The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-09-06

nv Nine centuries ago III
EI0sN house Of Habsburg hat
RNz3AA its beginning in Switzer
land. When the great wa
began it was the Austro-Hungariai
empire. Now the head Of the hous'
Of Hapsburg is back in Switzerland
An exile.
In these days OF the League Of Ma
sions, with the fate of the world hang
ing in the balance, probably the fu'
lure Of the house Of Habsburg is OF
mall moment politically. But his.
oorically 1t is most fascinating CUES
Non.
For the history OF Austria Is unique
IN history in that 1t is the history OF
family and not the history & a
state; 1t is the history Of dynaStic
and not of a national power.
It Is unique also for many other
things. Territorially the name Aus
tria was attached from about 1000 to
1906 to an inconsiderable archduchy
on the Danube. Dynasticaliy IT be-
came connected in the thirteenth CEN
Insignificant, and its history since is
simply the history Of that house. There
Is no Austrian nation, strictly speak
ing. There Is no Austrian Ian
guage. Historically there never was
an "emperor Of Austria"
In the zone of perpetual conflict in
Europe were born the two states which
In turn were to dominate Germany
Austria and Prussia. Austria" Is
simply the Latin form of "Oestereich-
the Eastern Mark" Of the German
Kingdom, established by Charlemagne
on the Danube. as its defense against
the Magyar invader.
The importance Of the house Of
Habsburg-and Of Austria-begins
with Rudolph Of Habsburg-Empero
Rudolph of the Holy Roman empire.
To go back few generations: Gun
tram the Rich was count Of Alsace
who fiourished in the tenth century.
Warner, a grandson of Guntram, be-
came bishop Of Strassburg and on an
eminence above Windisch, on the
banks of the Aar, in the Swiss canton
u Aargau, built Schloss Habsburg
(Habichtsburg. "the castle Of vul.
tures''). This castle is still standing;
the picture shows 1t to- be an unpre-
tentious affair. Werner !, nephew Of
the builder, was the first count Of
Habsburg. Albert III, son Of Werner
Il, inherited extensive estates in Up
per Alsace and acquired" several
Swiss districts about Zurich and Lu-
rern. The house Of Habsburg began
10 grow at once.
Rudolph III, son Of Albert ", was
elected emperor of the Holy Roman
empire in 1878 and thus figures in
history as Rudolph /, Holy Roman en-
peror. The Holy Roman empire. it
has been said, was neither holy.
Roman, nor an empire. It's original
basis was sort of loose union Of the
rowns of Germany and Italy. Who
sver was accepted as king by Ger
many was regarded as the potential
emperor and assumed the imperial IT,
lie when crowned by the pope at
Rome. By the sixteenth century 1t
was an anachronism: yet 1t persisted
ut least in form and title-until the
aineteenth century.
Rudolph was elected emperor be-
cause his possessions were small and
L was supposed he would be an amia-
sle fgure-head. He fooled the elect
srs by reviving and increasing the
eowers Of the imperial Office. More
,ver. he used the powers for the ag-
yrandizement Of the house Of Habs- i
surg. Ottocar, king Of Bohemia, re-
used to acknowledge him and was de- |
:eated and slain. Rudolph thereupon
appropriated for his sons a part Of
the dominions which the Bohemian |
ding had acquired. including Austria
then duchy). The house Of Habs-
burg thus became the house Of Aus
ria. and it's history from this time on
b the history Of Austria.
By marriage, by diplomacy, and by
PRESSURE the house of Habsburg
,lucked one by one the coronets Of
ryrol and Carinthia (1636); Franche-
,omte, Flanders and the Low Coun-
ries (1477). the crowns of Spain, Ma
,les, Sicily and Sardinia (1516); Bo-
Aemia, including Moravia, and Hun-
ury (1526). These many crowns
rere never welded into one, but were
arefully distinguished as emblems of
separate sovereignties, united in no