Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-03-31
EUROPEAN WAR
A Huge Family Quarrel HistOry's
Most Important Match When Ma
pOleOn Married Marie LOuise-Es-
perially Written for Tribune by
Earle NJ. Wood.

When one casts glance at the
great European conflict, it will be
realized that after all it is merely a
large family quarrel. Practically all
the crowned heads are closely related
and so they have been since the be-
ginning of moharchy-but perhaps
the most famous and most important
matrimonial alliance in history is that
of Napoleon, Emperor of France, King
Of Italy and Protector of the Confeder-
alton of the Rhine, with Marie Louise
Archduchess of Austria.
AS soon as the French had conquer
ed Prussia and forced the King of
Prussia to become their ally. as well
as the Czar of Russia, there began to
be revolutions in Spain and Portugal.
Taking advantage of these disturb
ances, Austria, the arch-enemy of Ma
poleon, rose at his back and prepared
to invade France. Napoleon turned
on his assailant with the fury of a
tiger and marching his troops into
Austria, he captured Vienna and fore
ed the Emperor Francis to sue for
peace.
With all Europe at his feet. the
French Emperor decided to divorce
his wife, the Empress Josephine, and
make a match with one of the great
est royal houses of the world, so that
he might leave an heir to inherit his
throne and at the same time enter the
Empire of France in mighty bond
of alliance with some great power.
So Josephine was divorced! No
woman ever made a greater sacri~
fee than did this creole Empress of
the French. But Napoleon realized
that while at the height of his power
he must choose a bride from one of
the ancient dynasties of Europe, and
his choice fell upon the sister of the
Gar Alexander, the Grand Duchess
Anna of Russia. When the rumors
spread that the selection of the Grand
Duchess was under consideration. fear
spread throughout the civilized world.
Already there was a Franco Russian
treaty made at Tilsit only a short
time before, and with a matrimonial
alliance as well, these two nations
would be the strongest combination of
the times.
Austria was quick to see what eff
feet the Emperor's marriage would
have if the bride should be the Grand
Duchess Anna. With France and
Russia practically surrounding her,
Austria would never be strong enough
to take back the territory just taken
= from her by France. So the diplo-
mats of Austria conceived a clever
plan-they decided to openly enter as
a candidate for the French throne, the
! daughter of the Emperor Francis, the
Arehduchess. Marie Louise.
The Czar was perfectly willing that
his sister should become the wife of
} Napoleon, but his mother, the Dow
! ager Czarina and the Grand Duchess
herself were very much against the
Iplan, and in order to escape the mar
} riage, the Grand Duchess married the
German Duke of Oldenburg. The
matchmakers at Vienna were over.
joyed when they learned what the
; Russian Grand Duchess had done. fol
: they knew that Napoleon's alliance
4 with the Czar could not now last fol
e long, and when that long expected
= moment came, Austria would be il
!, a position to recover the possessions
t she had lost to France.
Finding himself cheated out of &
t mating with Romanoff, Napoleon!
4 second choice fell upon the Hapsburt
8 Archduchess Marie Louise, and th'
s world was astonished when their be
n throthal was announced. Plans wer,
v hastened for the wedding. and al
e through the Roman Catholic Arch
bishop of Vienna at first refused t,
4 perform the ceremony as the EN-
. peror was a divorced person, he con
Il sented when Napoleon assured hin
that the marriage to Josephine ha
: been annulled; and he performed tn
r marriage at Vienna by proxy, afte
$ which Marie Louise ascended tn
. throne of France.
n Shortly after, Napoleon in his will
4 desire for more territory. annexe
. the Duchy of Oldenburg to the En-
pire, and the Duchess went back t
Russia where her brother, the Cza
a q took up her quarrel. When, as a re
y suit. France and Russia went to wa,
e Napoleon received the blow in his re
u treat from Moscow that undermine
his hopes. History gives Russi
g the credit for overthrowing the En-
peror of the, French, but shall we nj
ID say that the real plotters were thos
ID at Vienna, who arranged the ma
is riage of the Gorsican and the Arcl
80 duchess Of the Hapsburgs?