto
gether above reproach, there is very con
+ siderable question as to his claims 10 the
title OF Prince of Orange. II his pre-
/ tensions have not attracted public at
/ tention ere this, it IS because ne Is
French nobleman Of the old school, who
abhOrs notoriety Of every kind, and who,
while a familiar figure in the FaubouTg
st. German, Paris, at the Jockey and
/ Union clubs. and in the country districts
where his ancestral estates are situated,
I he las hitherto been successful IN keep
/ ing his name out Of the newspapers.
So much misconceptOn prevails about
/ the house Of Orange, and regarding the
I princeton connected herewith, that
I few brief notes on the subject may be OF
7 interest, particularly in view Of ne TACT
( that in Holland the family usually iden-
tilted with the name will become extinct
/ on the death Of Queen Wilheimina-
Orange is city in the south Of France,
about half way between Lyons and Mar
settles. and would be more familiar to
/ Americans were il not for the fact that
! in travelling between Paris and the
/ Riviera express trains usually run
through # at night. Founded by the
/ Romans, and named by them Arausio, 1t
/ became shortly after the reign OF CHAR
/ Iemagne the capital OF an independent
countship, vested in the family Of Giraud
/ d'Adhemar, the name Of the city in the
meantime having been modified into
/ Orange. On the family Of Giraud d Ad-
4-- - mo Ia inc
Orange passed, through the marriage OF
his ultimate heiress into the noble house
Of de Baux. which claimed lineal descent
/ from King Gaspard, one Of the three wise
men OF the East Count Bertrand de
Baux in ll75 was created by Emperor
/ Frederick the first Prince Of Orange, and
/ this title was borne by his descendants
until his house became extinct in the male
Inc, the principally passing, through the
marriage Of the daughter of the last de
I Baux. Princess of Orange, TO the Count
de Chalons. and into the latter's family.
I The last Of the de Chalons princes Of
| Orange was PhilibeTt de Chalons, who,
after quarreling with King Francis 1 Of
/ France. withdrew to the court OF En-
peror Charles Y, and was invested by the
/ latter with the supreme command Of the
/ imperial army. at the head of which he
captured Rome, drove the French out
/ Of the kingdom of Naples, Of which he
/ became viceroy. and eventually was killed
while besiegjng Florence His honors
and estates then passed 10 his nephew,
] Rene Of Nassau, son Of his sister Claudia,
/ who had married Henry III Of Nassau.
/ Rene cor Renartus) was therefore the
/ first Of the Nassau princes Of Orange.
/ He was stakeholder Of the Netherlands,
and died without issue. The principally
/ Of Orange, as well as his estates and
/ hOnors, passed TO his nephew. William /,
/ Prince Of Orange, a son Of his younger
brother William. Though the kings Of
+ France had always claimed 10 be suzer-
aims Of the principally, King Henry II
| recognized the rights to Orange Of this
/ William, surnamed the Silent, the found
/ er Of the republic of the Netherlands
and the champion Of the reformation.
Both the title and the principally Of
/ Orange remained in the possession Of the
Stockholders OF the Netherlands. con-
/ frmed by successive treaties with France,
until the death. without issue, Of that
/ William III who reigned not only over
Holland. but likewise as King Of Great
/ Britain and Ireland. King William desig-
mated, by his will, his remote kinsman,
John William Friso. OF Nassau, as heir
I TO the stadtholdership Of the Netherlands
and to the principality of Orange, as well
/ as to all the extensive estates of the
\ family in Germany These testamentary
dispositions were contested by King
N sE-ga mn ~
/ consort Of the first King Of Prussia, was
/ a princess Of Nsssau-Orange.
bitter contest eBsued, King Louis
XIV OF France. taking advantage there
/ Of to seize the principally of Orange,
( and to declare # forfeited TO the French
] crown Eventually a compromise was
| effected between the Teigning house of
/ Prussia and the stakeholder of the Meth
+ erlands. according to the terms of which
l the King OF Prussia obtained most OF the
estates Of the house Of OTange-Nassau in
/ Germany, in return for which il aban-
doned its pretensiOns to those in Holland,
and to the dignity OF hereditary Stadt-
holder of the Netherlands Subsequently,
/ by the treaty Of Utrecht, II was agreed
/ that the King of France should retain
/ possession Of the principality of Orange,
I but that its nobiliaTy attributes and its
armOrial bearings were to go exclusively
/ To the reigning house Of Prussia. In spite
I of these provisions Of the treaty Of
/ Utrecht, according to which Emperor
/ William is to-day the only lawful Prince
/ Of Orange, and the only person entitled
1 to use the armorial bearings of the
/ houses of Baux, Of Chalons, and Of
/ Orange-Nassau. they were adopted by
! John William Frlso, of Nassau, the Stadt-
! holder of the Netherlands, on the strength
/ of his being the heir and successor of his
! kinsman. King William III. and from that
/ time forth were used by all his lineal de-
| scendauts the last male reDreSerta tive