b o o k i a n ( j s t0 himfelf by right of conqueft ; and the houfe of
. II- . Auftria never made any further compenfation for the above-
mentioned loan.
Alexander, fecond fon of John Sobieiki, was born at
Dantzic in 1677 ; and as he was brought into the world after
his father had been raifed to the throne, he was ufually
ftyled by his mother, who adored him, the fon of the k ing;
while lire affe&ed to call his brother James, who was born
before his father’s election, the fon of the great marlhal.
Excited by his mother’s partiality, and inflamed by an ambition
natural to youth, he even afpired to the throne in op-
pofition to his brother James ; afterwards however, when a
more mature age had corrected his paflions, and his mother’s
influence had ceafed to miflead him, he declined, from a
principle of fraternal afledion, the acceptance of that very
crown, which had once been the objed of his warmeft hopes.
When Charles XII. upon the imprifonment of James, offered
the crown of Poland to Alexander, the latter, with a difin-
/tereftednefs which refleds the higheft honour upon his memory,
refufed it with this generous declaration, “ that no
“ intereft ihould tempt him to avail himfelf of his brother’s
“ misfortunes
Alexander paffed his days principally at Rome with the
•queen his mother. During his refidence in that city, he
never made his appearance at the court of Clement XI. be-
caufe that pontiff bad refufed to receive him with the marks
of diftindion which he claimed as a king’s fon. But the
honours which were withheld from him while alive, were
granted unto him when dead ; his body being permitted to
lie in royal ftate, and to be interred with the fame ceremonies,
* 'Voltaire’ s Charles XII. p. 9a.
which attended the funeral of Chriftina queen of Sweden. c^rAB-
He expired in June 1 7 14 , having affirmed upon his death-'— ,— <
bed the habit of a capuchin, from a fuperftitious notion of
infuring his falvation s.
Conftantine, having regained his liberty at the fame time
with his brother James, married a German baronefs, maid
of honour to the princefs of N euburg; a marriage of paflion,.
foon followed by repentance, and from which he in vain endeavoured
to procure a refeafe by a divorce. He deceafed
in 1726 without children,
Therefa Cunigunda, the daughter of John Sobieiki, married
in 1696 Maximilian Emanuel eledtor of Bavaria, and
died a widow 1730. Her ibn Charles Albert, who fuc-
ceeded to the electorate of Bavaria, was the unfortunate emperor
Charles VII. and her grandfon Maximilian Jofeph,
expired in 17 78 without iffue. Her grand-daughter Maria
Antonietta married Frederic Chrittian elector of Saxony; and.
the blood of John Sobieiki ftill flows in the veins of their
progeny, the prefent electoral family.
Marie de la Grange, the confort of John Sobieiki, paffed
the firit part of her widowhood' at Rome with her father the-
marq.uis of Arquien, who, from being captain o f the Swifs
guards to the duke of Orleans, had been promoted by her
intereft to the dignity of cardinal. She continued to refide-
in that city until the year 1 7 14 , when lire retired into France,
her native country. Louis XIV. afligned her the caftle o f
Blois for her refidence, where ihe died in 1716 t,. above 70-
years of age. Her remains were tranfported to Warfaw, and-
from thence conveyed, together with thofe of her huiband in.
1 734, to Cracow, and interred in the cathedral of that city J..
* Vic de Sobieiki,; v. III. p. 176.. f Ibid. p. 177.. %. Lengnichy Hi ft. p. 390.,
Genealogical!