THE CROWN OF ALBANIA

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1960, 17 January 1914, Page 2

THE CROWN OF ALBANIA

' « '- THE NEW PRINCE. CHOICE OF THE POWERS. " Prince William of Wted has been chosen by the Powers to ascmid llh> tlironu of Albania as its first sovereign ruler.. There were many rivnl candidates, native and foreign, but the eriee* tion of Prineo Wiliwra was from the first a foregone conclusiott. Apart from his personal qualities ho possessed ono great advantage over the others; ho was an Bvangeiieal Protestant, and could bo relied upon to hold the balance oven as between the thruo religions, Moslem, Greek Orthodox, and Roman which claim tho allegiance of the Albanians. What this means in the Dalkans is known to everybody. In addition, tho house of Wicd has for 'centuries been celebrated, for its traditions of religious tolerance. Hermann of Wicd, the Archbishop of Cologne, was oho of the first ta extend his protection to tiw persecuted followers of Luther, and Prineo Alexander of Wied turned his residence, Nottwied, into a. veritable harbour of rcfu.jjo for all creede. Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Mennonitc-s, Orthodox and sectarians, nil found hospitality under the shadow of tho Newwied castle and livod side by sido in perfect amity. Theso traditions oouid not be ignored by thePewers when seeking for a priiice to rule over Albania. Detachment from tho rival Albanian reljgisns and perfect tolerance in all matters of faith—those wore credentials ef the very best kind in tho particular circumsta.uccs obtaining. A "MQdcFn" Royal Family. But there other advantages. The Wiods are of an ancient stock, which gave Germany many illustrious names in various domains. Tho family early abandoned feudal liabits and prejudices ami acquired a "modem" rioff of tho World and its needs, Tiio mediatisatioa of its possessions in 1806 by Napoleon did not therefore- eomo to it as a great shock. _ Tho principality had been ''inediatised" long before in point of '. fact, as tfeo result of tho non-4'oudal outlook of its mlers, their intimate and unconventional inte-rcourso with their subjects, and theif personal taste for . all those pursuits which mark the "Bourgeois"—the "burgerlicho" os tho Germans call it—mode of life. To havo a Princo of Albania coming from such a- "modern" family was an. advnntago, tor it meant elUciency, reform, ana a stsnso. lor the realities of iifo, One of tho immediate ancestors of Priace William was Prince Maximilian, whoso travels in tho Brazilian forests and books dealing with tie results of his .investigations ja tho regions now rendered notorious by tho rubber scandals gained for him an honourable place in the annals of German Bcicra<se. Prince father, of thd same namp, was himself a gifted and highly-cultivated m*n, whose sok> aristocratic hobby wae horse breeding. It speaks much of his 'modern riows that he took a passionate interest in colonial affairs, and was for many ?«ars on tho committee of tho German Colonial Society. This, at the time when the Prussian Junkerdom stiit abhorred Woltpolitik, rendered him in their eyes so unpleasant that when in 1897 ho ,put j : forward;; hje candidatures for tho Presidency $i the Prussian Upper House he only succeeded in defeating his rival by I a small,majority of votes, ': j Tho pj-egent Princo William ws tho 'sbeond sw ia his family. Ho was. born on March 26> 18*6, nnd gro\v- up to ljo a tall, and cultured young man, d«vot<id to riding and historical studies. £ike his brothers, ho Sad , Ms military service in the Guards Regiment in Berlin, and won ttm respect'both-, of his comrados and his chiefs by his dovotion, earnestness, and loyalty. Tho ftrst rumour of his candidature found him in tho rank of captain emplftyod by the Great General Staff, whicn is a groat distinction. On November 30, 19(38, ho married Princess Sophia of SclionhuVgi Waldemburg, a granddaughter ef Princess Cantacuzone, of tho' celebrated Bu- ! maniaii family. There in Rumania, sho had passed her younger days and acquired a tovo for Oriental art and lifo. The Prince nt Homo. There also she camo into closq touch with "Carnicn Sylva," Qneon Elizabeth of Rumania, who herself is a Princess of Wied, the sister of Prince William's father. It was Carmen Sylva who brought tho young oou.plo together, and thus laid the foundation of «eir happy union. The Prince nnd Prlncoss of Wied settled in lieriin and afterwards in PotsdaJn, whoro their house be* eamo one of the favourite resorts not o.n ! ly for tho fashionable world, bat also for artists and musicians of the Gomian i capital, A number of salons in tho isousy aro decorated in tho Oriental style, and tho Princess herself likes to receive her guests in Oriental dress, nnd entertain them with tho stories of her and her husband's adventures in Syria and Palestone, which they crossed on horseback, passing tho night in Arab tents. They aro no doubt a very interesting couple, fond of sport and of art, arid well-prepared by thoir sympathies for a Balkan Throne. The suggestion of Princo- William's candidature is said to havo eomo first from King Carol, of Rumania* wno, as ' a relative, well know the man? and ap* predated his qualifications for tho higli post. At aiiy rate, it is certain that tho formal proposal to tho Powers camo from him and that Germany and Austria-' were the first to give their oowsent. Dj n happy coineideneo tho Princess gave birth to her first son just after the idea of tho Albanian crown had _ been broached, the only other child being a| girl, who was borii in 1909. Tho crown of Albania will not.bo an easy thing to wear, but tho Powers have certainly chesen tho best man available. -