Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1921-12-13
Famous Trials
DON Carlos or sPAIN.

An unnatural father and a refractory
son led to the most interesting trial in
Spanish history. when King Philip II OF
Spain condemned to death his son, Don
Carlos, for treason in 1865. Don Carlos
affections became alienated from his IA
Their by his disappointing him of his
promised match With the Princess Eliza
beth. a daughter of Henry II of France
and Catherine de Medici This princess
left France with the intention of being
welded to Don Carlos, but when she ar
rived and the son refused to wed her, the
father stepped in and made her his own
queen.
Naturally such termination would
lead to an unhappy marriage, but it was
probably the only way that poor old
Philip could connive in order to placate
the insult and anger to his neighboring
state. To further anger his father, Don
Carlos tried to inveigle Don Juan, a son
of Charles Y. into a scheme against his
father, but Don Juan tinlidly refused,
and in order to ingratiate himself more
firmly with Philip he revealed the scheme
to the king. Then to further aggravate
matters Don Carlos wrote a book entitled
THE Great and Marvellous Expeditions of
King Don Philip" in which he held up
his father to ridicule, and finally engaged
in a conspiracy with the rebels in the
1NSli6IIdlu6 anu MIS- 10 have put uIIlScAI
at their head.
When a delegation arrived from Elan
ders on a secret mission to confer with
Don Carlos. Count Egmont and Count
Horn Tere placed in prison. and in
searching the former a letter was discov-
cred from Don Carlos, This led to en-
entire estrangement between father and
son, and Philip determined upon the lat
| ters arrest. He was seized while in bed
l=+ f,4 IL
| and carried away all his papers.
Philip called a council and commuTi-
| Gated to them what course had been
taken with Don Carlos. contenting him
| self with telling them in general that he
was determined to that step by motives
| of the utmost Importance. In the same
style he addressed himself TO all the am
bassadors and propagated the news OF
| his extraordinary proceedings over all his
dorninions.
| King Philip wrote letters to all the
| princes of Europe informing them of the
Unreasonable actions of his son. Philip did
not accuse Don Carlos of any capital
| crime, as would be inferred from his let
| tiers, but the unfriendliness OF his son
| weighed so heavily upon him that he
would not enter the gates of Madrid dur
| ing the whole time of Don Carlos con-
| finement
| Philip mustered UP all the evidence
that he could draw together of this state
crime, and received from all quarters a
variety of dispositions which accused the
prince of favoring the rebels Of Elan
ders. He then held what he called his
| court of conscience" He called to his
| assistance several eminent doctors of di-
| vinity and questioned them as to what
punishment Don Carlos deserved for the
crime that was proved upon him. Their
sentiments were divided. Some were of
the opinion that his transgression ought
to be pardoned enforcing their decision
with cogent arguments but others al
legged weighty motives as to why he
should be severely punished.
Finally Philip sent for the Fathers Of
the Inquisition and abandoned his son to
the judgment of that tremendous tribunal
with an order that they should not show
any more regard for him than to the
meanest of his subjects. nor lay any
stress upon the dignity of his birth, the
splendor Of his rank or the authority
which he bore in the monarchy.
In few days an indictment was drawn
up in obedience to the king, who consti
tuted himself his sons accuser. BY the
sentence they pronounced, Don Carlos
was declared g. hereto, guilty of a con
spiracy against fhe life Of his father. ant
they condemned him to remain in prison
Cardinal Spinosa represented to the king
| that no cage was strong enough to con
| fine this bird. and that he must eithel
| despatch him soon of set him at liberty.
Then the populaee began to murmur
and the king became alarmed for fea
: there would be an uprising. The onl,
J thing he could see to avoid trouble wouit
be to put his son to death. When the In
, quisitors were approached on the subiec
, they advocated capital punishment. Il
spite of many forebodings Of wrongdoine
J the king finally signed the death sen
J tence and despatched one of the Inquisi
tors to read 1t to Don Carlos.
In response til a request from the lat
ter. Philin visited Don Carlos and whel
: the son entreated him to remember tina
} he was of his own blocd. the monarch i
| said to have replied: When I have ba,
blood, I make my surgeon let it out A
7 to the death of the prince. authorize
: differ. One affirms that he opened hi
/ | veins and bled to death in his bath
: while Matthew, the French historian. al