The Liberation of Madrid, 75 Years Later

If you're glad that Spain today is a constitutional monarchy rather than a failed ex-Communist republic like most of Eastern Europe, thank God that Francisco Franco won the Siege of Madrid, and therefore the Spanish Civil War, 75 years ago today. No, he wasn't nice. But niceness does not destroy illegitimate leftist republics, and the alternative was a Stalinist Spain bent on obliterating the Catholic Church. There is so much misinformation and propaganda about the Spanish Civil War, with many people, perhaps even including some conservatives and monarchists, imagining it to have been a struggle between "democracy" and "fascism" when actually the Republican coalition included many who were not at all democratic and the Nationalist coalition included many who were not at all fascist. Unlike all other 20th-century European "right-wing" dictators, Franco eventually restored his country's legitimate royal dynasty (though he certainly took his time), and he should get credit for that, as well as for saving Spain and her Church from Communism.
 
Viva el Rey Juan Carlos!

Crimea

I dislike Vladimir Putin because he is not a monarchist, not because he is not a democrat. We need to get rid of the ridiculous neoconservative notion that every country on earth should necessarily be a democracy; autocracy seems to be what's natural for Russia. But why shouldn't Crimea be Russian? It was won under Catherine the Great from the Turks and from then on was an integral part of Russia, only transferred to Ukraine by Khrushchev in 1954. It is where Tsar Alexander III died in 1894 and where Nicholas II & Alexandra built their beloved Livadia Palace in 1911. But if Putin were a true traditional Russian patriot he would restore Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia to the throne of her ancestors. Боже, Царя храни!

As for Western Ukraine, that's Habsburg territory. Long live the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria!

Music and Monarchy: Brahms and Princess Anna

I always enjoy it when I have opportunities to relate my occupation as a cellist to my interest in royalty. Last night in Dallas four colleagues and I performed the Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), as we will do again on Sunday. In order to introduce the piece properly to the audience I did a little research on the dedication to "Ihrer Königlichen Hoheit der Frau Prinzessin Anna von Hessen" that appears at the top of the music. While Wikipedia's article on the quintet identified the dedicatee as Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine (1843-1865), it became clear from other sources (including Wikipedia itself) that the actual dedicatee was Princess Anna of Hesse-Cassel (née Prussia) (1836-1918), "a highly intelligent woman who presided over a court salon of outstanding artists and musicians, including Johannes Brahms, Clara Schumann, Anton Rubinstein, and Julius Stockhausen. She herself was a classically trained pianist of great talent and ability who studied under Theodor Kullak." Brahms and Clara Schumann performed his prior two-piano version of the piece for Princess Anna in 1864, and he was so grateful for her appreciation that he dedicated the final piano quintet to her the following year.

Princess Anna was the mother of Landgrave Friedrich Karl (1868-1940) who was briefly "King of Finland" in 1918. One of her grandsons, Prince Christoph (1901-1943), married Princess Sophie of Greece (1914-2001), sister of none other than Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh. Anna's husband Landgrave Friedrich Wilhelm (1820-1884), who unfortunately for her never got over the death of his first wife Alexandra of Russia (1825-1844), was the brother of Queen Louise of Denmark (1817-1898). Anna's niece Louise (1860-1917) married Queen Victoria's son Prince Arthur (1850-1942); their descendants currently occupy the thrones of Denmark and Sweden. Anna's own ancestry was quite distinguished being both a granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia (1770-1840) and a great-granddaughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia (1754-1801).

 

Encouraging signs in Bavaria and Romania?

I was pleased to hear from a friend who attended an opera in Munich that, ninety-five years after the fall of the Bavarian monarchy, the royal box is still reserved for the royal family and when the Wittelsbachs entered everyone stood up. There is still hope! Long live the Kingdom of Bavaria!

 

Meanwhile, monarchists appear to be taking some more concrete steps in Romania, where they are calling for demonstrations advocating the restoration of King Michael across the country on Saturday 5 April. While I will not be able to join them in person, I will certainly be with them in spirit.

Why I'm a Monarchist

Here is a thoughtful reflection by my friend Michael W. Davis (an American currently living in Australia), coincidentally posted on the same day another friend of mine sent me a photo of her young daughter dressed as a princess. As Michael points out, since children are natural monarchists, the question should not be "why did you become a monarchist?" but rather, "why did you stop being one?"

King Paul of the Hellenes (1901-1964)

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Paul, King of the Hellenes and the accession of his son Constantine II. King Paul was the only modern Greek monarch whose reign began with the natural death of his predecessor and ended with his own natural death. During his reign (1947-64) Greece quickly recovered from the devastating Civil War and enjoyed its most prosperous and stable period in modern times. I had the honour to perform for his younger daughter HRH Princess Irene in 1999; his elder daughter is HM Queen Sofia of Spain. If things had gone differently in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Constantine II would be celebrating his Golden Jubilee this year. RIP King Paul.

Yesterday King Paul's descendants and other European royalty gathered in Athens to mark the anniversary, a highlight of which was a screening of the new documentary about him, No Ordinary King:



When King Paul was dying in March 1964, his wife Queen Frederika (1917-1981) played him a recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion. "This is the greatest music that has ever been written," he said.

Blessed Karl Mass

I have been asked to help promote the Third Annual Blessed Emperor Karl Mass, Luncheon & Conference in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania on April 6. All details are available at the local Knights of Columbus blog. While I will be obligated to remain in Dallas, I encourage all readers able to be in the Pittsburgh area that Sunday, Catholic or non-Catholic, to make plans to attend.