The Washington herald., 1907-09-29
BADEN'S NEW RULER
Romantic Vicissitudes Of Its Reigning House

purposes condemned by physicians as
eonsumptive and regarded as a man
whose days were numbered. has lived TO
succeed TO the throne OF his fine old father,
one Of the Paladins OF the war of 1870,
who is now about 10 be laid TO his rest
after a reign of more than half a cen
tury. The late ruler OF Baden was d
man Of powerful physique-Of the type OF
his father-in-law. Emperor william; Of
his brother-in-law. Emperor Frederick; OF
Prince Bismarck, and OF HIS big -boned
present German empire; and no one com
pairing him TWO or three decades ago
with his delicate-looking heir-apparent
F-culd have dreamed that ne would pre-
decease the latter. The new grand duke.
however, now man Of fifty, has no chill
dren by hts marriage with The only sister
Of the reigning Grand Duke OF LuKem-
burg. and at his death his crown Will
pass 10 his cousin, Prince Macmillan,
who after having been Tilted on the eve
of the day appointed for his wedding by
the Grand Duchess Helen Of Russia (noW
married TO Prince Nicholas OF Greece.
/ led 10 the altar Princess Marie Louise
Z of Great Britain and OF Brunswick.
daughter OF the Duke Of Cumberland and
niece OF King Edward,
/ Baden has always possessed a very spe-
cial interest for Americans. In the first
place, its reigning house has furnished a
/ greater amount OF romance in modern times
/ than almost any Of the sovereign families
! Of Europe, and then, too, il is from the
grand duchy thst have come so many OF
/ those German-aInerican citizens who
/ have played an important part in the
political and economic history Of the
/ United staes during the last nifty years
After the downfall Of Napoleon, and the
/ reconstruction OF the map Of the world
/ by the congress Of Vienna. Baden was
/ one Of the first OF the continental states
/ 10 inaUgurate a constitutional form OF
/ government and 10 concede TO the people
voice In the administration of their
destinies. and her rulers were enlightened
! enough 10 decline 10 permit themselves to
/ be influenced by the wave Of reaction
which swept over the whole OF Europe.
4 Baden. indeed. earned FOR herself the
J
liberal state In Germany. and as such IN
CURED the pronounced ill viii Of old
/ Prinle MetteTniCh. the chancellor OF the
empire As so often the case. the demo
/ cratic leaders allowed their zeal 10 out
/ rLl their discretion. and, encouraged by
/ foreign revolutionaTies, especially French
and Italian, they rendered themselves
guilty OF excesses which forced the gov
Z Hl1r-rs int aF
/ and repression. Matters eventually came
/ % a head in lSf7 and lS45. when the reign
/ ing house was driven from the grand
duChy and a revolutionary government
! established in its stead Prussian troops
put an end 10 the insuTrection. and drove
/ IFS chiefs 10 seek refuge IN foreign lands.
l Many OF them came 10 the United States.
and rising 10 high Office and dignity in
I this country, were eventually able, Ike
7 Carl SchurZ. not only 20 secure the re-
! peal Of the decree banishing them from
| their vateTland as well as Of the sen
/ tences TO prison and 10 death. which they
/ escaped by flight. but also 10 obtain a
/ recognition on the part OF the people in
/ Germany Of the fact that they had rem
dered valuable service 10 their native land
/ by causing its name 70 be respected and
/ hOnored in the country OF their adoption.
/ Under the late grand duke. who has
/ Just been gathered 10 his fathers. Baden
/ has recovered the reputation OF being
\ the most liberal and democratic state IN
/ Germany which she enjoyed during the
/ early part Of the nineteenth century. aBd
/ which she forfeited for a time following
/ the insurrection of 1S4S She is. however
/ no longer regarded as revolutionary. but
] nd frhf ad
and when the anri-semitism which pre-
walls IN Germany and other countries OF
continental Europe is taken into consider
alton. Il is significant that all the syna-
/ gogues not only in Baden. but through
out the remainder of the empire should
/ have been thronged with Jews during the
/ ten days preceding the death of the old
grand duke. offering up fervent prayers
/ for his recovery.
Baden's new ruler IS. like the Kaiser, a
! grandson OF old Emperor William, his
mother. Princess Louise Of Prussia, hav-
t ing been the Emperors only daughter
and favorite companion. During the last
ten or fifteen years Of her fathers life
she was constantly by his side. and al
the time when Nobillng made his das-
tardly attempt 10 assassinate the ven
erable monarch, she endeavored 20 shield
/ her father with her own body from the
fire Of the would-be assassin. Through
F.! his IA .hers mother the grand duke has
the blood Of the historic Swedish house
Of Vasa In his veins. while among hi'
other immediate forbears was a mere
! baroness. In order 20 explain this, It Is
necessary to give a brief sketch Of the
reigning house Of Baden. which is de-
J seended from the counts OF Zahringen
/ who fiourished IN the eleventh century
/ and derived their title from castle and
| little town 70 the north Of Freiburg
/ Count Hermann II OF Zahringen inherited
] Baden through his mother at the begin
ming of the twelfth century. and assumed
the title of Margrave Of Baden. On the
/ death Of Margrave Christopher Of Baden.
/ in 1927. his possessions were divided
/ between his two surviving sons, who
1 founded the two lines Of Baden-Baden
and Baden-D -Durlach, the former Catholic
and the latter Protestant. About l+l
| years ago the Catholic line Of Baden
Baden became extinct, and its dominions
| IN accordance with dynastic conventions,
passed to the head OF the Protestant
! Baden-Durlach line. namely, Margrave
! Charles Frederick Of Baden. The latter
became. in 1903, eIector Of Baden. and on
I the dissolution Of the Holy Roman EN-
pire by Napoleon. in 1896. assumed. with
the sanction of the French Emperor, the
title OF Grand Duke Of Baden, which he
was allowed TO retain by the congress OF
/ Vienna.
This old grand duke. who died in 1sli
| was twice married. and had number
/ of children by each union. His frs
| wife was a Princess of Hesse, by whom
he had five children. After her death
ne contracted a morganatic marriage
/ with Mile. Geyer. OF Geyersberg. daugh-
ter of Baron Louis Henry Philip Geyer