The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-21
5OOth Anniversary of
 Frederick the Pacific

Austrians will celebrate today the
 5Ooth anniversary of the birth of Emperor Frederick III, who was also also Frederick " as king of Ger many and Frederick V as archduke of Austria. While the empire was at this period elective. ethe crown be- came nearly hereditary in the house of Frederick, of the Hapsburg line, who was also the last German king to be crowned Emperor of Rome and King of the Lonbards.
 The career of Frederick III is not calculated to excite much enthusiasm in these stirring times, for he was
 sarnamed the Pacific," and while his reign was marked by almost con- stant warfare, he had none of the
 qualities of successful leader Of men, He was born in Innsbruck on Sept 21, 1415, his mother being a Polish princess. In 14S9s he ascended the throne as success of Albert the Prodigal Being of an exceedingly cautious diSposition he accepted the proffefed imperial dignity only after a meditation of several weeks The second founder of the house of Haps-
 burg, as Fred is called, was an accomplished diplomat. but in war he was unable to cope with ambitious Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, nor with the daring Charles the Bold of Burgundy. He apparently cared |
 con cerned with tho welfare of his own royal house.
 Ins spite of the fact that he was an ardent pacifist and lover of peace,
 wars filled nearly the whole reign of this monarch, which was the longest Of any Germany emperors. iasung for 5 3 years This constituted the record reign of the house of flaps burg until that of Francis Joseph, who is now in the sixty-seventh year of his troubled career as Emperor of Austria Frederick was unaable to maintain peace even in his own family, for his brother, Albert the Prodigal,i repeat edly attacked him But this was the least of his troubles. In 1445 the Hungarians under John Hunyady be gan a series of inyasions- The Swiss captured the greater part of the orig inal lands of the house of Ffapsburg, including the. ancient castle of the
 family. in. Aargau. The Armaganacs, whom the Emp sror had called to aid l him against the Swiss. turned against iihin, and committed many depreda- ] tions The imperial forces were in gIoriously defeated by the Hungar- ians The Turks ravaged Carniola and threatened to overrun the whole i ern pire Hostilities broke out with ECharles the Bold of Hungary and g l war was wagedk in the Netherlands l fTVn1cn daXl1f1l1laAs 5ll10 SOA O4 F 0OS1 fck, had revived. In the quarrel sot 1.-the succession of the Pa1atinate Fred
 erfckE nearly lost his throne, and he
 was hurniliated in Milan, and by the continual law1essness in his own do
 ninions, as we'll as by the continua' encroachments of the Pope Plus II who had formerly been Frederick
 secretary In 149O Frederick turned I over the cares of state to his soI 1 hGaximiHan, whom he had mad l King of Rome, and who had had
 much better military success than hi:
 father. Frederick spent his last years
 in retirement. engaged in his fayorits I studies of alchemy, astrology and bo tany. Frederick raised Austria, to tht
 dignity of an archduchy, and, unsuc l cessfuI as he was in war, he elevated l the house of Hapsburg to the su preme position Which it has held al I most continuously ever since. Fred erick was succeeded by his son Max imilian, and the son of the1 alter Philip, became King of Spain. Tht I Spanish branch of Hapsburg became I extinct in 170O, and the Austrian l brarich in 174O, but the latter wa I continued in the female line by Marie
 Theresa, who by her marriage witt
 Francis of Lotharfng1a, founded thu l present Austrian line of Hapsburg ILotharingia.