The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-08-22
EuRopE,s YOUNGEST RULER
Presides over Destines of War
Stricken Luxembourg

4 =
Stricken Luxembourg
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in.
yaded by German army is one OF the
smallest independent nations in the
world, and it's ruler, Grand Duchess
Maria Adelaide, is the youngest ruler
in Europe. The Duchy lies on the
Thigh road from Belgium to Italy, be
tween France, Belgium and Germany
Tits population is about 100000, but
geographically and politically its i'm
portance is relatively great. The
state is located partly in one of the
Irichest iron ore fields in the world
and produces about one-fortieth OF
| the worlds output of raw iron. In
area it is less than 1000 square miles
the general district of the same name
including the Grand Duchy and the
Belgian province of Luxembourg to the
east. 1t is represented at London by
the Netherlands minister.
Marie Adelaide, the present Grand
Duchess. was born on June IA, 1894,
She was only Is years old when she
assembled the throne in February,
1912, succeeding her father, the
Grand Duke Wilhelm. She is one of
the youngest and most popular mon
archs in Europe. Her accession was
made possible by family statute in,
'stituting the succession in the female
line after long litigation beginning in
the reign of Grand Duke Wilhelm.
In August of last year it was report
ed widely in Europe that the young
Grand Duchess was engaged to
Prince Henry of Bavaria, who is 20
years old and lives at Munich. He is
the son of the late Prince Francis
Joseph and captain in the First
regiment of heavy cavalry.
Luxembourg is noted for its natural
beauty and architectural wonders,
riyaling the picturesque parts Of the
Rhine. 1t is, however, neglected by
tourists probably because it is rather
far removed from the main arteries
of travelled Europe. The castle of the
Grand Duchess is medieval wonder
almost 400 years cid, and the feudal
towns topping the hills add to the
landscape beauty of the little state.
The grand duchy, once part of
the empire of Charlemagne, came UNI
der the control of the Hapsburgs near
the middle of the fifteen century and
with a short interruption remained
in their control for over two centur-
les. Then part of it was coded to
France and the treaty of Utrecht
gave the rest to the Emperor Charles
VI. France conquered it in 1895 and
held 1t until the end of the Napoleo-
MIC wars.
The Congress of Vienna erected the
present grand duchy and turned it
over to William of the Neither
lands in return for the German ter
ritories of Orange-Nassau. which Ma
poleon had seized and which were re-
turned to Prussia. The kings of EIol
land ruled the grand duchy until the
death of King William Ill, in 1890,
when his daughter, Wilhelmina as
cending the Dutch throne, the grand
duchy passed, under the Salic law, to
a Kinsman, Adolphus, Duke of Mas
sau, and thence to his son, William,
who died in 1912.
After the dissolution of the German
of which the grand
I'm no
Prussians, who had the garrisoning of
the fortress of the capital of LuXem-
burg, still maintained their garrison
there. although it had not been in
federation. The question was refer
red to a conference of the powers in
London in 1867 and the treaty of
May IL of that year decided that the
Prussian garrison must be withdrawn
and the fortress dismantled. At the
same time the powers guaranteed the
and integrity of the grand
duchy, and since that time it has
been a sovereign and independent
State, although member of the Ger
man Zollverein.
The armed forces of the grand
duchy, thus guaranteed, as II was sup
posed. against invasion. comprise
battalion of $50 volunteers and n gen
darmerie of about the same size.
The language of the grand duchy is
a patois of German mixed with
French, except on the Belgian and
French frontiers, where French is
spoken. French is also the CONNER
cial language. The country is gov
crned by a council of Is members and
n chn hnr. of dnnnfins of 4S nnnhn