The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-11-06
ABOUT LUXEMBOURG
GRAND DUCHESS CHARLOTTE is
A POPULAR RULER - GRAND
DucHY WHOSE FORMER RULER
HAS ENTERED A CONVENT.
(By N. C. w. C. News Service. }

The Grand Duchess Charlotte, ruler
of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and
successor to her sister, Marie AIDE
laide, who recently abdicated to enter
a Carmelite convent, probably has a
more popular title to her throne than
any other royal ruler in the world, ac-
cording to a recent bulletin of the
National Geographical Society, which
comments on the fact that Luxembourg
is the latest and smallest country in
the world to send diplomatic repre-
sentative to the United States.
Tiny Luxembourg" says the bulle.
tin, "which0is smaller than even the
state of Rhode Island, has it's national
roots far back. in the history of Eu-
rope, if indeed it may be said to have
been rooted at all; for it has been
buffeted about like shuttlecock by
the countries that hem it in, and at
one time or another during the past
thousand years has been under the
control of every one of the principal
nations of the western part of the
continent.
"It started as petty principally in
the Holy Roman Empire, and, though
it has since lost territory, it has
gained prestige, being raised first to
a duchy and finally to a grand duchy.
while a part of the Holy Empire,
Luxembourg furnished an emperor for
the German throne. Count Henry ~
of Luxembourg was elected to that high
position in 1903 as Henry VII. LuXem-
burg later came under the control of
Burgundy, and then fell successfully
to Spain, Austria and the first French
Republic. 1t remained under the SOW.
ereignty of the King of the Neither.
lands from 1916 to the accession of
Queen Wilhelmina in 1890, when the
existence of the Salic Law-that anti.
feminist outburst of the old warrior
Franks-brought the Grand Duke OF
Nassau to the throne.
An independent State.
Even while the King of the Meth.
erlands was sovereign of Luxembourg
it was a member of the German Con
federation. with the city of Luxembourg
garrisoned by Prussian soldiers. Re
tention of this garrison in the city
after the division of old Luxembourg
between Holland and Belgium in 1881
and especially after the dissolution OF
the German Confederation in 1866, al.
most caused the Franco-Prussian War
to start three years ahead of time
The matter was compromised by an
agreement for the withdrawal of the
German troops and the demolishment
of the Notifications of the city of Lux
emburg-so strong that the fortress
was known as the Gibraltar of the
North In addition, the grand duchy
was set UP as an Independent state
with it's neutrality guaranteed, like
that of Belgium, by the Powers.
Grand Duchess Charlotte, the pres
ent ruler, probably has more popu
lar title to her throne than any other
| royal ruler. Suffrage in Luxembourg
| was made universal in the summer OF
1919, and in September a plebiscite
was taken on whether the reignine
ruler should be retained, whether an
other grand duchess should be chosen
or whether republic should be estab
lished. The vote resulted in an over
whelming majority in favor of the
Grand Duchess Charlotte, and it is be
lieved that the votes of the women
were largely responsible for the re
suit
Like Switzerland, Luxembourg has
more than one language. Some of the
inhabitants speak German, some
French and some mixture of the
two. 1t has no coinage of it's own, anG
the coins of all its neighbors may BIZ
found in circulation