Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1919-07-25

began 1t was the Austro-llungarian
empire. Now the head Of the house
Of Hapsburg is back In Switzerland
I'm exile.
In these days Of the League Of M
tions. with the fate Of the world hang
ing In the balance, probably the flu
ture Of the house Of IIabsburg Is Of
small moment politically But his
torlcally il is most fascinating ques-
ton.
For the history Of Austria is unique
IN history in that ii IS the history of
family and not the history Of a
state; it is the history Of dynastlc
and not Of national power
II is unique also for many other
things Terrltorally the name Aus
trim was attached from about 1000 to
1906 to an nconSderable archduchy
on the Danube, Dynastlcally it be-
came connected In the thirteenth CEN
tury with the house Of llabSburg, then
insignificant, and It's history since Is
simply The history of that house There
ls no Austrian nation, strictly speak
Ing. There is no Austrian Ian
guare. Historically there never was
IN emperor Of Austria"
In the zone Of perpetual conflict IN
Europe we're born the two states which
in turn were 70 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, ms its defense against
the Magyar invader,
The Importance Of the house of
HnhShurg-nnd Of Austria begins
with Rudolph Of Hahshurg Emperor
Rudolph Of the Holy Roman empire.
To 20 back few generations Gun
tram the Rich was a count Of Asace
who houriShed IN the tenth century.
Warner, grandson Of Guutram, be- .
came bishop Of StrNsslurg ana on I'm
cmlnrnce above Wndlsch. on the
banks Of the Aar, In the Swiss canton I
Of Aargau. built Schloss IIahshurr
GIohlchtshurg, the castle Of WI.
tures") This castle Is still standing; I
the picture shows II to BE- m unpre-
tentious affair Werner !, nephew 80
the builder was the first count ~
llabsburg Albert ILL., son Of Werner
II, inherited extensive estates in Up
per AlSace and acquired several
Swiss districts about Zurich and lu-
Germ. The house Of HabSburg began
to 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-
pcror. 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
crowns Of Germany and Italy. Who
ever was accepted as King by Ger
many was regarded as the potential
md assumed the imperial H.
tie when crowned by the pope at .
Rome. BY the sixteenth century II T
was mn anachronlsm; yet It persisted F
NJ least In form and title-untl the
century
Rudolph I was elected emperor he
cause his possessions were small and .
Il was supposed he would be nm anna
bic figure head. He fooled the elect.
ors by reyivlng and increasing the
powers Of the imperial office, More
over, he used the powers for the ne.
grundlzement OF the house Of Elabs- /
burg Ottocar, king Of Bohemia, re-
fused to acknowledge him and was de- /.
feated and slain Rudolph thereupon |
appropriated for his sons a part Of /
the domnions which the Bohemian
king had acquired including Austria
tthen q duchy). The house of Habs-
burg thus became the house of Aus
tria, and It's history from this time on
is the history Of Austria.
BY marriage, by diplomacy, and by
pressure the house of Hahsburg
plucked one by one the coronets Of
Tyro and Carinthia (l63G) Franche-
Comte, Flanders and the Low Coun-
tries G47T), the crowns Of Spain, Ma
pies, Sicily and Sardinia Q5lG) Bo-
hemia, including Moravia, and Hun
gary Q526). These many crowns
were never welded into one, hut were
carefully distinguished as emhlems Of
separate soyereigntles, united in no
N -