Burqa Controversy in Belgium

Belgium's lower house of parliament has voted to ban women from wearing burqas and other Islamic garb that covers the face in public.  To quote:

The law would ban any clothing that obscures the identity of the wearer in places like parks and on the street. No-one voted against it.

The law now goes to the Senate, where it may face challenges over its wording, which may delay it.

If passed, the ban would be the first move of its kind in Europe.

Only around 30 women wear this kind of veil in Belgium, out of a Muslim population of around half a million.

The BBC's Dominic Hughes in Brussels says MPs backed the legislation on the grounds of security, to allow police to identify people.

Other MPs said that the full face veil was a symbol of the oppression of women, our correspondent says.

More HERE and HERE. 

"Europe's Most Slandered Princess"

In an article published July 3, 1953 in the Pittsburgh Press, Sam White provided a surprisingly well-informed and articulate defense of Lilian de Rethy, the much-maligned second wife of King Leopold III. White called Lilian "Europe's most slandered princess." To quote:

In the shops of Brussels, they still hang pictures of Leopold's first wife, Queen Astrid, and in so doing not only chronicle their continuing love of that fine and tragic woman. They also chronicle their continuing hate of the commoner they feel usurped Queen Astrid's place.

Dislike of Princess de Rethy abounds. It is not whispered; it is shouted aloud that she inveigled Leopold into their wartime marriage. That she is a pro-Nazi who influenced Leopold's wartime policy. That she is the daughter of a collaborator who made a fortune out of German defense contracts.

All these things are said about Princess de Rethy and said by millions. No defense of her has been made. No defense of her would be countenanced in Belgium.

Yet mark this. While all Belgium gossips about Princess de Rethy with the avidity of suburban spinsters sniping at "the girl next door," there are fewer than 200 of her fellow citizens who have ever met her.

What, then, is the truth about this lovely woman whose life has been ruined by gossip which in its own way has been almost as ruthless and as devastating as the car smash which ended her predecessor's? Is she an evil, malign influence on her husband and on her country? Or is she the most misunderstood woman in Europe?

...Her name was Lilian Baels. Her Flemish father was rich and distinguished and she enjoyed all the advantages that come to a girl who has such a father.

She was brought up in a convent school in London and at fashionable finishing schools in France, Switzerland and Austria.

It was not until 1938 that she met Leopold for the first time.

She was 19 and ravishingly lovely. He was 38 and still carried the sadness he had worn since the day three years previously when disaster, sharp and sudden, had left him a widower with three young children.

Their romance did not start then. For another year she led a heavily chaperoned finishing school life. By 1939, when her name was linked with Leopold for the first time, no more than six months of her adult life had been spent in Belgium.

Then came the war and the event which started in earnest the campaign of calumny against her-her marriage to Leopold in 1941.

..When Lilian Baels married Leopold she entered a Royal household steeped in gloom. Laeken Palace, where the Royal family lived, is a somber, ugly Victorian edifice. It seems to reflect the series of tragedies that have befallen the Belgian Royal House.

Leopold had three children - the present King Baudouin, Prince Albert and Princess Josephine-Charlotte...The children had been under the care of governesses and subject to Leopold's strict discipline.

Almost immediately Princess de Rethy became the center of the children's lives. She introduced a novel gaiety into the palace. The children adored her and within a month were calling her "Mother."

They have continued to adore her. Princess Josephine-Charlotte, especially, is under her step-mother's spell. Just before her marriage to Prince Jean of Luxembourg, her feverish changing of clothes for her step-mother's approval or criticism was a palace joke.

A similarly strong devotion is shown by King Baudouin. While he deeply resents the attack on his father's wartime conduct the attacks on his stepmother leave him pale, trembling with anger.
A close friend of the family told me: "I do not know how that boy can carry on. On one occasion he read a particularly slanderous attack on Princess de Rethy in a Belgian Opposition paper. He dropped the paper and left the room. When he returned a few minutes later, his anger was under control but he felt he could not go on with his day's official duties and cancelled them all."

Is this the picture of an evil woman? Is it conceivable that Leopold's children would be attached to her if she were anything other than a good and fine woman?

It will be argued, of course, that she has been so close to the children that she has been able to dazzle them with her personality. Such an argument is demonstrable nonsense.

It might be possible to fool children over a short period. But not over 12 years. And let it be remembered that these children would be pre-disposed against her since she was taking the place of their own beloved mother.

The fact that she has been able, despite all the propaganda against her, to win and retain the abiding love and affection of her three step-children is proof irrefutable of her tremendous qualities. The case against her as a woman is demolished. For if those who know her best defend her, what right have those who know nothing about her to raise a voice against her?

...What of the other charges against the Princess? Most of the minor ones are based on fantasy.

For example, the suggestion- sedulously spread- that before the war she was a night-club queen with morals no better than they need have been is obvious bunk.

It was sneered that her brother was a deserter from the Belgian army. In fact, his offense was the technical one committed by thousands of other Belgians- of failing to register with the Belgian consul in neutral Lisbon.

As for the story that her father was a wartime collaborator, the truth is that he spent the war years in voluntary exile in France.

For the main accusation that she was a pro-Nazi, who influenced Leopold, there is no evidence either way. But since so many of the stories about her are false, is it not reasonable to suppose that this one is false too?

Leopold III and Jacques Brel

As described by Michel Verwilghen in Le Mythe d'Argenteuil, the beloved Belgian poet and singer Jacques Brel was among King Leopold's sympathizers. He visited the fallen monarch at the country estate of Argenteuil and dedicated these interesting and touching verses to him:

Je vous souhaite des rêves à n'en plus finir
  et l'envie furieuse d'en réaliser quelques-uns.
Je vous souhaite d'aimer ce qu'il faut aimer
  et d'oublier ce qu'il faut oublier.
Je vous souhaite des passions,
  je vous souhaites des silences.
Je vous souhaite des chants d'oiseau au réveil
  et des rêves d'enfants.
Je vous souhaite de résister à l'enlisement, à l'indifférence,
 aux vertus négatives de notre époque.
Je vous souhaite surtout d'être vous... 

After Leopold's death, the poem (today very well known) was found among his papers. The King's wife, Princess Lilian, long kept it safe in her purse, among her most precious documents.

On a related note, Leopold's daughter, Marie-Esmeralda, mentions in her memoirs that the King, for his part, also enjoyed translating and composing poetry. Unfortunately, though, I have never come across any of his work.

The Belgian Kings

HERE is an excellent series of video tributes to the six Kings of the Belgians.

Belgium, Separatists and the EU

HERE is an interesting discussion of Belgium's current political woes. I have to say I feel quite sorry for King Albert II. Although I would prefer it if he had taken more of a moral stand on a number of contemporary issues, he remains the legitimate sovereign of Belgium and I cannot help feeling sympathy for a man who has faced so much tragedy in his life; in his infancy, the loss of his mother, in his childhood, World War II, deportation and imprisonment in Germany, in his youth, his father's humiliation and forced abdication, and now, in his old age, incessant attacks on his family, and the threatened dissolution of his realm.

A Prayer for Belgium

In the light of the new political crisis...

Allerheiligste Hart van Jezus, red België !

Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, sauvez la Belgique!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, save Belgium!

Queen Fabiola

LadyLeana discusses the multifaceted, widowed consort of King Baudouin I. How Baudouin and Fabiola met and fell in love remains something of a mystery. Did Cardinal Suenens really play the mystical role he claimed in bringing the couple together? To quote:

In his book, Suenens talks about his role as a clerical matchmaker. Baudouin, according, to the cardinal, had informed him that he was really desperate to get married, and asked for his help. The cardinal introduced the King to Sister Veronica O’Brien in March 1960, who, on their first meeting, addressed him as Mister King. After a long conversation and after receiving a nocturnal vision of the Virgin Mary, Sister Veronica left for Madrid, where she met the papal nuncio Monsignor Antoniutti. He, in his turn, sent the Sister to the principal of a girls' school, who then referred her to Fabiola de Mora y Aragon. On their first meeting, Sister Veronica saw a picture in Fabiola’s apartment, of which she had dreamt the night before. The devout Sister saw this as an omen, and tried to persuade the young noblewoman to accept the King’s hand. But Fabiola kindly explained that she had her roots in Spain, and was not interested in a marriage with the Belgian King. Sister Veronica didn’t give in. In a letter to the King, she described Fabiola as “good looking and striking.” And even though Fabiola refused the offer at first, she agreed to meet the King after an intervention by the papal nuncio. They met in Sister Veronica’s apartment in Brussels, and here the cardinal suddenly becomes very discreet when describing the blind date he had helped arrange: “It is inappropriate to describe how roses burst and bloom.”

According to this story, the couple met a second time in Lourdes, France, at the beginning of July 1960. They both stayed in the same hotel, but in separate rooms. They spent their time talking, praying, and walking along the streets of the little town. Three days after their arrival, they were driving to Tarbes, when Fabiola suddenly asked Baudouin to park the car along the side of the road. They prayed together, three Hail Mary’s, after which Fabiola turned to the King and said “Now it’s yes, and I will not look back anymore.” An acceptance without proposal.

Of the above three stories, the last one is the most widely accepted. The cardinal’s book is filled with quotes from his private correspondence with the King and from the King’s diaries, which Baudouin had left to the cardinal in his will. There are other elements which support his story. The couple's yacht, for example, was named Avila, which, according to Suenens’ notes was Fabiola's codename. Baudouin himself even hinted in that direction. But Baudouin’s diaries only support the story of the acceptance in Lourdes, not of their first meeting. And Fabiola herself was not amused by Suenens’ book. She has, more than once, stated, “I have my story too,” which indicates that Suenens has taken some liberty in describing his role in the matchmaking. She also said, at one point, that she had refused Baudouin’s proposal several times “the first year,” which is also at odds with Suenens’ story, according to which they had not known each other for a year when they got married. We will probably never really know, since the Queen doesn’t give any interviews. But it is obvious that even Suenens’ scenario is not the entire story.

Recently, some people have claimed that the marriage of Baudouin and Fabiola was a marriage of convenience, and that, in the beginning they didn’t love each other at all. The story goes that Baudouin just thought that it was his duty as a monarch to produce an heir, for which he needed a wife, and Fabiola wanted to become a mother. As time went by, they found each other in their faith and really started to love each other. Whether this is true or not, only Fabiola can say. But if it had been true, they certainly gave a very good imitation of a couple in love when they married.

Berceuse héroique (1914)

 Claude Debussy's nostalgic tribute to the Belgian king and army amidst the horrors of the First World War.

The composer soon decided that he wished to compose some sort of piece for the war effort. Initially, he conceived of a "Marche Heroique," but that sort of thing did not mesh with his understated compositional style. A march which was meant to evoke strong patriotic feelings would have required loud, grand music. Debussy's piano music was always subtle and avoided "blatancy," as the composer put it. Also, Debussy thought that it seemed ridiculous for him to speak of heroism while he was living in peace, well away from the battles. In November 1914, the composer was able to compose his Berceuse Heroique for piano, which was dedicated to "His Majesty King Albert I of Belgium and his soldiers." The piece was included in the King of Belgium's Book. This simple piece for piano was to be the only work that Debussy composed in the 12 months following the start of the war.

A berceuse is a type of lullaby, mostly for solo piano. Many pieces in this genre were written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Berceuse Heroique can still be called "heroic" because of its use of the Belgian national anthem, also known as the "Brabanconne." Debussy, as well as others, felt that the patriotism of the work did not reflect on listeners that would not recognize the tune. A sense of nostalgia, rather than heroism, is conveyed, especially in the orchestral version of the composition. Debussy completed this arrangement in December. The Belgian national anthem is presented somberly by many instruments throughout this orchestral work, as it is heard first in the bassoons, horns, and clarinets, then in the violas and cellos. The Concerts Colonne et Lamoureux, an orchestra, presented this version during their 1915 - 1916 season.

A Fractured Alliance

As readers may have guessed, I have recently become interested in the House of Orléans since the first Belgian queen, Louise-Marie, came from that family. So I was pleased to find this article, by Leah Marie Brown, discussing the alliance rings and the unhappy marriage of Louise-Marie's grandparents, the infamous Louis Philippe Joseph, Duc d'Orléans (Philippe Egalité) and his forlorn and forsaken wife, Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre. While I don't believe that inanimate objects can really harbor traumatic memories, the Duc's broken wedding band does seem strangely evocative of a man who broke faith...

Chivalry and Albert I

Above, we see Ilya Yefimovich Repin's famous, idealized portrait of Albert I, King of the Belgians, during the First World War. The painting epitomizes the legend of the fearless "Knight-King." Today, many mock this title- Albert, they say, was only a mediocre horseman. At heart, he was a man of peace, not a warrior. Albert himself did not like the title. He was often wearied and embarrassed by the adulation showered upon him by the Allied peoples.

Yet, Albert really was a knight. He was a member of many chivalric orders, including the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Golden Fleece. At the end of the First World War, after the fall of the Habsburgs, he even requested to be granted the sovereignty of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece! That will be the topic of a future post...

Here are some codes of chivalry attributed to the Emperor Charlemagne. (Via Elena Maria Vidal).

• To fear God and maintain His Church. 
• To serve the liege lord in valor and faith. 
• To protect the weak and defenseless. 
• To give succor to widows and orphans. 
• To refrain from the wanton giving of offense. 
• To live by honor and for glory. 
• To despise pecuniary reward. 
• To fight for the welfare of all. 
• To obey those placed in authority. 
• To guard the honor of fellow knights. 
• To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit. 
• To keep faith. 
• At all times to speak the truth. 
• To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun.
• To respect the honor of women. 
• Never to refuse a challenge from an equal. 
• Never to turn the back upon a foe.

Here is a code issued in 800 AD, at the beginning of Charlemagne's reign:

• Love God Almighty with all your heart and all your powers
• Love your neighbour as yourself
• Give alms to the poor as ye are able
• Entertain strangers
• Visit the sick
• Be merciful to prisoners
• Do ill to no man, nor consent unto such as do, for the receiver is as bad as the thief
• Forgive as ye hope to be forgiven
• Redeem the captive
• Help the oppressed
• Defend the cause of the widow and orphan
• Render righteous judgement
• Do not consent to any wrong
• Persevere not in wrath
• Shun excess in eating and drinking
• Be humble and kind
• Serve your liege lord faithfully
• Do not steal
• Do not perjure yourself, nor let others do so
• Envy, hatred and violence separate men from the Kingdom of God
• Defend the Church and promote her cause.

In the 15th century, the Duke of Burgundy defined the virtues of the Order of the Golden Fleece as follows:

• Faith
• Charity
• Justice
• Sagacity
• Prudence
• Temperance
• Resolution
• Truth
• Liberality
• Diligence
• Hope
• Valour

I do think some of these maxims and qualities describe Albert I...