El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-20
lisbon. PORTUGAL. July 2O.-Th

r ISBON, PORTUGAL July 2C.-Tht
house of Braganza of which
- Manuel was the last monarch
had its beginning in the liasoL Of king
John the Great with a mistress whose
name has been forgotten If indeed II
was ever known. The extreme patriot
ism of the early Portuguese as reflected
in the drafting OF the constitution OF
Lamego, seated the first Braganza on
the throne. The constitution provided
that none but native princes might
rule Portugal The clause was more
than 400 years old when king Sebastian
set out upon his foolish, though heroic,
invasion of Morocco and was killed
in battle. The boy king died without
leaving an heir and the Portuguese
resorted to descendant OF Alfonso, the
illegitimate first duke of Braganza,
when it became necessary TO hunt for
king.
A Woman Wins
When the Portuguese had been for
three score years vassals Of Spain,
Spanish born duchess OF Braganza who
had the ambition of lady Macbeth but
worthier motives, Matched plot TO
create a rebellion and seat her hus-
band upon the throne Dom John was
a good deal like the thane OF cav
DOR He hesitated and could not screw
his wife urged him. The psychology
cal moment came when the king of
Spain, plotting against the rising
strength of Braganza, and fearing a
revolution, called upon the nobility OF
Portugal to proceed to Catalonia TO pui
down a rebellion He ordered the duke
of Braganza to report at Madrid for
conference.
The Portuguese in 1910 dated the
Spaniards as they do in 1911. which
is to say a good deal The rebellion
become a revolution and successor
one without any further burning or
powder than a pistol shot fired as
signal before the vice regal palace. The
duke and duchess merely waited de-
velopments at their country seat at
Villa Vicosa, to be hailed on a fine
Sabbath morning by a messenger from
the revolutionary. forces who proclaim
ed them king and queen of Portugal.
Braganza's Ingratitude.
The ingratitude of princes was illus
trated by the first Braganza king
When the throwing off of the yoke
of Spain was reported around the
world the former possessions of Por-
tugal, from India to Brazil, seethed
with rebellion against the Dutch. who
had ousted the Portuguese from most
of their own uses. King John was
afraid TO declare war upon the Dutch,
but he could not prevent the loyal
Portuguese from rising against them
While such lively events. as the cap
ture of the province of Pernambuco BY
Joao Fernandes Vieira, a butchers
boy. were taking place. king John
could only protest TO Holland that he
was grieved but powerless. and Brazil
became again Portuguese possession
without the first Braganza monarch
turning hand to recover it.
But IL John was a weakling he left
a widow who was not. She showed
fine qualities of craftsmanship as we'll
as vaulting ambition. She married her
daughter, the Donna Catherine to
Charles II of England, TO the infinite
disappointment Of Spain, giving the
city of Tangiers, the island of Bonn
bay. the town of Gale in Ceylon. and
the equivalent Of 10000 English
pounds. as a dowry. Twenty English
ships came to escort the bride to
England when Charles had promised to
aid Portugal in fighting the Dutch and
Spanish.
The king of Portugal at this time
was Alfonso, a half wit who owed the
SCATTERING of his intellect to partial
paralysis brought on by mad de-
bauches, and whose chief delight was
to run about the streets OF Lisbon
with a crowd of negroes and his valet,
searching for adventures.
The Braganzas, because John the
weakling happened to marry Donna
Luisa, daughter of the Spanish duke
of Medina Sidonia. may be said to
have rescued Portugal from Spain 1t