New-York tribune., 1907-06-23
DOM MIGUEL.
Pen Sketch of the Nan Who Wants
To Be King of Portugal.

Don Carlos. Pretender TO the throne OF Spain.
and Of the Duke OF Orleans and Prince Victor
Napoleon. the rival claimants to the crown of
France. little or nothing is known of Dom
Miguel Of Braganza. the Pretender TO the throne
Of Portugal. Until few weeks ago he had
been content to live in relative obscurlty in
Austria where his ties OF kinsma nship with the
Hapsburgs have caused him TO he treated as a
relative of the imperial family-almost as one
Of its members. In fact. he has received the
colonelcy OF Il crack hussar regiment and the
order of the Golden Fleece. precisely as if he
had been an Austrian archduke. Born In Aus
tria in 1858 and educated in that country he
has been looked upon up till now as an Aus
trian in all but name and title. and was more
over believed TO be thoroughly contented
with his lot that something akin to amazement
has been created at Vienna by his public an
nouncenent that he has never renounced his
claims 10 the throne OF Portugal, and that when
the hour arrives he will be ready and delighted
10 take possession thereof. In one word, he has
bIossomed forth full hedged Pretender. ana
since there is a large party in Portugal that Is
championing his cause and clamorins for MS
proclamation as king in the place Of Dom
Carlos whose position is critical in the extreme,
n brief sketch OF Dom Miguel may be OF timely
interest
Dom Miguel Is Otlen OeSCIlDcO dS StdI'NHS ANA
Jegitimisn in Portugal. in the same way that
his fellow Pretender Don Carlos does in Spain
But their positions entirely different True
both enjoy the support of the clergy and religious
orders to whom they have promised a restora-
tion Of the prerogatives. power and property OF
which they have been deprived by liberal gov
ernments For much the same reason they
have the sympathy of the great territorial arls-
tocracy whose oldtine rights have been re-
duced to a minimum by radical legislation But
whereas on the one hand, in Spain the oruer
of the succession to the crown was altered by
King Ferdinand VII in favor Of his daughter
Isabella without any regard TO the hereditary
rights of his brother. the original Don carlos
on the other hand the late Dom Miguel VINO
reigned for a time King OF Portugal oei"re
being compelled to abdicate and leave the couh-
trv had secured possession Of his throne oy a
wholly indefensible act Of usurpatlon' oy the
violation of all his most solemn pledges 70 the
members Of his family. 10 his people ana 10
the great powers. Moreover. while there mas
never been any question raised as 10 the pir''
of the younger brother OF King feroihahu "
Srain there are serious doubts as 20 the leglu-
macy Of Dom Miguels father, the reprooate oA-
King Miguel of Portugal
As for the present Dom Miguel he IS ohlE IN
part of royal blood for his mother VINO sur
wives as n Benedictine nun, did not belong 10
any of the reigning houses OK Europe but
merely 10 one Of the families OF the mediatized
nobility being Princess of Lowensteln-
Werthetrn. 1t was nephew of hers, Prince
Louis Of I>owenstein- -Wertheim. who was klleu
in the Philippines in 1879 while hghtlns III 'ho
ranks of the insurgents against the American
troops AS stated above, Dom Miguel was born
in Austria, some twenty years after his father
exile from Portugal. and. all told. he has spent
ONLY three days in Portugal. which ne visited
secretly at the close or the bosnian HerzSO-
,,tpian canpaien narrowly escaping arrest.
OF his six sisters. the eldest is married to Don
Alphonse of Bourbon. the only brother OF Don
Carlos. The second is Archduchess Maria
Therese widow of the Austrian Emperor's
brother Charles Louis. and stepmother Of the
heir apparent a third sister IS the wife of
Duke Charles Theodore of Bavaria the cele-
brated oculist. and n sister-in-aw, therefore, OF
the late Empress Of Austria and OF the ex-
Queen of Naples. Another sister OF Dom Miguel
is the consort of the reigning Grand Duke Of
Iuxemburg. while still another sister has as
husband Robert of Bourbon. ex-soveregn Duke
OF Parma.
Dom Miguel himself has been twice married.
his first wife having been Princess of Thurn
and Taxs. while his present hclpmate belongs
To the same family rs his mother, namely, that
of LowenStein- Wertheim.
He has two sons. and IT is to be hoped for the
sake of Portugal that neither OF them will ever
be intrusted with the control OF her destinies as
King. For tho second son. Prince Francis
Joseph of Braganza, was arrested in London
for a horrible offence when he visited England
Mt the time of King Edwards coronation. In
TepUuldteO ana OlSONDeU bN MS K!lS-
man, Archduke Francis Ferdinand. the Austrian
heir apparent, who was there the representa-
tive OF Emperor Francis Joseph, the young
prince was subjected to the ignomipy of several
appearances I'm the prisoners dock OF an Eng
llsh metropolitan police court before the case
was finally hushed up and the prince bundled
out of the country. 1t Is needless to add that
his dismissal from the Austrian army, in which
he held commission lieutenant of the 9Th
crack regiment of Hussars. promptly followed.
and that since that time he has been 10 all in
tents and purposes q social outcaSt. excluded
from every reputable club. both In Austria and
elsewhere. As for the elder of the two brothers,
Prince Michael he is regarded by many
sponsible for the death of Prince Albert of Sax
ony. the youngest brother of the present King
of SaXony. Prince Michael had been dining, not
wisely but too well. at country house in the
of Dresden On his driving back
to town he overlook the eQutpaGe OF Prince
Albert, and either through carelesSness else
in pursuance of some drunken idea of fun.
caught his wheels in those OF Prince Alberts
carriage with so much violence that il was over
turned into the ditch, Prince Albert, its
cupant sustaining such injuries that he sue
cumbed thereto a few hours later. So great were
the penitence and sorrow exhibited 10y Prince
Michael for having been the cause of Albert's
death that he was permitted To retain his
mission in the Saxon army. But he was per-
emptorily dismissed year later when it was
brought to the notice OF the German govern
ment that in the absence az King Charles of
Portugal in England the prince had availed
himself of the opportunity, and of his own leave
of absence to travel extensively through Portu-
gal for the purpose of assisting I'm the organiza-
tion of an insurrection against King Charles
Since then. unable to secure commission i'm
any other army and suffering from q social hoy
cott almost severe as that against his Younger
brother he might. like the latter. gladly avail
himself of the opportunity afforded by a change
or government at Lisbon TO transfer his homo