Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/752

 740 ESTELLA ESTHER ESTELLA, a city of Navarre, Spain, on the left bank of the Ega, about 25 ra. S. W. of Pamplona; pop. about 6,000. It is situated in a beautiful valley surrounded by hills and planted with vines, olives, and other trees. It has excellent streets and fine squares, and con- tains an ancient castle, a number of churches, and many public institutions, including a college and an academy of music. There are manufac- tures of woollen, linen, and silk goods, oil, wine, brandy, earthenware, and leather, and an active trade. Don Carlos, the first pretend- er of this name, whose headquarters were for a long time in this locality, was proclaimed king here in November, 1833 ; and in 1839, when he fled to France, a number of his officers were summarily executed at Estella. In the sum- mer of 1873 the Carlists again occupied the town, but on Oct. 5 were compelled to evacu- ate it by the government troops under Gen. Moriones. ESTEPA, a town of Spain, in the province and about 60 m. E. S. E. of the city of Seville, on the N. side of Mount Francisco ; pop. about 7,000. It is tolerably well built, with some large and many small and steep streets, and a number of squares. The church of Santa Maria la Mayor is a Gothic building of alleged Moorish origin. There is an ancient feudal fortress, which was once deemed impregnable on account of its situation on the summit of the mountain which overhangs the town. Coarse cloths and other articles are manufactured, and there are many oil mill* Estepa is supposed to occupy the site of the ancient Astapa, whose inhabitants in the second Punic war destroyed themselves and their city rather than fall into the hands of the Romans. ESTEPONA, a town of Spain, on the Mediter- ranean, in the province of Malaga, 25 m. N. E. of Gibraltar ; pop. about 9,000. It contains the ruins of an ancient castle and an unusually large number of boarding and day schools. The parish church, built in 1474, is a fine building. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the herring fishery and maritime enterprises. ESTERHlZY(EsTEEHAZYDEGALANTHA; Hun. Eszterhdzy), a family of Hungarian magnates, distinguished for their wealth, of whom the first authentic record is dated in 1238. This record mentions the division of the estates of Solomon of Estoras between his two sons, who assumed from their lands the names of Zerhazy and Illyeshazy.' Francis Zerhazy was knighted in 1584, and adopted the name of Esterhazy of Galantha. His sons Gabriel, Daniel, Paul, and Nicholas became the founders of four lines, of which the first became extinct in 1670, while the others have come down to our day. Of these the lines of Old Zolyom or Altsohl and Csesznek were created counts in 1683, and the line of Frakn6 or Forchenstein as early as 1626, through its representative Nicholas Esterhazy of Frakn6, who died with the rank of palatine and field marshal in 1645. The two younger sons of the last named, Paul and Francis, be- came the founders of the line of counts and of the line of princes of the house of Esterhazy- Frakn6. The line of counts separated into three branches, all of which are still represent- ed, as are also the Old Zolyom and Csesznek lines. The princely main branch of the house of Esterhazy was founded by Paul IV. in 1635, who was created prince in 1687 in reward of his services as general of cavalry and palatine of Hungary. He died in 1713. He was suc- ceeded by Prince Michael, who died in 1721, leaving no male issue. The succession fell to his brother Joseph Antony, who died in the same year. The elder of his two sons, Prince Paul Antony, born in 1711, rose in 1747 to the rank of field marshal lieutenant, was appointed ambassador to Naples in 1750, and died as field marshal in 1762. His brother Nicholas Joseph, born in 1714, attained the rank of field marshal, and had conferred upon him the title of prince, hereditary in both male and female issue. His son, Prince Paul Antony, born in 1738, became lieutenant field marshal, and died in 1794. He was the father of the princes Antony and Nicholas. The latter, born in 1765, served in the army, and subsequently in the diplomatic corps, and gained distinction as a promoter of arts and sciences, and as the founder of a gal- lery of paintings and engravings. It is said that in 1809 he refused the crown of Hungary offered to him by Napoleon. He died at Como in 1833. His son, Paul Antony, born March 10, 1786, distinguished himself as a diplomatist, chiefly at the court of England ; but returning to his native country in 1842, he embraced the national cause, and in 1848, as Hungarian min- ister of foreign affairs, vainly attempted to bring about a reconciliation between the Austrian court and Hungary, resigning before the disso- lution of the Batthyanyi ministry. By extraor- dinary munificence and extravagant displays of wealth, both abroad and at home, he ulti- mately brought about a legal sequestration of his immense estates. He died May 21, 1866, and was succeeded by his son Nicholas Paul, born June 25, 1817, who married in 1842 Lady Sarah, daughter of George Child Villiers, earl of Jersey. His entailed inheritance, in Hun- gary embraces 29 estates with 21 castles, 60 towns, 414 villages, and 207 other landed pos- sessions; the princely seat is at Eisenstadt. Besides these he is the owner of the domains of Pottenstein and Schwarzbach in Lower Austria, and of Edelstetten in Bavaria. ESTHER, a Persian queen of Jewish descent, wife of Ahasuerus, and also the title of the Bib- lical book that contains her history, and the nar- rative of the delivery of the Jews by her from a general massacre throughout the Persian em- pire. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah. The book is one of the smallest historical works of the Hebrew Scriptures, and one of the five so-called Megilloth, and belongs to the Hagio- grapha. It is written in correct but somewhat modern Hebrew, and distinguished by some new words, and the total absence of any refer-