New-York tribune., 1911-04-24
JAILED FOR HER TITLE
Princes Wife Imprisoned 70,
Styling Herself Princess.

| 1copyrIght 1911. by the Brentwood Comma. -
Tor assuming the title Of princes. ~,
lawful wife OF Prince Eberwyn Benth.,-
Of Benthein- Stenfurt, has Just been 80
tnced at Hanover to weeks imprisonmsss
end to a fine.
Four years ago the prince, who Is a ma
rer of the former petty sovereign house. :.
Eentheim and Steinfurt (Which was ma,
atized by the Congress Of Vienna, after a.
downfall OF Napoleon in 1870. was forc.s
by financial troubles TO surrender his r.sh,,
of succession, as eldest son, TO the cht.,
| tajnship OF his house and to the contrn, "a
the entailed estates. lie thereupon ma,
| risd, in London. in a perfectly legal fa,,
| ion. FrauIen Lily LangenfeId. daughter a
| the former Mayor Of Homburg. But nj.
relatives declined to recognize her a. -.
wife. on the ground that she was not h
couaI in birth. and that he had not ..
taincd beforehand their consent to the mo,
riaSe. as required by the laws OF th.,.
house.
These laws are an anachronsna and A.,
regarded by many Of the greatest j,rs,.
| of E.urope as absolutely unconstitu,io,s,
Each Of the now reigning houses Of I;uro,.
has certain statutes OF its own soverrIn.
! the relations of its members among ths,r
selves. the division OF their entailed pr,,s,.
estates and their marriages, laws that Az.
absolutely Indispensable and which hs,.
received due parliamentary sanction. Thu,
only a few weeks ago the national lesis,,,'
ure Of Soryia voted its approval end A..
oeptance Of the new family statutes Of IN.
reignlng house of Servia.
When Emperor Napoleon wiped ont a,
existence the Holy Roman Empire In Isas
he incidentally deprived near h;ndrsd
petty soveregns Of their thrones. After h,,
downfall the Conference of Vienna. I'm 70.
constituting the map Of Europe, fesInd y
impoitic to revive all these petty soysr.
eighties; and, to compensate their formes
owners, mediatized them; that ls 10 sav
endowed them with certain royal rights.
including those OF mating on footing a
equality with reIsnng dynasties. exenp.
ton from taxation, the right OF contractin,
morganatic marriages, etc.
The media tized families have dim,nishsf
I'm number. and those remaining have grad.
ualIy been shorn Of most Of their preroza,
tives. In fact. their assimilation with ,hs
now reignins houses has rapidly disa,.
reared and although in the new code d
the German Empire, provision was special.
ly made for the national acceptance Of ths
family statutes OF those houses still occu.
pying a throne. nothing was done with r..
gard 10 the mediatized families Cony.
quently the family statutes Of the lattes
have, strictly speaking, TO legal value, a
far as the empire is concerned
The fact that Prince Bentheim-S Stenfrt
should have married Burgomaster Langsn.
fields daughter. contrary 10 the wishes d
his relatives and in defiance OF their family
statutes, does not concern the code OF the
empire, and the marriage, having been coz.
tracted according TO the laws Of England,
where the prince and his wife had preyi.
ously established their legal domiciIe, zen.
ders her his wife. and as such entitled 10
share his honors and position.
Therefore, the decision OF the tribunals
Of Hanover condcmning the princes wife 10
Imprisonment and fine for the violation cs
that law which renders the unwarrantei
use of a nobiliary title a penal offence, Is Of
extremely doubtful validity, and Is likely 10
be reversed If carried on final appeal 10 the
Supreme Court OF the Empire, at Lepsk.