Como casar com um aristocrata?

Deparei-me com uma pequena preciosidade de 1890. Uma revista lançado em 1890 em Nova Iorque e que tinha como finalidade ensinar as herdeiras da Gilded Age norte-americana como casar com aristocratas europeus (geralmente falidos).
Esta revista foi escrita numa altura em que ainda não haviam estrelas de Hollywood e a atenção dos jornais era virado para os novos milionários como os Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Morgan, etc. Principalmente as filhas destes e de outros milionários que se casavam com aristocratas europeus e que se tornavam “estrelas” um pouco por todos os EUA.
Esta revista foi escrita pela “famosa” Marquise de Fontenoy, escritora fantasma que escrevia sobre as cortes europeias na imprensa norte-americana, mas que ninguém sabia exactamente quem era. Só alguns anos mais tarde é que se veio a descobrir que se tratava da filha do Conde Jules du Planty casada com Frederick Cunliffe-Owen (baronete), ele também autor de alguns artigos, incluindo a co-autoria desta revista.
A revista faz uma revisão dos países europeus e dos seus aristocratas; uma lista das americanas casadas com aristocratas europeus; uma lista dos solteiros titulados ou herdeiros de títulos com as suas moradas (para as herdeiras lhes escreverem?!) e os sítios onde as mesmas os poderão encontrar (os melhores bailes, os melhores spas, os melhores hotéis para se encontrar estes portadores de títulos; as roupas e jóias que deveriam usar, etc).
Deixo algumas passagens onde se faz referência a Portugal:

“ Nobility titles do not necessary confer what is strictly know as nobility or noblesse upon their bearers. Paradoxical though it may appear there are quite a large number of Barons, Counts, Marquises, Princes, and even Dukes, who do not belong to the nobility, and who posses none of the few remaining privileges which have been retained by that favored class in the monarchial countries of Europe; while on the other hand there are many gentlemen - the French term of “gentilhomme” would be their more correct designation - who, although untitled enjoy a precedence and a consideration which no mere peerage could confer. King James I., of Great Britain, who was singularly shrewd in certain things, used frequently to remark that “the sovereign, tough he can make a noble, cannot make a gentleman”. (…) Their privileged position is due to their lineage, and to the right which they have inherited of bearing coat armor. It is the duly legalized bearing of heraldic arms, not titles, which is everywhere in Europe, considered as the distinctive mark of the true noblesse. Mere titles can be conferred by the more or less merited favor of any monarch great or small. But no Emperor, however powerful, can confer lineage ancestry and the consideration which is attached thereto.
Hence it happens that while on the one hand there are Dukes and Princes who are not regarded as “hoffahig” that is admissible to court, there are on the other hand many untitled gentilhommes whose birth and lineage render them “Tafel-fahig” and fit to associate with imperial and royal personages on terms of intimacy which may almost be described as equality. (…)
During the past four decades, titles have been granted with most reckless profusion - in many cases for mere financial assistance, rendered not to the State, but to the personal treasury of some member of the reigning family. To such an extent has this been the case, that in Spain, Italy and Portugal, the members of the really ancient families avoid using their titles when among their equals in birth and merely designate one another by the prefix of “Don” or “Dona”. Thus in Roman society no one would ever dream of alluding to Mrs. “Bonanza” Mackay’s son-in-law as the Prince of Ralatro-Collona, but merely as Don Ferdinand Colonna, while at Madrid the Duchess of Medina-(ilegível, mas suponho que seja Sidónia) is invariably addressed as Dona Angela. The most punctilious/hilarious use, however, of the title is made by these aristocrats in addressing to any peer of recent creation as “Duke”, “Marquiss” or “Count”.
(…)

Russia:
(…)

Italy:
(…)

Portugal and Spain:

Hereditary titles were abolished by the late King Louis, twenty years ago, in deference to popular sentiment on the subject, and all peerages and titular distinction, are held merely for life by their present possessors. They are not held in high estimation either at home or abroad, on account of the singular ease with which they are obtained. Thus quite a number of English and French merchants engaged in the Portuguese trade have been able to obtain titles of Count, Viscount and Baron, which in some cases they have subsequently proceeded to drag through the mud.
In Spain titles abound to such an extent that they enjoy but little consideration, either at home or abroad. There are no less than 100 Dukes, 900 Marquesses, 800 Counts, 100 Viscounts and about 50 Barons. (…)

Lista de americanas “titulares”:

Countess of Edla

Miss Elise Hensley, daughter of —Hensler, Esq., of Boston.
Born 1836.
Married, morganatically, June 10, 1869, to the late King-Consort, Ferdinand of Portugal; widow, December 17, 1885.
Residence: Lisbon.
Country seat: Chateau of Cintra, Portugal.

Miss Elise Hensler was one of the earliest of the American prima-donnas. She made her debut in New York twenty-five years ago. She afterward engaged for the Royal Opera-House, at Lisbon, where Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha, the husband of Donna Maria de Gloria, Queen Regnant of Portugal and father of the present King, espoused her morganatically after the death of the Queen.
He conferred upon her the title of Countess of Edla, in the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (June 10, 1862) (não é um título italiano, concedido pelo Rei de Itália?).
She has always been treated with great consideration by the Royal family.
Since the death of her husband, a few years ago, the Countess has lived in strict retirement at Cintra.

Ainda não consegui percorrer a longa lista de americanas “tituladas” ou os solteiros disponíveis, mas se aparecer algo relacionado com Portugal, acrescentarei.

PalmSprings

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