108 



Historical Account of the Royal Houses of Europe. [March 1 , 



the southern tropic, and from Ihence 

 through the interior of the Capitaiiies 

 of S. Paul, Minas Jeraes, Goyaz, Bahia, 

 Pernamhnco, Pianliy, as far as Maran- 

 hao, situated nearly under the equator, 

 and endeavoured now, inihibing new 

 energy at the sight of the majestic river 

 Amazon, to cross upon this ocean of 

 fresh water thecontineut of South Ame- 

 rica as far as the Andes, and thus to ex- 

 tend their investigation in this direction 

 from east to west. It was a dangerous 

 undertaking, but worthy of our two bold 

 travellers. But as this forms a chief 

 incident in this cnteqirising journey,we 

 shall give a more ample view of it here- 

 after, and only notice in the mean time, 

 that all their collections,whith they had 

 despatched from Rio de Janeiro, Villa 

 Rica, Bahia, Maranhao, and Pai a, which 

 latter alone consists of 40 laj'ge chests, 

 are safely arrived in Munich, as well 

 as the travellers themselves, in tolera- 

 bly good nealfh. 



Fo7' the MdHthlij Magazine. 



HISTORICAL ACCOUNT (if the Olfc^iil 



and Progress of the uoyal houses 



OF EUROPE. 



THE origin and genealogy of many 

 royal families who now bear a 

 preponderating sway in Europe, are so 

 little known, and involved in so much 

 obscurity, that as correct an account as 

 history can afford of the reigning fami- 

 lies, and the stocks whence they sprung, 

 tvil 1 d ou btless he acceptable 1 o the publ ic . 

 Thedetails willexhibit "what mighty 

 things from small beginnings rise;" 

 and not a little wonder will be excited 

 to perceive what countless myriads of 

 human beings liave now become the 

 subjects of princes, whose progeni- 

 tors had but slight pretensions to sove- 

 reignty. 



7%e STOCK o/ETHICHON, AUSTRIA, 



fyc. 

 One of the most important subjects in 

 royal genealogy, is tliat of Ethicon, 

 Duke of Allemania, for it is from that 

 stock the Imperial House of Austria, 

 the Grand Dukes of Baden, and several 

 sovereign houses of Italy, draw their 

 origin. Ethichonhad two sons, Adelbert 

 the first, and Ethichon the second. The 

 former founded some sovereign families 

 in Upper Alsace; the latter was the 

 parent of several sovereignties in Lower 

 Alsace. The ducal dignity with which 

 Ethichon had been invested, was lost in 

 the unfortunate issue of the battle of 

 Lutfield,againstPepind'Heristal, father 

 of Charlemagne. Gonfran, the Rich, 



fatiier of the descendant of Adelbert, 

 prepared for his house a check still 

 more considerable. In attacking the 

 son of Otho in a war he had undertaken 

 against his fatiicr, he lost the chief part 

 of his property. The fiefs were confis- 

 cated, and the allodial lands were with 

 the utmost difiiciilty preserved. It 

 could not easily have been imagined, 

 at this period, to Avliat a degree of splen- 

 dour this house was destined hereafter 

 to rise. Gonfran had three grandsons, 

 Uadbofon, Blrchtito, and Werner ; the 

 latter died Bishop of Strasburgh. 

 The descendants of Radboton borrowed 

 their name from the castle of Habs- 

 burgh, which Werner tiie pious, had 

 built in lOilfi, on the borders of the Aar, 

 in the north of the Canton of Berne, 

 of which castle there still remains an 

 old tower, which is seen on an eminence, 

 crowned with beech tncs. In the thir- 

 teenth century, one of tiie descendants 

 of the coimts of Habsburgh, Rodolph I. 

 (born 121S) distinguished himself by 

 his high qualities so much, that in 

 127-5 Iicwas called to the imjierial throne 

 of G(Minany. Iledied 1291. His descend- 

 ants adopted the title of Archdukes of 

 Austria, because Rodolph had made an 

 acipiisition of this duchy. But the male 

 line of the House of Austria was extinct 

 in 17-10, with Charles VI, after having 



f;iA'en twenty-two sovereigns to the 

 lereditary Austrian countries, sixteen 

 emperors to Germany, eleven kings 

 to Hungary and Bohemia, and six to 

 Spain. 



BADEN. 

 Birchiito, above-mentioned, by some 

 called Birtham, founded the House of 

 the Maigraves of Baden, now invested 

 with the dignity of Grand Dukes. 

 Bertham I. (a count whose possessions 

 were situated in the Brisgaw, the Orte- 

 nan, and the Alpigaw) built the castle 

 of Zuringen, and took the title of Duke. 

 Whilst living, he ceded to the youngest 

 of his children, Herman, Hochberg in 

 the Brisgaw, upon which Baden de- 

 pended, with the title of Margrave of 

 Baden. It was this Count of Hochberg 

 who began the line of the House of 

 Baden, which exists in our days. 



LORRAINE. 



Whilst the descendants of Adelbert I. 

 were insensibly rising to the highest 

 degree of power, the grandsons of Ethi- 

 chon, his brother, remained peaceful 

 possessors of their primitive territories. 

 Hugo the fourth, brother of Everard 

 the third, whose branch had become 

 extinct, founded the dynasty, which in 



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