Royal Lovers

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 March 1911, Page 4

Royal Lovers

ANT) ll!)W THEY FAKE. Nero stole Poppaea from a nobleman of the Roman Court, but she acted so badly that one day. in a. fit of passion, lie kicked her to death. Alexander the Great had a large number of wives, and was accustomed to reduce them to obedience by using the flat of his sword as a corrective. Charlemagne never asked the advice of anyone about his love affairs or marriages, but married as ho pleased; and. when 'lie became tired of liis Queen, sent her away and took another, in all having five successive wives. Jerome Bonaparte married against the wish of Napoleon and afterwards in mean compliance with ibis brother's wishes, had the marriage annulled. in order to win a. European crown. His American wife followed liim to Europe, but she was not allowed to land on the Continent. Prince Albert, afterwards Albert TIT. of Bavaria, about 1450, fell in love with a barber's daughter. His Royal father disapproved his intention of marrying her, and, on Is is refusal to give her up, sent tlbroe or four ruffians, wh okidnapped her, tied a stone to her waist, and threw her into the Danube. Peter the Great married by bavin"- three or four hundred of the most beautiful and accomplished ladies from all parts of the empire assembled at Moscow. This extraordinary gathering took place on July 19. 1089, and Peter selected Eudoxia. Foodorovna, of Novgord, and three years later imprisoned her in a convent in order to marry Catherine. The English Princess Mary Tudor was iu love with an English nobleman name'd Charles Brandon, lint was married by her fa till or to the old King of France, with the promise that she might please herself wi*h the next marriage sho made. The King fell ill, and. anticipating bis death, she sent for Charles to have him handy, ami in less than thr. ,:> hours after the breath had left her husband's body she had again become a wife.

.Tames [V. of Scotland lost tihe Battle of Flodden for Lady Heron, of Ford Castle. Infatuated by her charms, and detained bv her entreaties, lie remained at the castle, bis army idly encamped about its walls, llntil the English army arrived aivT took up a favourable position. He then bravely endeavoured to amend his fatal error, but the effort came too late, and, with most of his nobility, tho King died, on tlie field. The caso of .Judith and Holofernes was repeated in la tor days in Sweden. Agniu.s, a Swedish king, made war with a Finnish trible, and, after subduing them, demanded hostages as security for idieir good behaviour. Anvong them was a girl named: Schialvia. and. taking a fancy to hor. Agnins marriedilier on the spot. A wedding feast was prepared, at which the King became drunk. Taking advantage of his condition, Schialvin managed, during tho night, to >hang him to the beam of his own tent, and make her escape to her own people, Theodosius the younger was married hv competitive examination. His councillors resolved to provide him with a perfect wife, and made proclamation throughout the empire that all maidens who desired to coin, pete should come to Constantinople and be entered. At tliat time n young Greek girl named Atheniais came to the capital to secure her share of the family estate, and bv singular good fortune attracted 11k attention of a,n official of the palae->, who introduced her to the lady having the contest in charge. Slve was enrolled with the rest, over six hundred in number, was "hosen by lie Emperor, and anon obtained a co •• plete ascendency over him. Tn her old age she was unjustly accused by her enemies, and exiled t'o Jerusalem, where she died.

Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XT V., was one of the most lovab'c characters of her time, but that r <ice did not prevent her being the ca ue of serious political .complications. Richelieu became enamored of her but she rejected his overtures, having at this time a weaknes, wholly platonic, it is believed, tor tiho I)i"l>e of Buckingham the English Mi'iis ter. Fired with jealousy, Richie u ordered the Duke out of the count y. The result was a quarrel, followed in a war, and when Rochelle ivas besieged, and Buckingham was sent out with an army to relieve i].e Huguenot stronghold, Richeleu co'ntrived that a forged letter, supposed to come from the Queen, should be sent to Buckingham asking him lo hold hack his forces. He dtid so, Rochelle was taken, and the deluded Bucking)!)am was left to explain matters as best ho could. The great Constable Bourbon got into trouble not hy falling in love, but by not doing so when a. wonva.i was in love with him.. The lady in this case was Louisa of Savoy, tin mother of Francis I. She had ma le up her mind to have him for a husband, and, being a widow, w?,nt a'boufc the job with energy and determination. As ho persistently declined to take the numerous hints she freely tendered, she sent him a messenger plainly offering matrimony. He refused the offer with military gruffness, declaring that site was old enough to be bis mother. On receiving this unkindly cut she determined by other means th»n solicitation to reduce him to a matrimonial state of mind.. He was prosecuted, deprived of his estate?, degraded from his dignities, and thirdly driven into exile, and! compel let to take seirvice in the Span-sh army ; b it such was Louisa's de/ imo.i «hnt\ at every step, she fave him to understand that he had b.it 'o j r-: ~ose, and all would be forcc'ven. lie never proposed, but ivefv-'d to l;ve in exile, and die under the suspir.on of treachery rather than m.rrv .i woman lie hated.