orality.

Chapter XX

The Women of Modern Spain

Spain, in all the days of her history, has been conspicuous among all
other continental countries for the number of women who have wielded the
sovereign power, and the reasons for this fact are not far to seek
perhaps. In both Germany and Italy there has been little of national
life or government in the broadest sense of the word until a very recent
date, the custom of the empire has given male rulers to Austria, the
illustrious Catherine of Voltaire's day has been the one woman to
achieve prominence in Russia, and in France the ancient Salic law did
not allow women to ascend the throne; so that, all in all, by this
process of exclusion, it is easy to see that in Spain alone the
conditions have been favorable for woman's tenure of royal office. A
scrutiny of the list of Spanish monarchs reveals the fact that in all
the long line there are no names more worthy of honor than those of
Berenguela and Isabella the Catholic, and that, irrespective of sex,
Isabella stands without any formidable rival as the ablest and most
efficient ruler that Spain has ever had. The right of woman's accession
to the Spanish throne was seriously threatened, however, early in the
eighteenth century with the advent of the French Bourbons. Young Philip
V., acting under French influences in this affair, as he did continually
in all his various undertakings, had induced the Cortes to introduce the
French Salic principle; and for the greater part of the century this
law was allowed to stand, although nothing happened to test it severely.
By way of comment on this circumstance, it is interesting to note that
this young king, Philip V., who had been instrumental in barring women
from the succession, was, by tacit confession, unequal to his own task,
and found his wisest counsellor in the person of the clever Princess
Orsini. Spanish feeling and Spanish custom in regard to this matter were
so strong, however, that Charles IV., when he came to the throne in
1789, had prevailed upon the Cortes to abolish the Salic law and to
restore the old Castilian succession. While this was done secretly, a
decree to this effect had never been issued, and legally the Salic law
was still in force when Charles's son, Fernando VII., approached his
last days. Fernando had been unlucky with his wives, as the first three
proved to be short-lived, and the fourth, Maria Cristina, Princess of
Naples, presented him wit