New-York tribune., 1909-04-14
THIS RULER A TWIN
Transformed from Mere Noble
Into a Full Pledged Sovereign.
EcOpyrlght. 1909. by til. Brentwood Company

ICopyright. 1909. by the Brentwood Company
Prince Sizzo. who has Just succeeded TO the throne
Of Schwarzburg- -Sondershausen, ono of those tiny
German which excited the rdicue OF Thack-
cray and of Onenbach, and which has a populat ton
n eigflty-ive thousand and area Of three hun
dred square miles. can boast Of being the only
reigning monarch who is a twin There is this
ueculiarity about him: that whereas he is royal
and an anointed Of the Lord, his only sister who
csr7e into the world a few minutes earlier than
himself. is \ mere noblewonan, both by birth and
by marriage. She has figured, both before and
since her marriage TO Prince John Schonaich- Caro-
lath, in Part III Of the Almanach de Gotha, among
the lower nobility, whereas he occupies place in
Part I. among the European sovereigns
In order TO understand this unique condition Of
affairs il must be explained that old Prince Carl
Gunther Of Schwarzburg- g-Sondershausen. who has
lust been gathered 10 his fathers at the age OF
eighty, had no issue by his marriage to Princess
Marie Altenburg. The ruler Of the sister state OF
Schwarzburg- -RudoIstadt, whose subjects number
only ninety-six thousand. has likewise children.
Some sixteen or seventeen years ago the rulers OF
these prncpalities got together, and realizing
that II necessary, both for the sake OF their
spectve states and for their family. for
the succession. and that there no full >fedged
prince of the blood available for the purpose. de-
ternined TO adopt Prince Sizzo OF Leutenberg the
rnorganatic of Prince Frederick Gunther OF
Schwarzburg- -Rudolstadt and OF the Countess
Rheina, as their heir and with this object in view
raised him from the rank of mere noble 10 that
OF prince OF the blood.
Old Prince Carl Gunther Of SchWarzburg-Sonder
hausen has been the first 10 die. and the former
Sizzo Of Leutenberg succeeds 10 his throne
When in course Of time Prince Gunther OF Schwarz-
burg-Rudolstadt sollo him the grave Sizzo viii
s,7ceed 10 his throne as well. and then the two
schwarzburgs, which have been separated for more
than three hundred years will be united into one
principality of six hundred miles and about
TWO hundred thousand inhabitants. Prince Sizzo is
2 man Of about forty-six years OF age, holds the
rank Of colonel in the Prussian cavalry, and mar
rjed in 1897. Princess Alexandra OF Anhalt, by
whom he has a to inherit his honor and two
daughters While the Schwarzburgs are insignif-
cant in the number Of their subjects and area OF
their dorninions. they are Of the most ancient
sovereign houses in Germany. and trace
their descent beyond the ninth century, while Son.
derhausen and Rudolstadt have been IN their pos
session for seven hundred years
OF course this accession TO the throne Of prince
OF morsanatic birth is calculated revive once
again the hopes and pretensions to thrones Of men
VINO are born Of descended from morganatic
unions. Il is difficult for q foreigner, and even
for Germans not intimately acquainted with the
laws OF succession Of the Of sovereign states
into which their empire is divided. 10 understand
why Il is that in some of them morganatic Of
spring should be considered qualified to succeed
70 the throne, while in other instances their
parentage and ancestry are looked upon as barring
them from the Crown.
Briefly speaking, it may be stated that as gen.
ersl rule, morganatic progeny are excluded when
cepted when their exclusion would otherwise mean
an extinction of the line. The present reigning
Grand Duke OF Baden is descended from a NOR
ganatic union between Grand Duke Charles Fred
erlck and Caroline Geyer who not even of
noble birth, and until young Princess Maximilan
Of Baden gave birth three years ago TO a little boy
project under consideration Of raising young
Count Rhena, the Of Prince Charles of Baden
by his morgaDatic marriage 10 Baroness Rosae
Beust 10 the rank Of prince OF the blood and 10
proclaim him ultimate heir TO the throne IN or
der 10 avert the extinction Of the line. All the long
and tresome controversy with regard TO the sue
oession 10 the throne OF Lppe turned on the ques
ton whether the marriage of the present
princes father and Of some OF his other more re-
mote forebears were morganetic footing
Of equality, and while In Wurtenberg there is no
danger Of any extinction of the dynasty, the next
heir the throne of this essentially Lutheran
Kingdom is Roman Catholic and there is strong
party the kingdom which is in favor Of setting
his rights aside in behalf Of the Princess Of Waess
eldest brother, the Duke OF Teck whose father. the
late Duke of Teck, was the offspring of NOR
ganatic marriage between a royal prince, Alexan-
der Of W-urtemberg. and a Hungarian Countess
Rheday.