Since Napoleon's downfall, revolutions have become still more rare; yet
monarchies are so many, and republican ideas are growing so rapidly,
that scores of deposed rulers are in exile, pining for the days that
will never return.
Perhaps the most notable is the Count of Paris, who recently paid a
visit to this country. The count, it is true, has never reigned, so he
cannot be said to have been deposed; but he claims descent from the
Bourbon kings of France, and seeks to revive the ancient rule.
He is a resident of England, and is in easy circumstances. He has a
rival for the throne in Prince Napoleon Bonaparte, who lives in
luxurious exile in Switzerland.
Prince Napoleon's father was a brother of the great Napoleon, and he
hopes that some day the people of France will recognize him as their
ruler.
England gives refuge to another exile in Eugenie, the widow of Napoleon
III, who resides at Chiselhurst, and who makes no pretensions to royal
grandeur. Since the death of her son by Zulu assegais she has lived the
life of a recluse.
Paris shelters the exiled Isabella, Queen of Spain, who takes her
downfall philosophically. She is rich, and passes her time between
Paris, Nice and Boulogne in social enjoyment.
In the same city lives Don Carlos, a pretender to the throne of Spain.
He traces his descent from Carlos, the second son of Charles IV, born
1788.
The original Carlos began the insurrection business in 1825, and, after
being repeatedly defeated and banished, died at Trieste in 1855. His son
Don Carlos continued to make periodical attempts to regain the crown,
but died in 1861, leaving no direct heir.
The present Don Carlos, the nephew of the above, has headed four
insurrections and has many followers, but no one believes that he will
ever be more than an aspirant.
Dom Pedro, the deposed Emperor of the Brazils, lives in Portugal, and is
the most unhappy of ex-rulers. The death of his wife followed close upon
his exile, and he longs to return to Brazil, if only to die. He has
refused the gratuity offered him by the infant republic, and not being
wealthy, the future looks rather dark for him.
When Italy was united, a number of petty sovereigns were deprived of
their crowns and now wander around without any particular aim in life.
Unlike an ex-President of the United States, an ex-king cannot go to
work, and, if he has not saved any money, must depend on charity for a
living, unless he can marry a rich wife.
Austria has taken care of several rulers of the Tuscan provinces, and
the Italians are generous enough to see that none of them starve.
Paris is a notable refuge for royal exiles, and some of them are engaged
in anything but kingly pastimes. A prince of Georgia drives a cab, and
one of the best police agents is a scion of the royal house of Poland.