Consort Profile: Queen Maria Sophie

Queen Maria Sophie was the last Queen consort of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria her older sister was the famous Empress Elizabeth of Austria who married Franz Joseph I. In 1859 she married the soon-to-be King Francis II of the Two Sicilies whose country was on the verge of extreme crisis. The Italian peninsula was in the grip of turmoil brought on by a combination of revolution, nationalism and republicanism. Before the year was out the old monarch, Ferdinand II, was dead and Marie Sophie and her husband were King and Queen of the Sicilies that were targeted for invasion by the army of revolutionary republicans led by Giuseppe Garibaldi. Toward the end of 1860 the Bourbon forces had to abandon Naples and Francis II decided to make his stand at Gaeta.

By this time the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia under Victor Emmanuel II had joined the fight for Italian unification and his naval forces began to shell the city. The siege of Gaeta was the defining moment in the life and short reign of Queen Maria Sophie. She was constantly on the walls, caring for the wounded, encouraging the troops, shouting defiance at the enemy and sharing her food with the hungry soldiers. It was, however, a hopeless fight and the King and Queen were forced to give up Gaeta and go to Rome where they established a government-in-exile which was recognized by most of Europe. They were honored guests of the Papal court but the position of the Pope was under the same threat that had already befallen their own country.

The marriage of Francis II and Marie Sophie was not always without problems but things did improve somewhat following the birth of their daughter in 1869 though the child only lived a few months. When Italian nationalist troops conquered Rome in 1870, ending the era of Papal rule, the King and Queen went to Bavaria where Francis II died in 1894. However, Queen Maria Sophie continued to preside over a Two-Sicilies court-in-exile and never gave up hope for a restoration of her adopted kingdom. During World War I (not surprisingly for a Bavarian princess) the Queen sided with Germany and Austria and hoped that the defeat of Italy might to lead to the restoration of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. However, that was not to be but it is remarkable that the Queen generated so much respect and admiration, even from those who would be her most extreme political enemies such as the famous Italian ultra-nationalist Gabriele d'Annunzio who called her the "stern little Bavarian eagle". The Queen died still in exile in Munich in 1925 but her remains were later moved to Naples where she rests with her short-lived daughter in the Church of Santa Chiara.

Monarchist Profile: Pigneau de Behaine

Pierre Pigneau de Behaine, Bishop of Adran, was a key individual in the rise to power of the Nguyen, the last imperial dynasty of Vietnam. He took holy orders and journeyed to the Far East to train native missionaries in Thailand. Wars were raging in Indochina with civil wars in Vietnam and a Burmese invasion of Thailand and Behaine himself was at one point arrested and held in the most cruel confinement but refused to return to a comfortable life in France. He felt his work was too important. They key moment came when he took in a refugee prince, the sole survivor of his family, named Nguyen-Phuc Anh in 1777. Anh would never forget the kindness that Behaine had showed him and in time the two became allies in the effort by Anh to unite Vietnam. Behaine went to France to negotiate a treaty with King Louis XVI by which France would obtain exclusive trading rights, an island base and the freedom to spread Christianity in return for French military support against the ruling Tay Son clan with whom Nguyen Anh was at war. King Louis agreed but things soon fell apart with France already on the brink of revolution.

However, Behaine did not give up. He recruited his own mercenary force of naval and artillery experts to come to the aid of Nguyen Anh. His assistance proved decisive as the forces he assembled gave Anh a definite advantage over his enemies. However, Behaine suffered greatly as he accompanied the army. He was with the forces of Anh's son, Crown Prince Canh, at the epic battle of Qui Nhon where he died of dysentery on October 9, 1799. The war went on and in 1802 Anh succeeded and was enthroned as Emperor Gia Long. He had written an extremely moving tribute to his departed friend at the time of his death and the Emperor further honored him with the most lavish funeral ever given to a foreigner in Vietnam as well as building him a magnificent tomb. He also continued to allow religious freedom throughout his reign because of the kindness the Christian bishop had shown him.

Successive monarchs turned against the Christians, and French (seeing them as the same) but later on full religious freedom was enacted. That all ended with the ultimate victory of the communist revolutionary forces in the 20th Century. In 1983 the communist Vietnamese government destroyed Behaine's tomb, incinerated his corpse and sent the ashes back to France where they now rest in the Paris Foreign Missions Society.

Royal Guardians Profile: The Grenadier Guards

The senior infantry regiment of the British army, the Grenadier Guards first formed in Belgium to protect the exiled King Charles II and later earned their highest honors and reputation by defeating the French Imperial Guard of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo. They are one of the units of the famous Guards Division and like the rest are called on to take their turn standing guard over Buckingham Palace and Queen Elizabeth II, carrying on a long and honorable tradition as they have served and guarded 13 British monarchs. Their training is extensive and lasts two weeks longer than other British infantry regiments because of the extra time that must be spent to perfect their drill and ceremonial duties as a guard regiment. However, they are not simply parade ground soldiers and have earned battle honors in the War of Spanish Succession, the War of Austrian Succession, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean Wars, colonial conflicts in Africa and China, both World Wars and the Persian Gulf War. Like all "Household" units the monarch is the official colonel-in-chief of the Grenadier Guards.

Monarch Profile: Emperor Agustin I of Mexico

Don Agustin de Iturbide was a native of the Kingdom of Michoacan in what is now Mexico but which was then New Spain. He was a career officer in the Spanish army and fought with distinction in the royalist forces against the numerous revolutionary uprisings in Mexico since the first attempted race-war of Hidalgo in 1810. He fought to put down the rebellion and guerilla war of Morelos but as the government in Spain seemed to be going more liberal itself and as it seemed more and more inevitable that Mexico would never know peace without independence he finally broke with his Spanish military past and drew up the Plan of Iguala which called for "Union, Independence and Religion" which is to say the unity of all the racial groups and social classes, the independence of Mexico and the preservation of the Roman Catholic Church.

Agustin and his forces then marched on Mexico City and secured the recognition of Mexican independence from the last Spanish Viceroy Juan O'Donoju. General Iturbide had wanted Mexico to be independent but in personal union with King Fernando VII of Spain or upon his refusal under another Spanish Borbon prince who would come to be their monarch. However, Fernando VII refused to make any concessions on the subject of Mexico and along with that attitude no other European prince would dare to accept the crown. The Mexicans who gathered in the National Congress squabbled among themselves until the troops themselves hailed their commander as Agustin I, Emperor of Mexico. The Congress and Iturbide himself finally agreed and on July 21, 1822 he was crowned Emperor of Mexico in the National Cathedral.

Like many military leaders Emperor Agustin had not desired power, but if thrust upon him he expected to be obeyed, but this attitude was met with almost immediate and constant clashes with the divided and chaotic political scene in Mexico City, aided in no small part it must be said by the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico who was a Freemason and quickly spread membership in that secretive order amongst the upper echelons of liberal Mexico City society. One such recruit was an embittered former army officer named Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna who quickly began plotting against Iturbide whom he had previously sworn allegiance to. When the Congress became so difficult to deal with the Emperor said he would abdicate if that was the wish of the people. The Congress, without taking a vote or holding a referendum, said that it was and Iturbide abdicated and in May of 1823 went into exile in Europe, first in Italy and later England.

Almost as soon as he left leading conservatives appealed for him to return, arguing that the people were loyal, that he was needed to combat a threatened Spanish attempt at reconquest and that he would be greeted as a liberator from the political turmoil that followed his departure. Iturbide wrote the government, offering his services as a soldier to defend the country, but was ignored. By the summer of the following year he was finally prevailed upon to return to Mexico but his arrival was forewarned by the republican government who met him at the coast with troops. Despite being applauded by the populace he was quickly arrested by the local republican warlord and executed by firing squad on July 19, 1824. Ironically his political rehabilition later came about during the rule of the dictator Santa Anna who had first led the move to depose him. His remains are now entombed in the National Cathedral of Mexico in Mexico City.

Queen Fabiola Out & About Again

For the first time since her hospitalization for pneumonia earlier this year Belgian Queen Fabiola (wife of the late King Baudouin) made her first public appearance at the annual concert of the annual Queen Elisabeth concours in Brussels. She was escorted by her niece Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein and was given a very joyous round of applause by the assembled crowd. Queen Fabiola is 80 years old and certainly one of the great queen-consorts of her time.

Princely Profile: The Accession of Rainier III

It was on this day in 1949 that His Serene Highness Rainier III became Sovereign Prince of Monaco, succeeding his grandfather Louis II. It was an unfortunate coincidence that the death of Rainier III came so close to that of Pope John Paul II which naturally overshadowed all else. Were it a different time the media might have taken a little more time to reflect on the eventful life and reign of Rainier III. He often seems to be a somewhat forgotten man. Everyone knew who he was, yet few really knew much about him and he was outshined by his fascinating wife Princess Grace.

We know from the accounts of his children that Rainier III was a kind man who would make pancakes for his family for breakfast and also a man with a temper, his son Albert said they all knew when to give 'Papa' his space. He could play the suave, debonair Mediterranean prince and yet he did not desire the party and jet-set lifestyle but was devoted to the hard work of running the family 'business' of Monaco. His country, his family and his faith were all very important to him and he zealously defended the unique position and independence of his tiny principality. He was also an extremely brave man which many people are not aware of. He fought in the French artillery in World War II and earned the Cross of War and Bronze Star for his heroism under fire.

Rainier III was not an absentee head of state but a very hands-on monarch, he diversified the economy, brought the country back to lavishness from the poverty of two world wars and brought fame and attention to Monaco with his marriage to Princess Grace (and I don't think the effects of that were lost on him) and he re-negotiated the laws of succession with France when he began to fear that Albert would never marry so that the throne could one day pass to his grandson Andrea Casiraghi. The independence of Monaco and maintaining the Monegasque monarchy were paramount to him. He was a very savy and world-wise CEO, a loving father (stern at times and often driven to distraction it must be said) and also a very affectionate grandfather when that time came. Rainier III seemed to be the right man, in the right place at the right time for Monaco and I have often wondered if HSH Albert II ever looks skyward and wonders what his father would do. He did his best and he left his country stronger and more prosperous than he had found it and he found it 60 years ago today.

Consort Profile: Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna

Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna could not, in practical terms, be considered a very successful royal consort, yet this is only because of the injustice of her popular image. She was, in fact, an amazing woman who was good and gentle, yet strong and courageous. There was no more devoted wife and mother in the world than Alexandra and although in secular terms she might not be regarded as a success, her life is sufficiently inspirational for her to be regarded as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church today.

Born a Hessian princess in Darmstadt and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of Britain she married the Czar Nicholas II of Russia in 1894 and became Czarina on that day (Alexander III had died during their engagement). Unlike other royal matches Nicholas and Alexandra loved each other intensely and remained so for the rest of their lives. Alexandra had to give up her Lutheran faith in favor of Russian Orthodoxy with her marriage but it was no mere conversion of convenience as she became a most devout and zealous Orthodox Christian. Her love of God ran as deep as her love for her husband and despite the anti-German prejudice of many in Russia she loved her new homeland and her Russian people as well.

She gave Nicholas II 5 children, 4 daughters and 1 son but despite her best efforts she remained unpopular with many in Russia, mostly owing to her German origins as it is clear there is nothing she could do to please those who railed against her, there was no act of goodwill or charity which they could not twist to cast her in a negative light. She retreated into her own little world with her family where she was totally devoted to her husband and children and as a result they were an extremely close-knit and loving family. Sadly, her son Alexei was afflicted with hemophilia and it was this that led to her poisonous association with Rasputin who inexplicably seemed able to heal the boy and as a result, no matter how horrid the lurid tales were of the man the Czarina would never believe it. He helped her son and that was all that mattered to her. God and family were first and foremost in all that she did and her life revolved around those twin pillars.

Things became even worse for her during World War I with the rise of more anti-German prejudice which was pointed at Alexandra. As usual, it was a complete injustice as the German Kaiser Wilhelm II was one of the few people Alexandra truly despised. Nonetheless, she did her best to ignore the criticism and work to support her husband and the war effort but it was all to no avail against the horrific forces of the revolution that swept away the ancient Romanov monarchy in 1917. Everyone knows the sad story, how the Czar was forced to abdicate rather than risk the break up of his family, how they were held in cruel captivity by the communists and finally taken to Ekaterinburg and kept under arrest and constantly harassed and tormented by the Red guards. Alexandra spent most of her time in a wheelchair, reading her Bible. On July 17, 1918 on direct orders from the dictator Vladimir Lenin himself, Czarina Alexandra and her entire family were shot to death in the basement of Ekatrinburg for no other "crime" than being Romanovs. Eventually they were all declared martyrs and saints by the Orthodox Church and Russia descended into a nightmare of Bolshevik tyranny, taking much of the world with it in the process.

Are Micro-Monarchies in Danger?

The United States and the European Union, in the midst of the "global economic crisis" have begun taking at the tax havens of the world and countries across Europe are scrambling to be taken off the international 'hit-list' including the micro-monarchies of Liechtenstein and Monaco. They have already promised to stop protecting bank secrecy and go along with international and foreign regulations to varying degrees, even the fiercely independent Swiss. It is clear they do not want to be pariahs on the world stage but could the urge to be in the "in" crowd hurt the tiny principalities in the long run? Almost everyone has been hurt by the current economic crisis, directly or indirectly, though so far the princes of both Liechtenstein and Monaco have said they have remained relatively unscathed. However, at the start of the year HSH Prince Albert II was feeling the pinch enough to halt plans for the addition of another ward to the country by expansion through sea reclamation. So, regardless of the spin, the crisis has already cost Monaco some major investment opportunities.

I could be reading too much into all of this (and I sincerely hope I am wrong) but I am concerned that this new wave of economic transparency could radically hurt if not doom the tiny monarchies like Liechtenstein and Monaco which I so greatly admire. The prosperity these countries enjoy owes a considerable amount to the foreign investment that has been attracted by their low taxes and banking policy of "ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies". If the considerable financial perks of doing business in Vaduz or Monte Carlo dry up, if foreign investment stops, just what do these principalities have to fall back on to ensure their economic survival? I hardly see how Liechtensteiners could continue to enjoy their high standard of living if the national income had to rely entirely on selling stamps. Monaco is probably an even more extreme case as the high cost of living there depends on attracting high-end business and high-paying investors to the country. If those wells dry up few of the expats who make up the bulk of the population of Monaco could afford to live there.

All around the world the economic crisis is being used as an opportunity for international leftist forces to consolidate power. In the past this was done with Soviet tanks, today it is being done even more effectively by economic strong-arm tactics and no one, even the idyllic principalities of Liechtenstein and Monaco are unaffected.

Russia's Would-Be Czarina Visits Ukraine

The Russian Monarchist's Blog has a story about the visit of the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, heiress of the Romanov dynasty, to the Republic of the Ukraine where she was treated with all of the pomp and ceremony of a visiting head-of-state. See the post here.

The End of the End for Royal Vietnam

Today marks the anniversary of the end of one of the most pivotal battles in world history; the siege of Dien Bien Phu in the mountainous jungles of North Vietnam in 1954. It was pivotal because it spelled the end of the French presence in their former colony of Indochina, it spelled a further conquest by the international revolutionary forces of communism and it was pivotal because a third-world colonial guerilla force had defeated a European power. In later years when the conflict against the communists in Vietnam was taken up by the United States many Americans would deride the French for this, but in fact the French fought longer than the Americans, took heavier losses than the Americans and did so without conscription in metropolitan France unlike the USA. That being said, for most of the conflict the USA under President Eisenhower had been funding the French war and the French and associated forces were in most cases armed, clothed and equipped by the US.

The siege of Dien Bien Phu was an epic, dramatic, and colorful page in history but I will fight the urge to go into it in detail. What I mention it here for is that the siege was not unrelated to the cause of monarchism. Although it was not a strategically crippling defeat for the French (who were actually a minority in the battle with most of the troops being North African, Vietnamese and the Germans and others who made up the Foreign Legion units) but it was seen as the last straw to a war weary public and effectively ended the "First Indochina War". The French fought that war on behalf of the State of Vietnam (as the US would later do with the Republic of Vietnam or South Vietnam) and the "Chief of State" of the French Associated State of Vietnam was none other than HIM Bao Dai, last Emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. When the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu it effectively meant the end of the rule of the last Viet monarch.

That does not mean that the State of Vietnam was a monarchy, though it certainly looked, sounded, felt and acted like one. Its official status was ambiguous, something which probably hurt it. The former Emperor was not officially restored as Emperor (he had abdicated in 1945 at the height of the August Revolution) but he was still addressed like royalty, treated like royalty and his son and heir, the Prince Imperiale Bao Long, was treated as his son and heir and even went to London to represent the Nguyen dynasty at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. There is also the fact that Bao Dai had no other claim to power besides the fact that until 1945 he had been the Emperor of Vietnam. He was not happy about the dependence on the French but also recognized the fact that besides the communists they were the only option. He had himself grown up in France and the French had long helped maintain his family's monarchy though their colonial policies no doubt weakened it. Other powers might not be so considerate.

The defeat at Dien Bien Phu meant that the French gave in to the communists at the Geneva Conference and recognized the North Vietnamese government as a legitimate power and agreed to evacuate their forces and hold a vote after a certain period of time to determine under which government the country would be reunified. Emperor Bao Dai refused to sign the agreement, famously saying, "There is only one Vietnamese state; it is I!" The United States also refused to sign and it was clear that they would be the only support for the anti-communist Vietnamese. Emperor Bao Dai tried to make common cause with the Americans but the US would not have him. Less than a year later, working through his Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem, US agents helped arrange a rigged vote to depose the Emperor and make Diem President of the Republic of Vietnam. The monarchy may officially have ended in 1945 but the last traces were purged in that rigged vote and it all happened because of the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu 55 years ago today.

Guest Article: King Roger II of Sicily

(This bio was contributed by blog follower Paul the "Mediterranean Monarchist", posted at his request)

King Roger II of Sicily was a descendant of the Norman knights whom the Popes had recruited to fight the Muslim expansion in the Mediterranean. He succeeded his brother Simon of Hauteville as Count of Sicily in 1105 with his mother (queen consort of King Baldwin I of Jerusalem) as regent and grew up in a very cosmopolitan atmosphere unique to the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages. One of his earliest advisors was the Emir Christodulus of Palermo and in 1110 he was visted by King Sigurd Jorsalfare of Norway who was going to the Holy Land.

When he reached his majority in 1112 he began to rule on his own with the help of a diverse array of advisors as the Sicilian court was unmatched in its racial and religious tolerance. Over the course of his reign he was assisted by Arab and Greek scholars as well as men from all across Europe. Talent brought promotion rather than favoritism of faction. His court included the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi, the Greek historian Nilus Doxopatrius, the aforementioned Christodulus and made Thomas Brun (the son of a courtier of King Henry I) of England the leader of his court. In 1117 he married his first wife Princess Elvira of Castile and he claimed and finally conquered the Hauteville family possessions in the south of Italy, starting a campaign that would ultimately lead to the unity of all Norman Italian possessions.

His campaigns to take control of Capua and Apulia were resisted by Pope Honorius II. Though it was the popes who had invited the Norman presence in the Mediterranean they feared any consolidation of power on their part. At one point a crusade was even declared against him but Roger II was aided by the ongoing warfare between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. When imperial troops forced Pope Innocent II to flee to Pisa Roger II backed the rival Pope Anacletus II. Eventually papal misfortune left them dependent on Roger and to placate him he was given the title of King of Sicily. He was crowned on Christmas in 1130 in Palermo.

For the next ten years Roger II had to fight rebellions in the south of Italy as well as papal-backed coalition of powers against him who was called “half-heathen” because of the way Christians and Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox served alongside in his domain. Roger knew victories and defeats in the long struggle but could not take Naples from the rebel forces. In 1136 German imperial troops moved in from the north with naval support coming from the Byzantine Emperor, both of whom were jealous of Roger’s growing power in the Mediterranean. Luckily, once Apulia was taken by imperial troops the Holy Roman Emperor Lothair III went home and gave King Roger II some breathing room.

The Sicilian attack on Apulia was defeated but Roger II came back and won the final victory in Capua where the rebel leader died of malaria in his capital of Troia in 1139. All the while Roger II, who viewed himself as God’s viceroy, was eager to reconcile with the Church but the Pope demanded the price of an independent Capua between Sicily and his own states which Roger II refused to pay. Pope Innocent II invaded Roger’s country in 1139 but was ambushed by Roger’s son, his army defeated and the Pope taken prisoner. Now within his power his longtime enemy now had a change of heart and recognized Roger II as King of Sicily, Duke of Apulia and Prince of Capua. The Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, which existed for the better part of a thousand years thereafter, were thus fixed in their familiar borders.

King Roger II put down some remaining rebels and ensured peace and stability in the years to come by centralizing power, diminishing that of the local potentates and introduced a standard currency; the ducat. Roger II was then able to focus his attention southward and with the help of veteran Greek, Saracen and west European mercenaries was able to build up a respectable naval force until the Kingdom of Sicily became the dominant naval power in the Mediterranean. His expanded his power to the northern coast of Africa, taking numerous ports and coastal territories including Tripoli and Cape Bona.

With the outbreak of the Second Crusade Roger II was able to turn some old enemies into allies and launched his naval forces against the Byzantines. In 1147 his forces captured the island of Corfu and raided places from Athens to Thebes from which he imported the Sicilian silk industry. Unfortunately he lost Corfu when his fleet launched an ultimately futile attack on Constantinople itself. Not quite ten years later King Roger II died in Palermo on February 26, 1154.

Monarchist Profile: Francois de Charette

The French Revolution is rightly considered one of the pivotal events in world history and for monarchists there can be few events so especially horrific. However, as bad as revolutionary leaders like Marat and Robspierre were there were royalist counterrevolutionaries who were as noble and inspirational as their enemies were destructive. One of these heroes was Francois Charette de la Contrie a leader of the royalist uprising in the Vendee. An aristocrat who had served in the French navy during the American War for Independence he also defended Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette from the mob at the Tuileries. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution and the birth of the First Republic the people of the Vendee rose up in opposition to the revolutionary regime in 1793 and appealed to Charette for leadership. He was aware of the gravity of the situation and the odds against them but was persuaded and joined the mostly peasant army of Jacques Cathelineau, styled the "Grand Catholic and Royal Army" to fight the republican forces.

After the break-up of the initial campaign Charette led his forces in a guerilla campaign in the lower Vendee with numerous victories but was finally suppressed by a lack of munitions and was taken prisoner. However, he was soon back on the battlefield again in an aristocratic uprising launched with British support. He was given the rank of lieutenant general by the Comte d'Artois but refused to make common cause with the Orleanists because of their earlier collaboration with the revolutionaries. He finally met his final defeat at Quiberon where he was taken prisoner. Charette was then moved to Nantes where he was executed by firing squad in 1796. His bright but short career was over, yet he left a lasting legacy of principled loyalty to his God, his King and France and a family name and tradition that would live on long after him. A hundred years later another Charette followed in his footsteps fighting in the Papal Zouaves defending Pope Pius IX from the Italian nationalists.

Royal Events of the 5th of May

Around here Cinco de Mayo is mostly celebrated in recognition of the battle of Puebla in which the Mexican republicans defeated the French Imperial Army. However, there are far better things I would like to remember the day for. For example, it was on 5 May that the great Kublai Khan became ruler of the Mongol Empire in 1260. On 5 May in 1640 King Charles I of Britain dissolved the Short Parliament (no monarch ever does so great a national service as when they dissolve parliaments). On May 5, 1821 the former Emperor Napoleon I of France died in exile on St Helena island, in 1941 it was the day that Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia returned to his capital and declared May 5 "Liberation Day" and it was on May 5, 1950 that HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned King of Thailand. He remains the longest serving head of state in the world today.

May 5 is also the birthday of Emperor Uda of Japan, King Alphonso III of Portugal, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, the French Empress Eugenie and was the wedding anniversary of the late Princess Margaret of Great Britain. Any one of these would be a greater cause for celebration than the battle of Puebla and the victory of the liberal, anti-clerical, republican government of Benito Juarez. May 5 is also the feast day of Pope St Pius V who famously reformed the Catholic Church and dispatched the Christian fleet that won the epic battle of Lepanto in the Mediterranean. Certainly a far more worthy figure of celebration than a republican victory in Mexico.

Greek King to Undergo Heart Surgery

It was announced this morning on the former King's website that Constantine II will be undergoing a complicated heart surgery to replace a clogged valve with a bioprosthesis and single vessel bypass. The surgery became necessary after the cholesterol congestion began to prevent blood flow between the King's heart and lungs. Although described as a common procedure and an "elective surgery" it will nonetheless require the King to spend some time on life support in order that his heart and lungs may be stopped for the operation. King Constantine II has been one of the most prominent royals-in-exile in Europe after being overthrown in 1973. Since then he has continued to style himself as "King" but has not pushed for a restoration and as recently as last December said in an interview that genuine democracy was what Greece most needed to solve its current problems. Far be it for me to dispute His Majesty but I think he is needed just as much if not more.

Happy Birthday!

Today is the 15th birthday of Pauline Ducruet, daughter of HSH Princess Stephanie of Monaco and currently 8th in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne. Around here this would be cause for an extra-special celebration, but whatever the style is on the riviera The Mad Monarchist wishes Pauline a very happy 15th birthday!

Denmark Has a New Prince!

Sometimes good royal news can seem a little on the scarce side so it is nice to appreciate the good moments when they come. At 4:57 AM local time today at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen HRH Princess Marie (wife of HRH Prince Joachim of Denmark) gave birth to a healthy baby boy weighing 3032 grams and measuring 49 cm long whom the proud royal papa called "perfect". Congratulations to the royal couple and long live the latest Prince of Denmark!

Royal Guardians Profile: The Papal Swiss Guard

The Papal State of Vatican City is the smallest sovereign nation in the world and it is protected by the world's smallest army; the Papal Swiss Guard or, as they are officially titled, The Pontifical Helvetian Cohort. Founded in 1506 they are the longest serving active duty military unit in the world and are charged with guarding the Vatican and the immediate protection of the person of the Pope. Some might view the Papal Swiss Guard in their Renaissance uniforms and armed with halberds as chocolate box soldiers, purely ceremonial, intended to simply add color to grand papal ceremonies. Do not be fooled! The Swiss Guards are a highly trained and extremely motivated elite corps of soldiers who have seen combat more often than one might think. Recruitment standards are extremely high, one must be a Swiss citizen, of a certain age and certain height, of good character and a devout Catholic. Hours are long, the duties are hard and the pay is low; conditions which ensure only the truly committed will volunteer. For many service runs in the family and a number of the guardsmen serving today are descendants of the original Swiss mercenaries first hired by the "Warrior Pope" Julius II centuries ago.

Their greatest moment of military sacrifice (which has become their unit holiday and the day new guardsmen are sworn in) was on May 6, 1527 when 147 of 189 Swiss Guards fought to the death defending Pope Clement VII from invading imperial troops during the infamous Sack of Rome. Their sacrifice allowed the 40 remaining guards to safely escort the Pope to Castel Sant'Angelo. The modern Swiss Guard is a highly trained, elite fighting force. All must have gone through extrensive training with the Swiss Army and after being accepted into the guard they are trained in marksmanship, crowd control and hand-to-hand combat. Their halberds might be their most visible weapons but they have a respectable modern arsenal as well with the latest firearms kept out of sight but close at hand in case of emergencies. Plain-clothes officers of the Guard are around the Pope constantly to guard against assassination attempts and every guardsmen must swear an oath to defend the Pontiff even to the sacrifice of his own life.

In the old days of Renaissance Italy when the Popes often had to fight to maintain their independence from secular powers the Swiss Guards were the hardcore of their armies and the Guard has seen formal battle on occasions ranging from the Napoleonic invasion of the Papal States to the wars for the unification of Italy. Recruited from the German-speaking part of Switzerland this language barrier was once maintained to ensure that clerics in the Vatican could speak freely in their presence without fear of delicate information being passed along. Today, however, guards are immediately taught Italian and most speak a wide variety of languages so as to be able to help tourists visiting Vatican City. The Guard is very proud of the fact that despite many attacks, invasions and assassination attempts (sadly more common now than in centuries past) no Pope under their protection has been killed in all of their 500 years of service.

King Michael Endorses Son-in-Law

In a move that certainly surprised me, King Michael I of Romania has officially endorsed his son-in-law Prince Radu Duda in his run for the presidency. I am almost tempted to wonder if the King has been brainwashed. It seems so unlike him. You can read the message of endorsement here. Not only does King Michael endorse his son-in-law but he seems to imply that this an effort on the part of the Romanian Royal Family as a whole in what he calls a family effort to "unite and rehabilitate the Romania of today". Huh?! How have the politics of republicanism ever united a people? The people who support other candidates will certainly not be united by Prince Radu becoming President of Romania. Perhaps I am being too hasty, I have always had a great deal of respect for King Michael, but I was less than thrilled when Radu first announced he was entering the political fray and I am shocked and almost mortified that King Michael would so zealously endorse him and effectively turn a presidential election into a vote on the monarchy -and a royal restoration is not even on the table!

It was hard for me to believe that King Michael was actually the source of the words I was reading. He spoke of gaining the respect of the rest of the world and mentioned Italy, Spain and America. Well, with all due respect Your Majesty, Spain is a monarchy, Italy is one of the most chaotic republics in Europe (a shining example of the corruption and instability of the republican system if ever there was one) and I am sorry to say that in America having a royal son-in-law as President will probably win Romania no respect either. They will likely conclude he got the office because of his blue-blood ties. However, the fact of the matter is that, even in the best of circumstances, I cannot imagine Prince Radu has a snow-flakes chance in Laredo of winning. I have not spoken to anyone who thinks his chances for success are in any way realistic and that makes it all the more mind-boggling to me that King Michael has so enthusiastically endorsed him and even sounded as if the Royal Family was somehow included in the race. It looks like we might have a disaster to top even that of Tsar Simeon II in Bulgaria; which, I might add, King Michael had enough sense to stay out of.

Monarch Profile: Emperor Khai Dinh

Emperor Khai Dinh of Vietnam is another one of those royal characters whose reputations have suffered unjustly as a result of ignorance and outright lies repeated so often as to be taken as fact. The son of Emperor Dong Khanh who maintained a policy of peaceful cooperation with the French (and who first established religious freedom for Christians) he did not succeed his father but was called to the throne when the two previous monarchs were removed; the first on the grounds of insanity and his son for plotting a rebellion against the French protectorate. Khai Dinh ascended the Golden Throne in 1916 in very difficult circumstances. His young predecessor was very popular for having defied the French but Khai Dinh was convinced that such rebellion would be disastrous. The French kept Vietnam stable and protected, kept the monarchy in place and he felt that any rebellion would only lead to defeat and much death whereas a spirit of willing cooperation would earn the Viets respect and greater autonomy for their country.

His reign name meant "Auger of Peace and Stability" and this is what he wanted most of all. After the chaotic preceeding years he wanted to shore up the stability, dignity and respect of the Nguyen dynasty monarchy. The French Resident Superior was a close friend of his and although he was vilified by many as a collaborator and "salaried clerk" of the French by Vietnamese revolutionaries he was sure that his was the more beneficial if less popular path to take. Yet, despite some signs that things were going his way Emperor Khai Dinh was truly at a loss that the French refused to extent greater autonomy toward his government. People grew restless, opposition groups grew and many blamed the Emperor. The situation was not helped by the fact that revolutionaries captured by the French were always executed in his name. Some French even complained that he was not cooperative enough. At one point in 1920 Khai Dinh was so disgusted he spoke of abdicating but the French would not allow it. It seemed his time had passed and hopes on both sides were invested in his son Crown Prince Nguyen Vinh Thuy.
Emperor Khai Dinh was known as a very peaceful, kind and compassionate man. His enemies accused him of living a life of luxury while the people suffered but in reality he opposed the French tax increases and his court was allowed less money than even the court of Cambodia. He was a devout Buddhist but when he was very ill (as he often was) he asked one of his Christian mandarins to go and pray for him at the shrine of Our Lady of Lavang. The mandarin went and prayed for his Emperor and Khai Dinh recovered and had a greater respect for Christianity thereafter. His reign had been one of peace and the general progress that goes with it yet his reputation remains one of the forgotten victims of the ultimate Communist victory. Emperor Khai Dinh died in 1925 and his magnificent tomb, one of the wonders of the Imperial City of Hue, is a true reflection of the monarch being a quite beautiful combination of French and Vietnamese architectural styles sometimes known as "Norman Pagoda". He was succeeded by his son who was to go down in history as the last Emperor of Vietnam.

King James II: Coward or Crusader of Conscience?

I do love British history and in general can enjoy any discussion of the subject with my fellow royalists. However, nothing infuriates me more than those who constantly slander the name of King James VII of Scotland and II of England, particularly with the epithet of "coward". James II himself probably smelled more gunpowder than all of those who make the charge put together, but it is important to remember his actions in the context of his life. He had seen his father stand against the odds when the situation was clearly hopeless and he lost his head for it and the British Isles were grasped by years of republican dictatorship. The mark that left on the young James cannot be overstated. Once his brother returned to the throne James followed the dictates of his conscience and became a Catholic, even though he knew it would make things politically very difficult for him. His brother King Charles II admitted that he believed Catholicism was true but that it was not prudent to say so and he held off conversion until he was on his deathbed.

During that time James saw religious hysteria whipped up by the Titus Oates plot, which was a total fabrication aimed at vilifying Catholics. There was also the Rye House plot which actually sought to restore the Cromwellian republic and in which was implicated the Duke of Monmouth who all to many of James' critics seem to want to glorify. James II was a far more hard working monarch than his more popular brother had been and he was certainly no tyrant. He simply felt that the laws which discriminated against anyone who was not Anglican were unfair -not simply towards Catholics like himself but also towards dissenting Protestants. Before it was popular to do so he wanted Britain to be a land where people advanced by their merits rather than by refusing the allegiance of perfectly loyal subjects based simply on their religion. Everyone points out his raising of a "Catholic army" as a source of potential tyranny but this is absurd. As soon as he came to the throne his illegitimate nephew Monmouth had tried to overthrow him and so it was perfectly natural that he wanted a standing army to guard the peace of the realm. It was also not a Catholic army. Many of the officers were Catholic but many, especially in the upper echelons, were not as was clear when they turned against him in 1688.

Moreover, for Anglicans, rebelling against James II, though a Catholic, went against the very foundation of their church was, from the time of Henry VIII, based on royal supremacy. I would think the 1688 Revolution would be hard for any honest Christian of any kind to support given the Biblican command for children to obey their parents. That hardly seems in keeping with a daughter and son-in-law overthrowing their father and lawful monarch. That James II was captured and later fled does not prove him to be a coward. The case could perhaps be made if he had fled beforehand but he did not, he went to France only when it was clear that the cause was finished and there was no other option other than death which neither side wanted. He is also often criticized for leaving Ireland too soon because the battle of the Boyne was not a major tactical defeat. However, these people overlook the wider war. The siege at Derry had failed, Enniskillen could not be taken, the Jacobites lost at the battle of Newtownbutler and thus lost Ulster completely and after the Boyne most of the Scottish volunteers had given up and gone home. Clearly, again, not much could have been gained by James II staying other than his capture and execution which would also have meant the abandonment of his wife and children. By leaving he was at least able to live to fight another day and supervise the raising of his son to carry on the struggle and prepare for that day. It is also worth pointing out that James II, at the Boyne and elsewhere, was constantly in harm's way and certainly did NOT behave in anything remotely close to a cowardly fashion. He was a long-time military veteran and had seen more than his share of combat over the years.

James II was no coward and he was no despot. It was his tolerance, not his despotism, that most of his enemies objected to. Of course when he was overthrown and replaced by his son-in-law religious toleration was extended to Protestant dissenters as James II had done, but, of course, Catholics alone remained discriminated against.