The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-01-16
by EX-ATTACHE.

II European rulers are so anxious TO
prevent the members of their family
from contracting mesalliances. It is be
cause they realize that the expression
Prince and princess Of the blood is
becoming a mere figure of speech. The
principle Of heTedity in monarchy is
based, strictly speaking, upon the des-
cent of the crown TO only such scions Of
the dynasty who are the issue Of gen
erations OF forbears, each one OF whom
has married one equal I'm birth and rank.
In fact the people are expected to look
with reverence upon the anointed Of the
Lord. and to accord them their homage,
Just because Of their illustTiOus ances-
try, and for the reason that their blood
is more blue and their lineage more
wholly sovereign than that of any Of
their ellow-countrymen.
While the house of Hapsburg may be
said to fulfil these requirements and
also in a measure that of Bourbon, there
are few Of the other rulers Of the old
world who can show a genealogical tree
free from gTsftinss that have been In
no sense royal and IL IS a well-establish-
ed fact that In many countries there are
mobiles. some Of them titled, and some
OF them even without any handles 10
their names. whose blood is purer, and
whose pedigree is superior to that OF
their monarch
In order TO belong TO the Sovereign
order Of Malta. and to the Teutonic Or
der, a long list OF ancestors and ances-
tresses Of exclusively noble birth is re
quired to be shown. Any mesalliance on
the part OF a forbear, that Is to say,
marriage with a wife not Of noble birth,
is fatal 10 the candidature, SO strict are
the conditions with regard TO purity of
blood that there are to-day a number
OF sovereigns who would be excluded
from these orders on the score OF their an
cestry-save as mere knights OF grace.
Thus. King Albert OF Belgium IS de-
scended. by no means remotely, from
Peter Murat. Of peasant birth, like his
younger brother that Joachim Murat
who commenced life as a hostIer at a
village Inn. and owed his throne OF the
grand duchy OF Berg and OF the king
dom OF Naples 10 his own prowesses as
a cavalry leader. and 10 his marriage to
NapoleOu's sister Caroline.
Peter Murat died in 1872. leaving a
daughter OF the name OF Antoiuette. who
was created a princess by the first Ma
po.eon on the occasion OF her marriage
IN ls1S. al the Tuileries. 10 the relgniHg
Prince Charles of TIohenzollern-Sig-
maringen. and thus became the grand
mother OF King Charles OF Roumsnia
and OF the Countess OF Flanders. and the
great-grandmother OF the latter's son
the new King of the Belgi8ns. Another
uOnroyal reat-graHdmother Of Albert OF
Belgium was Grand Duchess Stephauie 0.
I Baden. who. a daughter OF the Vicomte
/ Claude de Beauharnais, brother OF En-
press Josephines first husband. was ere.
ated by Emperor Napoleon q princess or
the occasion OF her marriage 20 Grand
Duke Charles OF Baden. al the Tuil
! cries, in 1896,
/ King Charles % RoumanIa falls within
/ the same category as his nephew. tht
new ruler OF Belgium, with this differ
ence: that he IS one generation nearer
/ TO the Vicomte Claude dc Beauharnals
and TO the peasant Peter Murat, who
were his -grandfathers.
/
/ Every one is acquainted with the peas
ant origin OF the Bernad0Jte dEnasty
now occupying the throne OF Sweden
In fact, the Rernad0ttes have the good