New-York tribune., 1909-10-28
PRINCE BRANcovAN,s BRIDE.

Prince Brancovan, whose engagement 10
Eugene Antoniades has just been an
nounced, is quite familiar a figure in
Paris as at Bucharest, where he occupies
a seat in the Rumanian legislature, and
holds commission in the Rumanian army.
Unlike most Rumanians who assume. with
out the slightest warrant or authority. the
title of prince from the moment they
leave King CharIes's dominions where no.
hillary titles have been abolished by law
and can no longer be borne. his father
received from Austria authorization to
use the title of prince. The patronymic Of
the Prince de Brancovan is Bibesco. the
Bfbescos being an old family of WaIlach-
ian Bajars. one Of them, George Ri-
besco. was elected hospodar or Turkish
governor Of Wallachia In 1912, his election
being subsequently confirmed by appoint
ment from the Sultan. The hospodars Of
the Christian provinces Of the Turkish en-
Hire in the Balkans, like the Ottoman gov
ernors OF Samos to-day, were permitted by
the Sultan 10 style themselves princes
during their term or Office, this being re-
garded by the Turks as a dignity inferior
to that Of pacha, borne by the Moslem
governors of the other Turkish provinces.
George Bibesco married 10 Mavrocor Iato
the adopted daughter and heircSs Of the
last Prince of Brancovan of the House
of Bassa araba. The Bassarabas are one
OF the historic houses of the southeast OF
Europe and may be said 10 have been
founded by Jugomir Bassarabas, Who
flourished in the fourteenth century. To-
ward the end of the sixteenth century
the Bassarabas acquired the great domain
of Brancoveni. and in 16Ss received from
the Crown of Hungary the title of Counts
Of Brancovan. Fifty years later they were
advanced to the status of Princes of the
Holy Roman Empire. In the early part
of the eighteenth century the head of
the family figured conspcuously in the
war between the Turks and the Russians
and having been found guilty of treacherv
to both Peter the Great and the Sultan
was strangled by order of the latter, along
with his four sons.
on the strength OF his marriage with
the adopted daughter of the last of the
Bassarabas George Ribesco assumed the
name of Brancovan, and in 1850 his son
Gregory, as 7 have mentioned above re-
csived from the Austrian Crown the au-
thorization to use the title of Prince Of
Brancovan in Austria and Hungary. But.
of course he has not inherited the old
Bassarabas dignity of Prince of the Holy
Roman Empire, which is extinct. Gregory
he died in 1886. leaving as sole heir to his
honors his son Constantine. whose e7-
gagement has just been announced. Con-
stantine has two sisters, one of whom,
Elizabeth married to Count Matthieu de
Noailes, has achteve1 much celebrity as
a novelist while the other, Helen is the
wife of Prince Alexander de Caramaa-
Chimay. The young princes mother still
lives in Paris. She is the sister OF NIu-
surus Pacha. who died as the Turkish
Ambassador in London two or three years
ago.
A cousin of the Prince de Brancovan.
namely Antoine Bibesco. is now secretary
of the Rumanian Legation in London He
has become favorite at court. and has on
one or two occasions been invited to stay
at Sandringham. Two of his plays have
been produced at the Antoine Theatre at
Paris with much success.
With regard to the Prince de Brancovan's
hancee she is colossally rich. Her father.
the late Sir John Antoniades, was a Greek.
who commenced life as a stevedore at Al
exandria, where in course of time he
amassed an immense fortune. During the
war OF 1882 and in tfe times of confusion
and of cholera epidemic which followed ne
behaved with such magnificent generosity
in the relief of suffering and in the organ
ization and maintenance at his own ex-
pense of special hospitals and convaIescent
stations that Queen Victoria knighted him
and bestowed upon him commandership
OF her order OF St Michael and ST George.
Passionately fond of horticulture, his gar
dens on the banks OF the Nahmoudieh
Canal. in the outskirts of Alexandria en-
iov world wide celebrity. and almost every
American tourist who has visited Egypt
viii recall their extraordinary beauty and
vast extent