ROYALTY IN LOVE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 248, 25 February 1911, Page 9

ROYALTY IN LOVE

MOSTLY UNSUCCESSFUL. Nero stole Poppaea from a nobleman of the Roman Court, but she acted so badly that one day, in a fit of passion, he kicked her to death. Alexander the limit had a large number of wives, and was accustomed to reduce them to obedience by using the Hat of his sword as a corrective.

Charlemagne never asked the advice of anyone about his love affairs or marriages, but married as he pleased; and, when he became tired of his Queen, sent her away and took another, in all having live successive wives. Jerome Bonaparte married against the wish of Napoleon, and afterwards, in mean compliance with his brother's wishes, hud the marriage annulled, in order to win a European crown. His American wife followed him to Hurope, but she was not allowed to land on the Continent. Prince Albert, afterwards Albert 111. of Bavaria, about 1450, fell in love with a barber's daughter. His Royal father disapproved his intention of marrying her, and, on his refusal to give her up, sent three or four ruffians, who kidnapped her, tied a stone to her waist, and threw her into the Danube. Peter the Great married by having three or four hundred of the most beautiful and accomplished ladies from all parts of the empire assembled as Moscow. This extraordinary gathering took place on July 10, 1 OS!), and Peter selected Eudoxia Feodorovna, of Novgord, and three years later imprisoned her in a convent in order to marry Catherine. The English Princess Mary Tudor was in love with an English nobleman named Charles Brandon, but was married by her father to the old King of France, with the promise that she might please herself with the next marriage she made. The King fell ill, and, anticipating his death, she sent for Charles to have him handy, and in less than three hours after iheb reath had left her husband's body she had ajrain become a wife. •James IV. of Scotland lost the Battle of Flodden for Lady Heron, of Ford Castle. Infatuated by her charms, and detained by her entreaties, he remained at the castle, his army idly encambed about its walls, until the English army arrived and took up a favorable position. He then bravely endeavored to amend his fatal error, but the effort came tor. late, and, with mist of his nobility, the King died on the (ield. The ease of Judith and Holofernes was repeated in later days in Sweden. Agnius, a Swedish king, made war with a Finnish tribe, and, after subduing them, demanded hostages as security for their good behaviour. Among them was a girl named Schialvia, and, taking a fancy to her, Agnius married her on the spot. A wedding feast was prepared, at which the King became drunk. Taking advantage of his condition, Schialvia managed, during the night, to hang him to the beam of his own tent, and make her escape to her own people.

Theodosius the younger was married by competitive examination. His councillors resolved to provide him with a perfect wife, and made proclamation throughout the empire that all maidens who desired to compete should come to Constantinople and be entered. At that time a young Greek girl named Athemais came to the capital to secure her share of the family estate, and by singular good fortune attracted the attention of an 'official of the palace, who introduced her to the lady having the contest in charge. She was enrolled with the rest, over six hundred in number, was chosen by the Emperor, and soon obtained a complete ascendancy over him. In her old age she was unjustly accused by her enemies, and exiled to Jerusalem, where she died.

Anne of Austdia, wife of Louis XIV., was one of the most lovable characters of her time, but that fact did not prevent her being the cause of serious political complications. Richelieu became enamored of her, but she rejected his overtures, having at this time a weakness, wholly phitonic, it is believed, for the Duke of Buckingham, the English Minister. Fired with jealousy, Richleau ordered the Duke out ' of the country. The result was a quarrel, followed by i war, and when Rochelle was besieged, and Buckingham was sent out with an army to relieve the Huguenot stronghold, Richlieu contrived that a forged letter, supposed to come from the Queen, should be sent to Buckingham) ' asking him to hold back his forces. Tie did so, Rochelle was taken, and the deluded Buckinghom was left to explain matters as best he could.

The great Constable Bourbon got into trouble not by falling in love, but by not doing so when a woman was in love with him. The lady in this case wns Louisa of Savoy, the mother of Francis I. She had made up her mind to have him for a husband, and, being a widow, went about the job with energy and determination. As lie 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 she was old enough to be his mother. On receiving this unkindly cut she determined by other means than solicitation to reduce him to a matrimonial state of rabid. He was prosecuted, deprived of his estates, degraded from his dignities, and finally driven into exile, and compelled to take service in the Spanish army;'but such was Louisa's devotion that, at every step, she gave him to understand that he had but to propose, and all would he forgiven. He never proposed, but preferred to live in exile, and die under the suspicion of treachery rather than marry a woman he hated,