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Frontispiece— Ellis' Prance. 
 
 The Battle of Jemappes, I^ovember 6, 1792. 
 
YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY 
 
 of 
 
 FRANCE 
 
 M 
 
 BY 
 
 EDWARD S. ELLIS, A. M. 
 
 With One Hundred and Fifteen Illustrations 
 
 ^M 
 
 
 y J. -J J » 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY 
 
THE LIBRARY OF 
 CONGRESS, 
 
 Two Copies Received 
 
 OCT. 3 1901 
 
 Copyright entry 
 CLASS <^ XXc No. 
 
 COPY a. 
 
 IN UNIFORM STYLE 
 
 BY EDWARD S. EI.I.IS, A.M. 
 
 Young Peoples' History of 
 
 United States 
 
 
 •with 164 illustrations 
 
 Young Peoples' History' of 
 
 England 
 
 
 with 164 ilhistrations 
 
 Young Peoples' History of 
 
 Germany 
 
 
 •with iij illustrations 
 
 Young Peoples' History of 
 
 France 
 
 
 with IIS illustrations 
 
 Young Peoples' History of 
 
 Greece 
 
 
 with 70 illustrations 
 
 Young Peoples' History of 
 
 Rome 
 
 
 with 80 illustrations 
 
 ^rii-i, js ce?iis each 
 
 Copyrij^ht igoi, b v Henry A Itenius 
 
 • c • c • • • < 
 
 • e c • • • • ( 
 
 ••« •-• 
 
 fr«s »„e 
 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ONE thing is to be said concerning the history of 
 France : it is instructive, for it includes every 
 system of government that the ingenuity of man 
 can devise and some that none but a Frenchman could 
 evolve. From the bottom to the top and then down 
 again, the whole gamut has been run. France has been 
 ruled by savages, who made no pretensions of being any- 
 thing else, and by men who claimed to be civilized and yet 
 were ten times worse than the unadulterated savage. She 
 has had monsters of villainy seated on her throne and 
 holding the scales of life and death ; she has had good 
 men and wise statesmen for her rulers ; she has been an 
 aristocracy, a monarchy, an absolute despotism, a Com- 
 mune, which is another name for an orgie of murderers, 
 who feared* not God, man nor the devil, and of late years 
 and at present she seems to be a Republic . 
 
 France is a wonderful nation ; she knows how to wor- 
 ship a man as a demi-god to-day and to lop off his head 
 to-morrow. She produced the greatest military genius 
 the world ever saw; her scholars, wits, scientists, dis- 
 coverers, explorers, philosophers, poets, dramatists, his- 
 
IV 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 torians, novelists, essayists, sculptors and painters have 
 never been surpassed anywhere. 
 
 No country has given birth to more wicked or to 
 better men ; no nation has been so pitilessly humiliated 
 or exalted to more dizzying heights of glory. Her 
 dreamers have turned dreams into materialities ; her 
 realities have dissolved into baseless visions ; she has 
 gone down in blood and flame to the lowest depths of 
 despair and then leaped to a height that made all the 
 world wonder ; she is great to-day and in her history are 
 to be found lessons of absorbing interest, of amazing 
 length and breadth and of profound and far-reaching im- 
 portance to mankind. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Eaely Histoey of Gaul oe Feance. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 No One Knows Who First Settled Any Country — France as It Was 600 
 Years B. C. — The Coming of the Gauls — Their Character — Their In- 
 vasion of Neighboring Countries — Conquest of Rome — The Druids — 
 Invasion and Settlement of Gaul by the German Tribes From the 
 North — Conquest of Gaul by Julius Csesar — Spread of Roman Civili- 
 zation — Intolerable Oppression of Roman Rulers — Introduction of 
 Christianity — Its Beneficent Work — Constantine the Great — Vast 
 Good Accomplished by Christianity 13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Meeovingians. 
 
 418-752. 
 
 The Huns — Attila, the " Scourge of God " — His Crushing Defeat at Chal- 
 ons — The Merovingians — Pharamond — Clodin — Merovseus — Childeric 
 Clovis Becomes Master of Gaul — Incident of the Vase — Clovis is Con- 
 verted to Christianity — His Services to the Church — Partition of 
 France Among His Four Sons — The Violence and Wretchedness that 
 Followed — Fredegonde and Brunehaut — Their Crimes - — Dreadful 
 Death of Brunehaut — Dagobert I. — The OfiSce of Mayor of the Palace 
 ^The Sluggard Kings — Good Work of the Church — Mahomet — Inva- 
 
vi Contents. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 sion of France by the Saracens — Great Victory of Charles Martel at 
 Tours — Pepin Crowned King of France — End of the Merovingian 
 Eule 27 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Caelovingians. 
 
 752-987. 
 
 Death of Pepin and Division of His Kingdom Between His Sons, Charles 
 and Carloman — Death of Carloman — Charlemagne — His Character and 
 Genius — His Gigantic Task — Conquest of the Lombards and Saxons — • 
 Invasion of Spain — Treachery of the Moors and Death of Eoland — 
 Fearful Punishment of the Revolting Saxons — Charlemagne Crowned 
 by the Pope as Emperor of the West — His Great Ambition — The Vast 
 Good He Accomplished — His Death and Burial — The Incompetent 
 Successors of Charlemagne — Origin of the Feudal System — Its Feat- 
 ures — Treaty of Verdun — Invasion of France by the Northmen — 
 Siege of Paris — Rollo the Northman — His Allegiance to Charles the 
 Simple— Kissing the King's Foot by Proxy — Normandy and the Nor- 
 mans 42 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Capetians. 
 
 987-1328. 
 
 Hugh Capet— Robert II.— Heney I.— Philip I. (987-1108.) 
 
 End of the Carlovingian Line — Hugh Capet Made King — Extent of France 
 — Capet Little More than King in Name— General Belief that the End 
 of the World would Come A. D. 1000 — Great Famine and Suffering in 
 France— The Truce of God — Robert II. Excommunicated and the 
 Kingdom Placed Under an Interdict — Queen Constance — Evil Days 
 for France — Results of Superstition— Pope Sylvester II.— Henry I.— 
 His Prudent Marriage— Henry's Eventless Reign — Robert, Duke of 
 
Contents. 
 
 Vll 
 
 ' PAGE 
 
 Burgundy— Conquest of Eogland by William the Conqueror— William 
 Crowned King of England— Conquest of Sicily by Eoger and Robert 
 Guiscard 5g 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 Capetians (continued). 
 
 987-1328. 
 
 The Ceusades. (1096-1270.) 
 
 Cause of the Crusades— Peter the Hermit— History of the First Crusade- 
 Its Failure and Overthrow — Second Crusade — An Imposing Array — 
 Godfrey of Bouillon— Capture of Antioch and Jerusalem— Godfrey 
 Made "Defender of the Holy Sepulchre "—The Kingdom of Jerusalem 
 —Other Crusades — Saladin the Saracen— Capture of Jerusalem by 
 the Moslems— Richard the Lion Hearted in Palestine— Varied and 
 Far Reaching Good Accomplished by the Crusades 66 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Capetians (concluded). 
 
 987-1328. 
 
 Louis VI.— Louis VIL— Philip II.— Louis VIII.— Louis IX.— 
 Philip IIL— Philip IV.— Louis X.— John I —Philip V. 
 — Chaeles IV. (1270-1328.) 
 
 The Age of Chivalry— How a Knight was Made— Death of William the 
 Conqueror— Louis VI.— Louis VII.— Philip II.— His Ability— His 
 Baseness Toward Richard the Lion Hearted— The Albigenses and 
 the Crusade Against Them— Philip's Victory at Bouvines— Louis 
 VIII. and his Death at the Siege of Avignon— Louis IX. —His Admir- 
 able Character— His Capture in Egypt— Released Through Ransom— 
 Hia Death— Philip IIL -The Story of Delabrosse— Charles of Anjou 
 
viii Contents. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 —The Massacre of the Sicilian Vespers— Philip lY.— The "Third 
 Estate "—Louis X.— John I.— Philip V.— The Salic Law— Charles 
 IV. — Extinction of the Capetian Line 80 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 House of Valois. 
 1328-1589. 
 Philip VI.— John II.— Charles V.— Chaeles VI. (1328-1422.) 
 
 Claim, of Edward III. of England to the Throne of France— Beginning 
 of the Hundred Years' War — Battle of Crecy— First Use of Gun- 
 powder in Warfare — How the English Won the Day at Crecy — Siege 
 and Fall of Calais — Queen Philippa's Intercession for the French 
 Captives— The "Black Death "—The Flagellants— Battle of Poitiers 
 — Capture of King John and his Son Philip — The Jacquerie — Terms of 
 Peace — Distressful Condition of France — Death of King John — 
 Charles V. — His Beneficent Rule — The Schism of the West — Revolt 
 in Brittany — Death of Du Guesclin — Wrangle of his Uncles over the 
 Regency— Declaration of War Against France by Henry V, of Eng- 
 laad — Great English Victory at Agincourt — Charles VI. Becomes 
 Insane — France Invaded Again by Henry V. — Shameful Terms of 
 the Treaty of Troyes 99 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 House of Valois (continued). 
 
 1328-1589. 
 
 Chaeles VII.— Louis XI. (1422-1483.) 
 
 Fighting Renewed Over the Crown of France — Charles VII. — His Threat- 
 ened Overthrow by the English— The Story of Joan of Arc, Maid of 
 Orleans — Repeated Defeats of the English — Louis XL — His Baseness. 
 — The Duke of Burgundy — League of the Public Good — End of the 
 Middle Ages — Strife Between the Kibg and the Duke of Burgundy — 
 
Contents. ix 
 
 Murder of the Bishop of Liege — Meeting Between Loui8 XI. and 
 Charles the Bold— Cardinal Balue and the Iron Cage — Defeat and 
 Death of the Duke of Burgundy — Last Days of Louis XC 117 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 House of Valois (continued). 
 
 1328-1589. 
 
 Charles VIII. —Louis XII. — Francis I. — Henry II. 
 
 (1483-1559.) 
 
 A Century of Frightful Deeds — Charles VIII. — His Conquests in Italy — 
 Girolamo Savonarola and His Good Work— Death of Charles VIII — 
 Louis XII — The Holy League — The Infamous Borgia Family — Cheva- 
 lier Bayard, the Knight Sans Peur et Sans Beproche — France's Compli- 
 cations with Spain, Germany and England — Henry II. — Defeat of the 
 Imperial Army at Metz — The Medici Family — Death of King 
 Henry II 133 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 House of Valois (concluded). 
 
 1328-1589. 
 
 Francis IL— Charles IX.— Henry III. (1559-1589.) 
 
 Discovery of the New World — Francis II. — The Real Rulers of France — 
 Their Opponents — Luther and the Reformation — The Protestants — 
 The Inquisition in France — Punishment of Heretics — John Calvin — 
 The Two Great Parties — Admiral Coligny — Failure of the Plot Against 
 the Guises— Death of the King — Charles IX. — The Regency — Out- 
 break of the Political and Religious War — Advantages Gained by the 
 Huguenots — Temporary Peace - Charles Becomes King — An Ill- 
 omened Marriage — Attempt to Assassinate Admiral Coligny — The 
 Massacre of St. Bartholomew — Death of Charles IX. — Henry III. — 
 His Worthless Character — Favors B- stowed on the Huguenots — 
 
Contents. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Organization of the Holy League — War of the Three Henrys — Assas- 
 sination of the Duke of Guise and of King Henry — End of the Valoia 
 Line 150 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 House of Bouebon. 
 1589-1792. 
 Henry IV.— Louis XIIL— Louis XIV. (1589-1715.) 
 
 Origin of the House of Bourbon — Old-Time Schools— University of Paris — 
 Study of Astrology— Theatres— Invention of Playing Cards -Fash- 
 ions in Dress— Fondness for Perfumery — Dwelling of the Eieh — 
 Wolves in Paris — Plagues and Pestilence — Amusements of the 
 Wealthy— The College of France— War of Henry IV. With his Op- 
 ponents— His Victory at Ivry — The Edict of Nantes — Improvement 
 in Internal Affairs — Assassination of the King — Louis XIIL — Mary 
 de Medici — Her Unwise Conduct — Assassination of Concini — Cardinal 
 Richelieu — The Great Work He Did for France— Death of the Car- 
 dinal and the King — Louis XIV. — Great Length of his Reign — The 
 Regency — Termination of the Thirty Years' War — The Fronde Civil 
 War — Louis the Great— His Defeat by the Triple Alliance — His Un- 
 successful War Against Holland — Marriage of the King to Madame 
 Maintenon — Revocation of the Edict of Nantes — War Between Eng- 
 land and France — Treaty of Ryswick— War of the Spanish Succes- 
 sion — Disastrous Defeat of France and the Treaty of Utrecht — The 
 Man With the Iron Mask— Death of Louis XIV 167 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 House of Bouebon (continued). 
 1589-1792. 
 Louis XV. (1715-1774). 
 
 Duke of Orleans as Regent — Poverty and Distress of the Kingdom — The 
 Mississippi Bubble — Louis a True Bourbon — War of the Austrian 
 Succession — Terms of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle— England and 
 
Contents. xi 
 
 PAGE 
 
 France Rivals in the New World — French and Indian War — ^Defeat of 
 France and her Expulsion from America — France Driven Out of India 
 by the English — Failure of the Alliance Against Prussia — Suppression 
 of the Jesuits — Death of Louis XV 185 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 House op Bourbon (continued). 
 
 1589-1792 
 
 Louis XVI. (1774-1792). 
 
 A Picture of Some of the Kings and Queens of the Leading Powers of 
 Christendom— Comparison with the American System of Government 
 — The Frightful Tyranny in France — Woful Condition of the Common 
 People— Mutterings of the Approaching StO'rm — Illustrations of the 
 Sufferings of the Peasantry— Louis XVI.— His Character and Charac- 
 teristics—Maria Antoinette, the Queen— The American Revolution — 
 Benjamin Franklin at the French Court— Help Given by France to 
 the Americans in their Struggle for Independence 194 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 House of BounBOiSr (continued). 
 
 1589-1792. 
 
 Louis XVL (1774-1792— continued.) 
 
 The Time When the People Spoke Out Loud— Effect of the American 
 Revolution Upon Sentiment in France— Other Causes of French Dis- 
 content—Restoration of the Parliaments by the King— Turgot Placed 
 in Charge of the Finances— His Dismissal Caused by His Reform 
 Measures— Necker Made His Successor— His Dismissal— Meeting of 
 the Notables— Recall of Necker— The States-General Summoned— 
 Refusals of the Nobles and Clergy to Unite with the Third Estate— 
 The Third Estate Organized as the National Assembly— The Members 
 Meet and Bind Themselves to Provide a Written Constitution for 
 France— They Take the Name of the National Constituent Assembly 
 —By Order of the King the Three Branches Meet as One Body— Troops 
 
xii Contents. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Called to Versailles by the King — Notable Members of the Assembly- 
 The King's New Council— Rage of the Popular Party — Destruction of 
 the Bastile— Revolt in the Provinces — The ' ' Joyous Entry ' ' — Flight 
 of the Nobility — Reckless Issue of Paper Money — Formal Ratification 
 of the New Constitution 207 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 House of Bouebon (concluded). 
 1589-1792. 
 Louis XVI. (1774-1792— concluded.) 
 Growth of Revolutionary Sentiment — Danger of the Royal Family — Their 
 Flight from Paris— Their Detection and Return— The Legislative As- 
 sembly — Three Classes Composing It — Declaration Regarding the 
 Nobles and Clergy — The Coalition Against France — War Declared by 
 France Against Austria — Manifesto of the Duke of Brunswick — 
 Attack on the Tuileries and Massacre of the Swiss Guard — The King 
 Deposed by the Assembly — Louis XVI. in Prison — His Trial, Condem- 
 nation and Execution 220 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 The Republic. 
 1792-1804. 
 The Convention. (1792-1795.) 
 Increase of the Coalition Against France— Energy of the Republic— Defec- 
 tion of Demouriez — Establishment of the Committee of Safety — 
 General Distrust and Suspicion— Weakness of the Girondists— Insur- 
 rection in the Provinces— Fearful Massacres at Lyon, Toulon and 
 Nantes— Assassination of Marat by Charlotte Corday — The Reign of 
 Terror — Camille Desmoulins — Abolishment of the Existing Calendar 
 —Abolishment of Religion— The ' ' Goddess of Reason ' ' and the ' 'Age 
 of Reason" — Execution of Maria Antoinette — Crushing of the He- 
 bertists— Danton Guillotined— End of Robespierre — The Reaction- 
 Success of the Armies of the Republic — Close of the Government by 
 the Convention — Madame Roland 233 
 
Contents. xiii 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 The Eepublic (continued). 
 1792-1804. 
 The Directory. (1795-1799.) 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Napoleon Bonaparte— The Bonaparte Family — Early Training of Napoleon 
 — His Servi es at Toulon — Jealousy of Him— His Brilliant Defense of 
 the Tuileries and Defeat of the National Guard — Appointed to the 
 Command of the Army in Northern Italy — His Magnificent and Suc- 
 cessful Campaign — The Egyptian Expedition — Its Successes — Destruc- 
 tion of the French Fleet by Nelson at Ahoukir Bay — Failure'of the 
 Siege of Acre — Napoleon's Secret and Unexpected Return to France — 
 His Popularity— Overthrow of the Directory. A New Constitution 
 Adopted, the Consulate Established and Napoleon Made First Consul, 246 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Republic and the Empire. 
 
 1792-1815. 
 
 The Consulate and the Empire. (1799-1815.) 
 
 Napoleon as First Consul— His Many-sided Greatness — Outbreak of War 
 — Crossing of the Alps — Marengo— Hohenlinden — Treaty of Lune- 
 ville — Malta Captured by England and the French Driven Oat of 
 Egypt — Napoleon Chosen First Consul for Life — Sale of Louisiana to 
 the United States — Breaking Out of the Ten Years' War— Napoleon 
 Elected Emperor — His Crowning of Himself — Admiral Nelson's 
 Great Victory at Trafalgar — Napoleon's Success at Ulm — His Brilliant 
 Triumph at Austerlitz — His Distribution of Kingdoms — A New Coali- 
 tion Formed Against France — Renewal of the War— Defeat of Prussia 
 — Peace of Tilsit— French Invasion of Spain and Portugal — The Pen- 
 insular War — Annexation of Rome and Excommunication of Na- 
 poleon — The Pope Made a Prisoner — French Defeat of the Austrians 
 — Napoleon at the Zenith of his Glory — His Astounding Achieve- 
 ments — Josephine Divorced — Napoleon's Marriage to Maria Louisa — 
 His Invasion of Russia— The Awful Retreat from Moscow — The New 
 
xiv Contents. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Coalitiou Against the French Emperor — "Battle of the Nations'' — 
 Defeat of Napoleon and Fall of Paris — Abdication of Napoleon — 
 Sent as an Exile to Elba — His Escape — His Return to Paris — Louis 
 XVIII. — Alliance Against Napoleon — Waterloo — The End of the 
 First Empire • 259 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 House of Bouebon (restored). 
 
 1815-1830. 
 
 Louis XVIII.— Charles X. 
 
 Louis XVIII, a True Bourbon— Revengeful Persecution by the Royalists 
 — Marshal Ney — Vast Sum Paid by France to the Allies — Assassina- 
 tion of the Duke of Berry — Oppressive Course of the King— The Holy 
 Alliance — Death of Louis XVIII. from Gluttony — Charles X. An- 
 other True Bourbon — His Tyranny — Action of England, France and 
 Russia in Behalf of Greece— Exasperating Conduct of the King — 
 Conquest of Algiers — Growth of Liberal Sentiment— Charles' At- 
 tempted Coup d'Etat - The Revolution of July, 1830 — Exile and 
 Death of Charles X 278 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 House of Obleans. 
 
 1830-1852. 
 
 Louis Philippe — Republic. 
 
 Louis Philippe — The Four Political Parties of France and their Principles 
 — Vicious Wrangles — First Visitation of the Cholera— Its Appearance 
 in America — Severe Defensive Laws Passed by the Government of 
 France — Louis Napoleon — Failure of his First and Second Attempts 
 Against the Throne of France — His Escape from the Citadel of Ham — 
 The French Revolution of 1848 — Flight of Louis Philippe — Organiza- 
 tion of the Republic — Louis Napoleon Elected First President — His 
 Coup d'Etat — The Empire Restored and Louis Napoleon Made 
 Emperor 287 
 
Contents. xv 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The Second Empire. 
 
 1852-1870. 
 
 Napoleon III. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Splendor and Prosperity of the Second Empire— The Only Foundation of 
 Pure Greatness— Eottenness of the Second Empire— Alliance Between 
 France and England in the War in the Crimea -Louis Napoleon's War 
 Against Austria in Behalf of Italy— His Payment Therefor — Attempt 
 and Failure of Louis Napoleon to Establish a Latin Empire in Mexico 
 — Construction of the Suez Canal— The Franco-Prussian War— Col- 
 lapse of the Second Empire— Siege and Fall of Paris— Treaty of 
 Peace and its Terms— Horrors of the Commune in Paris — Its Extinc- 
 tion — Escape of the Empress — Death of Louis Napoleon and of his 
 Son Prince Napoleon 299 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The Third Republic. 
 
 1870. 
 
 Committee of Public Defense— Thiers — MacMahon— Grevy 
 — Carnot — Perier— Faure — Loubet. (1870-1891.) 
 
 Dispute Over the Form of Government — The Various Candidates — Thiers 
 Elected Temporary President — The Last of the Army of Occupation — 
 Reorganization of the Army — Sentence of Marshal Bazaine — The 
 Republic Agreed Upon — Adoption of a Constitution— Tunis Made a 
 French Protectorate -France Excluded from the Dual Control in 
 Egypt— Partial Sovereignty Obtained in Madagascar — Annam and 
 Tonquin Made a French Protectorate — Troubles with China— French 
 Scandals— Carnot Elected President— The Universal Exhibition of 
 1889 —Assassination of President Carnot — Presidents Perier, Faure 
 and Loubet— The Panama Scandals— The Dreyfus Affair— The Gov- 
 ernment of France — Scientists — Inventors — Historians — Poets — Nov- 
 elists—The Countries, Population, Area, etc 314 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Battle of Jemappes Frontispiece 
 
 •' He was a giant in stature " 16 
 
 " The priests offered up human sacrifices " 17 
 
 The Glerman Invasion of Gaul « 18 
 
 Odin's Hunt ^ 21 
 
 A Chieftain of Gaul Submitting to Caesar 23 
 
 A Christian Martyr Under the Arena 24 
 
 Vision of the Emperor Constantine 25 
 
 The Huns Invading the Territory of the Gauls 29 
 
 Clovis and the Yase of Soissons 31 
 
 Choosing a King after the Battle of Chalons c 33 
 
 The Baptism of Clovis o...... 34 
 
 " Childebert and Clotaire murdered two " 35 
 
 "Fastened to a T^ild horse and dragged to death ".o 37 
 
 "Thousands of people flocked to his standard" -o 39 
 
 The King and His Major Domi 40 
 
 Pepin Cutting off the Head of a Lion and of a Bull 43 
 
 Charlemagne ' 44 
 
 Roland at the Pass of Eoncesvalles 47 
 
 xvii 
 
xviii illustration^. 
 
 PAGfi 
 
 The Coronation of Charlemagne 49 
 
 Signature of Charlemagne 51 
 
 Statuette of Charlemagne 52 
 
 A Feudal Castle 53 
 
 Arrival of the Northmen 56 
 
 Coronation of a King 64 
 
 Roger Gruiscard's Fleet Destroying the Enemy 65 
 
 Submission of the Saracens to Roger Guiscard , 67 
 
 Crusaders on their Way to the Holy Land.. « 70 
 
 Peter the Hermit Preaches the First Crusade 71 
 
 Godfrey of Bouillon Entering Jerusalem 75 
 
 A Knight of St. John 76 
 
 Finding the Dead Body of the Emperor Barbarossa 77 
 
 Statue of William the Conqueror, at Falaise 83 
 
 Philip Augustus at the Elm of Gisors 85 
 
 The Battle of Bouvines , ,. 87 
 
 Saint Louis Instructed by his Mother..... = 89 
 
 The Living Barricades at Mansourah 90 
 
 Death of Saint Louis at Tunis 91 
 
 The High Court of Montfaucon 93 
 
 Conradin Throws down His Gauntlet 95 
 
 Pope Boniface VIII. Defiant under Insult 97 
 
 Seal of King John of Bohemia 100 
 
 The French Chivalry Charging the English at Crecy.... 101 
 
 Arbalists, or Cross Bows 102 
 
 Effigy of Edward the Black Prince 103 
 
Illustrations. xix 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Tomb of Edward III. in Westminster Abbey 104 
 
 The Flagellants 105 
 
 Crossbowmen on Horseback 106 
 
 King John and his Son Philip at Poitiers 107 
 
 The Jacquerie 109 
 
 Coat of Mail, Gauntlets and Mailed Boot Ill 
 
 The Fren«h go down at Agincourt 113 
 
 Charles VI. of France , 114 
 
 Isabelle of Bavaria, Wife of Charles VI 115 
 
 City Life in the Fifteenth Century 119 
 
 Joan of Arc Wounded before Orleans 121 
 
 Joan of Arc Before the Tribunal 123 
 
 Joan of Arc's Words at her Trial , 125 
 
 Flight of Charles the Bold after the Battle of Morat 127 
 
 Siege of Neuss by Charles the Bold 128 
 
 Presentation of the First Printed Book to Louis XI 129 
 
 View of Plessis-les-tour 130 
 
 Cardinal Balue in his Iron Cage 131 
 
 Charles VIII. Enters Home at the Head of bis Army 135 
 
 Charles VIII. Hearing the Causes of the Rich and the Poor 136 
 
 Savanarola Preaches Against the Sin of Luxury 137 
 
 Louis VIIL Wins the Battle of Agnadello 139 
 
 Seal of Louis XII 110 
 
 Lucretia Borgia Dances before her Father 141 
 
 Seal of Francis I 142 
 
 Goat of Mail of Chevalier Bayard 143 
 
XX Illustrations. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Medal of Francis 1 144 
 
 Bayard, Single-handed Defends the Bridge 145 
 
 Armor of Gonsalvo de Cordova 146 
 
 Francis I. wins the Battle of Pavia, A. D. 1544 147 
 
 Scene at a Tournament, Sixteenth Century 148 
 
 Tournament, Joust of Lances 149 
 
 A Musquetin, 1559 150 
 
 Armor of a Captain of Lansquenets 151 
 
 Mary Stuart and her Young Husband 153 
 
 The Holy Inquisition — Two Modes of Torture 154 
 
 The Holy Inquisition in Session 155 
 
 Nobles and Calvinist 157 
 
 Catherine de Medici 159 
 
 Huguenots Destroying the Sculptures on a Cathedral IGl 
 
 The Morning after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew 163 
 
 Visit of the Duke of Guise to Henry III 165 
 
 Henry IV. Playing with his Children 172 
 
 Assassination of Marshal Concini 175 
 
 Cinq Mars and De Thou Led to Execution 177 
 
 Richelieu and Father Joseph 179 
 
 Admiral De Buyter = 181 
 
 Prince Eugene 1 83 
 
 Louis XV. at Fontenoy 189 
 
 The Death of Wolfe 191 
 
 Frederick the Great 193 
 
 Louis XV. in His Cabinet 197 
 
Illustrations. xxi 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Louis XV 199 
 
 The Robber Barons 201 
 
 Louis XV. Shown to the People 204 
 
 Maria Antoinette 205 
 
 Turgot Receiving his Dismissal 209 
 
 Necker 210 
 
 Costumes of the States-General 211 
 
 Lafayette 213 
 
 Camille Desmoulins in the Garden 215 
 
 Louis XVI 217 
 
 The "Joyous Entry" 219 
 
 The Bread Riots 221 
 
 Mirabeau 223 
 
 Louis XVII 224 
 
 The Royal Family at Varennes 225 
 
 Robespierre 227 
 
 Louis XVL and the Mob in the Tuilcries 229 
 
 Danton 230 
 
 Execution of Louis XVI 231 
 
 Dumouriez 235 
 
 Marat 236 
 
 Assassination of Marat 237 
 
 Callingthe Roll of the Last Victims 239 
 
 The Feast of the Goddess of Reason 241 
 
 Maria Antoinette Leaving the Tribunal 243 
 
 Robespierre Made an Attempt at Suicide - 245 
 
xxii Illustrations . 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Napoleon Bonaparte 247 
 
 Barras 249 
 
 Napoleon at the Bridge of Lodi 251 
 
 Josephine 253 
 
 The British at Aboukir Bay 254 
 
 Napoleon in Egypt 255 
 
 Kleber 256 
 
 Lucien Bonaparte 257 
 
 Napoleon 1 263 
 
 Francis II 265 
 
 Louis Bonaparte 266 
 
 At the Height of his aiory, Friedland, 1807 267 
 
 42d Highlanders Driving the French out of Elvina 269 
 
 Murat 271 
 
 Caroline Bonaparte 272 
 
 Josephine Hears of the Divorce 273 
 
 Joseph Bonaparte 275 
 
 Napoleon's Return from Elba 277 
 
 Flight of Napoleon from Waterloo 279 
 
 Marshal Ney 281 
 
 The Duke of Berry 283 
 
 Louis XVIII. Advising Charles X 285 
 
 Charles X 286 
 
 Louis Philippe 289 
 
 Bue de Rivoli, Paris 291 
 
 Napoleon III ,.,,.,,,,. 293 
 
Illustrations. 5cxiii 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Rebellion, 18i8 294 
 
 The Pantheon ...., 295 
 
 Street Singers, Paris 29G 
 
 Le Pont-Neuf, Paris 297 
 
 The Louvre from the Rue Marengo 299 
 
 A Cabaret in Montmartre, Paris 300 
 
 Law School, Paris , 301 
 
 Schoolboys Leaving the Lycee 303 
 
 Left Wing of Opera House, Paris 304 
 
 Napoleon III. at the Battle of Solferino 305 
 
 The Medici Fountain, Paris 306 
 
 Hotel de Yille, Paris 307 
 
 Count Bismarck - 309 
 
 Marshal Bazaine 311 
 
 Summary Execution of a Communist 313 
 
 Louis Adolphe Thiers 315 
 
 Count Yon Moltke 317 
 
 Marshal MacMahon 319 
 
 M. Jules Grevy 321 
 
 Yoltaire 322 
 
 Market Place and Garden of the Temple, Paris 323 
 
 Rousseau 324 
 
Frontispiece to a History of France printed in 1493. 
 
ALTEMUS' YOUNG PEOPLE'S 
 
 HISTORY OF FRANCE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE EARLY HISTORY OF GAUL OR FRANCE. 
 
 NO ONE knows who first settled Gaul, as France was 
 called in its earliest days. For that matter, no 
 one knows who first settled any country. When 
 the white men discovered America, they found the In- 
 dians here. Then it was learned than the mound builders 
 were ahead of the Indians, and now every one is satisfied 
 that the mound builders were the Indians themselves, 
 and that when Columbus first saw Guanahani {gioa'na 
 lia'nee) island, the red men on the continent were en- 
 gaged in building their vast mounds to serve as burial 
 places for their dead. Who w^ere ahead of the mound 
 builders ? 
 
 In Central China you will find to-day a community of 
 Jews, whose history runs back into the dim past beyond 
 all records. Many think they are the descendants of one 
 of the Lost Tribes of Israel, but that is only guesswork. 
 
 13 
 
14 Young People's History of France. 
 
 For generations, histories have stated that the earliest 
 ruler of whom there is any knowledge was Menes, 
 founder of the first dynasty in Egypt, who lived some 
 5,000 years before the birth of our Saviour; but within a 
 short time past, the tombs of a number of kings, all of 
 whom flourished before Menes, have been brought to 
 light. One of these days, the truth will be known and 
 we must wait until that time in order to gain certain 
 knowledge. 
 
 Now as to France, the first accounts that can be re- 
 lied on take us back to a period about 600 years before 
 Christ. It was then a land covered with vast stretches 
 of gloomy forests, where the streams froze in winter and 
 the people were as wild and as untamed as the beasts 
 that prowled in the trackless woods. They lived their 
 savage life until a horde of Celts or Gauls swarmed down 
 from the direction of Germany and hustled the original 
 owners out of the country, just as we did with the In- 
 dians and just as England does when she covets some 
 rich country. 
 
 Those Gauls were terrible fellows, who loved nothing 
 so dearly as fighting and killing other people. They wore 
 breeches, a tunic and a striped cloak something like the 
 plaid of the Scotch Highlanders of to-day. When one of 
 them overcame a foe, he made sure of putting him be- 
 yond the power of doing further harm, by cutting off his 
 head. They were of massive build, blue-eyed and light 
 haired, and so fierce in their ways, that they may be con- 
 sidered as so many snarling wild beasts that had learned 
 to travel on their hind legs. They dwelt in caves and 
 
The Early History of Gaul or France. 15 
 
 rude huts, and roved about with their immense herds oi 
 cattle, whose skins were traded with Grecian or Phoeni- 
 cian merchants for strong drink and trinkets. 
 
 Finding they could not get enough fighting at home, 
 the Gauls plunged into other countries and swung their 
 clubs, axes and swords and hurled their spears with an 
 effect that filled their hearts with delight. They suc- 
 cessfully invaded Greece, Spain and Africa and threw 
 even imperial Rome into a shiver of fright. They re- 
 peatedly crossed the Alps, swooped down on the vine- 
 yards of Italy, and finally in the year 390 B. C, cap- 
 tured Rome and held possession of it for nearly a year. 
 That was the time when the citadel was saved by the 
 squawking of a flock of geese, which gave notice one night 
 of the stealthy approach of the Gauls. At last the 
 Romans paid the Gauls to go away and leave them alone. 
 
 More than twenty years later, the Gauls made 
 another visit and carried their conquest to the very 
 walls of Rome, whose inhabitants were cooped up for a 
 dozen years. Then the savages went off again and made 
 permanent settlements in the valleys of the Po. They 
 were densely ignorant and superstitious, and the 
 very kind of people to be ruled by the ferocious priests 
 of the Druids, who fattened upon their ignorance. 
 Those Druids were the real rulers who made and en- 
 forced their merciless laws. Their places of worship 
 were in the sombre depths of groves, where in the soft 
 twilight, they indulged in their frightful ceremonies. 
 The oak to them was a sacred tree and the mistletoe, 
 when found clinging to it, was believed to have miracu- 
 
16 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 bus healing powers. Often the priests offered up 
 human sacrifices, whose sufferings were prolonged to a 
 horrifying degree. The victims were slowly killed with 
 
 a knife or placed in wooden 
 cages and tortured with 
 flames, their outcries and 
 moans making sweet music 
 in the ears of the priests. 
 
 The Greeks were so 
 frightened by the attacks 
 of the Gauls that they 
 begged the Romans to pro- 
 tect them. The Romans 
 sent an officer and an army 
 who built two towns, Aix 
 (ase or akes) and Narbonne, 
 and made war on the 
 Gauls, who sent a messen- 
 ger to the Roman camp. 
 He was a giant in stature, 
 
 - He was a giant in stature." ^^^ ^,^g aCCOmpauicd by a 
 
 bard who sang the praises of his clan, the Arverni. There 
 were other attendants, but ^ his chief guards were a pack 
 of enormous hounds. The messenger, in the name of his 
 chief, Bituitus, ordered the Romans to leave the country 
 and cease to harm the Gauls. The Roman general turned 
 his back contemptuously upon the messenger, who re- 
 turned in anger to his chief, and preparations were made 
 for battle. The result was indecisive, but Bituitus was 
 soon afterward made prisoner, sent to Italy, and kept a 
 
" The priests offered up human sacrifices." 
 2^ElUs* France. 17 
 
18 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 captive for tlie remainder of his life. His son was educa- 
 ted as a Koman and sent back to his people to teach them 
 to be friends to Rome. 
 
 The Gauls lost much of their war-like spirit^ as they 
 became partly civilized. The German tribes on the 
 shores of the Baltic and North seas swept their country 
 in a vast flood, wdiicli nothing could stand against. 
 
 The German Inyasion of Gaul. 
 
 Flushed with their success, these new barbarians de- 
 termined to drive out the Gauls and then capture 
 Rome. Marius the Roman general saw the peril, and, 
 marching with a powerful army into Gaul, he met the 
 invaders in the year 102 B. C. near iVix and in a terrific 
 battle in which more than a hundred thousand men w^ere 
 left dead, utterly defeated them. 
 
 This crushing victory saved Rome, but did not keep 
 
The Early History of Gaul or France. 19 
 
 the Franks, as they were calledj out of Gaul. Those 
 who settled near the ocean were called Salian Franks, 
 while those who dwelt by the Rhine and the Meuse 
 {muze) were Ripuarian Franks. The three tribes that 
 thus peopled Gaul, were the Burgundians, who settled in 
 the southeastern part, the Visigoths in the southwest and 
 the Franks in the northeastern portion. The last named 
 were the warriors, the others being more peaceful in 
 their ways. 
 
 The religious belief of the Franks, generally known 
 as the Scandinavian Mythology, was a savage creed. 
 Their chief deities were Odin and Thor, the latter being 
 the god of war, who was believed to be capable of slaying 
 thousands with one stroke of his gigantic battle axe ; but 
 he was mortal, and when he felt the approach of death, 
 killed himself with the point of his lance. 
 
 Fifty-eight 3^ears before the birth of our Saviour, 
 Julius CaBsar entered Gaul with a Roman army to con- 
 quer the German invaders and to take possession of the 
 country for Rome. His object was to extend the domin- 
 ion of Rome and to gain wealth, fame and political 
 power for himself. It required nine years to complete 
 his work. He divided the country into three districts ; 
 that of the Belgians in the north, that of the Celts or 
 Gauls in the centre, and that of the Aquitanians in the 
 southwest. The written history of Gaul begins with this 
 conquest, for, as you know, C^sar wrote a history of his 
 doings in Gaul. He says the people consisted of three 
 classes— the nobles, whose sole business was fighting ; the 
 priests or Druids, who were the religious teachers, judges, 
 physicians and educators, and the slaves. 
 
20 Young People's History of France. 
 
 The Gauls were split into many tribes, who hated one 
 another too intensely to unite against the invaders, and 
 naturally, therefore, the disciplined legions of Rome 
 triumphed. Roman civilization spread among the con- 
 quered people. One of the places captured by Caesar 
 was a miserable village of mud huts on a swampy island 
 in the Seine (saiie). The Gauls called it a name which 
 meant Mud Town, and the tribe who lived there were the 
 Parisii [pa-ris'i-i). The Romans built a temple to Jupiter 
 on the spot, which later gave way to the Cathedral of- 
 Notre-Dame [notr'-clam), while Mud Town in time became 
 Paris, the most beautiful city in the world. 
 
 Stately towns and cities arose all over Gaul, modeled 
 after those of Rome ; schools, colleges and libraries 
 sprang up ; literature and art were cultivated ; a modified 
 form of Latin language took the place of that of the 
 Gauls, and Roman law supplanted the barbaric rule of 
 the country. A grand era of prosperity and progress 
 seemed to have come to Gaul, for peace prevailed; in- 
 dustry ruled; taxes were light; agriculture improved; 
 justice was administered to all; the cultivation of corn, 
 the olive and the vine became general ; the climate grew 
 milder and softer through the cutting down of the im- 
 mense forests; there were extensive manufactures of iron, 
 bronze, jewelry, armor, weapons and tools, and the com- 
 merce of the old city of Marseille {mar-sale') originally 
 founded by the Greeks, united Gaul with all the countries 
 along the Mediterranean. 
 
 Perhaps this blessed condition of affairs might have 
 lasted and even improved, but for Rome, which had 
 
Odin Hunting with his Wolves, Geri and Freki. 
 
 21 
 
22 Young People's History of France. 
 
 brought it about. That once proud " mistress of the 
 world " had become rotten to the core and was crumbling 
 to pieces through quarrels, jealousies and civil war. 
 When a fountain is corrupt it cannot give forth pure 
 water, and the heel of the master was now ground upon 
 the throat of the servant. The wealthy Romans bought 
 up the small farms of Gaul and turned them into cattle 
 and sheep pastures, tended by their slaves ; taxes became 
 intolerable, for the debauched rulers in Rome clamored 
 for more and more money to gratify their vile appetites. 
 Every farmer had to give each third bushel of grain to 
 the tax gatherer for the government, and then the tax 
 gatherer robbed his victim for his own benefit. The rich 
 became richer and the poor poorer, and the condition of 
 Gaul grew more hopeless than when under the rule of the 
 ruthless savages centuries before. 
 
 Meanwhile a new and mysterious power stole into 
 Gaul and began its work. At some date in the second 
 century Christianity reached that country. There is a 
 tradition that the Apostle Paul preached there, but of 
 this nothing is known with certainty. Be that as it may, 
 this new influence steadily advanced and grew. At first 
 the Romans treated it with indifference. They cared 
 nothing for religion so long as it did not interfere with 
 their purposes. But as it spread they saw that its spirit 
 was opposed to their own institutions. A Roman soldier 
 who had been converted to Christianity was ordered to 
 kneel before a bronze image of the emperor, but refused, 
 and was deemed guilty almost of treason. 
 
 The new faith declared that there was a higher power 
 

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24 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 and authority than that of Caesar, and its missionaries 
 were preaching that faith everywhere and winning 
 thousands. Rome considered it high time to root out this 
 
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 TJie Night before the Spectacle : a Christian Martyr under the Arena. 
 
 pestilent religion which threatened to overturn everything, 
 and then began a persecution whose ferocity was like that 
 of the Chinese ''' Boxers." The evangelists and missionaries 
 were tortured to death, often for the amusement of the 
 Koman populace. Lions and tigers were half starved that 
 
The Early History of Gaul or France. 
 
 25 
 
 they might become the fiercer in tearing men, women 
 children to 
 death in the 
 circuses while 
 the bloated 
 sp ec tators 
 shouted wdth 
 delight. 
 Nothing that J 
 human ingen- 
 uity could 
 devise was 
 forgotten i n 
 adding to 
 these horrible 
 scenes of suf- - 
 ering. ^' 
 
 But all in -.. 
 vain. It has i 
 been said that 
 the blood of 
 the martyrs 
 was the seed 
 of the Church, E 
 and persecu- 
 tion only aid- 
 ed the devel- 
 opment of 
 true Christi- 
 anity. A won- 
 
 and 
 
 Vision of the Emperor Constantine, 
 
26 Young People's History of France. 
 
 derful change took place in the fourth century. Con- 
 stantine, the great Roman emperor, while engaged on one 
 of his military expeditions, about 312, had a vision like 
 that of Saul of Tarsus, for in the sky before him appeared 
 an immense cross with the inscription '^m hoc vince,'' 
 meaning, ^' with this you will conquer." Constantino be- 
 came a convert to Christianity and straightway began 
 his work of reform. Having won an easy victory,, he 
 adopted the cross as his standard, abolished many of the 
 obscene pagan rites, compelled Sunday to be respected 
 and all work to stop on that day, caused the Christian 
 churches which had been destroyed to be rebuilt, abolished 
 the consulting of oracles and the fights of the gladiators, 
 and in 325 assembled the first universal council of Nicse. 
 
 The change was far reaching and amazing. The 
 idols that reared their hideous forms all over the country 
 were pulled down and gave place to crosses and crucifixes, 
 and when some of the timid peasants stole in among the 
 Druidical oaks, which because of their grandeur and 
 majesty, were spared, they saw the image of the Virgin 
 looking mildly down upon them from among the leaves 
 and branches. Then in time monasteries and convents 
 were founded, a.nd the monks and nuns lived by cultivat- 
 ing the soil, something which until then had been looked 
 upon as fit only for slaves. Gradually, too, the bishops 
 and clergy became more influential than the magistrates. 
 
 So, despite the cruelty and tyranny of Rome, she did 
 much that was good for Gaul,, where was founded one 
 of the greatest nations of modern times. 
 
CHAPTER IT. 
 
 THE MEROYINGIANS. 418-752. 
 
 IN THE fifth century, the Huns, a frightful people, 
 whose homes were on the plams of Tartary, began 
 to ravage Europe. They were like so many wild 
 beasts, and their terrible leader, Attila, bore the awful 
 title of " The Scourge of God." Many looked upon him 
 and his vast horde as so many demons loosed for a season 
 that they might devastate the world. He compelled the 
 Romans who had exacted tribute so many times from 
 other nations, to pay tribute to him. Then with an 
 army that is said to have numbered a million warriors, 
 he crossed the Rhine and burst into Gaul, like a tidal 
 wave from the ocean. 
 
 There seemed no hope for any people that might find 
 themselves in the path of the wrathful Scourge ; but 
 knowing their desperate peril, Gauls, Romans, Visigoths, 
 Burgundians and Franks threw aside their own quarrels 
 and presented a combined front to Attila and his hosts. 
 At Chalons {shal-on'), in the Catalaunian plains, in the 
 year 451, was fought one of the decisive battles of the 
 world. Attila was defeated and Western Europe was 
 saved to the races that have carried it to the fore of civili- 
 zation and progress. 
 
 Now, if you will examine the list of sovereigns of 
 
 27 
 
28 Young People's History of France. 
 
 France, as given at the end of this history, you will note 
 that the first name is that of Pharamond. He belonged 
 to a powerful Frank family named Meroving, which 
 meant " mighty warrior." They were Salian Franks, 
 who, as you remember, dwelt along the sea shore. 
 Pharamond was one of the princes of the Meroving 
 family and became so influential in Gaul that he is gen- 
 erally looked upon as the first King of France. 
 
 The history of those early rulers is so jumbled and 
 bloody, that I shall pass over it briefly. Pharamond who 
 began his rule in 418, Avas succeeded in 428 by his son 
 Clodion, who died broken hearted in 447, because of the 
 death of his son, and was succeeded by Merovaeus, a 
 prince of the Merovingian family. It was he who united 
 his forces with the Roman generals and helped to win 
 the great victory over Attila. 
 
 Childeric was a boy at the time of the death of 
 MoroviBus, his father, and for a time was kept out of his 
 rights, but he gained them in 458 and ruled until 481. 
 Childeric I. was a fairly decent person, and had a few 
 good qualities, but he was about the only one of the 
 Merovingians of whom this can be said. Most of them 
 were as mean, treacherous and despicable as a man can 
 be and still live. 
 
 Clovis, eldest son of Childeric, succeeded him in 481, 
 and I must tell you a few things about him. At the 
 time of his father's death, Clovis was only fifteen years 
 old, but he was chief of a body of renowned fighters. 
 Although Rome had fallen, she still had authority in the 
 district of Soissons (almost swi-son) in the upper Seine 
 
The Huns Invading the Territory of the Gauls. 
 
 29 
 
30 Young People's History of France. 
 
 {sane) valley. Clovis captured this place in 486, turned 
 out the Koman governor, and made his residence his own. 
 
 This success made Clovis master of all Gaul north of 
 the Loire [Iwar), excepting Brittany, whose chiefs formed 
 an alliance with him. Soissons contained a large amount 
 of treasure and the soldiers of Clovis gathered much plun- 
 der. All they found was brought forth and piled into an 
 immense heap. Some of the stuff was taken from neigh- 
 boring places, and, among the treasures was a splendid 
 vase of chased gold, stolen from the cathedral at Rheims 
 {remz). The bishop begged Clovis to return it. While 
 dividing the treasure, Clovis asked that the vase be 
 allowed to him, his intention being to give it to the 
 bishop. 
 
 Hardly, however, had Clovis laid his hand on it, when 
 a soldier sprang forward and shattered the vase with his 
 battle axe, exclaiming that the king should not receive 
 more than his share. Clovis turned and looked angrily 
 at the soldier, but did not speak. 
 
 A year later Clovis had become so great that no one 
 dared gainsay his will or find fault with anything he did. 
 At a grand parade of the king's soldiers, he recognized 
 the man who had smashed the vase a year before. He 
 beckoned him to draw near. As the soldier obeyed, 
 Clovis snatched his spear from his grasp and flung it on 
 the ground. The soldier stooped to pick it up, when the 
 king brought down his battle axe with the remark: "I 
 serve you as you served the vase at Soissons." 
 
 The soldier's head being no harder than the vase, was 
 cracked and his power was ended for doing mischief. 
 
" I serve you as you served the vase at Soissons." 
 
 31 
 
32 Young People's History of Prance. 
 
 Clovis made his home in Paris, which thus became 
 the capital of Francia, the land of the western Franks. 
 The Church was so beset by enemies on every hand that 
 it was anxious to secure a champion and now turned to 
 Clovis. His wife was an orthodox Catholic, and, though 
 he listened to her gentle persuasions, he still hesitated to 
 become a Christian ; but while engaged in a battle with 
 a horde of Germans near Strasburg, wuth the result 
 doubtful, he called for divine help, and promised to 
 become a Christian if the Lord would give him victory, 
 as if such a proposed bargain can have any effect with 
 the Ruler of all. However, Clovis did win the fight, 
 professed Christianity and 3000 of his followers did the 
 same. 
 
 Fired by the zeal of a new convert as well as by 
 ambition, he conquered the Burgundians and they became 
 good Catholics. Then he served the Visigoths in the 
 same manner and left them only a narrow strip of sea- 
 coast north of the Pyrenees. At that time, the title of 
 Pope was not limited to the bishop of Rome, but was held 
 by the bishops generally. The Bishop of Rome, in grati- 
 tude for the services rendered by Clovis, conferred upon 
 him the title of ^^ Eldest Son of the Church," and '' Most 
 Noble Christian King." That he did good service cannot 
 be denied, but he committed murders and crimes without 
 number mainly to clear the way for his sons to become 
 his successors. He died in 511, and, having divided 
 France into four districts, left them to his four heirs as 
 follows : 
 
 Thierry I. — Austrasia or Metz; Clodomir, Orleans; 
 

 
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34 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Childebert I., Paris; Clotaire I., Soissons or Nuestria. 
 Quarreling, crime and misery followed this arrangement. 
 The sons were intensely jealous of one another, and 
 stopped at no treachery to gain an advantage. Clodomir 
 
 The Baptism of Clovis. 
 
 had three little boys, and, to secure Orleans for them- 
 selves, Childebert and Clotaire murdered two, but the third 
 got away from them through the help of friends. His 
 name was Cleodald, and, as he grew to manhood, he 
 showed his wisdom by letting kingly honors alone and 
 dying the death of a Christian hermit. The palace of 
 
The Merovingians. 35 
 
 Saint Cloud now stands on the spot whci tlu^ lv dlait 
 
 "Childebert and Clotaire murdered two. 
 
 and sensible man lived more than a thousand years ago. 
 
36 Young People's History of France. 
 
 All of his brothers being dead, Clotaire became king 
 of the whole of France in 558. Then, being sated with 
 crime and wrenched with remorse, he passed away in 561, 
 first dividing his kingdom among his four sons. Of these, 
 Caribert died within a year in Paris, and Chilperic I., of 
 Soissons, partitioned the kingdom with his brother, Sige- 
 bert, of Austrasia, and Gentran, of Orleans or Burgundy. 
 Probably no wickeder women ever lived than Fredegonde, 
 wife of Chilperic, and Brunehaut, wife of Sigebert. Their 
 ambition and mutual hatred caused the most atrocious 
 feuds between the brothers. Fredegonde caused Sigebert 
 to be murdered, and there is little doubt that she hired 
 assassins to put her own husband out of the way. 
 
 Clotaire 11. succeeded his father Chilperic, but being a 
 mere boy, his mother governed the kingdom, with the aid 
 of the mayor of the palace. She died suddenly, and 
 Brunehaut some years later, by order of Clotaire was 
 stripped naked and fastened to a wild horse and dragged 
 to death. 
 
 Dagobert 1. became king in 628. He proved the best 
 of a very bad lot, and reigned not only over Austrasia and 
 Nuestria, but over most of the people of Gaul from the 
 Pyrenees to the Rhine and beyond the Rhine on the east 
 to the forests of Central Germany ; but when he died ten 
 years later the decline began. His successors were men- 
 tally weak, with some of them hardly above the grade 
 of fools. The office of Mayor of the Palace, or Major Domi, 
 as he was called, grew in importance. At first the duty 
 of these officers was to help ,the king manage his kingdom, 
 but they were now called upon to manage the king him- 
 
Tke Merovingians. 
 
 37 
 
 self, which was not so hard since the monarchs had not 
 enough spirit to reseat being led around by the nose. 
 The Merovingians who succeeded Dagobert are spoken of 
 
 " Fastened to a wild horse and dragged to death." 
 
 in history as the "Sluggard Kings/' the real name given • 
 to them meaning ^^^ Do-Nothing Kings." 
 
 They wore long hair as a sign of royalty, but were so 
 wan and effeminate that a sturdy American boy of twelve 
 years could have made footballs of the whole lot. Had 
 you been living in those times you might have seen one 
 
38 Young People's History of France. 
 
 of them riding from one of his immense farms to another 
 in a covered cart drawn by oxen, whose plodding gait just 
 suited their tastes. Arriving at a farm they would 
 manage to rouse sufficiently to climb out with the help of 
 their assistants and begin eating and drinking, which 
 they kept up until everything w^as gone, when they would 
 allow their servants to lift them into the cart again and 
 be dragged to the next farm. By that time the king 
 would be hungry and thirsty again, and resume his former 
 carousal, then going home to sleep until he could think 
 of some other pleasure to be gratified. 
 
 It isn't worth while to particularize further. You 
 will find the list of the good-for-nothings at the end of this 
 history, and it isn't interesting to read the record of a 
 lot of fools, who rarely or never roused themselves to 
 action unless to commit some crime. The real rulers of 
 the country were the mayors and the priests who acted 
 together. The Church did vast good, for without it the 
 country must have lapsed into barbarism. It taught the 
 ignorant, protected the helpless, and fed the starving. 
 Moreover, in the Church all ranks were leveled and a 
 slave might become a priest or a pope. 
 
 A strange power threatened the country in the latter 
 part of the Merovingian dynasty. Mohammed born in 
 • Mecca, Arabia, in 570, was a remarkable man and military 
 leader. He claimed to be the prophet of God, and the 
 book which contains his laws and teaching is called the 
 Koran. Thousands of people flocked to his standard, 
 and when he died at Medina (me-dee-yiah) in 630, he had 
 become the founder of one of the religions of the world, 
 whose believers to-day number nearly 200,000,000. 
 
Mohammed Preaches the Unity of God in Mecca. 
 
 When about forty years of age, Mohammed, moved to teach a new faith, 
 decdared himself the prophet of an all-mighty, all-wise, everlasUug, 
 all-just, but merciful God. He was sincere and earnest in his teachmgs, 
 vet left to his successors a military religion to be propagated by arms, 
 ^ 39 
 
40 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 The Saracens under Mohammed's successors were so 
 thrilled with wild fanaticism that in the eighth cen- 
 tury they set out to conquer all other nations. They 
 
 )rought Egypt, Northern 
 Africa and Spain into sub- 
 jection, and then resolved 
 to subjugate France, Ger- 
 many, Italy and Constanti- 
 nople and unite them into 
 one vast empire. It was a 
 colossal ambition and it was 
 not unnatural that the Mo- 
 hammedans should have had 
 absolute faith in its suc- 
 cess. The Saracens crossed 
 the Pyrenees in 732 and 
 swept everything before 
 them. Multitudes of Chris- 
 tians gave up in despair, 
 believing the end was at 
 hand, and that no human 
 power could check the triumph of Mohammedism. 
 
 In the face of the awful peril, the deliverer appeared in 
 the person of Charles, a new Mayor of the Palace, who 
 seized the Church lands and distributed them among 
 those who agreed to help him turn back the Moslem in- 
 vasion. The two enemies met at Tours [toor) in 732. The 
 battle raged all day, and it is said that Charles with his 
 ponderous battle axe beat down the frantic Saracens, as 
 if he wielded a weapon forged by a thunderbolt. Thou- 
 
 The KiniT and hib Major Domi 
 
The Merovingians. 41 
 
 sands of the invaders were slain, and another of the de- 
 cisive battles of the world was won. The fearful inva- 
 sion was turned back, and a measureless service rendered 
 to Christendom, for, but for this victory, the Mohammedans 
 would have penetrated to the heart of Europe and crushed 
 out the Christian religion. On that memorable day, 
 Charles won the title of Charles Martel, or Charles the \ 
 Sledge Hammer. ^ 
 
 On the death of Thierry III. no new election of king * 
 was made. Charles Martel went to Italy to aid Pope 
 Gregory III. in repelling the invasion of the Lombards. 
 He died there, leaving the duties and dignities of his 
 office to his sons Pepin and Carloman. The latter, 
 though a good warrior, soon withdrew to a monastery, 
 leaving Pepin sole ruler and king in all but name. 
 Twenty years after the battle of Tours, Pepin sent mes- 
 sengers to the Pope of Rome asking that his title of king 
 should be formally acknowledged, and the Pope con- 
 sented. In the spring of 752, Archbishop Boniface 
 anointed Pepin with holy oil, and placed the crown upon 
 his head. Next, Childeric, the last of the " Sluggard 
 Kings " was shorn of his dangling locks as a sign that 
 his feeble reign and that of his stupid family was ended. 
 
 Pepin, despite his very short stature, possessed daunt- • 
 less courage and prodigious strength. Being present once 
 in the amphitheatre, when a lion was pitted against a 
 bull, he called out to the spectators : " The combatants 
 are unequal ! Who will separate them ? " 
 
 As no one volunteered, Pepin leaped into the arena, 
 cleft the lion's skull, and then with a single sweep of hia 
 
42 Young People's History of France. 
 
 sword cut off the head of the bull. " There," said he, 
 turning to the spectators, " you call me ^ le Bref ' in de- 
 rision, but am I not as worthy of being your king as the 
 tallest man among you ?" 
 
 Pepin had been king only a short time when the 
 Pope, alarmed by the inroads of the Lombards, implored 
 his aid. Pepin gathered his warriors, drove the Lom- 
 bards back, retook the captured cities and, gathering the 
 keys of the gates, placed themx on the altar of St. 
 Peter's. Thus the Pope was made not only master of 
 Rome, but of a large district beside, and temporal sov- 
 ereignty of the Papacy was established to last for many 
 centuries. 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 CARLOYINGIA^rS. — 752-987. 
 
 PEPIN having rendered his important service to the 
 Pope of Rome, started to return home. He had 
 with him his son Charles, and, upon reaching 
 Tours the father was seized with a mortal illness, but 
 rallied sufficiently to reach Paris. There, feeling that 
 death was at hand, he called the nobles and bishops to- 
 gether and divided his kingdom between his sons, Charles 
 and Carloman. Then he died and was buried in Saint 
 Denis {dee-nee'). 
 
 Carloman did not live long, and his brother Charles 
 became the sole ruler of the kingdom. He is knowp in 
 

 Cm 
 O 
 
 t-H 
 
 O 
 a 
 
 c 
 
 a) 
 
 c 
 
 s 
 
44 Young People's History of France. 
 
 history as Charles the Great or Charlemagne [sharlmane). 
 His German name was Karl, and later Karl the Great. 
 In after years, the epitaph set over the tomb of Pepin was : 
 ^' Pepin, Father of Charlemagne'' 
 
 This monarch proved himself one of the greatest men 
 that ever lived. He was daring, wise and ambitious; he 
 aimed to brmg about unity, system and order in his do- 
 minions, was vigorous and untiring, and he seemed to 
 possess within himself every quality for the wonderfully 
 successful ruler of which his country stood in sore need 
 at that time. 
 
 The government of Charlemagne extended over a 
 widely scattered people, and a territory much larger than 
 the France of to-day, and he found that his task was a 
 gigantic one. The Aquitanians in the southwest rebelled, 
 and he reduced them to obedience. Then the Lombards 
 again invaded the country which his father had given to 
 the Pope, and that potentate once more begged for help. 
 Charlemagne marched against the Lombards, overcame 
 them, annexed their country to his own, and confirmed 
 the Pope in the possessions, which, but for Charlemagne, 
 would have slipped away from him. He was crowned 
 King of the Lombards in 774, with the iron crown of 
 Lombardy. Do you know why this crown bears that 
 singular name ? Through the inner golden circlet of the 
 crown runs a thin iron wire which tradition says was 
 beaten out from one of the nails taken from the cross on 
 which the Saviour was crucified. This is incredible. 
 
 Charlemagne was an ardent champion of Christianity. 
 To the north; beyond the Rhine, the Saxons still clung to 
 
Carlovingians. 
 
 45 
 
 tlie lands, which Caesar had tried in vain to wrest from 
 them. They were a sturdy, brave people, and when 
 C harlemagne 
 set out to con- 
 quer them, he 
 found the 
 work the 
 hardest of his 
 life. They and 
 the Saxons 
 hated each 
 other and the 
 fighting was 
 desperate and 
 lasted a long 
 time, but 
 in the end 
 Charlemagne 
 prevailed, the 
 Saxon chief 
 submitted 
 (785) and he 
 and all his 
 people were 
 baptized and 
 accepted 
 Christianity. 
 This con- 
 quest made Charlemagne ruler over nearly all of Ger- 
 many, but knowing the turbulent character of the 
 
 Charlemagne. 
 
46 Young People's History of France. 
 
 men, and the danger of allowing them to remain 
 united, he removed large numbers and settled them in 
 different parts of France. Thus by breaking the nations 
 into fragments, as may be said, he so weakened their 
 power, that he felt little fear of more revolts. Then, in 
 order to be within easy striking distance of the Saxons 
 who stayed at home, he made his capital at Aix-la- 
 Chapelle (akes la-shali-joeV), which is near the Rhine. 
 Charlemagne next turned his attention to Spain, 
 where the Moors in the northern part had revolted 
 against Mohammedan authority. They begged Charle- 
 magne to go to their help and promised to become his 
 subjects if he would do so. He marched across the 
 Pyrenees and occupied several of their cities. By that 
 time, the Moors began to fear that their new master 
 would prove a harsher one than their old, and they were 
 base enough to turn against their powerful friend, who 
 found his situation so dangerous, that he decided to 
 withdraw from the country. He started along the old 
 Roman road leading from Spain to France, through the 
 narrow pass of Roncesvalles (ron-se-val'Ies) . The main 
 army made the passage safely, and the rear guard 
 followed under the command of Roland, his nephew, a 
 brave and noble-hearted knight, whom the Moors hated 
 because of his many chivalrous deeds and his prowess as 
 a tremendous fighter. In the depths of the wild moun- 
 tains and in the gloomy pass, where the brave men had 
 no means of defending themselves, the Moors attacked 
 them in overwhelming numbers and with a desperation 
 that nothing could withstand. From above they rolled 
 
Eoland at the Pass of Koncesvalles, 
 
 47 
 
48 Young People's History of France. 
 
 down enormous rocks upon tlie heads of the soldiers, 
 who, being without any means of escape, were killed to 
 the last man. For many years afterwards the people of 
 Koncesvalles were accustomed to point out to strangers 
 this valley, half-filled with rocks, which was called 
 '^Roland's Tomb." The sad incident has been celebrated, 
 many a time in song and story. 
 
 But Charlemagne's fighting was not over. A violent 
 outbreak took place among the Saxons, who burned the 
 churches built by the missionaries, killed the preachers 
 and drove the Christians out of the country. Upon the 
 approach of Charlemagne with a strong army, the Saxons 
 were terrified and made their submission; but the angry 
 King demanded that the rebels should be given up. Four 
 thousand five hundred were brought to his camp, and the 
 stern ruler caused every one to be put to death. Roused 
 to frenzy, the Saxons revolted again, and Charlemagne 
 ravaged the country with fire and sword. The malcon- 
 tents were subdued and the novel plan of making Chris- 
 tians not by persuasion but by force was adopted. The 
 Church had many thousands added to it, and, following 
 the plan I have mentioned, Charlemagne settled hundreds 
 of families in different parts of France, where they could 
 set no more rebellions on foot. 
 
 When Pope Leo III. ascended the throne, he was 
 seized by a number of conspiring priests, who badly 
 wounded and threw him into prison. Charlemagne hur- 
 ried to his help and restored his crown to him and you 
 may be sure the Pope was grateful. On Christmas Day, 
 800, while the King was kneeling at prayer in St. Peter's 
 
4 — Ellis' France. 
 
50 Young People's History of France. 
 
 at Eome, the Pope walked up to liim, threw a magnificent 
 purple mantle over his shoulders and saluted, him as 
 Emperor of the West, a grand title borne by the Roman 
 emperors since tlie time of Constantine, the first Christian 
 emperor, three centuries before. Charlemagne resolved 
 with the help of the Pope to establish the Holy Roman 
 Empire on a lasting foundation. Europe was to be one 
 state, one people, and one Church. 
 
 This great man was controlled by a great ambition, 
 but he entered upon the vast work with confidence. 
 Aided by a council of nobles and bishops, he prepared a 
 code of laws regulating Church, military and financial 
 affairs, and sent delegates throughout the kingdom to 
 make certain those laws were obeyed. In this way, the 
 poor as well as the rich, were benefited. The old national 
 assemblies, which had fallen into disuse under the Slug- 
 gard Kings, were revived and the people elected repre- 
 sentatives who took part in the meetings of the assem- 
 blies. A true son of the Church, he enforced stricter 
 discipline among the clergy and in the monasteries which 
 had fallen away from their duty. No less important, he 
 established schools all over the kingdom. He felt a pro- 
 found admiration for learned men, a.nd, lacking education 
 himself, he became one of the hardest of students. He 
 compelled the sons of the nobles to study, warning them 
 that if they were idle, they would receive no honors from 
 him. He learned Latin so thoroughly that he could speak 
 it as well as his own tongue. He mastered Greek also, 
 and became an entertaining conversationalist, but though 
 he tried hard to learn to write, he never made much of a 
 success, for he began too late in life. 
 
Carlovingians. 
 
 51 
 
 His example as a student had the best effect upon 
 others. He encouraged commerce, opened new roads, and 
 established great annual fairs, where merchants gathered 
 from all parts of Europe to buy and sell. And yet the 
 task he had laid out for himself was an impossible one, 
 
 Signature of Charlemagne. (The Cross with the Four Letters, K. E. L. S.) 
 
 mainly because the people over whom he ruled were not 
 of the same" race, and their differences could not be fused 
 together. Among his subjects, were Italians, French and 
 Germans, each of whom desired to have their own lan- 
 guage, their customs and their laws. With such dis- 
 cordant elements, there could be no real, lasting unity, 
 but through his indomitable genius, Charlemagne held 
 
52 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 them in a sort of union during his life. He died in 814, 
 at the age of seventy-two, murmuring in Latin, -'Into 
 Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit." 
 
 Before he died, he summoned his 
 lords and bishops and presented Louis, 
 one of his many sons (for Charlemagne 
 was a polygamist with numerous chil- 
 dren), as their future sovereign and 
 placed a crown on his head, which he 
 had just rested on the altar. Louis was 
 king of Aquitaine, during the latter part 
 of his father's reign. 
 
 In obedience to his last wishes, the 
 body of Charlemagne was interred in a 
 splendid tomb in the church of Saint 
 Marie, and propped up in a royal chair 
 of state, with a sceptre in his hand and 
 a.n open Bible on his lap, and his feet 
 resting on a buckler given to him by Leo 
 III. ; but the attempt to make his lifeless 
 body a material image of lasting power 
 was vain. Those who came after him were pygmies as 
 compared with him, and the magnificent empire he had 
 created soon began to crumble to pieces. 
 
 If you will look over the list of kings who succeeded 
 Charlemagne, you wull notice such nicknames as the 
 "Bald," the "Fat," the "Stammerer," the "Simple," 
 and finally, "le Faineant," which really meant "Fool." 
 Had France been compelled to depend upon these incapa- 
 bles, she never would have reached her leading place 
 
 Statuette of Charle- 
 magne, now in Paris. 
 
Carlovingians. 
 
 53 
 
 among European nations, but other men with brains and 
 
 ability took 
 
 part in the 
 
 all- important 
 
 work. 
 
 Under 
 Charlemagne 
 and his suc- 
 cessors, the 
 feudal sys- 
 tem, as it is 
 called, came 
 into exist- 
 ence. It was 
 in 877, that 
 the principle 
 of hereditary 
 feudal de- 
 
 scent was 
 clearly estab- 
 lished. 
 
 Going 
 back to the ,^.^^, 
 time when ^ '^ 
 the Franks 
 first invaded 
 Gaul, each 
 raiding band 
 was distinct 
 
 A Feudal Castle. 
 
 from the others and som.etimes hostile to them. After 
 
54 Young People's History of France. 
 
 every victor}', the chief of a band and his followers divided 
 the plunder. When they settled in a country they par- 
 titioned the land in the same way. Still later, the men 
 who received it bound themselves to render military ser- 
 vice to the chiefs from whom they had the land. The 
 example of the chiefs was followed by the leading men, 
 who finding they had more land than they needed, granted 
 a portion of it to poorer persons, who bound themselves 
 to give their military services to the donor when he 
 needed them. 
 
 Besides these two classes, there were a great many 
 men who held independently a few acres of land, and 
 who, therefore, owed no military service to anyone; but, 
 in an age when might made right, they were without the 
 means of protecting themselves from robbery by their 
 more powerful neighbors. Such robberies were common. 
 The only way the victim could save himself from spolia- 
 tion was to surrender his modest possessions to some 
 chief or lord, who gave them back on condition that the 
 man sliould hold himself subject to call for service. In 
 payment for this, the lord or chief bound himself to pro- 
 tect him in the enjoyment of his property. 
 
 Besides those named, there were the serfs, who were 
 mostly natives of the country. They were bound to the 
 soil and went with it. While they could not be bought 
 or sold as slaves — the lowest class of all — they were as 
 much a part of an estate as the grass and trees that grew 
 upon it. 
 
 Here, then, you had the feudal system. At the top 
 stood the King; next below were the great lords, who. 
 
Carlo vingians. 55 
 
 among their dependants, were as much king as he; next 
 were thv oii'.all landholders and then the serfs. The few 
 absolute slaves are not included in the reckoning, since 
 they had no legal rights. The name feudalism meant 
 •'landed property." Beginning at the bottom, every man 
 owed servi(3e to some one above him, until you reached 
 the King-- and starting with him, and going down again, 
 every man owed protection to some one below him, until 
 you got to the bottom. 
 
 There was terrible tyranny under the feudal system; 
 yet it was better than anarchy and the intolerable Roman 
 despotism which it supplanted. The treaty of Yerdun, 
 made among the three grandsons of Charlemagne, in 843, 
 narrowed the boundaries of France, which no longer ex- 
 tended to the Rhine on the north, or to the Rhone on the 
 southeast, since all the strip of territory, from the Medi- 
 terran to the North Sea, was annexed to Italy. Thus was 
 laid the foundation of the three great sovereignties of Italy, 
 Germany and France. 
 
 The far-seeing Charlemagne had warned his country- 
 men that theh^ real peril w^as from the piratical Northmen, 
 as the Danes and Norwegians were called. They were 
 daring freebooters, who were continually ravaging their 
 neighbors,. and were sure at no distant day to turn their 
 attention to France. The great man had been dead only 
 a short time, when the sea robbers appeared at the mouths 
 of the Loire and Seine. They belonged to the same terri- 
 ble warriors who had invaded England, Russia, Italy and 
 Spain, and who, five hundred years before Columbus dis- 
 covered America, settled Iceland and planted colonies on 
 the frozen shores of Greenland. 
 
56 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 The laborers fled from the fields along the coast, where 
 the Northmen burned villages and murdered peasants, but 
 when they attempted to seize the lands, the ^ ~ rushed 
 
 out f 
 
 s t r o n -i, a c 1 u o a i : ; 
 many tin^^- - '••' '^ ^■ 
 them b:''2 . 
 
 In 885, RoV 
 giant in stature, 
 sailed up the Seine 
 with 700 vessels and 
 30,000 warriors and 
 laid siege to the city 
 of Paris. He kept 
 up the siege for more 
 than a year, and then 
 abandoned it and fell 
 back to Eouen {rwan or too' en), where he made his head- 
 quarters, while attempting to subjugate the surrounding 
 country. Charles the Simple, who was King, offered to 
 give Rollo the territory he had occupied on condition that 
 he pledged allegiance to him. " 
 
 The negotiation lasted a long time, the Church acting 
 as the agent. Rollo was offered the King's daughter in 
 marriage and a territory more than 10,000 square miles 
 in extent, having Rouen for its capital, the simple condi- 
 tion being the one named, that Rollo should acknowledge 
 allegiance to the King. The Norse chieftain agreed to 
 the conditions. 
 
 The grant w^as made in solemn form in 912. When 
 
 Arrival of the Northmen. 
 
Carlovingians. 57 
 
 concluded, Rollo was informed that all that remained was 
 
 for him to kneel and kiss the King's foot. "Never!" 
 
 was the fierce reply; '^1 bow to no man, much less kiss his 
 
 P-+ +,T-!is absurd ceremony was believed to be 
 
 Aia iiui:«:- . is finally persuaded to do it by 
 
 .w--7£..^ ne of his warriors to make the 
 
 I ne man partly stooped, and, seizing 
 
 the King's foot, gav-j t such a sudden hoist that Charles 
 
 simple ;-prawled over on his back and everybody 
 
 broke into iaugutcr (excepting the King, who must have 
 
 felt the appropriateness of his name) at the ridiculous 
 
 sight. 
 
 The Norsemen proved a valuable gain to the country. 
 They accepted the Christian faith, rebuilt the churches 
 and monasteries they had destroyed, and adopted the 
 French tongue and the feudal system. After a time, the 
 province became the most prosperous and most civilized 
 portion of France. The Northmen by and by were called 
 Normans and their district Normandy. 
 
CHA 
 
 CAPETIA^ -■■'.- 
 
 Hugh Ccqjet-Iiuhert II.-j: 
 
 PEACE having been n.^v^c witn the terrible Northmen, 
 the question arose after a time as to who should 
 be King of France. Many Avere disgusted with 
 the feeble Carlo vingians, who steadily grew worse and 
 worse, until none was left who was of the least account 
 at all. Charles the Simple made Laon (lah'oivn), in the 
 northeast of France his capital. The King and his 
 successors would not speak any language except. German, 
 and when there was any trouble with the feudal lords, 
 they scrambled across the border and begged the 
 protection of the German emperor. 
 
 The strife between the barons and the Carlovingians 
 lasted until the time of Louis V . the Fool, when happily 
 it ended and the barons or lords in 987, chose Hugh 
 Capet (Jcap-ca/), one of their number, King. '^ Capet " 
 was a nickname supposed to mean '' cowled," in allusion 
 to the cowl which he wore as lay abbot of several of the 
 chief abbeys of France. Some think the word means the 
 '' Stubborn." Be that as it may, the new King was a 
 thorough Frenchman ; he was more of a national 
 sovereign through his election by the great nobles of the 
 
 58 
 
Capetians. 59 
 
 north than any of his predecessors had been, and his 
 accession is considered as the beginning of the proper 
 history of France. 
 
 But you must remember several important facts. 
 During the reign of Hugh Capet, the area of France was 
 hardly a twentieth of what it is to-day. Although he 
 was King, he was no more than the nominal head of a 
 number of great lords who considered themselves almost 
 if not quite his equal in authority. 
 
 ''Who made you count?" he demanded one day, in 
 a dispute with one of his nobles, who, like a flash 
 answered with the insolent question : 
 
 '' Who made you King ? " 
 
 Paris was the capital, and the dukedom of Burgundy 
 on the east and Normandy on the west acknowledged 
 allegiance to Hugh Capet, but it meant little, and the 
 King had no national army and no national revenue, 
 being wholly dependent upon his retainers. His short 
 reign was mostly occupied in a struggle for recognition 
 as real King, and he died in 996, leaving his crown to 
 his son Robert the Pious. 
 
 For years the belief had been spreading throughout 
 Europe that the world would come to an end in the year 
 1000. The date was now close at hand, and the awful 
 day when the elements should melt with fervent heat, the 
 heavens be rolled together as a scroll, and God should 
 judge the quick and the dead, drove every other thought 
 from people's minds. The rich and the powerful, as they 
 are impelled to do in the presence of death, thought to 
 make their peace with God by large gifts to the Church ; 
 
60 Young People^s History of France. 
 
 some went into monasteries in atonement for their sins, 
 and others made long pilgrimages to distant lands. The 
 tillers of the soil stopped work and spent the days and 
 nights in agonized prayer. The opening words of all 
 deeds and contracts were, '' The end of the world being 
 at hand." 
 
 As the year 999 drew to a close, multitudes swarmed 
 into churches and the graveyards were filled with wailing 
 men and women. Prayer and supplication, fasting and 
 scourging, and the moans and cries of anguish burdened 
 the air. Others, conscious of their good and upright 
 lives, waited for the great day in serene hope, knowing 
 that having lived such lives all was well with them. 
 
 As the flaming sun rose above the horizon, a hush fell 
 upon the terrified swarms. They were listening for the 
 sound of the last trumpet that was to summon all to 
 answer for the deeds done in the body, and were looking 
 for the appearance of the angel in the heavens. But the 
 minutes of intolerable suspense slowly stretched into 
 hours. The sun climbed the sky, but the graves did not 
 yawn, nor did the angel sound his trumpet. A faint hope 
 sprang up in the hearts of a few. Hours later, some 
 began to whisper that perhaps a mistake had been made, 
 and they ventured to taste of food and to swallow water. 
 Then other days went by, just as they had been doing for 
 years. The rich rufhans came sneaking out of the monas- 
 teries ; many of those who had been the loudest in prayer, 
 ceased supplicating ; others who had bewailed their sins 
 turned to them again. All seemed to forget that that 
 dread day, for which all others are made, when we shall 
 
Capetians. 61 
 
 be judged by One who cannot err, was only postponed; 
 come it will, sooner or later, and you, I and all of us, 
 will be there. 
 
 In these modern days, when a famine occurs in any 
 country, people elsewhere speedily send food thither by 
 means of swift steamers, sailing vessels or perhaps rail- 
 way trains; but a few hundred years ago the case was 
 different, for none of these helps was within reach, and 
 the news could not spread in the brief time that it now 
 takes to become known to all the world. France suffered 
 from a great blight between 1027 and 1033. Men, women 
 and children, in their gnawing hunger, devoured grass, 
 roots, the bark of trees, or anything that would stay for 
 a time the pangs of starvation. The famine grew more 
 dreadful, and then many fell upon one another, and 
 the famishing wild beasts came out of the forests and tore 
 the emaciated people to shreds and fought over their 
 bones. Pestilence added its horrors, and so woful were 
 the days that all conflict stopped and men bound them- 
 selves by oaths to make war no more. 
 
 But when better times came, the barons renewed their 
 warfare. The indignant Church interfered and partly 
 checked the shameless wickedness by the establishment 
 of the Truce of God, which forbade fighting from Wed- 
 nesday evening until Monday morning of every week, and 
 during such sacred seasons as Lent and Advent. This 
 was a good step, although, as I have said, it only lessened 
 the violence and wickedness, without stopping it. 
 
 Eobert II., who became king in 996, was a pious and 
 humane man, and married his cousin Bertha, a noble 
 
62 Young People's History of France. 
 
 woman. But the Churcli forbade the marriage of cousins, 
 and the King was ordered to give up his wife. He loved 
 her too dearly to do so, and. the Pope excommunicated 
 him — that is to say, he pronounced him accursed and de- 
 nied to him the privileges and consolations of religion. 
 Next, the Pope launched his most terrifying bolt, by 
 placing France under an Interdict. All religious services 
 were forbidden in the kingdom, no bells were tolled for 
 the dead, no marriages were permitted, the sacred pictures 
 and images were veiled in black, no masses were allowed, 
 and, in short, the country was declared outcast from the 
 Church. Bertha was so appalled by the sufferings and 
 misery thus caused, that she begged her husband to leave 
 her. Finally he consented, whereupon she withdrew into 
 a nunnery and soon afterward died. 
 
 Robert's second wife, Constance by name, was the very 
 opposite in character to the gentle Bertha. She was am- 
 bitious, had a furious temper, and made her husband so 
 afraid of her, that she compelled him to consent to the 
 execution of twelve heretics. What a devil she must 
 have been, for she struck one of the poor victims such a 
 vicious blow with an iron rod that she destroyed one of 
 his eyes, and the same man had once been her confessor! 
 
 Those were evil days, when superstition chained all 
 minds. The orthodox Christians were those who yielded 
 entire obedience to the Church, while those who did not 
 do so were considered to be heretics and were burned to 
 death and punished as ruthlessly as the early Christians 
 had been given over to be torn of wild beasts by the 
 pagan emperors of Rome. The hand of everyone was 
 
Capetians. 63 
 
 turned against tlie Jews, who were pounded, kicked, 
 mauled, tortured, stabbed and killed, and the Christians 
 who did all this claimed to be doing a service to God. 
 
 While Robert was King, a Frenchman of Auvergne 
 {o-vairn') was elected Pope under the title of Sylvester 11. 
 There were many remarkable things about this potentate. 
 He was one of the best educated men of the age, studying 
 first in the monastery of Aurillac and afterward under 
 Moslem instructors at Cordova, Spain. He made many 
 useful inventions, among them the balance-clock, which 
 was used until the adoption of the pendulum in 1650. 
 So profound was his knov/ledge of mathematics that 
 many looked upon him as a magician. He lived to be 
 nearly a hundred years old. 
 
 Robert led so unhappy a life with the savage Con- 
 stance, that he was glad when death relieved him of his 
 bondage. He passed away in 1031, after a reign of more 
 than thirty years and was succeeded by his son known as 
 Henry I. Queen Constance tried to secure the crown for 
 her own son Robert, but failed, and the King ceded Bur- 
 gundy to his step brother. 
 
 Mindful of the trouble his father got himself into by 
 marrying his cousin, Henry t ok good care to avoid any 
 risk of that nature, by taking as his wife Anne, the 
 daughter of a Russian duke. Henry, it should be said, 
 was only the third son of Robert. One of his elder 
 brothers was dead and the other was an idiot, which being 
 the fact, it is hard to understand why the crown was not 
 given to him. 
 
 Nothing of special account occurred during the reign 
 
64 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 . 1 
 
 of Henry which ended in 1060. He made several excm 
 sions into Normandy, but they were unsuccessful. His 
 brother, Robert, to whom he ceded Burgundy, was the 
 
 head of the first Capetian 
 House of Burgundy, which 
 lasted until 1361. Henry was 
 succeeded by his son, Philip I., 
 during whose reign, Duke Wil- 
 liam of Burgundy, a descend- 
 ant of Rollo, the Northman, 
 crossed the Channel and at- 
 tacked England. He had no 
 legal claim to the throne, but, 
 as stated in our history of Eng- 
 land, his pretext was the prom- 
 ise of Edward, the Confessor, 
 that he would make the duke 
 his successor. 
 
 With a large force of 
 archers and cavalry, William 
 the Conqueror, as he was 
 called, landed near Hastings on 
 September 27, 1066. A great battle was fought October 
 14, between Pevensey and Hastings, in which the Saxon 
 King Harold was defeated and left dead on the field. 
 William then advanced to London, which could offer no 
 resistance, and, on Christmas day, he was crowned King 
 of England in Westminster Abbey. Some years before 
 this important event, Eoger and Robert Guiscard {ghees- 
 Mr'), two adventurous brothers completed the conquest 
 
 Coronation of a King, time of 
 William the Conqueror. 
 
Roojer Guiscard's Fleet Destroying the Enemy off Naples. 
 b— Ellis' France. 65 
 
66 Young People's History of France. 
 
 of Sicily. They quarreled in 1060, but soon made up 
 again and Calabria was divided between them. Robert 
 aided Roger at the siege of Palermo, of which he retained 
 the sovereignty, giving the rest of Sicily to his brother. 
 Robert was one of the most accomplished soldiers of his 
 age. He extended his conquests throughout Southern 
 Italy and thus put an end to the long dominion of the 
 Eastern emperors. Roger conquered Sicily from the 
 Saracens after several years' war, and his son ruled over 
 the Norman possessions in both Sicily and Italy, conquer- 
 ing the free cities of Naples and Amalfi, but the kingdom 
 became extinct and in 1189 passed under the sway of the 
 German emperors. 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 CAPETIANS. — 987-1328, 
 The Crusades— (\m^-\21{)). 
 
 Ihave told you how the civilized world was scared out 
 of its senses by the belief that the year 1000 would 
 bring the end of all things, and everyone was about to 
 be called to answer at the awful Judgment Seat. Among 
 the many means of turning away the wrath of God was 
 that of making long and dangerous journeys, called pil- 
 grimages, to Palestine, where the Saviour of mankind 
 had been buried and where his tomb was guarded. 
 
Capetians. 
 
 67 
 
 To spend one night on the hill where the Saviour of 
 mankind was put to death, and to touch the holy sepulchre 
 
 Submission of the Saracens to Roger Gniscard^ 
 
 was considered sufficient penance for the sins of a life- 
 
 time. 
 
 Thousands who went thither believed it would be 
 
68 Young People's History of France. 
 
 their last undertaking on earth. They took with them 
 their ascension robes, in the hope that while offering their 
 prayers at the tomb of the Saviour they would be caught 
 up and taken to heaven. In these days a trip to the 
 Holy Land is not much of a journey, for we have steam- 
 ships and many of the towns and cities mentioned in the 
 Bible are connected by railways, but in the Middle Ages 
 the pilgrimage was expensive, long and dangerous. Pi- 
 rates roamed over the seas and robbers prowled on land, 
 on the watch to rob or slay the pilgrims. Jerusalem was 
 in possession of the Arabs, who were sometimes oppres- 
 sive. Christians were heavily taxed and their consciences 
 were hurt by being compelled to make their submission 
 to the infidel rulers. 
 
 Palestine fell into the hands of the Turks in the year 
 1076, and they became more cruel to the Christians than 
 the Arabs. Among the pilgrims who made the journey 
 I have been telling you about was a small, lean man, who 
 had been a French soldier, had turned monk and then, 
 in order to lead a holy life, went off by himself and spent 
 nearly all of his time in fasting and prayer. In history 
 this strange person is known as Peter the Hermit. He 
 had little education, but he was eloquent, wrapt up in 
 his religion and his whole being glowed with fanaticism. 
 
 He was treated so ill by the Turks, who have always 
 been a savage people, that his soul was stirred to wrath, 
 and he resolved to rouse the Christian world to the deter- 
 mination to wrest the Holy Sepulchre from the infidels. 
 Clothed in sackcloth and barefooted, he started on a tour 
 through Europe, calling upon all to join in the holy cru- 
 
Capetlaiis. 69 
 
 sade. Wherever lie could find a few persons to listen, he 
 exhorted with a fervor that thrilled his listeners. Some- 
 times he would mount a box, or a stone, or stand at the 
 corner in a town or on the highways, and appeal to all 
 Christians to unite in the sacred work. He visited Pope 
 Urban II., who was so much impressed by what he said, 
 that he encouraged him to persevere and promised to 
 give him every aid in his power. Besides, the prospect 
 of great gain of power by the Church had much weight 
 with the potentate. 
 
 The Pope called a council at Clermont, in Central 
 France, where an immense multitude gathered, and both 
 he and Peter made impassioned speeches to their listeners, 
 calling upon them to take up arms and go forward in the 
 effort to deliver Jerusalem. There are no more impulsive 
 people in the world than the French, and the appeals 
 were like a torch applied to the dry prairie grass. It 
 spread into a conflagration which swept over the country, 
 wrapping all in the flames of an unalterable resolve. The 
 volunteers crowded forward by thousands and tens of 
 thousands. Their badge was a cross cut from red cloth 
 and fastened on their breasts. 
 
 This madness broke out in 1095, and, in the following 
 spring, the First Crusade left France under the lead of 
 Peter the Hermit and Walter the Penniless, a decayed 
 Norman Knight. It was one of the wildest schemes ever 
 formed in the twisted brain of man. Multitudes joined 
 the rabble from other countries. Among them were 
 thousands of old men, women and children, only a few 
 of whom were armed and nearly every one of whom was 
 
70 
 
 Young Peoj)le's History of France. 
 
 as poor as he could be, without provisions, money and 
 with only scant clothing. The faith in the sacredness of 
 their mission made them indifferent to the common affairs 
 of life. Despite the remonstrances of the Pope, who saw 
 their unpreparedness, they refused to wait until better 
 preparations could be made, and answered all protests 
 with the cry, '^ God wills it ! God wills it !" 
 
 A vanguard of 15,000 men under Walter the Penni- 
 
 " God wills it ! God wills it ! " 
 Crusaders on the Way to the Holy Land. 
 
 less led the way, and was soon followed by Peter the 
 Hermit with fully 100,000 people. Their route, of which 
 they literally knew nothing, except the general direction 
 necessary to take, was two thousand miles long and most 
 of it led through a dangerous country. They poured into 
 Germany like a great plague, and as evidence of their 
 gentle Christianity slaughtered every Jew they could find. 
 They robbed the villages of food, clothing, provisions, and 
 
Peter the Hermit Preaching tl>e First Crusade. 
 
 71 
 
72 Young People's History of France. 
 
 everything they needed and a great deal they did not 
 need. By the time they reached Hungary, they were like 
 so many ravening wolves. The people beat them off with 
 chibs, pitchforks, stones, spears, and any weapons they 
 could seize. As proof of their utter ignorance, they cried 
 out at sight of every new town, "Is this Jerusalem ?" 
 
 The history of the First Crusade is one of the most 
 pitiful records in history. Men, women and children fell 
 down and died at every mile of the way, and when the 
 horde of famished tramps reached Asia, more than half 
 their original number were dead. The Emperor Alexis 
 was so shocked at sight of the ragged vagrants that he 
 hurried them on into Asia, where they were furiously 
 assailed by the Turks and all but a few slain. Their 
 bleaching bones served to guide the path of those who 
 plodded after them to the Holy Land. 
 
 The Second Crusade was vastly the superior in every 
 respect of the first. The leaders were French as were 
 nearly all their followers. It is said that they numbered 
 100,000 knights and 600,000 infantry, which took differ- 
 ent routes under different chieftains. The French of the 
 North and the Lorrainers followed the course through 
 Germany and Hungary, and were under tlie lead of God- 
 frey, Duke of Bouillon (bioee'oii), one of the purest, brav- 
 est and most knightly men that ever lived. At one stroke 
 of his sword he could sever the neck of a camel or split a 
 small apple in halves when held in a man's hand, witliout 
 injury to the palm. In all his numerous fierce contests 
 he was never overthrown. He was beloved by everyone, 
 for he was humble, modest, devout and without an equal 
 as a warrior, 
 
Capetians. 73 
 
 The French of the South, led by the wealthy and 
 powerful Count of Toulouse {tuo-Iooz'), crossed the Alps 
 and passed mto Thrace. The Normans of Italy were 
 joined by the Duke of Normandy and Counts of Blois 
 (hlwah)^ Flanders and Vermandois, and all sailed over the 
 Adriatic, reaching Constantinople in 1097. The Emperor 
 was alarmed, fearing this formidable force would begin 
 its carreer of conquest there. Indeed a number of the 
 leaders wished to do so, and the Pope himself would not 
 have been displeased, but Godfrey would not permit and 
 the army moved on. 
 
 The first great victory of the Crusaders was the 
 siege and capture of Antioch, but they paid dearly 
 for it. Among the few gaunt, ragged survivors of the 
 First Crusade was Peter the Hermit, who joined the 
 second, but he deserted under the stress of a terrible 
 famine. The garrison of Antioch numbered 20,000, 
 while the Crusaders had been reduced to 300,000. After 
 a siege of seven months, they secured entrance into 
 the city through treachery and killed ten thousand of 
 the defenders. 
 
 After tedious delays, 50,000 Crusaders left Antioch 
 for Jerusalem, of whose walls they caught sight on June 
 10, 1099. Immediately all fell on their knees, sobbing, 
 praying, kissing the earth, giving thanks to God, and 
 thrilled by a resolve that nothing could resist. A general 
 assault took place on July 14, and the next day the Cru- 
 saders rushed into the city, Godfrey being the first to 
 scale the walls. The Moslems fought with fanatical fury 
 in the stx^eets and in the Mosque of Omar, but were over- 
 
74 Young People's History of France. 
 
 come. On that horrible day, 70,000 perished and the 
 Jews were burned alive in their synagogue. 
 
 Godfrey was made ruler of the city, under the name 
 of '^ Defender of the Holy Sepulchre." His men wished 
 to make him King of Jerusalem, but he refused, saying, 
 '^ I will never wear a crown of gold, where the Saviour 
 of the world was crowned with thorns." The victory of 
 Ascalon, won soon after, over an Egyptian army, comple- 
 ted the work of the Crusaders. 
 
 The campaign had been a terrific one, and of all that 
 maornificent force that set out from France in such hig;h 
 
 o ... 
 
 hope, only 300 knights remained with Godfrey at Jeru- 
 salem. He was so wise, just and generous that the 
 captured people learned to respect and even to love him. 
 
 He formed a government, which in effect became a 
 spot of France moved into that corner of Asia. The laws, 
 language and customs of the French were preserved, and 
 so strongly did the conquerors and their followers impress 
 themselves upon the people, that to-day in the East, all 
 Christians, no matter from what part of the world they 
 come, are called Franks. 
 
 The kingdom of Jerusalem thus founded was gradu- 
 ally extended until it included all of Palestine. In the 
 city itself were founded the two famous orders of the 
 Knights Hospitallers of St. John and the Knights Tem- 
 plars for the defense of the Holy Sepulchre. For about 
 a half century the three Latin principalities maintained 
 themselves, increasing in power and wealth, and Jerusa- 
 lem became the capital of a prominent Christian State. 
 
 France was the parent of the Crusades, which con- 
 
n 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 tinned for about a century and a half; and gradually drew 
 recruits from all parts of Europe. The next Crusade 
 (1147) was shared with the Germans, the next (1190) with 
 
 the English, and the next (1202) 
 with the Venetians. The follow- 
 ing two (1217 and 1228) were un- 
 important, and the seventh (1248) 
 and the eighth (1270) were exclu- 
 sively French and accomplished no 
 special results, except to bring 
 death and miserv to tens of thous- 
 ^^:s ands of misguided followers. 
 
 Saladin, who was as perfect a 
 knicrht and warrior as Godfrev of 
 Bouillon, invaded Palestine with a 
 large army of Moslems, and, in 
 1187, captured Jerusalem after a 
 This event roused Europe to the 
 third Crusade, which was led by Frederick Barbarossa, 
 Emperor of Germany, Philip Augustus of France, and 
 Eichard I. of England. The emperor was drowned while 
 crossing a river on horseback, and his army joining the 
 armies of the other two. captured Acre after a siege last- 
 ing nearly ^ two years. Richard's brusque, overbearing 
 disposition angered Philip, who withdrew and returned 
 to Europe. Hichard led his forces to Ascalon and defeated 
 Saladin, but was unable to capture Jerusalem. This 
 terrible warrior performed such vronderful deeds that they 
 excited the wondering admiration of Saladin and his fol- 
 lowers, as well as of liis uwn soldiers. Saladin was a noble 
 
 A Knight of St. John. 
 
 siesre of two weeks 
 
Capetians. 
 
 77 
 
 foe, and when he and Richard were not fighting, they met 
 and acted as courteously toward each other as brothers. 
 It is related that when the English king fell dangerously 
 
 Finding the Dead Body of the Emperor Barbafossa. 
 
 ill of a fever, Saladin visited his camp in disguise, and 
 throuo^h his knowledo:e of medicine was able to restore 
 his herculean enemy to his usual health and prodigious 
 strength. 
 
78 Young People's History of France. 
 
 But with all his prowess, Richard the Lion Hearted 
 was unable to recapture Jerusalem from Saladin. The 
 latter, however, made so excellent a treaty with the 
 invader, pledging his honor that the pilgrims should be 
 protected against injury and oppression (and Richard 
 knew nothing would tempt Saladin to break the pledge), 
 that the English king returned to his country, where, as 
 has been told in our history of England, he was needed. 
 Saladin died in 1193, the sultans of Egypt, Aleppo and 
 Damascus quarreled, and the Christians of Syria were 
 left secure for the time. 
 
 Though the Crusades failed in their original purpose, 
 yet they accomplished vast and far-reaching good. Those 
 who took a greater or less part in them had been implaca- 
 ble enemies, because they did not understand each other. 
 Now the scales dropped from their eyes. The French of 
 the North and of the South were drawn nearer. By con- 
 centrating their aims and energies in one general object, 
 professing Christians were less eager to fly at one another's 
 throats. Private warfare was stopped or greatly checked; 
 feudalism was almost destroyed, for the barons were 
 forced to sell their lands that they might raise money 
 with which to equip and send their troops abroad. 
 
 Another beneficent result was that of inducino^ kini2:s 
 to grant political privileges to towns in return for gifts 
 of money in aid of the Crusades. Commerce was en- 
 couraged, for many ships had to be employed. Ship- 
 building and the art of navigation therefore advanced. 
 The East was opened to merchants of the West, and thus 
 industry was aroused. Mechanics increased in number 
 
Capetians. 70 
 
 and guilds were formed for the protection of the different 
 industries. 
 
 Still another great gain was the spread of knowledge 
 and the progress of science and literature. From the 
 Arabs, our ancestors learned arithmetic, algebra, the 
 (crude) truths of astronomy and formed an acquaintance 
 with the classics. There were fine scholars among the 
 Saracens, some of whom made their way to Europe and 
 founded institutions of learning. A taste for knowledge 
 was formed among the ignorant and illiterate and an 
 impulse given to civilization and progress such as could 
 have been brought about by no other cause. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 CAPETIANS ( Concluded). — 987-1 328. 
 
 Louis VI. — Louis YIL — Philijo IL — Louis VIII.— 
 
 Louis IX. — Lhilij? Ill — LJiilij:) IV. — Louis X.— 
 
 John I—Fhili2? V— Charles /F.— (1270-1328). 
 
 THOSE were the days of chivalry. Let me quote from 
 a writer an account of how a knight was made in 
 the olden times: 
 
 "From the early age of seven years the future knight 
 was taken out of the hands of women and confided to the 
 care of some valiant baron who set him an example of 
 knightly virtues. Until he was fourteen he accompa- 
 nied the lord and lady of the castle as page. He followed 
 them to the chase and practiced all manner of manly and 
 warlike exercises. These, with the example of some lord 
 who was held up as a model of knighthood, the great 
 exploits of arms and love which were related in the 
 long winter evenings in the hall, and sometimes the trou- 
 badour's songs of Charlemagne and Arthur, constituted 
 the moral and intellectual education which the young man 
 received. 
 
 "At fifteen he became a squire. The squire accompa- 
 nied the lord and lady on horseback, served the lord at 
 table, or carried his lance and his various pieces of armor. 
 The ideas of the period ennobled these domestic services. 
 
 80 
 
Capetians. 81 
 
 The initiation of the squire was consecrated by religious 
 services. His physical, military, and moral education 
 was continued by means of violent exercises. Covered 
 with a heavy armor, he leaped ditches and scaled walls, 
 and the legends of chivalry developed more and more in 
 his mind the model of chivalrous courage and virtue. 
 The precepts of the Christian religion were also deeply 
 impressed upon the future knight, and imbued him with 
 its principles. At seventeen the squire often went off on 
 distant expeditions under a vow of accomplishing some 
 feat of prowess before receiving the order of knighthood. 
 
 " Finally, when he was twenty-one years old and 
 seemed worthy on account of his bravery to be made a 
 knight, he prepared himself for this initiation by sym- 
 bolical ceremonies. The bath, a symbol of purity of 
 body and mind, the watching of his arms through the 
 night, the confession, the communion, preceded the recep- 
 tion of the new knight. 
 
 '' Dressed in garments of white linen, another symbol 
 of moral purity, he was led to the altar by two tried 
 knights. A priest said mass and blessed the sword. The 
 lord who was to arm the new knight struck him with the 
 blade of the sword, saying to him: ^ I dub thee, knight, 
 in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.' 
 He made him swear to consecrate his arms to the defense 
 of the weak and the oppressed ; then he embraced him 
 and girded on his sword. The two knights clothed the 
 new knight with the different pieces of armor and fastened 
 on. him his gilded spurs, the distinctive sign of the 
 knightly dignity. The ceremony was often ended by a 
 
 6 — £/hy Fratice. 
 
82 Young People's History of France. 
 
 tournament, which was a test of skill in which the new 
 knight took part." 
 
 I must not forget to tell you that Philip I., who came 
 to the throne of France in 1060, waged war for twelve 
 years against William of Normandy, taking the side of 
 the elder brother of William, who had rebelled against 
 his father. Once, when a truce existed, because of Wil- 
 liam's illness, Philip made a jest about the enormous size 
 of William, who, like many other persons, was very sen- 
 sitive to ridicule. He was so angered by the joke that 
 he mounted his horse, called a large force around him, 
 and started off in hot haste to lay waste Philip's domin- 
 ions. He destroyed a great deal of property, but in 
 riding through one of the villages that he had burned, 
 his horse stepped upon some smouldering embers which 
 caused him to make so violent a leap that William was 
 badly injured and died a few days later (1087) at Rouen. 
 
 The death of this great man was marked by distress- 
 ing scenes. Everybody deserted him, and it was several 
 days before his body was found stretched on the bare 
 floor in the monastery of St. Gervais {zher-vai). The 
 poor knight who discovered it caused it to be taken to 
 Caen {kahn) to bury it in a church built by William. 
 The services had scarcely begun when a man stopped 
 them, claiming the ground as his, and it was not until he 
 had been paid a sum of money that he would surrender 
 enough space for the grave of the dead king. 
 
 Louis VI. (The Fat), became king in 1108. He was a 
 brave man who fought against Henry I. of England, and 
 defeated him. He was leagued with the French feudal 
 
Capetians. 
 
 8S 
 
 lords, but the treaty of peace which was made left Henry 
 in the possession of Normandy. 
 
 Louis VII., son of Louis 
 VI., succeeded his father 
 as King in 1137. He 
 married Eleanor of 
 Aquitaine, who 
 owned enormous 
 estates in Wes- 
 tern France, but 
 unfortunately 
 also owned the 
 per of a spitfire 
 accompanied t li e 
 King on his expedi- 
 tion to the Holy 
 Land, but he be- 
 came so disgusted 
 with her conduct 
 that he divorced 
 her. Just before 
 Louis VI.'s death 
 he said to his son 
 "Remember that 
 the royal author- 
 ity is a royal 
 charge." I won- 
 der whether this 
 was the original 
 
 of the remark statue of WilUam the Conqueror, at Falaise, 
 
84 Yoimg People's History of France. 
 
 that you have heard in later times, " Public office is a 
 public trust." 
 
 King Louis YII. was so unspeakably saddened by the 
 death of his second queen, Constance, in 1160, that it was 
 not until the end of fifteen days that he rallied sufficiently 
 to marry Alice, daughter of Theobald of Blois. She was 
 a noted beauty, and in 1165 bore him a son. All his 
 other children were daughters, and the king was so 
 delighted that he called his child " God-given." This little 
 boy was Philip Augustus, destined to raise the contest 
 between England and France to national proportions. 
 He was a precocious child, and instead of indulging in 
 sports and play seemed absorbed in meditation over the 
 tremendous responsibilities he was to assume in later 
 years. When his father met the English king for con- 
 ference under the elm at Gisors the prince was present 
 and was filled with indignation by the cunning and double 
 dealing of the foreign monarch, who completely outwitted 
 the French king. Young Philip resolved that if he was 
 spared to wear the crown he would make right this great 
 wrong, and history records how well he kept his vow. 
 
 Dying in 1180, Louis VH. was succeeded by his son 
 Philip IL (Augustus), during whose reign the authority of 
 the King became more generally accepted than at any time 
 since that of Hugh Capet the founder of the line. This 
 was mainly due to the ability of Philip, who joined Richard 
 the Lion-Hearted in the Third Crusade, but quarreling 
 with that ugly tempered warrior, Philip left him and 
 returned to France. You have been told in the history 
 of England of the base tact of Philip, who plotted with 
 
Capetians. 
 
 85 
 
 Richard's brother John to seize the former's dominions. 
 He failed to secure them by that means, but in 1204 
 gained the English provinces through the wickedness of 
 John. Thus he added to 
 his dominions Normandy. 
 Maine, Anjou, Poitou and 
 Lou vain, his sway extend- 
 ing as far as the Pyrenees. 
 He walled and paved Paris 
 and several cities, encour- 
 aged learning and greatly 
 improved the army. Philip 
 remained a friend of King 
 John of England, until that 
 vile monarch murdered his 
 nephew Arthur, the rightful 
 heir to the throne. 
 
 The reign of Philip H. 
 is memorable for the 
 rise of a numerous sect 
 of dissenters from the 
 
 Catholic Church, called Philip Augustus at the Elm of Gisors. 
 
 Albigenses {al-bi-gen'sis), so named from the region of 
 Albigeois {ql-be-zliwali)^ the district in which they first 
 appeared. There were several divisions among them, 
 but their general belief was in the greatest simplicity of 
 living, that the world was ruled by two spirits, one good 
 and one evil, and these two spirits were ever at war in 
 the heart of every person. They refused to believe in 
 the Sacrifice of the Mass, which teaches that the bread 
 
86 Young People's History of France. 
 
 and wine of the Communion become the real body and 
 blood of Christ, after consecration by the priest. There 
 were some, too, who disbelieved in the need of baptism, 
 and even of marriage, and they condemned the worship of 
 images as idolatrous and denied the necessity of private 
 confession. 
 
 In 1209, Pope Innocent III. caused a crusade to be 
 preached against the Albigenses and excommunicated 
 them and Count Eaymond, who was their supporter. 
 Many of their towns were taken and dreadful massacres 
 were committed. In the end, Paymond was obliged to 
 submit to the authority of the Pope. 
 
 The growing power of Philip alarmed his brother 
 rulers, and the Emperor of Germany and other sovereigns 
 united in the effort to crush him. A great battle Avas 
 fought at Bouvines {hoo-veen') , a small village in Flanders, 
 in 1214, when Philip won a decisive victory. The Em- 
 peror was glad to flee to Germany and John to England. 
 
 I have told you of the vast good Philip did for France, 
 during his reign which lasted forty-three years. Upon 
 his death in 1223, Louis YIII. (the Lion) came to the 
 throne. Despite his name he was a feeble monarch, but 
 the wise policy of his father it may be said carried the 
 government along of itself. At the request of the Pope, 
 anotlier campaign was undertaken against the Albigenses 
 by Louis YIIL, who laid siege to Avignon ( ah-veen yon// 1 
 but the siege was so prolonged that famine and disease 
 caused the death of 20,000 of the besiegers, among whom 
 was the King himself, who passed away in 1226, to be 
 succeeded by his son, Louis IX. (Saint Louis). As he 
 
The Battle of Bou vines. 
 
 87 
 
88 Young People's History of France. 
 
 was only eleven years old, liis mother, a worthy and 
 noble woman, acted as regent. He owed everything to 
 his mother, Blanche, who, in the face of opposition, se- 
 cured him on the throne, imprinted on his mind that 
 sense of religion and delicacy of conscience, that honesty 
 of purpose and self denial, that perception of what was 
 due for liim and to him, which made Saint Louis first 
 among kings. This ruler was so good, pious, brave and 
 gentle in all he said and did, that he well earned the 
 title of "Saint Louis" which his loving countrymen gave 
 him. The brother of the King married a daughter of the 
 Count of Toulouse and thus brought to an end the long 
 and bloody wars with the Albigenses. 
 
 In 1249, Louis engaged in a crusade against the Sul- 
 tan of Egypt. Damietta, at one of the mouths of the 
 Nile, was captured in June, but several months of delay 
 brought back the courage of the Mamelukes, and they 
 were ready for a fierce resistance at Mansourah, Avhen a 
 badly managed attack was made upon that place. They 
 formed living barricades of their slaves and fought with 
 such desperation, that the French army was not only de- 
 feated but most of the men killed or taken prisoners. 
 Among the latter was Louis, whose conduct was so kingly 
 that it won the respect of his enemies. They offered to 
 ^----^-- hr^ -^or $2,000,000 and his subjects eagerly paid 
 ■ •' - v. hard to find the coin in France, that it was 
 v.rces^arj to melt the silver railings around the tomb of 
 ] Ucliard the Lion hearted at Rouen (riven or roo'en) and 
 ^ !*r th'^rn. into money. But the people were happy to 
 welcomed the return of their revered king 
 
t-1 
 
 O 
 
 trj 
 
 X 
 
 o 
 
90 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 with delight. His rule was so just, so conscientious and 
 so kind to all that his people idolized him. He was a 
 model Christian, and when in 1270, he believed it his 
 
 The Living Barricades at Mansourah. 
 
 duty to enter upon another crusade, no one was able to 
 dissuade him. He landed in Africa with his army on the 
 way to Palestine and laid siege to Tunis. A malignant 
 sickness broke out among his troops and one of his sons 
 died. Then the king was stricken. Feeling he was near 
 
Death of St. Louis at Tunis. 
 
 91 
 
92 Young People's History of France. 
 
 his end, he ordered his attendants to lay him on a bed of 
 ashes. Then he folded his hands and passed away mur- 
 muring: "I Avill enter thy house Lord: I will worship 
 in thy holy tabernacle." 
 
 The second son of Louis who was strong enough to 
 resist the disease that carried off his father, was crowned 
 as Philip III. the Hardy or the Bold. The Crusade 
 proved a sad failure and Philip made honorable terms 
 with the Moorish King (who released all the captives) and 
 paid a large sum of forfeit money. 
 
 Philip was lazy and fond of pleasure. Among his 
 m.any favorites was a youth named Delabrosse (du-Ia-hros) , 
 surgeon and barber, for the two callings were combined 
 in the same person for a long time afterward. I have a 
 strange story to tell you about this young man. Philip 
 brought with him from Africa his little son, whose mother 
 had died there. He was a delicate child and caused his 
 father great anxiety. When the King married a second 
 time, young Delabrosse was very jealous, for he saw he 
 was no longer the first favorite of the monarch. Tlie 
 little son soon afterward died, and Delabrosse declared 
 that his stepmother had used poisonous drinks and sorcery 
 to bring about his death. He wove such a cunning story 
 that at last the King believed him, and caused his Queen 
 to be cast into a loathsome dLmo:eon and condemned to 
 die as a witch. 
 
 One day, while she was awaiting death in its most 
 dreadful form, a man came to the palace and asked to 
 see the King on an important errand. When brought 
 before the monarch, he placed a letter in his hands, 
 
The "Hisli Court of Montfaucon." 
 
 93 
 
94 Young People's History of France. 
 
 which he said had been given him by a dying man, with 
 the urgent entreaty to deliver it to the King without an 
 hour's unnecessary delay. This letter, which was properly 
 signed and witnessed, was clear proof of the wickedness 
 and treachery of Delabrosse, through a number of years, 
 until he crowned all by his frightful accusations against 
 the innocent Queen. Philip was pained beyond measure 
 because of the injustice he had done, and lost no time in 
 releasing the Queen and conducting her with all honor 
 back to the palace. As for Delabrosse, he was condemned 
 and hanged at Montfaucon [inoncj-fo-koncj\ the place near 
 Paris for execution of public criminals. 
 
 Charles of Anjou, who had lately gained possession 
 of Sicily, made himself hated because of his tyranny 
 and the excesses of his followers. Charles was the 
 brother of the sainted Louis, and as different from him 
 as darkness is from light. 
 
 Because the real heir to the throne of Anjou was Con- 
 radin, a grandson of the Emperor of Germany, Charles 
 had him seized and beheaded. A Sicilian citizen who had 
 been despoiled of his property by the same ruthless king, 
 visited several courts of Europe in disguise and stirred up 
 a flaming resentment against tho base ruler. The Greek 
 Emperor, Pedro of Aragon (who was tho next heir to the 
 dead Conradin), and John of Procida, the instigator of 
 the business, sent a fleet to watch Sicily secretly, where 
 the citizens were in league against the French people. 
 On Monday afternoon, in Easter, March 30, 1282, while the 
 bells were ringing to Vespers, the Sicilians rose, and at- 
 tacking the French, killed every man, woman and child 
 
CapetiaiiS. 
 
 95 
 
 upon whom tliey could lay hands. One honest and good 
 man was the only one spared. The tragedy, which is 
 known in his- 
 tory as the 
 ^^ Massacre of 
 the Sicilian 
 Yespers," re- 
 sulted in the 
 deaths of 
 8,000 per- 
 sons. Charles 
 of Anjou was 
 thus driven 
 out of Sicily 
 and died with 
 chagrin and 
 rage. Philip 
 III. took up 
 his cause, 
 and, in mak- 
 ing an unsuc- 
 cessful invas- 
 ion of Ara- 
 gon, caught 
 a fever from 
 which he died 
 in 1285. 
 
 Philip IV. (The Fair), was seventeen years old when 
 he became king. He prosecuted a war for seven years 
 against Edward I. of England over the Duchy of Guienne, 
 
 Conradin Throws Down His Gauntlet on the Scaffold. 
 
96 Young People's History of France. 
 
 (glieen) but was obliged to relinquish his claim. He 
 secured Flanders and ruled it so oppressively that the 
 Flemings rose in rebellion and massacred 3,000 of the 
 French. The king tried hard, but in vain, to subdue the 
 Flemings, and died in 1314. The most important event 
 of his reig:n Avas the creation of the ^' Third Estate " or 
 Tiers Etat (tee-alrz ay-tali). Until his time, the only 
 two recogrnized orders in France were the nobles and 
 clergy. In 1302 Philip allowed the burghers, or common 
 people, to send representatives to the ruling body known 
 as the States-General. These representatives sat on the 
 same terms in that body as the nobles and clergy, and 
 thenceforward three estates were known in France : the 
 nobles, the clergy and the people, or as they were called, 
 the ^^ Third Estate." 
 
 Pope Boniface YIII. treated the powerful Colonna 
 family haughtily because they opposed his election to the 
 papacy. He excommunicated them and incited the 
 Princes of Germany to revolt against Albert of Austria. 
 Finally the Pope issued a bull saying God had set him 
 above kings and kingdoms. Philip caused this bull to be 
 burned at Paris, and the Pope replied by laying the land 
 under an interdict. Then Philip appealed to the general 
 council and sent an army into Italy against the Pope. 
 He was taken prisoner at Anagni (ah-nan-yee) by one of 
 the officers who belonged to the Colonna family. The 
 Pope was not harmed, although he remained defiant, and 
 he died a short time afterward. 
 
 Louis X. (The Headstrong) ^ who received the crown 
 in 1314, issued an ordinance freeing the serfs within the 
 
Pope Boniface VIII. Defiant Under Insult. 
 y—Mlis' France. 
 
 97 
 
98 Young People's History of France. 
 
 royal domains. Throughout his brief reign he was under 
 the influence of his uncle, Charles, of Yalois [vol-ivah'), a 
 base wretch, who turned the anger of the king against 
 Marigny [mah-reen'ye), the former prime minister of 
 Philip IV., and he was condemned and put to death on 
 the atrocious charge of sorcery. The king died in 1316, 
 and his brother, Philip, administered the government as 
 regent. The infant son, John, who was the heir, having 
 died, Philip V. (The Long), became king in 1317. 
 
 Philip's right to the throne being questioned, he called 
 the States-General together to decide the question. They 
 not only confirmed his title but did more. His disputant 
 was the daughter of Louis X., and the States-General 
 issued a decree declaring all females incapable of inherit- 
 ing the crown of France. Since this was said to be 
 based on the code of the Salian Franks it was called the 
 '' Salic Law." Philip's reign was marked by a horrible 
 persecution of the Jews, many of whom were put to 
 death in Touraine. A number of good laws were made, 
 among them one rendering uniform the weights and 
 measures, which until then had been a jumble. For the 
 first time, letters of nobility were granted, thus securing 
 to commerce and the arts of peace, that which had 
 hitherto been given exclusively to the sword. Philip was 
 a patron of learned men, but his health was bad and he 
 died after a reign of only six years, his successor being 
 Charles IV. (the Fair), who began his reign in 1322. He 
 was the brother of Philip V., and received the crown be- 
 cause Philip had left daughters but no sons. 
 
 Little of moment occurred during the four years' 
 
Capetians. 99 
 
 reign of Charles IV. The troubles of Edward II. in Eng- 
 land induced Charles to invade Guienne. The wife of 
 Edward was Isabella, sister of Charles, who urged the 
 latter to seize Edward's rights in Guienne. Edward 
 sent his son to do homage to Charles who kept him as a 
 hostage and furnished Isabella with money and soldiers 
 to overthrow her husband. King Edward died terribly 
 in Berkeley Castle in 1327, and within the following 
 year, Charles passed away. His two sons had died and 
 since he left only a daughter, the Capetian line by the 
 "Salic Law" had become extinct. 
 
 CHAPTER YII. 
 
 HOUSE OF YALOIS — 1328-1589. 
 
 Philip VI.— John II.— Charles V.— Charles VI.— 
 
 (1328-1422). 
 
 YOU will notice that the line of French sovereigns 
 now took another name, but it was really a con- 
 tinuation of the Capetian dynasty which did not 
 actually end until long after the French Revolution of 
 1848. De Valois was the name of an estate m France 
 belonging to Philip YL, cousin of the late King Charles 
 IV., who, as I have just explained, died without leaving 
 any sons and his family, therefore, were shut out by thc' 
 " Salic Law" from the succession. 
 
 LofC. 
 
100 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Seal of Kin<^ John of Bohemia, Allv 
 of Philip VI. at Crecy. Showing Full 
 Knightly Armor of the Period. 
 
 You must bear another fact in mind. There had 
 been continual trouble between England and France, the 
 feeling going back as far as the Norman conquest. The 
 
 French tried to wrench away 
 the English possessions in 
 France, and they form.ed alli- 
 ances with Scotland, and laid 
 waste many parts of the Eng- 
 lish coast. The English King, 
 Edward III., now claimed 
 that the crown of France 
 belong;ed to him, because his 
 mother was sister to the 
 dead Charles, which made Ed- 
 ward the next in succession. 
 To this the French replied that the Queen being shut out 
 by the ^' Salic Law," had no rights to pass over to her son. 
 The English people stood by Edward, however, in his 
 claim, and since Philip had attacked the English posses- 
 sions in Guienne, and was making ready to put down a 
 revolt in Flanders, Avith which England had a profitable 
 wool trade, Edward in 1337, declared war against France. 
 This was the opening of a contest which lasted so long 
 that it is known in history as the Hundred Years' War. 
 The fighting went on for several years before either 
 side gained any important advantage. But at Sluys 
 (slois), the English were victorious in 1340, and six years 
 later they gained a great victory at Crecy [cray'see), in 
 northwestern France. This battle will always be memor- 
 able because it waS' the first in which gunpowder was 
 
102 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 used. The cannon employed were small affairs and those 
 who fired them counted more on the fear they caused by 
 their loud reports than upon what the missiles themselves 
 
 would do. We 
 have no account 
 of anyone being 
 struck by the can- 
 non balls, but gun- 
 powder which was 
 the invention of 
 Roger Bacon' of 
 Oxford, had been 
 used a long time 
 before as an idle 
 amusement. It is 
 said that the re- 
 ports of the big 
 guns at Crecy ter- 
 rified the horses 
 and threw them 
 into such confus- 
 ion that many of 
 the French riders 
 were killed. 
 
 The victory, 
 
 Arbalists, or Cross-hows. Artillery Museum, Paris. Vm^^PVPr "Wfi «4 nnt 
 
 due to the cannon but to the sturdy English archers. 
 The 15,000 cross-bowmen on the French side were worn 
 out by a march of twenty miles, and drenched by a violent 
 storm, which so wet the strings of their heavy cross-bows, 
 
House of Yalois. 
 
 103 
 
 that they lengthened and became almost useless. The 
 English bowmen had been resting all day and took good 
 care to keep their strings dry. Thus, 
 although the French greatly outnum- 
 bered the English, they were at such 
 disadvantage, that they were over- 
 thrown. It was at Crecy, that the 
 young son of the English King, known, 
 because of the color of his armor, as the 
 '^ Black Prince," performed such valiant 
 deeds as to command the admiration 
 of the veteran knights and make his 
 name a terror to the enemy. 
 
 Having won this great victory, Ed- 
 ward .now advanced against Calais 
 [kal'ay) the principal port on the chan- 
 nel, and so situated as to be the door to 
 France. The siege lasted nearly a year, 
 and then the defenders would not have 
 yielded had they not been on the verge 
 of starvation. Edward was so angered 
 because of the prolonged resistance, 
 that he told the people they would be 
 spared only on condition that six of the 
 leading men, with halters round their 
 necks should bring him the keys of the Effigy of Edwaidthe 
 
 city. One of the wealthiest citizens in Black Prince, in Armor. 
 
 Calais, Saint Pierre [scui i^ee-ar'), instantly volunteered, 
 though he felt certain of being hanged. His example 
 inspired five others and the strange procession went forth, 
 
104 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 each man with a halter round his neck, and entered 
 the English camp. When brought before the furious 
 King, he ordered them to be put to death instantly, but 
 
 Queen Philip pa, who 
 had just joined him, 
 fell on her knees and 
 begged her husband 
 so earnestly to spare 
 their lives, that with 
 ill-grace he consented 
 and they were set 
 free. This incident 
 reminds us of Poca- 
 hontas and Captain 
 John Smith, nearly 
 300 years later, in the 
 gloomy Avoods of Vir- 
 ginia, when the grim 
 old chieftain Powhat- 
 an, ordered his warri- 
 ors to crush the skull 
 of Captain Smith with 
 their war-clubs. King 
 Edward drove all the 
 inhabitants of Calais 
 out and peopled the city with his own subjects, and 
 England retained possession of Calais for more than two 
 hundred years. 
 
 At this juncture, an awful pestilence, known as the 
 "Black Death" came creeping over Europe from China, 
 
 Tomb of Edward III. in Westminster Abbey. 
 
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 105 
 
106 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 and so many thousands died that tlie people for the next 
 two years had to stop fighting and give their energies^ to 
 burying the dead. Many persons believed that the visita- 
 tion was a punishment 
 from heaven for the 
 
 wickedness of the 
 world. In the hope of 
 staying divine wrath 
 crowds marched over 
 the streets and high- 
 ways, clothed in sack- 
 cloth, but with bare 
 floo:g:ino: one 
 
 Cross-bowmen on Horseback. 
 
 shoulders, 
 
 OO' 
 
 another as they went. Probably nearly all deserved the 
 flogging, but, if they had given more attention fo cleanli- 
 ness and led well-regulated lives, greater good would have 
 been accomplished. These persons were called Flagellants 
 and the Court of Rome wisely ordered their absurd action 
 stopped. 
 
 But men who are made good by fear, do not stay so 
 after the cause passes away. John II. (the Good) became 
 King in 1350, and six years later the valiant Black Prince 
 was desolating; the beart of France. He was attacked at 
 Poitiers (almost _^>i6'i7e-a), by King John, with an army 
 of 50,000, while that of the English was hardly one-fifth 
 as numerous, but they were handled with such wonder- 
 ful skill by the Black Prince, that a more decisive victory 
 was won tban at Crecy. King John and his son Philip 
 and many of the nobility were captured, while the Eng- 
 lish army found they had twice as many prisoners as 
 
King John and His Son Philip ai Poitiers. 
 
 107 
 
108 Young People's History of France. 
 
 their own soldiers. The King and his son were taken to 
 England where they were kindly treated and kept in 
 honorable captivity for four years. 
 
 As you may well suppose the crushing defeat filled 
 the French peasants and common people with furious dis- 
 gust. No longer could they pin their faith to the ability 
 and bravery of the nobles. The Dauphin Charles, as the 
 heir of the King was called, became regent of France. 
 He was only nineteen at the time, and he ruled with 
 great wisdom, but the country was in such turmoil and 
 discontent, that a wiser than he could not have brought 
 quiet and security. In order to ransom the prisoners in 
 England, the people were taxed so frightfully that they 
 rose in rebellion. A name of contempt given to the 
 French peasants was Jacques Bonhomme [zhdk hon-om'), 
 Jacques (James) is more common than any other nam.e 
 among the peasants, and the one I have given meaning 
 "Jimmy Goodfellow" was applied in ridicule to all the 
 laboring classes. 
 
 The revolt was called "The Jacquerie," and thousands 
 took part in it. When such men are roused to frenzy, 
 they become like so many raging beasts. They showed 
 no mercy to anyone. Castles were burned, women and 
 children slaughtered and men put to the torture ; but the 
 trained soldiers fell upon the "Jacquerie" with fury and 
 soon crushed the uprising. 
 
 Finally in 1360, King Edward accepted proposals of 
 peace. He bound himself to give up his claim to the 
 French crown on condition that he was confirmed in the 
 possession of Guienne, Calais and Ponthiey ypon-tee-uh!). 
 
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Young People's History of France. 
 
 It was further agreed that the French people should pay 
 a sum equal to f oO;000,000 in these days for the ransom 
 of King John who was btill a prisoner in the Tower of 
 London, and all this enormous sum was to be raised by a 
 tax on the French peasantry. 
 
 And now the condition of France became distressful 
 beyond imagination. Men grew so desperate that they 
 turned robbers, overran the country and plundered right 
 and left, so that the miserable peasants often fled from 
 their homes and hid themselves in caves and the gloomy 
 depths of the woods. King John never saw France 
 again, but died in London in 1364, and was succeeded by 
 Charles Y. (the Wise). With the aid of the most famous 
 French warrior of the age Du Guesclin {dil gd'Jdan), he 
 drove the English out of every part of France except a 
 few towns on the coast, for the peace did not last long. 
 
 Charles Y. proved he was well named the Wise, for he 
 ruled the country with great ability and wisdom. He 
 had a fine fleet and fine armies, and through excellent 
 management, the empty treasury was filled again. 
 Although all books were written, for printing had not 
 yet been thought of, he collected more than a thousand 
 volumes and founded the Library of Paris. The peasants 
 resumed the cultivation of land and began to raise cattle 
 and sheep, but, sad to say, this happy state of things did 
 not last. 
 
 Pope Urban YL, who was elected toward the close of 
 Charles Y.'s reign was of so violent temper and of such 
 unjust ways, that many of those who helped to choose 
 him were very sorry for it. His opponents declared his 
 
House of Yalois. 
 
 ] Li 
 
 election illegal and chose another Pope, who -ns filled 
 Clement Yl. He was established at Avignon on the 
 banks of the Rhone, and France and several other coun- 
 
 Coat of Mail, Gauntlets and Mailed Boot. 
 
 tries gave him their allegiance, but England clung to the 
 Pope of Rome. This dispute is known in history as the 
 Schism of the West. 
 
 Charles had been so successful in winning back his 
 provinces that he now made the attempt to secure Brit- 
 
— J 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 His pretext was that Duke John had made a 
 league with the English, and before the Duke could get 
 his answer ready, his estates were confiscated and Charles 
 took possession. It was a most unjust act and the 
 Bretons rose in rebellion and recalled the Duke. 
 
 Now that mao^nificent warrior Du Guesclin, whom I 
 told you about, was a Breton and felt he could not enter 
 into such a fight. So he resigned his office of constable 
 and made up his mind to retire to Spain. Before doing 
 so, however, he joined his friends in attacking the little 
 fortress of Randan. The siege had lasted but a short 
 time, when Du Guesclin was seized with an illness which 
 he felt was mortal. He asked that his sword should be 
 brought to him, and when it was placed in his hand, he 
 looked fondly at it and said : " This has helped me to 
 kill a good many enemies of the King, but it has given 
 me cruel wounds for his sake." He kissed the weapon 
 with tears in his eyes, and handed it to one of his 
 attendants. ^^ Remember," he added, '^ that wherever 
 yoLi fight, the servants of the Church and the women and 
 children are never your enemies." Then, after commend- 
 ing his wife and brother to the care of the King, he 
 closed his eves in death, and the governor of Randan 
 laid the keys of the town on the breast of the dead hero. 
 This was in 1380, and the same year the King died and 
 was succeeded by his son Charles YL, who unfortunately 
 at that time was a boy of twelve. 
 
 Because of his extreme youth, the three uncles of the 
 King began wrangling over the regency. These fine 
 relatives were respectively the Dukes de Berri, Burgundy 
 
The French Go Down Before the English at Agincourt. 
 3 — Mils' France. ^^^ 
 
People's History of France. 
 
 ^ fought like cats and dogs, the people 
 iu»c IX. xo^^...^.. ^nd it is hard to think of a more fright- 
 ful state of affairs. The leaders offered about all they 
 
 had and a good deal 
 they did not have to 
 Henry Y., of Eng- 
 land, on conditions 
 that he Avould come 
 over and help one to 
 crush the other. 
 The chance was too 
 tempting for the 
 p]nglish King to turn 
 his back upon it. 
 So he declared war 
 against France and 
 invaded the country, 
 hastily patching up 
 a peace between the 
 supporters of the 
 French King and the 
 He besieged and captured Harfleur (ar- 
 flur'~), and at Agincourt {ali-zlian-koor'), near the coast, 
 between Calais and Crecy, in 1415, he met the French 
 army which outnumbered his own six to one. 
 
 The English had the advantage of position, and, by 
 order of the King, each man firmly drove a strong stick, 
 sharpened at both ends, into the ground in front of him. 
 Most of the French soldiers were cavalry, and this arti- 
 fice proved very destructive to the horses, hundreds of 
 
 x:\ 
 
 Charles VI. of France. 
 
 Burgundians 
 
Isabelle of Bavnrin, Wife of King Charles VI. 
 Showing costumes and headdresses of the time. 
 
 115 
 
110 y People's History of France. 
 
 which were impaled upon the sticks. Henry won a sig- 
 nal victory, and among the numerous prisoners that he 
 took back to France were the Dukes d' Orleans and de 
 Bourbon. 
 
 Charles VI. had become insane and never fully re- 
 covered. Thus you will see that France having had good 
 bad and indifferent rulers, was now in the hands of a 
 crazy man, so it would seem that every sort was tried in 
 that country, which in the course of time, tested every 
 known form of government. 
 
 King Henry returned in 1420, overran Normandy 
 and captured Rouen, the capital. Shortly after the 
 treaty of Troyes {tnoali) was signed between him, and 
 the young Duke of Burgundy, by the terms of which 
 Queen Isabelle disinherited her son Charles, the Dauphin, 
 whom she hated, and gave her daughter Catharine to 
 Henry for a wife. Moreover, it was agreed that when 
 the insane King died^ the crown was to pass to Henry of 
 En(2:land and his successors. It is hard to think of a 
 better bargain for the English monarch, to whom were 
 thus pledged the daughter of the French monarch and 
 the sovereignity of France itself. 
 
CHAPTER YIII.' 
 
 HOUSE OF YALOis {Continued) — 1328-1589. 
 
 Charles VII.— Louis X/.— (1422-1483). 
 
 THE history of no country contains more wonderful 
 incidents than that of France, but I think you will 
 agree with me that the story I am about to tell 
 you is the most wonderful of them all. 
 
 Charles YL, the msane king, died in 1422. Henry V. 
 of England died before him, and soon after making the 
 strange treaty by which he was promised the whole^ kmg- 
 dom of France. In accordance with its terms, his mfant 
 son was crowned as King of England and then taken to 
 France and crowned there as king of that country. 
 
 Charles VII., of France, was never accused of havmg 
 too much spirit, but he would have been an inconceivable 
 coward had he consented to the treaty by which his 
 mother had given away his throne and kingdom. So 
 fighting was renewed more fiercely than before, and the 
 Encxlish with their Burgundian friends set out to bring 
 Charles to' terms. Nearly all in the north of France 
 were opposed to him and he retreated south of the Loire 
 [Iwar) and occupied Bourges [hoorzh). 
 
 . Charles was not vet twenty-one years old and was 
 slothful by nature, besides which thousands of his coun- 
 trymen hated him. His enemies were far more numerous 
 
 117 
 
118 Young People's History of France. 
 
 than his friends. In two battles, not very important of 
 themselvesj he was defeated, and, though personally 
 brave, he must have seen that his cause was well-nigh 
 hopeless. He was selfish and fond of pleasure, and nearly 
 all the men whom he made his favorites were unworthy 
 of his confidence and proved the worst kind of advisers. 
 
 About the only important city which remained faith- 
 ful to Charles was Orleans [or-lay-on') , which commanded 
 the whole valley of tiie Loire. The English army ad- 
 vanced against it and felt absolutely certain that it would 
 soon fall into their hands. Should that calamity occur, 
 Charles would be compelled to retreat to the southern 
 border of his country, where nothing less than a miracle 
 would enable him to hold out. 
 
 Fully understanding the importance of its capture, 
 the Engrlish forces surrounded the walls and laid vio;orous 
 siege to the city. The outer gate of the bridge and the 
 outermost walls were captured despite the desperate 
 defense of the Frenchmen. Gunpowder played an im- 
 portant part and the stone balls of the cannon were 
 splintered to fragments against the walls, into which here 
 and there breaches began to show. But the French had 
 guns also and did good execution among their enemies. 
 Nevertheless, the advantage remained with the English, 
 who had only to hold their position to compel the people 
 to choose after a time between starvation and submission. 
 It was no credit to the indolent King that during those 
 trying days, instead of being at the head of his soldiers 
 in Orleans, he and some of his favorites were at one of 
 his castles, miles away, enjoying the soft spring weather. 
 
House of Yalois. 
 
 119 
 
 All this time, there was a humble peasant girl tending 
 her father's sheep among one of the mountain districts 
 of Lorraine. She was greatly distressed over the afflic- 
 tions of her country 
 and spent many hours 
 night and day praying 
 to heaven to save it 
 from the calamity that 
 threatened its life. And 
 by and by, this good 
 girl as she prayed and 
 meditated, heard 
 voices, and nothing 
 could shake her belief 
 that they were the 
 voices of angels speak- 
 ing to her. Heavenly music sounded in the air far 
 above her head, the wonderful singing of spirits came to 
 her enraptured ears, and visions beyond the power of 
 words to picture broke upon her sight. And then the 
 leading form among the angels said to her that she, the 
 simple peasant maid, was appointed of heaven to deliver 
 France. She was to win the victory that would turn 
 back the iuvaders, who could be conquered in no other 
 way. 
 
 Joan of Arc (joii-darc), as she is known, was awed 
 and tremblingly replied that she was so weak, so ignorant 
 and of such humble birth that she could do nothing, 
 where the bravest of the French officers had failed. But 
 the heavenly form insisted, and, not daring to disobey, 
 
 City Life in the Fifteenth Century. Character- 
 istic ior Mauuers and Customs. 
 
120 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Joan followed tlie directions given to her and accom- 
 panied by her two brothers and a gentleman attached to 
 the service of the Dauphin, she went to the castle where 
 the Dauphin was dawdling away his time, and re23eated 
 her amazing story to him. 
 
 Charles was puzzled and at first did not know what 
 to say or do; but he half suspected that what she told 
 him was true and she was the appointed agent of heaven 
 to save the sorely pressed country. Before she reached 
 the castle, he dressed himself precisely like his courtiers 
 and tellino; them to make no sioii that would reveal him, 
 he stood among them when she came in. She glanced 
 around, and picking out the Dauphin, went forward, knelt 
 at his feet and made known her mission. She asked for 
 a suit of armor for herself and the sword of a knig^ht/ 
 who had lain a long time in the tomb, saying the angels 
 had bidden her to use no other. 
 
 Charles ordered that everything should be done as she 
 wished, and so Joan, mounted on a white horse, clad in 
 complete armor, with a white banner carried before her, 
 led several thousand troops to Orleans. The garrison 
 had heard of her, and when they caught sight of the 
 maid in front of the soldiers, they broke into wild shouts 
 of welcome. The English were terrified at first, declar- 
 ing it was the devil that had come to the aid of the 
 French, but the latter thought it was the opposite. 
 
 The first attack by the peasant maid was upon the 
 two towers guarding the bridge across the Loire, although 
 the French officers opposed the assault which they de- 
 clared was hopeless. But she insisted she was obeying 
 
Joan of Arc Wounded Before Orleans. 
 
 121 
 
122 Young People's History of France. 
 
 the orders given to her by the angels. When the assault 
 had lasted for three hours, without any success, a retreat 
 was sounded and the French began falling back. The 
 maid seized a ladder, and quickly resting it against the 
 walls, began climbing upward. Her corselet was 
 pierced by an arrow and she fell unconscious into the 
 ditch below. She narrowly escaped capture by the Eng- 
 lish; but although suffering great pain from her wound, 
 she seized her sword and banner again, and running up 
 the ladder, and leaping upon the battlements, waved the 
 standard and shouted to her soldiers to follow. Her ex- 
 ample inspired them, and the English were dismayed, for 
 their supply of powder and arrows was exhausted and 
 their leader was shot while crossing the bridge. This 
 gave the victory to the French, and that evening, Joan 
 at the head of her soldiers entered the city, followed by 
 the rejoicing people. Orleans was delivered within one 
 week after her arrival before its walls. 
 
 This miraculous victory was gained in 1429, and was 
 followed by others, w^iich spread the fame of the Maid 
 of Orleans and brought thousands to the standard of 
 Charles, who, yielding to the urging of the girl, went to 
 Rheims (reemz) in the north, where he was crowned King, 
 the maid standing by his side before the high altar, and 
 holding her white banner unfurled, while all the people 
 looked on in awe and joy, 
 
 I wish I could close the story of Joan of Arc, 
 the Maid of Orleans at this point, for that which follows 
 is unspeakably sad. She felt that her mission was 
 ended, and, kneeling at the feet of the king, begged that 
 

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124 Young People's History of France. 
 
 she now might go back to her father and mother and re- 
 sume the humble work of tending their flocks. King 
 Charles, however, was too selfish to allow her to do as 
 she wished. Her presence animated the soldiers as 
 nothing else could animate them, and he made her stay. 
 But from this time forward she lost confidence in herself, 
 for she could not feel assured that she was doing the will 
 of heaven. Many of those who should have been her 
 stanchest friends became jealous of her power. At the 
 siege of Paris, she was badly wounded, and, being cow- 
 ardly deserted by her troops, was taken prisoner while 
 defending Compiegne [koin-jjen-yeJi). The officer com- 
 manding the siege was John of Luxembourg, and that 
 miserable wretch sold her to the English for an immense 
 sum of money. She was thrown into a dungeon at 
 Rouen, and then brought out, tried as a heretic and 
 sorceress and burned to death at the stake. 
 
 It was a horrible crime and nothing can equal the 
 wickedness of all who had to do with it from the begin- 
 ning, from the unutterably selfish Charles, who cared 
 nothing for the noble maid when she could serve him no 
 longer, to those who applied the torch and looked upon 
 that form as she calmly suffered martyrdom and called 
 out that once again she heard the voices of the angels 
 who were bearing her soul away to eternal happiness. 
 No wonder that when she was no more, one of the judges 
 who had condemned her exclaimed: "Would that our 
 souls were where hers is!" and the secretary of Henry 
 VI. said as he walked sorrowfully away: "We are all 
 lost; we have burned a saint." 
 
125 
 
126 Young People's History of France. 
 
 On the spot in the public square where the Maid of 
 Orleans suffered martyrdom, a statue stands which tells 
 of the dreadful crime, and who can look upon it without 
 a sigh for the fate of the noble girl who thus gave up 
 her life for her country in the dim long ago ? 
 
 It proved as the English King's secretary said, for 
 the English continued to suffer defeat after defeat until 
 all that they were able to retain was the single city of 
 Calais. Charles VII. died in 1461 and was succeeded by 
 Louis XL, another of the vile scoundrels who helped to 
 curse France. He was an ingrate, continually plotting 
 against his father, who grew to feel a mortal fear of him, 
 and starved himself to death because he believed his son 
 had placed poison in the food that was set before him. 
 
 The ambition of Louis XL was to enlarge his 
 authority by weakening the power of the great feudal 
 vassals. He finally roused so much resistance that in 
 1465 an alliance was formed against him called the 
 '^ League of the Public Good," of which the leader was 
 Charles the Bold, afterv>"ard Duke of Burgundy. Of 
 course war followed, but Louis was defeated and forced 
 to give the rights demanded by the nobles. But Louis 
 did not yield the fight. As soon as he dared, he revoked 
 these concessions, one after the other and finally brought 
 his vassals to submission. 
 
 When Charles Yll. died the period known as the 
 Middle Ages ended. This in France is considered to have 
 begun in the reign of Clovis. Constantinople was taken 
 by the Turks in 1453, and Mohammed IL, who was the 
 first to receive the title of Grand Seignior [seen-yor), 
 

 
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28 
 
 Young 
 
 People's History of France. 
 
 made a triumphant entry into the city, but died in 1481, 
 after a^long and victorious career, as he was about to lead 
 
 an attack against the Knights of 
 St. John. 
 
 Returning to our account of the 
 French King Louis XI., most of 
 the reign was filled wuth plots and 
 intrigues against his enemies, par- 
 . ticularly Charles the Bold, Duke of 
 Burgundy. The latter united with 
 , ' u the Duke of Brittany, and took up 
 ^ - arms against Louis, inviting Ed- 
 /, ward I v., of England, to join tliem. 
 But Louis was shrewd and cunning 
 and won over the Swiss. Upon 
 learning that tlie citizens of Liege, 
 which was subject to Burgundy, 
 had rebelled against their tyran- 
 nous lord, Louis sent an envoy to 
 Liege, assuring them of help in 
 their resistance to the Duke. 
 Charles the Bold had challenged 
 Louis to answer for his ag!:o!:ressions 
 upon his territory. The King was advised to meet the 
 Duke of Bm'gundy in person to settle their disputes. 
 Beceiving a safe conduct from the Duke, the King went 
 to Peronne. In the meantime, the evil seed sown by Louis 
 in Liege had borne its fruit. Violence broke out and 
 Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liege, was among those who 
 were massacred. 
 
 Siege of Neuss by Charles 
 the Bold. Sliowing Three- 
 barrelled Cannon on a Single 
 GiTti Carriage. 
 
9—Llli8' France, 
 
130 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 News of these outrages came to Charles while he was 
 talking with Louis. He was so enraged that he could 
 hardly restrain himself from taking the life of the King 
 
 despite the written 
 
 pledge he had given 
 him of safe conduct. 
 But the crafty King 
 saved himself by 
 signing a treaty by 
 which he promised to 
 resign all authority 
 i in Burgundy and to 
 give Champagne and 
 
 ViewofPlessis-les-Tour, the Castle of Louis XI. "R-nip (hrPP^ as nnana- 
 
 ges to his brother Charles, that is to say, lands for 
 the support of his sons. Then Louis went off determined 
 to break his pledge, like a true King, on the first 
 opportunity. 
 
 Louis devoted his great skill to Avinning over his 
 opponents, for he was alarmed by the growing power of 
 the Duke of Burgundy. The treacherous Cardinal Balue 
 was the one at whose suggestion, Louis had visited the 
 Duke and thus placed himself in his power. Louis 
 learned that the cardinal was in the pay of the duke, and 
 he now punished him by placing him in an iron cage, 
 where he was kept for ten years. When he released him 
 it w^as upon the request of Pope Sixtus TV. The cage 
 was an invention of the cardinal himself and no doubt 
 w^hen he was set free he felt satisfied that as a means of 
 punishment it was a success. 
 
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132 Young People's History of France. 
 
 The Duke of Burgundy was defeated in several bat- 
 tles and Louis made proposals of peace to his allied foes, 
 promising Edward IV. a large sum of money, if he 
 would not fight him any more. Because these treaties 
 regarded the riglits of commerce, they were called the 
 Mercantile Treaties. Louis turned over his brave Swiss 
 allies to Charles, who invaded their country, but only to 
 meet defeat at Granson and Morat [mo-rah'), being com- 
 pelled to flee in great haste from the field of the latter. 
 A third battle was fought, in 1477, at Nanci, in which 
 the Bur^undians v/ere attain defeated and this time 
 Charles himself was killed and everybody was glad. 
 
 Printing was in\'euted during the reign of Louis XL 
 When the first printed book was presented toliiiu and the 
 process explained, the King inquired what kind of ink 
 was used. Upon being told, he exclaimed: ''It is the 
 most perfect liquor man ever drank." 
 
 As Louis grew old, he became a prey to superstition 
 and remorse, for he had done a great deal of evil. He 
 grew morbid over the fear of death and shut himself up 
 in a gloomy castle which was nothing more than a vast 
 tomb. He kept a large force of soldiers continually on 
 guard night and day, and hardly ever allowed himself to 
 be seen. Hundreds of innocent people passing near were 
 strung up or drowned on suspicion that they had designs 
 upon the life of the king, who probably inherited a taint 
 of insanity from his father. 
 
 He spent hours in prayer over the bones of saints and 
 implored heaven to grant him long life. Little leaden 
 images of the saints were carried in his hat and his cloth- 
 
House of YaloiSi 133 
 
 ing was shabby and threadbare, though he had a magnifi- 
 cent robe of velvet in which to receive great visitors. 
 When death at last drew near, he grew more resigned 
 and with greater calmness than would have been expected, 
 he passed away in 1483. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HOUSE OF VALOis — [Continued). — 1328-1589. 
 
 Charles VIII. — Louis XII — Francis I — Henry II — 
 
 (1483-1559.) 
 
 FROM the accession of the young man, Charles YIII., 
 to the close of the Valois line is about one hundred 
 years. That comparatively brief period in the history of 
 a people is marred with war, cruelty and murder, and the 
 worst of it all was that the most horrible outrages were 
 committed in the name of religion. Catholics and Pro- 
 testants were guilty of atrocities that make one shudder 
 and wonder how human beings could become transformed 
 into such wild beasts, without a spark of mercy or kind- 
 ness in their hearts. In these days, when everyone is 
 left free in all of those countries to worship God as he 
 thinks right, and no one is allowed to interfere with an- 
 other's religious belief, it is hard to credit that such 
 savage crimes were committed. It has been truly said 
 that in the wars carried on in the name of religion, 
 religion itself was destroyed. 
 
134 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Mixed up in this woful work were France, England, 
 Germany and Spain. There was strife, too, among the 
 claimants to thrones and power ; jealousies raged ; 
 treachery was abroad ; faith was broken ; the most solemn 
 pledges violated ; hypocrisy everywhere and in short the 
 devil seemed to be loosed. It would take many pages to tell 
 the whole story and you would become confused and sick 
 of the dreadful business. So, let us study just enough to 
 form a clear idea of events. 
 
 Charles VIII. had a brave heart in a sickly body. 
 The nobles made war against him in the effort to regain 
 the power they had lost under his father, but they failed. 
 Then Charles, anxious to extend his dominions, set out to 
 conquer Italy and started a war which lasted for about 
 half a century after his death. He was quite successful 
 in a way and entered Rome at the head of his victorious 
 army. He was also crowned King of Naples and felt 
 proud of the empty titles of King of Jerusalem and Em- 
 peror of the East. While he accomplished little, he set 
 on foot the French wars for foreign conquest which were 
 afterward pushed with great success in different parts of 
 the world. 
 
 Now, since I have told you how debased and irreligious 
 the times were, you must not form the idea that every- 
 body forgot his duty to God and his fellow men, though 
 I am sorry to say that almost everybody did so. There 
 were some of the best men and women that ever 
 lived, who were deeply grieved by the impiety around 
 them, and did all they could by protest and prayer to 
 check it. One such good man was a Dominican friar, 
 
Charles VIII. Enters Kome at the Head of His Army 
 
 135 
 
136 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 named Girolamo Savonarola, who lived in Florence. His 
 soul was roused by the universal frivolity and wickedness, 
 and instead of folding his hands and contenting himself 
 
 with a skin o; God to make 
 things better, he bravely set 
 to wo]k to give all the help 
 he could. He preached, 
 pleaded and arguerl with the 
 thoughtless ones, and by his 
 example and eloquent warn- 
 ings, won a great many to 
 better and worthier lives. 
 He did not hesitate to at- 
 tack those in high places 
 and to interfere in politics. 
 No doubt his zeal some- 
 times carried him too far, 
 and, like many good men 
 before and since, he was 
 called upon to suffer mar- 
 tyrdom, for in 1498, when 
 he was less than fifty years 
 old, he Avas strangled, his body cast into the flames and 
 the ashes thrown into the river. 
 
 A strange seriousness came upon Charles VIII. in his 
 later years. His thoughts were turned t-) God, and he 
 sought to be just and good. He established public 
 audiences and patiently listened to all who came to hear 
 him. especially the poor, and he was unkingly in his efforts 
 to lessen, so far as possible, the burdens and sufferings of 
 his subjects. 
 
 Charles VIIT. Hoarirg the Causes 
 of the Rich and Poor. 
 

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138 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Probably every boy who reads tliese lines knows what 
 it is to bump his head. The sensation is anything but 
 pleasant, and it sometimes takes a good while to get over 
 it, as I know from experience. Well, one day in 1498, 
 when Charles had reigned only five years, he was passing 
 through a dark passage in his castle and struck his head 
 ao:ainst a beam wdth such force that he fell to the floor 
 unconscious. He was carefully attended, but his skull 
 was fractured and he died in a few hours. You will be 
 interested to know that until that time white was the 
 color of mourning in the royal family, but the widow of 
 Charles put on black and the custom has continued ever 
 since. 
 
 Charles VIII. left no children and the crown passed to 
 Duke Louis of Orleans, grandson of a brother of Charles 
 YL, and thirty-six years old. He was a good-natured 
 man and showed no resentment toward those who had 
 been his enemies, saying with a smile, that what they did 
 was against the Duke of Orleans and not against the 
 King of France. He conquered Lombardy, and at Agna- 
 dello, a village in North Italy, he won a great victory 
 over the Venetians, in May, 1509, but in the end a Holy 
 League was formed against him by the Pope, the Em- 
 peror of Germany, the King of Spain, and Henry VIII. 
 of England, all of whom were jealous of the growing 
 power of France. Such a formidable union drove the 
 French out of Italy, and all that they had gained ' was 
 lost, except the inspiration which the French got from 
 the noble buildings and works of art, and which resulted 
 in what is known as the Renaissance, or new life^ in the 
 French order of architecture. 
 
Louis XII. Wins the Buttle of Affnadello. 
 
 139 
 
140 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Now I must tell in tliis place sometliing about a fam- 
 ily that was one of the most infamous in all history — 
 that of the Borgias. The head was Rodrigo, who w^as 
 
 born in Spain in 1431. Al- 
 though the father of four 
 sons and a daughter, he suc- 
 ceeded by intrigue in having 
 himself elected pope in 1492. 
 His son Caesar was a mon- 
 ster of wickedness like him- 
 self, and seems to have been 
 guilty of all the dreadful 
 crimes with which he has been 
 charged. In 1503, the Pope 
 and his son attempted to 
 poison a rich cardinal, so as to 
 obtain his wealth, but by mistake of the attendants, 
 the two drank the wine intended for him. The Pope 
 died almost instantly, but Borgia recovered and was 
 killed some time afterward. 
 
 The daughter, who was as wdcked as they, was accus- 
 tomed to dance shamelessly before her father for the 
 entertainment of guests, and was married three times. 
 She was divorced from her first husband, her second was 
 murdered by her brother CoBsar, and most of her life was 
 spent in the pontifical palace, where she abandoned her- 
 self to every species of crime and immorality. 
 
 The genial nature of Louis XII. made him greatly 
 beloved by his subjects, and when he died in 1515, he 
 was universally regretted. His successor was Francis I., 
 
 Seal of Louis XTI. 
 

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142 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Duke of Angouleme {ang-go-lame) , twenty-one years old. 
 He was chivalrous and anxious to distinguish himself by 
 military exploits. He invaded Italy at the head of an 
 
 army of 40,000 soldiers, 
 and in the battle of Marig- 
 nano {mah-reen-ijah'no) in 
 1515, he totally defeated, 
 the Swiss forces, who had 
 been hired to fight for a 
 cause in which they had 
 nothing but a pecuniary in- 
 ter est. Milan (mil' an or 
 me -I on') surrendered and 
 Francis was wise enough 
 to form an alliance with the 
 Swiss republic. 
 
 Now it is that the other 
 nations become mixed in the affairs of France. On 
 the death of the Emperor of Germany, Charles of 
 Spain became a successful candidate for the vacant 
 throne. This angered France and gave rise to a 
 series of wars which lasted more than twenty years, 
 between him and his rival, who afterward became tbe 
 illustrious Charles Y. of Germany. Each party tried to 
 win the support of Henry VHI. of England. The scenes 
 attending the meeting between Francis and Henry were 
 so magnificent and marked by such splendor that the 
 place was called the ^' Field of the Cloth of Gold." 
 Through the intrigues of Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIH. 
 declared in favor of the Emperor of Germany. 
 
 Seal of Francis I. 
 
House of Valois. 
 
 143 
 
 Francis invaded Italy, but was disastrously defeated 
 at Pavia in 1525, his most distinguished generals killed 
 and himself taken prisoner. He was held for more than 
 a year, and only obtained his release 
 by signing a very humiliating treaty, 
 and, of course, as soon as he got 
 back to France he broke his pledge 
 and renewed the war, having formed 
 
 alliance with Venice and the 
 
 an 
 Pope. 
 
 Since I had to tell you so un- 
 pleasant a history as that of the 
 Borgias, it now gives me pleasure to 
 relate that of one of- the purest, 
 bravest and best knights that ever 
 drew sword in defense of truth, 
 justice and right. His full name 
 was Pierre du Terrail, Seigneur de 
 Bayard {haiyar)^ and he is always 
 referred to as Bon Chevalier sans 
 peiir et sans reproche, meaning 
 " Good Knight without fear and 
 reproach." When you hear the 
 expression, which is often used, 
 " Brave as "Bayard," the reference 
 is to this remarkable man, and it is 
 the hit^hest compliment that can be Coat of Mail of chevaiier 
 
 . T ^ ^ Bayard. 
 
 paid any one. 
 
 He was born of an ancient and honorable French 
 family in 1476, and at an early age displayed the courage, 
 
144 Young People's History of France. 
 
 unconquerable resolution, military skill, virtue and lionor 
 which made him a model knight in every respect. So 
 wonderful were his daring and skill, that instead of wait- 
 ing until he was twenty-one years old, 
 he began his military career at the age 
 of eighteen. The first battle in which 
 he fought was that of Fornova in 1494 
 on the side of Charles YIII. Two 
 horses were killed under him and his 
 feats of valor roused the admiration of 
 all who witnessed them. lie threw his 
 Medal of Francis I. j^^atchless energies into the campaigns 
 of Louis XII., and the following marvelous achievement 
 has been told of him and is true. 
 
 When the French army were retreating. Bayard paused 
 at the bridge over the Garigliano {ga-rig-ly-yano), and 
 single-handed confronted 200 pursuing Spaniards, and 
 that one knig;ht fous^ht and held back the whole force until 
 the main body of the French army made good its retreat. 
 In 1513 occurred the famous battle of the Spurs at Picardy, 
 so called because the French cavalry fled in headlong 
 haste before the English. It was the valor of Bayard 
 that saved the French army from total disgrace, but he 
 w^as compelled to surrender to an English knight though 
 he was soon afterward exchang^ed. On other fields he 
 displayed the same matchless daring. His military skill 
 caused the leaders continually to seek his advice, but 
 because Bayard disdained flattery and the arts of the 
 courtier, he was never entrusted with any important com- 
 mand. 
 
14D 
 
 House of Valois. 
 In 1524, at the passage of the Sesia, he received a 
 
 Bayard, Single-handud, Defends the Bridge at Garigliano. 
 
 mortal wound, but refused to be carried oE the fiekl, 
 
 10 — E/hy France. 
 
146 
 
 Young People's History of France, 
 
 saying that in his last moments he would not turn his 
 back on the enemy. Reclining at the foot of a tree, he 
 
 encouraged his men, kissed the 
 cross on his sword hilt, confessed 
 himself to his esquire and closed 
 his eyes in death. There have 
 been attempts on the part of 
 some persons to trace their de- 
 scent from this noble and spot- 
 less knight, but such persons for- 
 get that the Chevalier Bayard 
 was never married and of course 
 left no descendants. 
 
 Bourbon, commander of the 
 German troops, marched against 
 Eome with an army composed 
 of many whose minds had been 
 excited by the preaching of Mar- 
 tin Luther, the foiuider of the 
 Keformation, while others were 
 ferocious and lawless bandits 
 and adventurers. Bourbon was 
 killed in the first assault, but 
 Eome was taken, and for seven 
 months was the scene of violence, 
 pillage and every manner of 
 crime. Pope Clement YII. was 
 kept a prisoner and treated like a 
 common felon. Because of this France and En Hand formed 
 
 Armor of the Spanish Gonsalvo 
 de Cordova. Worn at the Battle 
 of Garigliano. 
 
 an alliance, and Charles 
 
 finding 
 
 himself embarrassed by 
 
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148 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Scene at a Tournament, Sixteenth Century. 
 
 the action of the German Protestants, and being threat- 
 ened by the Turks, agreed to a treaty of peace with 
 Francis, which was signed at Cambray in 1529. But the 
 
 war was twice renewed, 
 and Francis shocked 
 Christendom by form- 
 ing an alliance with 
 the Turkish sultan. 
 '• When the wolves at- 
 tack the fold," he said, 
 '^ we must seek the help 
 of the dogs." He gained 
 a splendid victory in 
 1544 at Pa via, the scene of his former defeat, but the Ger- 
 man Emperor and English King had formed an alliance 
 and agreed to invade France, capture Paris and divide the 
 French Dominions between them. Francis made a suc- 
 cessful defense against them, and in 1546 succeeded in 
 making j)eace with both. He died the next year, and 
 was succeeded by Henry IF, twenty-eight years old. 
 
 This monarch had little of the ability of his father 
 and was slothful and devoted to pleasure. Hostilities 
 soon breaking out between France and Charles Y., Henry 
 formed an alliance with the great Protestant leader 
 Maurice, Elector of Saxony, who immediately declared 
 war against the German emperor as the enemy of civil 
 and religious liberty in Germany. Charles was prudent 
 enough to make a treaty with the Germans in 1562, by 
 which they were guaranteed freedom of worship. Henry 
 H. refused to join in the treaty and the imperial army 
 
House of Valois. 
 
 149 
 
 was defeated at Metz, where the French forces were 
 commanded by Francis, Dnke of Guise (cjioeez). 
 
 Before Henry began his reign he married Catharine 
 de Medici (med'e-chee), 
 a descendant of an il- 
 lustrious family of the 
 Florentine Republic, 
 The founder of the 
 house was Lorenzo de 
 Medici, who was the 
 father of Pope Leo X. 
 and the uncle of Pope 
 Clement VIL On ac- 
 count of his many accomplishments and his patronage 
 of the liberal arts, he was styled the Magnificent. 
 
 At a tournament. King Henry became so interested 
 in the exercises that he invited a Scottish captain of the 
 guards to break a lance with him. In the encounter, the 
 captain's lance was the one that broke, piercing through 
 the king's casque to his cheek, under the eye. The king 
 was carried senseless from the field, and ten days later 
 died, to be succeeded by his son Francis, who was six- 
 teen years of age. This was in 1559. 
 
 Tournament. — Joust of Lances. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 HOUSE OF YALOis — [Concluded). — 1328-1589. 
 Francis II.— Charles IX.— Henry ///.— (1559-1589.) 
 
 WE must remember that it was during the reign of 
 Charles VIII. that Christopher Cohimbus dis- 
 covered America. During those weary years spent by 
 him in tramping from one court of Europe to another, 
 trying to interest the rulers and persuade 
 them to fit out an expedition for him, he 
 called upon the French King, who like 
 many others made up his mind that the 
 great Italian navigator was a crank and 
 shook his head when asked to give him 
 the help he so sorely needed. 
 
 But a new world had been found, 
 and though Spain and Portugal were 
 Musquetin, i5o9. cligpntiug ovcr its posscssiou, Fraucis 
 I. had been determined to have a share in the prize. 
 " Show me," he said to those rulers, " the clause in Father 
 Adam's will which divides America between you and 
 leaves out France." The will couldn't be found and 
 French explorers continued to visit the New World, and 
 in time gained many important possessions, as you have 
 learned in the history of the United States. 
 
 150 
 
House of Yalois. 
 
 151 
 
 Francis II. was only sixteen years old and in weak 
 health. He married Mary Stuart, slightly younger, who 
 was the daughter of James Y. of Scotland. Francis was 
 King only in name, the real 
 rulers being his widowed 
 mother Catharine de Medici, 
 Francis, the Duke of Guise, 
 and his brother Charles, 
 Cardinal of Lorraine. Never 
 was there a more infamous 
 partnership, for all three 
 were cunning, treacherous, 
 ambitious, deceitful and 
 thoroug:h believers in the 
 policy that it is right to use 
 any means at command to 
 reach the end in view. 
 
 The two men were ex- 
 treme Catholics and the 
 young Queen who cared 
 only for gayety and pleas- 
 ure, asked nothing except 
 that they would let her 
 have plenty of money 
 for her indulgence, and they did so and ruled the 
 kingdom. But the Bourbon family were jealous of them, 
 and waited for the hour when they might strike them 
 down. The Bourbon leaders were Antoine, King of 
 Navarre and his brother Prince Conde. Navarre was a 
 little kingdom on the borders of the Pyrenees, the queen 
 
 Armor of a Captain of Lansquenets, 
 or Soldiers of Fortune. 
 
152 Young People's History of France. 
 
 of which Antoine married. They were champions of the 
 Calvinist or Huguenot cause and that reminds me that 
 you must wish to know what that was. 
 
 Martin Luther, a German monk was a man of pro- 
 found learning, who after long study, came to disbelieve 
 in the supreme power of the Pope. He published a work 
 in which he boldly maintained that the Church had fallen 
 into bondage to the Pope and that the mission of Luther 
 was to deliver it from its slavery. At first he meant to 
 do this from wdthin the Church, but finding that impos- 
 sible, he took an independent position and attacked the 
 Catholic authorities wdth vis^or and coarseness. The 
 Elector of Saxony, because of the heavy drains upon his 
 province to meet the demands of Eome, was impatient 
 and took the side of Luther, as did many prominent men. 
 This forced the German Emperor to grant the Lutheran 
 party freedom of worship in certain provinces until a 
 general Church council should meet and settle matters. 
 The further exercise of the privilege was forbidden by 
 the Emperor Charles Y. The Lutheran party protested 
 in 1529 against this tyrannical act, because of which 
 they gained the name of Protestants. 
 
 The Emperor was alarmed by the spread of the new 
 faith and tried to stamp it out. The Reformation, how- 
 ever, expanded and grew, but Catholicism firmly held its 
 ground in the south of France and in Italy and Spain, 
 where heretics were put to death in the most cruel man- 
 ner. The Inquisition was the name given to a court 
 established to inquire into offences against the established 
 religion. It flourished most in Spain, but the first court 
 

 Mary Sluart und Her Young Husband, Francis II. 
 ^ 153 
 
154 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 was establislied in the south of France after the conquest 
 of the Albigenses in the thirteenth century. It worked 
 in secret and in some cases its agents inflicted frightful 
 
 tortures upon those de- 
 clare d guilty. More 
 than once the fearful 
 threat was carried out: 
 '' I will have your body 
 rolled out so thin that 
 God's sun will shine 
 through it ! " Break- 
 ing on the wheel was 
 another method . A 
 man was bound se- 
 curely to a wheel and 
 his executioner pro- 
 ceeded by means of 
 blows with an iron rod 
 to break all the bones 
 that could be reached 
 one after the other. 
 The population in Central France w^as divided in their 
 sentiments with the inevitable result that before lono; 
 they began clawing at one another's throats, the jealousy 
 being due as much to political as alleged religious causes. 
 John Calvin was the leader of the reformation in France, 
 and he went far beyond Luther in his claims for the new 
 faith. The crafty Francis encouraged the- German Pro- 
 testants in order to weaken that empire, but at home he 
 showed no mercy to the reformers. The belief every- 
 
 The Holy Inquisition. — Two of the Most 
 Common Modes of Torture, 
 

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156 Young People's History of France. 
 
 where in these days was that no man had a right to pro- 
 fess a religion different from that of his sovereign, and 
 when a person was called a heretic, it was only another 
 name for traitor. The Catholics persecuted the Luther- 
 ans in the south, and the Lutherans persecuted the Cath- 
 olics in the north, and after a time persecuted one an- 
 other, if they followed a different leader. The supporters 
 of Calvin were also called Huguenots. The word was a 
 nickname of reproach and is supposed to refer to com- 
 rades bound together by oaths. 
 
 The Calvinists or Huguenots who read their Bibles and 
 tried to lead godly lives were horrified by the wicked- 
 ness of the court. Many a time one of these stern men 
 would stop on the street and denounce the frivolous 
 nobles for their frivolity, while the nobles in turn would 
 laugh and sneer at the Calvinist as a canting hypocrite. 
 
 Thus you have the grand divisions or parties in 
 France, and I have told you the names of the principal 
 leaders; but many of the moderate Catholics shared the 
 feelino^s of the Bourbons ao^ainst the Guises, for since the 
 queen was Scotch, the queen mother Italian, and the 
 Gruises belonged to Lorraine, France was really ruled by 
 a little knot of foreigners. Another strong opponent of 
 the Guises, was Admiral Coligny (ko-Iee7i'i/ee),Si Huguenot 
 and an ardent supporter of the reformation. He was a 
 brave and noble man, who had greatly distinguished him- 
 self in many of the battles of his country. King Henry 
 made him Admiral in 1552. On the death of that king, 
 he returned to his estates, where he became a convert to 
 the reformed faith. He and Prince Conde threw them- 
 
House of Yalois. 
 
 157 
 
 selves body and soul into the movement, and were sup- 
 ported by the honest Calvinists and an influential body 
 of the smaller nobility, who were prompted by the 
 chance of obtaining spoils 
 and booty. 
 
 Now you can understand 
 that the weak king was 
 really the key to the prob- 
 lem, for whichever party 
 could control him would 
 c^ain a decisive advantao;e. 
 The enemies of the Guises 
 formed a plot to seize the 
 king and queen and kill 
 or oihervvise dispose of the 
 members of the govern- 
 ment. Calvin utterly con- 
 demned the scheme, and 
 it being discovered by 
 the Guises, they execu- 
 ted scores of those implica- 
 ted. The Prince of Conde 
 was the real leader, but he covered up his tracks so well 
 that it was impossible to convict him. Soon, afterward, 
 in 1560, the king died, having reigned only a year and a 
 half. His widow, Mary, the unfortunate Queen of Scots, 
 bade a tearful adieu to the country she loved and went to 
 Scotland, which she did not love though it was her native 
 land. She was unfitted by nature for the throne which 
 she ascended, and, as you have learned elsewhere, her 
 imprisonment of eighteen years ended on the scaffold. 
 
 Nobles and Calvinist. 
 
158 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Having left no children the brother of Francis became 
 heir to the crown in 1560. He is known as Charles IX., 
 and at the death of the king was only eleven years old. 
 The French law made the heir to the throne of legal age 
 at fourteen. His mother, therefore, the crafty and 
 unscrupulous Catharine de Medici, became the real ruler 
 of the kingdom. She began by cunningly bringing about 
 a reconciliation of the opposing parties, but her real pur- 
 pose was to strengthen herself so as to strike the more 
 fatally when the hour arrived. 
 
 The euibers smouldered until the spring of 1562, 
 when a small outbreak in Eastern France precipitated a 
 horrible political and religious war, which with now and 
 then a truce or breathing spell, drenched France in blood 
 for thirty years. Catholics and Huguenots were equally 
 fierce and violent, but the advantage was with the Hu- 
 guenots because they had two such able leaders as Col- 
 ligny and Conde. Among the two hundred cities and 
 towns captured by them v\^ere Rouen, Lyons, Tours and 
 Orleans. The Catholics held Paris; the king and reg- 
 ular government were with them ; and the bigoted Philip 
 IL, of Spain, who imprisoned his own son because he was 
 a heretic, sent three thousand of his best troops to fight 
 for the Catholics. No one even in those days could read 
 of the atrocities committed by both sides without a 
 shudder. 
 
 At last after the Duke of Guise had been assassinated 
 and the whole country was going to destruction and both 
 sides beo!:an to show sis^ns of exhaustion, Catharine de 
 Medici patched up a peace ; but it was only a sheathing 
 
House of Valois. 
 
 159 
 
 of swords and in her heart she was as malignant as ever. 
 Fighting was soon renewed, and in one of the battles 
 Conde was 
 killed. The 
 Huguenots 
 were repeat- 
 edly beaten, 
 but they kept 
 up the war- 
 fare as reso- 
 1 u t e I y as 
 ever. Finally 
 a treaty was 
 made at St. 
 Germain {san 
 zlier-man') in 
 1570, which 
 gave the Pro- 
 testants a 
 fair degree of 
 religious lib- 
 e r t y, four 
 fortified 
 cities were 
 turned over 
 to them as 
 places of ref" 
 
 IT Catharine de Medici. 
 
 uge and de- 
 fense, and all employments were thrown open to those of 
 their faith. 
 
160 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Admiral Coligny, like the brave and sincere Cliristian 
 that he was, urged his followers to keep this peace, 
 though he himself was troubled by so many misgivings 
 that he formed plans for removing the Huguenots to 
 America or to Holland. Meanwhile, Charles had become 
 old enough to receive the crown. Catharine did not like 
 him, but preferred Charles' brother, the Duke of Anjou. 
 This made the King jealous, and he was also tired of 
 being led about by his mother. Both, however, agreed 
 that they must do all they could to check the growing 
 power of Spain, for it threatened the existence of 
 France. 
 
 King Charles thought out a brilliant scheme for secur- 
 ing the support of the Huguenots. He compelled his 
 sister' Marguerite, who was a Catholic like himself, to 
 marry Henry of Navarre, the next most prominent 
 Huguenot leader to Admiral Coligny. The marriage 
 took place August 18, 1572, although Marguerite was 
 bitterly opposed to it, and the union of a Catholic and 
 heretic was denounced in the pulpits of Paris, as unholy. 
 
 What angered and scared Catharine more than every- 
 thing else was the discovery that the King was steadily 
 falling under the influence of Coligny. She hired a pro- 
 fessional assassin, of which, sad to say there were many 
 in those days, to kill the Admiral, but he succeeded only 
 in wounding him. The King was angered, and swore 
 that the guilty ones should be traced out and punished. 
 The HuQ^uenots beo^an armino; and the wicked Catharine 
 became so frightened that she determined to commit one 
 of the foulest crimes that stain the pages of history. 
 
Huguenot.s Destroving Sculptures on a Cathednil. 
 11— Ellis' France. 161 
 
162 Young People's History of France. 
 
 This plan was at one blow to destroy Coligny and all 
 che leaders of the Huguenot party. The weak king, wdien 
 the awful crime was proposed to him, repelled it with 
 horror, but his mother persisted, and by exciting his jeal- 
 ousy, finally won his consent. ''I agree to it," he said, 
 '"'on the one condition that you do not leave a single 
 Huguenot alive in France to reproach me." 
 
 Before the first glimmer of light on Sunday morning, 
 August 24, .1572, it being the solemn festival of St. Bar- 
 tholomew, the bell of the church of St. German, opposite 
 the palace of Louvre (Jouvr) began tolling. At once all 
 the other church bells in Paris joined and those concerned 
 knew that the tolling meant ''begin to kill the Hugue- 
 nots!" 
 
 The preparations were complete. The houses of the 
 victims had been marked and the men who were to do 
 the fearful deed wore white badges so as to recognize one 
 another. Those who did not wear such badges were to 
 be shown no mercy. 
 
 The first house visited was Admiral Coligny's. He 
 had been awakened by the clangor of the bells. He 
 came down to the door in answer to the summons, and 
 one of the assassins pointed his sword at him. 
 
 ''Are you the Admiral?" asked the ruffian. 
 
 "lam," was^the firm rej)ly; ''do as you wish; you 
 can only shorten my life by a few years." The sword 
 was buried in the old hero's bosom, and he was flung in- 
 to the street while yet alive. The Duke of Guise (he 
 was the fourth duke of that name) exulted at the sight, 
 and kicked the body, which was afterward hanged head 
 downward. 
 
164 ^ Young People's History of France. 
 
 The work of slaughter thus begun lasted for three 
 days. It extended to the provinces, but in some of them 
 the authorities refused to join in the massacre and pro- 
 tected the Huguenots. No one knows how many were 
 killed, but the number must have exceeded twenty 
 thousand. 
 
 Instead of subduing the Huguenots the carnival of 
 death roused them to frenzy and they fought with such 
 success that the king was compelled to grant them terms. 
 Charles died in 1574, his deathbed, it is said, being a 
 scene of dreadful agony and remorse for the crime he had 
 committed and to which he had been urged by his mother. 
 He was succeeded by his brother Henry III., who was a 
 weak and absolutely worthless man, and his mother still 
 lived to blight and curse everything with which she had 
 to do. 
 
 Henry began to persecute the Huguenots, but became 
 alarmed by their resistance and made all the concessions 
 they could ask and more than they expected. He gave 
 important offices to Huguenots, making Henry, of Nav- 
 arre, Governor of Guienne {ghe-yen), a province on the 
 bay of Biscay, while the province of Picardy was pre- 
 sented to the young prince of Conde. The greatest de- 
 light of Henry HI. was to play with his monkeys, parrots 
 and several little spaniel dogs of which he was extremely 
 fond, though some have thought he did this to hide the 
 treacherous schemes that were hatching in his evil brain. 
 
 His liberality to the Huguenots caused his enemies to 
 organize the Holy League, and the Duke of Guise began 
 plotting for the throne. The formation of the League 
 
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166 Young People's History of France. 
 
 caused a renewal of the strife, in whicli rather curiouslj^ 
 there were three Henrys in the field — Henry HI., Henry, 
 Duke of Guise, and Henry of Navarre. All claimed to be 
 fighting for religion, when each was thinking only of him- 
 self. Anarchy came again and those who brought it 
 about quoted Scripture as their warrant for their crimes. 
 
 Henry IH. wrote to the Duke of Guise forbidding him 
 to come to Paris, but he w^ent, claiming that he had not 
 received the King's letter. The populace despised the 
 King and sided with the Dake. Henry slipped out of 
 Paris, and, at a council at his palace of Blois, he was so 
 desperate that he hired a party of men to assassinate the 
 Duke. Kicking the corpse he exclaimed : '^ I have killed 
 the reptile and now am King of France." The dead man 
 who lay at the King's feet was he who sixteen years be- 
 fore had served the corpse of Admiral Coligny in the 
 same way. Soon after, the unspeakably wicked queen 
 mother died. 
 
 Henry HI. tried to make terms with both parties. The 
 League scorned him, but Henry of NaVarre came to his 
 help. The Huguenot and royal troops anited and ad- 
 vanced against Paris, the heart of the League. A humble 
 monk came meekly forth and asked permission to speak 
 to the King. When admitted to his presence, he sud- 
 denly drew a dagger from his clothing and stabbed him to 
 death. Thus died Henry HL in 1589, and the House of 
 Valois became extinct. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 HOUSE OF BOUKBON. — 1589-1792. 
 Henry IV.— Louis XIII.— Louis X/F.— (1589-1715). 
 
 1HAYE told you that when Henry III. died, he left no 
 one to inherit the throne. Now Henry of Navarre, who 
 became Henry lY., was a descendant of the Duke of 
 Bourbon, whose title was derived from a province in France 
 of that name, the first duke having been created by Charles 
 lY. in 1327. And that is the reason why the six kings 
 who now began a rule lasting until the close of the eigh- 
 teenth century, are said to belong to the House of Bourbon. 
 I am sure that in studying the events which form a 
 part of the history of those stirring days, you will be in- 
 terested in learning about the life, customs, manners and 
 peculiarities of the people themselves. When the House 
 of Yalois ruled, there were no schools such as are common 
 to-day. Teachers wandered about, giving instruction 
 here and there, as they could collect pupils. The 
 methods of teaching were very crude and the teachers 
 ruled with a rod of iron, inflicting punishments such as 
 would land a man in prison in these days. The most 
 famous institution was the University of Paris, whose 
 students came from all parts of Europe, but one of its 
 graduates did not know enough to pass examination for 
 the freshman class in the smallest American college in 
 these times, 
 
 167 
 
168 Young People's History of France. 
 
 One of the favorite studies was astrology, by wliicli is 
 meant the influence of the stars upon the events of life. 
 It was an absurd '^science," founded on ignorance, for 
 there could be nothing in it, though everybody believed 
 in astrology. When you come across one of those frauds 
 who claim to be fortune tellers, you will find that the 
 man or woman makes a great pretense of consulting the 
 stars to find out what is going to happen to you in the 
 future; but no sensible person believes a word told by 
 those humbugs or astrologers. 
 
 The theatres gave representations of incidents from 
 the Bible, or showed what may be termed the moralities 
 of life. In 1385, on the occasion of the marriage of 
 Charles YI. and Isabelle of Bavaria, a play was acted be- 
 fore them called "The History of the Death of our 
 Saviour." It had nearly a hundred characters and the 
 performance lasted eight days. This was the origin of 
 the Passioii Play, which is still performed in Bavaria 
 and other places. Muskets called hand-cannons were first 
 used at the sieo:e of Arras in 1414. You will remember 
 that Charles YI. was insane a good deal of his time, but 
 there were intervals when he regained his right mind. 
 In order to amuse him, the present playing cards were 
 invented, and they were marked just as they are to day. 
 Perhaps, however, you do not know the meaning of the 
 different spots. The clubs (clover-leaves), meant the 
 peasantry ; the diamonds (tiles) the working people ; the 
 spades (pike-heads), the nobles or military, and the hearts 
 meant the churchmen. 
 
 Under Louis XL printing was encouraged; a school of 
 
House of Bonrbori. 169 
 
 medicine was founded in Paris, a rude sort of postal 
 system established and an attempt made to light the 
 streets of the city. The fashions of dress changed then 
 as they have continually since that time. While Louis 
 XI. was on the throne, the style of long loose garments, 
 long trains and sleeves for the ladies gave way to broad 
 borders of velvet, fur, or silk. Later the head dress be- 
 came so enormous that it sometimes rose to a heio^ht of 
 three feet above the crown. Picture a fine lady walking 
 about capped by such a balloon. The hair dressers were 
 paid large sums to fix up the heads of the ladies of the 
 court and it cannot be said they did not earn their pay. 
 Think, too, of the peaked shoes so long that a man of 
 fashion could not walk until he had first tied the toes to 
 his knee, or, as was more than once the case, to his 
 girdle. I remember an Indian chief some years ago, 
 whose hair was plaited and tied to the tail of his horse 
 as he rode about, that being the most convenient way of 
 managing his head gear, but surely he did not look half 
 so ridiculous as the French and English dandies several 
 hundred years ago. 
 
 All the gentle folk were fond of perfumery .< If walk- 
 ing on one side of the street you met one of them on the 
 other side, you would know it, even if your eyes were 
 shut, by the' sickening odor wafted to you. No greater 
 fops lived than many of those who hung round the court 
 and danced attendance on the ladies. 
 
 The dwellings of the rich were furnished with splen- 
 dor. There were fine linen, rich carpets and tapestry, and 
 costly furniture. Some of the houses had their fronts 
 
170 Young People's History of France. 
 
 adorned with projecting corner-posts on which were heau- 
 tiful carvings of animals, angel heads, foliage, etc. Every 
 castle had its extensive wine vault, cellar, laundry, bakery, 
 fruitery and rooms for salt, glass, furs and tapestry, while 
 buildings were set apart for servants and retainers. 
 
 It seems strange that wolves should have prowled 
 through the streets of Paris, often attacking and killing 
 people, but they did, and many a time carried off and 
 devoured children. Little was known of the science of 
 medicine, and thousands died from pestilence and plagues 
 which no doubt were caused by the unsanitary ways of 
 living. 
 
 Hunting and hawking were the chief amusements of 
 the wealthy. The king had an immense establishment 
 devoted to the chase, to which a large sum of money was 
 appropriated every year. The hunting parties brought 
 scores of gay people together, many of whom were ladies 
 as eager and ardent as the men. Women painted their 
 complexion and used patches as "beauty spots." It is 
 said that Catharine de Medici introduced silk stockings, 
 and at first only royalty wore gloves. Schools after a 
 time began to appear, but most of the instruction was 
 religious and the discipline always severe. The College 
 of France, founded in 1530, gave instruction in Latin, 
 Hebrew and Greek, because of which it was often called 
 the College of Three Languages. 
 
 Although Henry lY. had become king, he had to fight 
 to maintain his position. The League declared in favor 
 of his uncle, the Cardinal de Bourbon, but the moderate 
 Catholics united with the Huguenots. Henry, in 1589, 
 
House of Bourbon. 171 
 
 won the battle of Arques {ark), in Normandy and the 
 foUowhig 3'ear he gained a still greater victory at Ivry 
 (ee-vree'), nearly fifty miles west of Paris, and now called 
 Anet. 
 
 The army of the Leaguers was about 16,000, of whom 
 one-fourth were cavalry ; the royalists had 8,000 infantry 
 and 3,000 horsemen, armed only with swords and pistols. 
 '^Keep your ranks in good order," said Henry to his men. 
 ^^ If you lose your ensigns, cornets or guides, the white 
 plume on my helmet will be at the front and will lead 
 you to honor and glory." 
 
 " And in they burst, and on they rushed, while like a 
 guiding star, 
 Amidst the thickest carnage, blazed the helmet of 
 Navarre." 
 
 Two hours of desperate fighting was followed by the 
 tumultous flight of the Leaguers and the road to Paris 
 was open. The siege was pressed and the defenders held 
 out even when suffering the pangs of starvation. At 
 the end of four months, help reached them and the siege 
 came to naught. The war went on with varying suc- 
 cess. Henry was helped by the English troops under the 
 Earl of Essex, and finally in 1593, changed his religion 
 from Protestant to Catholic, but it required several years 
 more to secure himself on the throne. A war with 
 Philip of Spain was concluded by a treaty in 1598, in 
 which year Henry granted the famous Edict of Nantes 
 (nants), which gave entire liberty of conscience to the 
 Huguenots and allowed them to hold offices of honor and 
 pay. 
 
172 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 The devastating war being over, the king turned his 
 attention to improving the condition of his kingdom. 
 Roads and canals were constructed and brought all parts 
 
 of the country into com- 
 munication. Traffic and 
 commerce were so much 
 encouraged that much 
 wealth and prosperity fol- 
 lowed. Great progress was 
 made in m anuf actures, 
 mining and indeed all 
 branches of industry. Tax- 
 ation was put as low as pos- 
 sible and yet nearly all of 
 the public debt was paid. 
 In this work, the King was 
 greatly aided by the able 
 and honest Duke of Sully. 
 One of the most pleas- 
 ing pictures of Henry of 
 Navarre represents him at 
 home frolicking with his 
 children. Once when the Austrian ambassador called to 
 see him, he found the King on all fours with his little son, 
 his toy flag held aloft, riding on his back. ^^Are you a 
 father, sir?" asked the King, looking up at his caller. 
 "Yes, sire." "Then Ave will finish our game," said the 
 King, who devoted several minutes to the boisterous 
 sport, while the amused visitor looked on. 
 
 Henry, however, gave offense to the Catholics by de- 
 
 Henry IV. Playing with His Children. 
 
House of Bourbon. 173 
 
 daring in favor of the Protestant princes of Germany 
 in their dispute with the emperor. A good many did 
 not believe in his conversion to Catholicism, but he pre- 
 pared to set out for the seat of war, when, as he was rid- 
 ing in his carriage through the streets of Paris, he was 
 stabbed to death (1610) by a half-crazy fanatic. This 
 man, instead of being thanked as he expected to be for 
 his crime, was tortured to death. The king was mourned 
 by all, who forgot in admiring his ability and force of 
 character the vices that marked his private life. 
 
 Louis XIII. (the Just) was only nine years old when 
 his father w^as assassinated, and his mother, Mary de 
 Medici became regent. Sully, the brilliant and able min- 
 ister under Henry IV., became so disgusted with the favor- 
 itism shown by her to the Italian court attendants and by 
 her foolish wilfulness, that he resigned and went to live on 
 his estate. The foster sister of the queen-mother married 
 an Italian named Concini {co7i-chee'-7ie), who was created 
 Marshal of France, an honor hitherto only conferred upon 
 those that had distinguished themselves in battle. Con- 
 cini and other favorites showed their baseness by plotting 
 to get the crown from the young King. Their infamous 
 work stirred up the most bitter enmity, but the Queen 
 seemed to fall wholly under the influence of Concini. 
 Louis began to rebel, and, penetrating the base charac- 
 ter of Concini, he had him assassinated as he was enter- 
 ing the Louvre. His wife was put to death as a 
 sorceress. All power was taken from the Queen who was 
 exiled to Blois. She succeeded in escaping however, and 
 reached Anglers where she was permitted to remain. 
 
174 Young People's History of France. 
 
 At the assembly of tlie States- General in 1614 (whose 
 petition to the Queen was so contemptuously treated that 
 the slaying of the- Conde followed), one of the members, 
 Richelieu (reesh'e-Jii), attracted attention by the display 
 of extraordinary talents. Two years later he was made 
 cirdinal, and in 1624 became the chiel adviser of the 
 King. From that time forward until his death eighteen 
 years afterward, he was the real king of France. 
 
 Kichelieu loved order, power and stability. His first 
 aim was to make the crown supreme. He believed in an 
 unflinching honest despotism and displayed an impar- 
 tiality such as the country had never seen before. The 
 high in rank could no longer buy themselves off from 
 punishment. The law that was meted out to the peasant 
 was the same law to which the lord had to bow. 
 
 Richelieu showed no mercy to swindling contractors. 
 When detected, he gaA^e them the choice of restoring 
 every penny or paying with their lives. An attempt to 
 bribe him was a mortal insult, and quarrelsome nobles 
 were made to understand that they must be very careful 
 as to the circumstances under which they drew their 
 swords. If any one dared to rebel, he was made quickly 
 to feel the grip of the stern master, even when the 
 offender was the brother of the king. 
 
 All over France were great towering castles, which 
 had often served for fortresses and where rebels again 
 might intrench themselves and defy the King. The most 
 formidable of these were torn down, while the offices in 
 the army and navy that had made the holders really petty 
 sovereigns were abolished. The provincial courts of 
 
Assassination of Marslml Conciui by Order of Louis XIIL 
 
176 Young People's History of France^ 
 
 justice were revived, and in them the laboring man could 
 bring suit against the lord who had oppressed him. The 
 Huguenots were brought into submission and the Pro- 
 testant power in France was crushed. 
 
 One ambition of Richelieu was to humble the power 
 of Austria, and to bring this about he took part in the 
 Thirty Years War on the side of the Protestants against 
 Spain and the empire. This war broke out in the Nether- 
 lands in 1635, and, although the King's officers gained 
 some advantages at first, they were defeated the follow- 
 ing year, and the imperialists who invaded France pene- 
 trated to within three days' march of the capital; but the 
 energy of Richelieu triumphed over every obstacle and 
 the French conquered Alsace and other territories. 
 
 The unrelenting vigor and honesty of the cardinal 
 raised up many enemies among the princes and nobles 
 who plotted to destroy him, but he thwarted all their 
 schemes and executed several of the leaders, among 
 them being Cinq Mars, a young marquis only twenty-two 
 years old, and his friend De Thou. He compelled every 
 foreign power to respect France, gave the country a 
 stability it had never known before, and as I have said, 
 was the real King until his death in 1642, followed six 
 months later by that of the King. Richelieu is often 
 referred to as the '^ Red Cardinal," because of the color 
 of his robe. He had as a companion a Capuchin monk, 
 named Joseph. He was very cunning and able, and the 
 " Grey Ca-rdinal " was held in almost as much awe and 
 fear by the people as his master. 
 
 The heir to the throne was Louis XIV., who was 
 
Cinq Mars and De Thou Going to Execution. 
 12— Ellis' France. 
 
 177 
 
178 Young People's History of France. 
 
 hardly five years old. Since his nominal reign began at 
 that time and lasted until 1715, it spanned the enormous 
 period of seventy-two years, though in actual extent it 
 was less than that of Queen Victoria who was full Queen 
 from the first. 
 
 The regency was intrusted to Anne of Austria, mother 
 of the King, who selected as her prime minister Cardinal 
 Mazarin, who had been trained under Richelieu. The 
 Thirty Years War still went on, but the French were so 
 uniformly successful that the Germans asked for peace, 
 which was made in 1648, and the boundaries of France 
 were fixed very much as they are to-day. 
 
 In 1648 the people rose in rebellion against the unjust 
 and oppressive taxation. This uprising is called the civil 
 war of the Fronde, the word meaning '^slingers," and 
 referred to the vagrant boys of Paris who fought with 
 sliuQ^s. No doubt one cause of the revolt was that which 
 was going on in England at that time against Charles I. 
 The chief leader of the rebellion was Cardinal de Retz 
 (rates), and it was nut until 1653, and after much diffi- 
 culty, that it was put down. 
 
 Cardinal Mazarin died in 1661, and then Louis became 
 his own minister. He showed remarkable sagacity and 
 ability, and through the greatness of his military enter- 
 prises, his splendid schemes for the internal improvement 
 of his kingdom, his magnificent court ceremonial and his 
 liberal patronage of literature, the arts and sciences, he 
 won the title of Louis the Grand or the Great. His gov- 
 ernment was an absolute despotism. His great helpers 
 were Colbert (hole-bare') with the finances, and his prime 
 minister Louvois (loo-vioah'). 
 
Riclielieu nnd P^allier Joseph. 
 f' The Red and Grey Cardinals," 
 
 179 
 
180 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Louis seized Flanders and Franche Comte [fransJi 
 hong' to) ^ but was checked in his career of conquest by 
 the triple alliance of England, Holland and Sweden. The 
 king's anger was specially turned against Holland. He 
 bribed Charles H., of England to help him, secured the 
 promise of neutrality from the other powers, and led his 
 armies in person across the Rhine. 
 
 Holland, although a powerful nation, was in great 
 danger, for she was not united. One party was the no- 
 bility, led by the Prince of Orange, afterward William 
 HI., of England, and the other the merchants and 
 burghers, but she had a powerful navy commanded by 
 the two most famous admirals of Europe, Van Tromp 
 and De Ruyter [ri'ter). At first the French were suc- 
 cessful, and several of the Dutch provinces were occupied, 
 but the tide soon turned in favor of the defenders. Am- 
 sterdam was relieved of its besiegers by cutting the dikes 
 and letting in the sea ; the allied fleets were destroyed by 
 the Dutch admirals and the shrewd William of Orange 
 broke up the English alliance with France and secured 
 the aid of Austria and Germany ; but although con- 
 fronted by allied Europe, Louis gained a number of suc- 
 cesses and the Dutch fleets were defeated in the Mediter- 
 ranean, De Ruyter being among the killed. But the com- 
 bination against Louis became so powerful that he asked 
 for peace and a treaty was concluded in 1678, which gave 
 France no advantages. 
 
 The queen died in 1683, and soon afterward the king 
 secretly married Madame de Maintenon (inali-ta-nonc/)^ a 
 woman who had long possessed great influence over him 
 
House of Bourborio 
 
 181 
 
 and which she kept to the end. It was through her per- 
 suasions that he took the unwise step of revoking the 
 Edict of Nan- 
 tes in 1685. 
 This was fol- 
 lowed by a 
 furious per- 
 secution of 
 the Hugue- 
 nots, many 
 of whom fled 
 from the 
 country, 
 some settl- 
 ing in Eng- 
 land, some 
 in Germauy 
 and some in 
 America. 
 The revoca- 
 tion of the 
 Edict of Nan- 
 tes was a ter- 
 ribly destruc- 
 tive blow to 
 the prosper- 
 ity of France, 
 
 T . T ., • Admiral J)e Ruyter. 
 
 which it IS 
 
 believed lost fully 100,000 of her most industrious citi- 
 zens, among whom were 9,000 sailors, 12,000 veteran 
 soldiers, and 600 officers, besides $60,000,000 of money. 
 
182 Young People's History of France. 
 
 You have learned in tlie history of England that when 
 James II. was dethroned he took refuge at the French 
 court. Louis supported his cause, because of which war 
 was declared between England and France in 1689. The 
 great powers of Europe combined against Louis who 
 after seven years of the tremendous struggle was com- 
 pelled to make the humiliating treaty of Ryswick {riz'ioik) 
 
 in 1697. 
 
 In 1701 came the senseless war of the Spanish Suc- 
 cession. When Charles 11. of Spain died, Louis claimed 
 the throne of Spain for his grandson Philip Y., while the 
 German Emperor claimed it for his own son, afterward 
 ICmperor Charles YL This caused an alliance between 
 Germany and Holland against Louis, the alliance being 
 joined by William of Orange, because Louis had recog- 
 nized the son of James II. as King of England. The 
 battle ground was Spain, Belgium, Germany and Italy. 
 The French had to contend against the wonderful genius 
 of Marlborough, who, it was said, never lost a battle or 
 failed to take a fortress, and Prince Eugene. 
 
 At Blenheim (blen'im), in 1704, Marlborough and 
 Prince Eugene saved Austria which was exposed to attack, 
 by uniting their forces in Bavaria and attacking the 
 French army when it was in a bad position. The lines 
 were easily broken by Marlborough, and one of the 
 French commanders and an entire corps that had not 
 been in the fight were captured. Within a month Ba- 
 varia was conquered, the elector put to flight and the 
 imperialists made their appearance again on the Rhine. 
 The war was ended in 1713. by the treaty of Utrecht 
 
Prince Eugene of Savoy. 
 
 183 
 
184 Yonng People's History of France. 
 
 (u-tref) . Louis was obliged to surrender to England some 
 of his possessions in America but he secured the recogni- 
 tion of Philip Y. as King of Spain. 
 
 One of the strangest mysteries of history is connected 
 with the reign of Louis XIV. A state prisoner was first 
 confined at Pignerol (peen-ye-erol) in 1679 5 two years 
 later he was removed to Exilles ; then in 1687 to the 
 island of St. Marguerite and finally in September, 1698, 
 to the great Bastile prison where he died, November 19, 
 1703. He wore at all times a black iron mask, which com- 
 pletely hid his face. He was attended everywhere by 
 M. de St. Mars, and, although the first move on the part 
 of the prisoner to tell his name would have been followed 
 by instant death, he was treated with the utmost courtesy. 
 A great many attempts have been made to solve the 
 identity of the Man with the Iron Mask. Ingenious 
 writers seemed to have proved that he was fully half a 
 dozen different persons, but of course, all except one of 
 the writers, and probably he also, have been wron^. The 
 most general belief at the present time is that the Man 
 with the Iron Mask was Count Matthioli [mat-te-o-Je], 
 mmister of the Duke of Mantua, and that, having broken 
 faith wdth Louis XI Y., he was lured to the French frontier 
 and arrested May 2, 1679. But the mystery will never 
 be fully cleared up. 
 
 The condition of France was dreadful, and the old 
 King was in gloom. Everything seemed to have gone 
 wrong with him. His army existed only in name, his 
 navy consisted of a few old hulks, his treasury was 
 empty, his son and grandson upon whom he had counted 
 
House of Bourbon. 185 
 
 to continue his grandeur were dead ; Madame de Mainte- 
 non liad left him^ so he folded his hands and on Septem- 
 ber 1, 1515; closed his eyes in death. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 HOUSE OF BOURBON {Continued). — 1589-1792. 
 {Louis XF.— 1715-1774). 
 
 HERE was another squalling infant only five years 
 old that was heir to the crown of France. The 
 once glorious realm was in the depths of poverty, 
 with the peasantry barely able to coax enough from the 
 ground to keep them from starving, and with a debt 
 equal to $1,000,000,000 to-day crushing the nation to 
 the very earth. 
 
 The good-natured and worthless Duke of Orleans 
 acted as regent during the minority of Louis XV. He 
 formed an alliance with England and Holland and later 
 one was formed on the part of England, Holland, Austria, 
 and France to check Spain in her efforts to gain posses- 
 sion of the crown of France. 
 
 No government can get on without money, but the 
 problem with the regent was how to obtain it when the 
 people were so wretchedly poor. While puzzling his 
 brain over the question, a Scotchman named John Law 
 came forward (1715) with a scheme for lifting the gov- 
 
186 Young People's History of France. 
 
 ernment out of tlie pit in which it was floundering. His 
 plan was to open a bank connected with the State^ which 
 was to use paper money in the place of gold and silver. 
 Law gave out at the beginning that he had a capital of 
 six million francs, equal to more than a million dollars. 
 He cunningly started by sending out small notes which 
 were paid with specie as soon as presented at the bank. 
 This made the people believe that the institution was 
 "solid," and hundreds of persons with a little capital at 
 command, bought stock in the bank. Then the govern- 
 ment gave it a charter as a royal bank, and ordered that 
 its bills should be accepted in payment of taxes, custom 
 house duties and all debts due the government. 
 
 And now Law sprang one of the wildest schemes that 
 ever set a nation crazy and plunged it into financial ruin. 
 What appeared to be truthful reports said that the valley 
 of the Mississippi River in America was crowded with 
 rich mines of gold and silver, and Law organized the 
 Mississippi Company which promised to make all who 
 invested in it richer than they had ever dreamed of being. 
 Then Law added an African and West Indian trading 
 scheme, and at that the whole nation seemed to lose its 
 wits. Crowds fought for the chance to invest their 
 savings, and the scenes were such as would meet you in 
 this country if the richest gold mines that ever existed 
 were found in one of our large cities. Perhaps you can 
 form some idea of the picture when told that a share 
 which sold at first for $100 jumped up to $4,000, and 
 there was a wild scramble to obtain the stock at that 
 astounding figure. Law's house was in danger of being 
 
House of Bourbon. 187 
 
 swept off its foundations by the nobles, bishops, trades- 
 men, women and servants who were frantic to become 
 rich at the hands of this magician. 
 
 And then the crash came like a thunderbolt from a 
 summer sky. Law seems really to have believed in his 
 insane scheme, for he went down in the general ruin, and 
 counted himself lucky that he was able to get out of 
 France with his life. Of course, thousands were ruined 
 by the " Mississippi Bubble," and the government saved 
 itself by repudiating, that is, refusing to pay its obliga- 
 tions, as it had done before and has done since. 
 
 Louis XY. began ruling at the age of thirteen, which 
 was in 1723. He was a genuine Bourbon of whom Na- 
 poleon said '^ they never forgot and never learned any- 
 thing." He believed in the divine right of kings, and was 
 sure he knew it all. It followed, therefore, that no one had 
 the right to decide how he should worship God, but must let 
 this boy decide that all important matter for him. The 
 Huguenots were again cruelly persecuted and he made 
 war against the Emperor of Germany in order to compel 
 him to replace the father-in-law of Louis on the throne 
 of Poland. The dispute was settled by the Emperor 
 giving the duchy of Lorraine to the King who had been 
 driven out, with the pledge that it should fall to his 
 daughter, the Queen of France, upon the death of her 
 father. 
 
 The death of the German emperor was followed by a 
 formidable war over the succession to the throne of 
 x\ustria. Now, observe what a piece of foolery the whole 
 miserable business was. Before he died the emperor left 
 
188 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Austria to his daughter Maria Theresa, but hardly had 
 he closed his eyes, when no less than six claimants bobbed 
 up and demanded a part or all of the kingdom. 
 
 Maria Theresa had the documents to prove her right, 
 but grim old Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, said 
 she needed fewer papers and more fighting men. George 
 11. of England headed an army to help the young Queen; 
 France took the other side and sent troops as a guarantee 
 of its good faith; others joined in until it looked as if 
 all Europe was fighting. Beginning in 1741, the war 
 which is knowai as the War of the Austrian Succession 
 lasted seven years. George XL, as you have been told 
 elsewhere, was the last English King to fight in person, 
 and at Dettingen, a village in Bavaria, he administered a 
 crushing defeat to the French. Then Louis took the 
 field, but before he could do anything he fell sick, w^hich 
 perhaps was a fortunate thing for his army. At Fon- 
 tenoy, a village of Belgium, a great battle was fought 
 April 30, 1745, between the allied English, Dutch and 
 Hanoverians, commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, 
 and the French under Marshal de Saxe. The latter were 
 victorious and captured Brussels the next year and then 
 conquered the Austrian Netherlands. Still other sac- 
 cesses were gained, but the French met with defeat else- 
 where. The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed in 
 1748. Maria Theresa was recognized as ruler of Austria, 
 each party gave back the territory it had conquered, and 
 all was as it might have been in the first place, except for 
 such trifles as the losses of millions of money and thou- 
 sands of lives. The War for the Austrian Succession 
 illustrates the folly and wickedness of nearly all wars. 
 

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190 Young People's History of France. 
 
 By tliis time England and France had become the 
 great rivals in the New World. The English settlements 
 were strewn along the Atlantic coast from Maine to 
 Florida, but there was none at any distance from the sea. 
 France occupied and owned Canada. Her explorers had 
 been busy for years and she determined to take posses- 
 sion of all the country from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico 
 through the Mississippi Valley, thereby meaning the coun- 
 try drained by that immense river and its tributaries. 
 She had planted some sixty forts over that long extent, 
 and her dream was to build a great empire in the heart 
 of the American continent. 
 
 But England had her eyes open. It would be more 
 truthful to say that her colonies on the other side of the 
 Atlantic were alert. When they obtained their grants or 
 rights to lands from the English monarchs, the docu- 
 ments said that those grants extended straight across the 
 continent to the Pacific Ocean. It is true that no one 
 imagined the Pacific was half so far off as proved to be 
 the fact, but that made no difference. The French were 
 trespassing upon land claimed by Virginia and other 
 colonies, and they wouldn't stand it. Governor Dinwid- 
 dle, of Virginia, sent a letter to the French commandant 
 in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, suggesting 
 that the best way for him to keep out of trouble was to 
 hurry and leave the country. The French officer replied 
 that he meant to stay where he was, and, furthermore, he 
 would hustle every Englishman back to where he 
 belonged, if he dared to set foot on the soil, Avhich the 
 Englishmen had the impudence to claim, though it 
 clearly belonged to the good King of France. 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 191 
 
 Do you know who the young man was that carried 
 the letter of the Vh^ginian governor, 500 miles through 
 the wilderness 
 and brought 
 back the defi- 
 ant reply of 
 the French 
 commandant ? 
 I am so sure 
 that his name 
 is familiar to 
 you that I shall 
 not mention it. 
 
 Then the 
 fighting be- 
 gan. At first 
 it was favor- 
 able to France, 
 whose com- 
 mander, Mont- 
 calm, was one 
 of the best mil- 
 itary men that 
 ever served 
 her, and he 
 gained many 
 
 successes ; but when William Pitt, the great Commoner, 
 became prime minister of England, he turned out the poor 
 officers, put good ones in their places, sent more troops 
 across the ocean, and from that time the English armies 
 
 The Death of Wolfe. 
 
192 Young People's History of France. 
 
 gained ground. The death struggle took place in front 
 of Quebec, in the autumn of 1759. Montcalm, commander 
 of the French and Wolfe, commander of the English, 
 were both killed, but the victory was with the English. 
 Four years later (1763), the treaty of Paris was signed 
 by which France gave up all her possessions in America, 
 except two little fishing islands off Newfoundland. 
 Because of the momentous consequences which flowed 
 from the conflict on the Plains of Abraham, in front of 
 Quebec, that struggle is ranked as among the decisive 
 battles of the world. 
 
 Meanwhile, something similar took place in India. 
 After a good deal of fighting, Lord Clive gained a decisive 
 victory at Plassy in 1757, followed by the expulsion of 
 the French from India, where England built up one of 
 her grandest of empires, whose population is eight times 
 as great as her own. 
 
 This was not the sum of France's misfortunes. Maria 
 Theresa was soured against Prussia, because she had to 
 give up a part of her dominions to Frederick the Great, 
 and she sought an alliance with France and other nations 
 hoping to conquer Prussia and divide the kingdom 
 among them. Louis was disinclined to join this alliance, 
 for he had his hands full in America, but his favorite, 
 Madame de Pompadour {'pom-2KtIi-doolir') whom he could 
 refuse nothing, persuaded him to join her dear friend 
 Maria Theresa. Frederick, seeing his danger, formed an 
 alliance with England and the Seven Years' war formally 
 opened. 
 
 England did not give much help to Frederick the 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 193 
 
 Great, for that remarkable man did not need it. He was 
 able to save his 
 
 country, which -^^^^ 
 
 in time rose to 
 become one of 
 the foremost 
 Powers of Eu- 
 rope. 
 
 There was a 
 strong feeling in 
 France against 
 the Jesuits. 
 The Huguenots 
 hated them for 
 the part they 
 had taken in the 
 revocation of 
 the Edict of 
 Nantes, and in 
 the frightful 
 persecution of 
 the Protestants 
 that followed. 
 Many Catholics 
 distrusted them 
 and Cardinal 
 Kichelieu con- 
 demned the 
 pamphlets which they issued. Finally, in 1761, the 
 Parliament of Paris by formal vote suppressed the order 
 
 13 — Ellis^ Fi'ance. 
 
 rre.lerick the Great. 
 
] 94 Young People's History of France. 
 
 in France. Spain did the same, and in 1773, Pope Clem- 
 ent XIV. solemnly abolished the society. 
 
 At last in 1774, Louis, worn out with debauchery and 
 every kind of sinful indulgence, and utterly detested by 
 his people, with his country on the verge of anarchy and 
 ruin, died. 
 
 CHAPTER Xin. 
 
 HOUSE OF BOURBON [Continued). — 1589-1792. 
 Louis XF/.— (1774-1792). 
 
 HAVE you ever seen a king or queen? If so, prob- 
 ably the first thought that came to you was that 
 the monarch was only an ordinary looking person, 
 no more, no less, and no different, except for the high 
 office he or she happened to hold, from the men and 
 women whom you have been used to seeing all your life. 
 Now, suppose you go with a policeman, some dark 
 night, into the lowest and most wretched part of a great 
 city. Let him haul out of the gutter a miserable, 
 drunken woman in rags, foul in dress and speech, and 
 drag her to the police station. There he may turn her 
 over to the care of the matron, as they call the motherly 
 woman in attendance. Let her have the poor wretch 
 washed, cleaned, and, after she has had time to become 
 sober, let the matron clothe her in silks and fine linen, 
 
House of Bourbon. 195 
 
 deck her with costly jewels, place a crown on her head 
 and set her on a throne. She would still be the same 
 woman that was dragged from the slums, but as a queen 
 and ruler of millions of human beings, far better and 
 more worthy than she, she would be the equal in every 
 respect of some of the queens who have sat on the 
 thrones of England, France, Russia, Spain and other 
 leading Powers of Christendom. 
 
 Let us go next to the State prison and under charge 
 of the keeper, pass along the gloomy corridors and peep 
 into the different cells. Pausing in front of one, we peer 
 through the little window or opening in the iron door, 
 and see a prisoner whose face reminds us of a wild beast. 
 His hair is matted, he is scowling, and his brutal features 
 are contorted with the evil thoughts to which he has 
 been a slave for years. You would shudder and flee if 
 you met him on a lonely road, and are glad that the iron 
 door is between you and him. 
 
 "He is waiting to be taken out and hanged or put in 
 the electric chair," whispers the attendant; "he deserves 
 death a hundred times for the frightful crimes he has 
 committed. He is a thief, a burglar, a gambler, a drunk- 
 ard, a murderer and a liar; the only thing to do for the 
 safety of society is to hustle such wretches out of the 
 world as quickly as possible. We are well rid of them." 
 
 Let two or three powerful men enter the cell and hold 
 and bind the criminal so that he can do no harm ; let him 
 be dragged out, his clothing changed for comely raiment 
 and then his attendants can set a crown on his head, fling 
 him upon a waiting throne and say : 
 
196 Young People's History of France. 
 
 " Now govern the nation just as your depraved nature 
 prompts you to govern." 
 
 That man would be the equal in every respect of some 
 of the kings who have sat on the thrones of England, 
 France, Russia, Spain and other leading Powers in Chris- 
 tendom. 
 
 After we have left the prison, let us stop for a few 
 minutes and look into the insane asylum. The heart is 
 saddened by the sight of the unfortunate victims to one 
 of the most mysterious maladies that afflict this poor 
 human nature of ours. Perhaps in a padded cell, a wild, 
 shrieking man is seen raging back and forth, with his 
 hands tied behind his back to prevent his harming him- 
 self. After we have stood for a ie^y minutes in pitying 
 horror, suppose we are able to soothe his frenzy by gentle 
 words, and he allows us to coax him out of his cell. 
 While he is in this quiet mood, we clothe him in the robes 
 of a monarch, set him on a throne, place a sceptre in his 
 hand and shout: 
 
 '^ Now shriek, rage, kill and destroy ! You are the 
 ruler of millions and can do as you please and no one 
 dare call you to account !' 
 
 That man would be the equal m every respect of some 
 of the kinoes who have sat on the thrones of England, 
 France, Russia, Spain and other leading Powers in Chris- 
 tendom. 
 
 If w^e did not feel too sick at heart, we might look 
 into some other cells. Perhaps one sad sight stoj)s us. It 
 is that of a drooling idiot, with hanging jaw, slobbering 
 lips, lack-lustre eyes, who laughs horribly, and has less 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 19*7 
 
 sense and wit than a lady's poodle. He does not know 
 enough to be violent or to resist, and is led out as meekly 
 as a lamb. He looks in giggling wonder at the fine 
 clothes in which we array him, and wants to play with 
 
 Louis XV. in His Cabinet. 
 
 the glittering bauble which we try to set on his head, but 
 he is persuaded to let it stay there, as we lead him to his 
 throne and leave him to rule millions of intelligent men 
 and women. 
 
 That man would be the equal in every respect of some 
 of the kings who have sat on the thrones of England, 
 France, Russia, Spain and other leading Powers in Chris- 
 tendom. 
 
 Now mind I do not say this of all rulers of those 
 
l98 Young People's History of France. 
 
 countries. Some of the best men and women that have 
 ever lived have occupied their thrones, and to-day every 
 one of those I have named is governed wisely and pat- 
 riotically by him or her who holds the highest position in 
 the realm; but in the case of Spain, we have to go back 
 only to the revolution of 1868, to find a queen who de- 
 served all the harsh words I have used. 
 
 Compare the rotten monarchial system with that 
 which has prevailed in our own country from the immor- 
 tal Washington down to our present President. In that 
 list of a quarter of a hundred have been a few who made 
 mistakes, who have been criticised, who have not always 
 remembered the dignity of their high office and who have 
 occasionally been moved by resentment and anger in their 
 acts; but how it stirs every American's heart with pride 
 to know that each one of our Presidents, without excep- 
 tion, was a patriot, that he was honest, intelligent, truth- 
 ful, of superior intellect, and that the one all-controlling 
 ambition and aim of his life was to serve his country in 
 the best way he knew how. Our presidential line is the 
 purest, most exalted and most illustrious that has ever 
 swayed the destinies of any nation or any people. 
 
 One of the many strange facts connected with the 
 history of different countries is that, for generations and 
 centuries, their inhabitants tamely submitted to such 
 tyranny at the hands of those whom the accident of 
 birth placed over them. Throughout those times, the 
 "people were mighty, all-powerful, resistless. If they chose, 
 they could have swept the inhuman wretches and their cor- 
 rupt courts from their path, like so much chaff; but in- 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 199 
 
 stead they bowed their heads to the yoke, kissed the hand 
 that smote them, and suffered and died, and with their 
 dying breath mur- 
 mured: "Long live 
 the king! He can 
 do no wrong!" 
 
 It would be a 
 hard task to explain 
 why all this was as 
 it was, but a few 
 words may be said 
 in explanation. The 
 people were igno- 
 rant and sodden of 
 brain, because their 
 situation had been 
 growing worse for 
 generations. They 
 felt their wrongs, 
 but seemed to think 
 it was all the will of 
 heaven and there 
 was no help on 
 earth for them. 
 
 They might 
 brood over their 
 misery, but they did 
 not know how to unite, to act effectively, nor did they have 
 any of their own number capable of uniting and leading 
 them. S05 as long as they could toil and keep body and 
 
 >*-^ 
 
 Louis XV. 
 
200 Young People's History of France. 
 
 soul together, they bent their backs to the burden and 
 meekly accepted the blows. 
 
 But there is a limit to all human endurance. It is 
 saidj you know, that the crushed worm w^ill turn, and 
 wretched, ignorant and stupid as men may be, there is a 
 point beyond which they cannot be driven. France had 
 been steadily approaching that point and was now close 
 upon it. 
 
 You can hardly believe the condition of the French 
 peasants and laborers under Louis XV. and his successor, 
 Louis XVI. In the first place, it was the laboring classes 
 who paid all the taxes, which the upper classes devoured 
 in extravagance, gayety, luxurious living and debauchery. 
 The clergy and nobility did not pay any taxes and lived 
 on the fat of the land. The laborer had to give up one- 
 half, three-fourths, and finally four-fifths of all he could 
 scrape together to the tax gatherer, who was forever at 
 his elbow. He would lift up the lid of the box in which 
 the peasant kept his salt. 
 
 "It's time you bought more salt," the master would say. 
 
 "'But I'm in need of none; I have salted my meat 
 and have enough left over for my family," would be the 
 humble answer of the peasant. 
 
 "Don't contradict me! You must buy a couple of 
 bushels." 
 
 "Very well; as you say; I will buy it." 
 
 And buy it he would, paying the price which his mas- 
 ter chose to place on it. The master would steal half of 
 what he received and turn the other half over to the 
 Crown. 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 201 
 
 Perhaps when the peasant and his wife and chil- 
 dren were toiling with might and main on their little 
 
 
 " Might makes right." — The Eobber Barons. 
 
 patch of land, the noble living near in his castle would send 
 word that he needed them to help gather his crops. It 
 
202 Young People's History of France. 
 
 made no difference if the stoppage of work meant the 
 ruin of his own tiny harvest, the peasant had to hurry off 
 to the assistance of the noble, who might keep him toil- 
 ing for weeks and then would not pay him a penny for 
 his labor, nor give him a mouthful of food while so em- 
 ployed. Enough honor for a dog simply to work for his 
 master. 
 
 Many a time the lazy pampered noble and his family 
 would find that the croaking; of froors disturbed them at 
 night and prevented sleep. Orders would be sent to the 
 nearest peasants to keep the frogs still, and those poor 
 people would have to tramp the swamps and bogs all 
 night through, beating about them with sticks so as to 
 scare the frogs into holding their dismal voices mute, 
 that the noble and his family might snore in peace. 
 
 All at once, some fine day, fifty or more mounted 
 ladies and gentlemen and their pack of hounds would 
 come rushing through the garden of a peasant, trampling 
 into ruin all his vegetables and plants upon which he and 
 his family depended for food. If he ventured to beg the 
 party, when he saw them approaching, to spare his little 
 all, one of the dandies would swirl his whip across his 
 face, raising a bloody welt, and then all would laugh and 
 the ladies would say that the fellow was served right for 
 his impudence. 
 
 One day the carriage of a nobleman was rattling 
 through the streets of Paris. In rapidly turning a 
 corner, a cry of agony rent the air. The driver had run 
 over a small child, and so injured it that it lay bleeding 
 and dying on the ground. Its frenzied mother ran out, 
 
House of Bourbon. 203 
 
 caught it up in her arms, wailing with grief and vainly 
 trying to bring it back to life. But it was dead beyond 
 recall. 
 
 Hearing the cry, the nobleman languidly raised his 
 head, looked out and asked an explanation ol" the driver, 
 who replied that he had just run over a child. 
 
 "Ah, did any of its blood get on the paint?" 
 
 The driver leaned over and scrutinized the glittering 
 varnish of the equipage. 
 
 "' No, sire ; the paint has not been soiled." 
 
 " I was afraid it might have been stained ; drive on," 
 commanded the noble with a siorh of relief, as he sank 
 back on his downy seat. 
 
 Similar incidents might be told without number, but 
 you have learned enough to form an idea of the frightful 
 condition of France, under Louis XV. Even that bloated 
 wretch knew that this could not go on forever. He heard 
 the mutterings in the heavens, and knew that the storm, 
 would soon break and the cyclone rage ; but with a satanic 
 smile he said to his woman partner in crime : '^ After us 
 the deluge, but things will last until we are out of the 
 way ; so why need we care ?" 
 
 And they went on with their wickedness and did not 
 care. One of the ladies of the court, when told that the 
 peasants had no bread to eat, replied with the question : 
 
 "Why then don't they eat cake ?" 
 
 When one thinks of the unspeakable vileness and de- 
 pravity of Louis XV., he must recall that day, when a 
 pure, innocent little child, his proud family showed him 
 to the thousands gathered outside the palace, who shouted 
 
204 
 
 Young People's History of France ; 
 
 and cheered him to the echo. Of him it could iDe truly 
 said at the time that of such was the kingdom of heaven, 
 while in his later years, it coiild be added with impressive 
 
 truthfulness, " of such is 
 hades composed." It is in- 
 conceivable that human 
 nature is capable of a more 
 fearful descent than was 
 presented in the case of 
 this monarch. 
 
 Such was the France 
 inherited by Louis XVL, 
 when he was twenty years 
 old. The new King was 
 fat, flabby, coarse and igno- 
 rant, with bulging eyes, a 
 retreating chin and a wab- 
 bly walk. One of his chief 
 delights was to mend locks 
 and tinker with tools. 
 Nature thus indicated the 
 career for him and pity it 
 is he could not have kept 
 to it. He was a glutton, who stuffed himself like a pig. 
 He ate so ravenously on his wedding night, that his 
 friends were alarmed and mildly suggested that he should 
 be more moderate. 
 
 "Let me alone," replied the royal porker j "I can 
 always sleep best on a big meal." 
 
 A favorite trick of the King was, when he saw a 
 laborer carrying a load which kept his hands employed, 
 
 Louis XV. Shown to the People. 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 205 
 
 to slip up behind him and wiggle his fingers under the 
 man's arm or neck, so as to make him drop the load. 
 Then the King would throw 
 back his head and guffaw, 
 thinking it the finest fun in 
 the world. 
 
 The only thing that can 
 be said in favor of Louis XYI. 
 is that he was not a bad man 
 at heart. He wished to rule 
 for the good of his people, but 
 he didn't know how. He was 
 as unstable as water, hesita- 
 ting when he ought to have 
 acted promptly, stubborn 
 when he should have yielded, 
 bewildered when he should 
 have been cool, and with an 
 absolute genius for making 
 blunders. To make the com- 
 bination perfect, he required a 
 gay, frivolous, beautiful wife, unable to understand the 
 grave responsibilities of her position, and that is exactly 
 what he had in Maria Antoinette (an-tivah-nef), daughter 
 of Maria Theresa of Austria o 
 
 Before proceeding with the history of events that 
 directly concerned France, I must refer to those that 
 afrected our own country. Shortly after Louis XVI. 
 came to the throne, the American Revolution broke out. 
 France may have felt' some sympathy for the Americans, 
 but she yearned to strike a blow against her old enemy 
 
 Maria Antoinette. 
 
206 Young People's History of France. 
 
 England. We needed foreign help in our war for inde- 
 pendence, and would not have been successful at that time 
 without it. The American Congress never did a shrewder 
 thing than when it sent Benjamin Franklin, the wit, 
 philosopher and statesman to the French court at Ver- 
 sailles (ver-sailz') to try to gain the support of France in 
 our struggle. No foreign potentate could have been 
 more ardently welcomed. His plain, homely dress, his 
 long hair without any Avig, his quaint remarks in broken 
 French, his good nature, his quick wit and his ever ready 
 common sense, made him the favorite of King, Queen, 
 nobles and ladies of the gay court. His picture was 
 displayed in all the shops and Franklin hats and canes 
 were seen everywhere. 
 
 France hesitated, for she knew that open aid to the 
 United States would bring on a war with England, and 
 she waited until the Americans should gain some decisive 
 advantage before taking so important a step. That came 
 in the autumn of 1777, with the surrender of Burgoyne 
 at Saratoga. A few months later the independence of 
 the United States was recognized, and a treaty was signed 
 with the United States, which was the first foreign one 
 made by our government. Bankrupt as was France, she 
 presented the Americans with a sum equal to nearly two 
 million dollars, and in the course of the war, loaned them 
 three millions more. From that time forward France was 
 united with the United States in her war with England, 
 though she did not give much real help until the final 
 campaign at Yorktown, where Cornwallis was obliged to 
 surrender to the allied fleets and armies of America and 
 France. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 HOUSE OF BOURBON {Continued). — 1589-1792. 
 Louis XVL {1774:-n92.— Continued). 
 
 THERE was a good deal of meaning in the remark 
 that in the presence of Louis XIV. no one dared 
 to speak; under Louis XV. the speaking had to be 
 in whispers, but under Louis XVI. all spoke out loud. The 
 American Revolution was a powerful cause in bringing 
 about the revolt in France, for the officers and soldiers who 
 came back had seen with their own eyes the wonderful suc- 
 cess of democratic government. Another warning sign of 
 the times was the general spirit of questioning, inquiry and 
 doubt shown by the leading writers. They questioned 
 the rights of government, of existing social institutions 
 and of religion, as it manifested itself around them. All 
 felt that trouble was coming. It was in the air. 
 
 The king did not know how to begin the work of re- 
 form, but he showed his good intentions by restoring the 
 Parliaments which had been abolished by Louis XV. 
 Then he placed the important department of finance in 
 the hands of an eminent statesman and financier, Turgot 
 {toor-goli'). This man set to work with honesty and 
 vigor, but the difficulties were prodigious. The late king 
 had a habit of collecting the taxes several years in ad- 
 
 207 
 
208 Young People's History of France. 
 
 vance, and there seemed to be no way of getting enough 
 money to ran the government. 
 
 The collection of customs had been carried to an ex- 
 treme. The custom houses stood not only at the 
 principal ■ seaports and along the foreign frontier, but 
 fringed the boundaries of each province and county. So 
 rigidly were these oppressive taxes enforced that a work- 
 man could not cross the Rhone without paying duty on 
 his scanty lunch, which he carried with him . The vexa- 
 tious tax on salt remained. 
 
 Now if there was any single thing self-evident to 
 Turgot, it was that the nobles and clergy should be com- 
 pelled to pay a fair share of the taxes. This was not 
 only demanded by justice, but in no other way could the 
 indispensable funds be secured. 
 
 It did not require any explanation from Turgot for 
 the kino; to see all this and he assured his minister of 
 finance that he would stand by him. The humble parish 
 priests sided with the people, and everything looked prom- 
 ising. But the nobles and clergy raised a clamor against 
 Turgot and his reforms, and the king was weak enough 
 to dismiss him. This was a colossal blunder on the part 
 of Louis. 
 
 But money must be had and the king now called a 
 wealthy Swiss banker named Necker to drag the country 
 out of the mire. Necker' s wealth and wide credit enabled 
 him to secure a number of large loans, and for a time 
 matters went along swimmingly. Maria Antoinette had 
 enough funds to indulge in frivolity and gaiety, and the 
 king put on his apron and began filing keys and tinkering 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 209 
 
 locks, pausing now and then to gorge himself with food 
 until he grunted with enjoyment. 
 
 Meanwhile the country was drifting toward the roaring 
 Niagara a short dis- 
 tance below. Neck- 
 er shov ed that the 
 nobility were only 
 a drag upon the 
 country and of no 
 help at all. This 
 made the nobles 
 mad J and they de- 
 manded that the 
 king should dismiss 
 him, and again the 
 miserable fool did 
 as they wished. Be- 
 wildered over the 
 way matters were 
 going, he sum- 
 moned a meeting of 
 the notables, as the 
 court was called. 
 They met and 
 talked and talked 
 and a d j ourned 
 without doing any- 
 thing. Then the dazed king, not knowing which way 
 to turn, stopped tinkering his locks long enough to recall 
 the clear-minded and honest Necker. 
 
 14 — Ellis' France, 
 
 Turgot Keceiving His Dismissal. 
 
210 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 This man resolved, as the saying goes, to take the 
 bull by the horns. He told the king that he must call a 
 meeting of the States-General. Louis was startled and 
 
 would not listen to it. That 
 body of law makers had not 
 met since 1614; they would be 
 likely to take matters in their 
 own hands, and bring up the 
 king with a sharp turn. 
 
 '' It must be done, sire," 
 said Necker firmly; "no other 
 course is open ; unless you con- 
 sent I must be relieved of the 
 duty to which you have sum- 
 moned me." 
 
 Reluctantly the king gave 
 his assent. This was in 1789, 
 and the States-General was 
 ■^®^^®^' summoned. 
 
 You have learned in another place that the States- 
 General was made up of the nobility, clergy and the 
 representatives of the common people who formed what 
 was called the Third Estate. Necker arranged that these 
 should equal in number those that represented the other 
 two branches. They really outnumbered them, for there 
 were 291 clergy, 270 nobles and 584 members of the 
 Third Estate, while 200 of the parish priests strongly 
 sympathized and voted with them. 
 
 Thus it would seem that a great advantage was in the 
 hands of the common people from the start, but upon 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 211 
 
 assembling at Versailles, a quarrel arose as to how the 
 vote should be taken, that is, whether the three orders 
 should vote as separate bodies or together. Of course the 
 Third Estate insist- 
 ed upon the latter, 
 and the others as 
 vehemently op- 
 posed, for the re- 
 sult of the decision 
 could not fail to be 
 decisive. 
 
 The deadlock 
 lasted for several 
 weeks, the repre- 
 sentatives repeat- 
 edly sending invi- 
 tations to the other 
 two bodies to join 
 them, while they 
 refused every such 
 request. Finally 
 the parish priests 
 among the clergy 
 withdrew, and 
 
 Costumes of the Third Estate, the 
 Clergy and the Nobles. 
 
 crossing over, 
 
 joined the Third 
 
 Estate. The latter had lost all patience and now took 
 
 a bold step. The members cast off the old name of 
 
 States-General and ors^auized themselves as the National 
 
 Assembly, that is, as the representatives of the whole 
 
 nation. 
 
212 Young People's History of France. 
 
 The king had gradually come under the influence of 
 his wife, Maria Antoinette, and he showed fitful spells of 
 firmness, or rather stubbornness, when it would have been 
 vastly better had he been yielding. The nobles and 
 clergy protested against the action of the Third Estate, 
 and the king closed the hall against them. They met 
 in the tennis court of the palace, and there bound them- 
 selves by a solemn oath not to dissolve until they had 
 furnished a written Constitution to France. Soon after- 
 wards they gave themselves the name of the National 
 Constituent Assembly. 
 
 The king began to think there might be something 
 in all this to which it was well for him to give heed. 
 Acting on the advice of Necker, he requested the nobility 
 and upper clergy to join the Third Estate. They did so, 
 and, when the hall was again opened, there were seen 
 for the first time in France, lords, bishops and commoners 
 meeting on the same political footing. The queen was 
 much displeased and on her suggestion a large body of 
 troops was gathered in Versailles to overawe the 
 Assembly. She secured the dismissal of Necker, who 
 was glad enough to leave the country, and it was 
 fortunate for him that he did so. 
 
 There were members of the Assembly who afterward 
 made names for themselves in history. One of them 
 was Lafayette, who had been the friend of Washington, 
 by whose side he fought in our Revolution. Another was 
 the eloquent Mirabeau [mee-rah-holi'), whose impassioned 
 appeals roused his listeners to frenzy (he died, however, 
 soon afterward) , and another was Robespierre (rohes-pe-ar') 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 213 
 
 of whom 1 shall have something more to tell you later on. 
 
 The king was frightened by the ominous incidents 
 and especially by the bold utterances of the Assembly. 
 Among the troops collected at 
 Versailles were a good many 
 Germans and Swiss, who were 
 intensely hated by the people, 
 because they did not think the 
 king had the right to bring 
 them into the country. The 
 Frenchmen procured arms and 
 organized a body of militia 
 which they called the National 
 Guard and which was placed 
 under the command of Lafay- 
 ette. 
 
 The king, queen and all 
 the members of the royal 
 family were at Versailles 
 whither the troops were sum- 
 moned. There a new council was formed composed of 
 supporters of the royal cause. Over their wine they 
 pledged themselves to stand by the monarchs to the 
 death, and if drunken enthusiasm could have won a 
 cause theirs was already won. 
 
 When ncAvs of this reached the popular party, they 
 were thrown into irrestrainable rage. The French people 
 are the most impulsive in the world, ready to glorify a 
 man one day, and rend him to pieces the next. A young 
 man named Camille Desmoulins [cah-mee da-moo-leng), 
 
 Lafayette. 
 
214 Young People's History of France. 
 
 leaped upon a bench under the trees of the gardens of 
 the Palais Royal and poured forth a torrent of denunciation 
 of the royal family and of appeal to the passions of his 
 excited listeners. Reaching up to a branch over his head, 
 he snatched ofr a sprig of green and stuck it in his hat 
 as an emblem of liberty, for green is the chief color of 
 nature. The trees were almost torn to fragments by the 
 mob that they might deck their hats and caps. 
 
 The most famous prison in all France was the Bastile, 
 the building of which Avas begun in 1369 by Charles Y. 
 and enlarged by his successors. Within its gloomy w^alls 
 thousands of prisoners, many of whom were princes, 
 nobles, and members of leading families, had pined in 
 captivity until released by death. On its site to-day 
 stands the "Column of July," erected in memory of the 
 patriots of 1789 and 1830. A rumor having spread 
 through Paris that the commander of the fortress and 
 prison had received orders to hre on the people, they were 
 thrown into ungovernable fury. Thousands shouted 
 "Down with the Bastile! To the Bastile!" and they 
 rushed thither at headlong speed, men, women and chil- 
 dren, all made frantic by their flaming passion. 
 
 The Bastile was defended by a feeble garrison, which, 
 after a few hours' resistance, surrendered under the 
 pledge that their lives should be spared. The mob mas- 
 sacred every man of them. 
 
 It was thought that the building was crowded with 
 prisoners, but only seven were brought blinking into the 
 sunlight. One of these had spent more than thirty years 
 in the dungeon, and was an imbecile, who stared around 
 
Cainille Desmoulins in the Garden of the Palais Royal 
 
 215 
 
216 Ycung People's History of France. 
 
 in helpless bewilderment, and could form no idea of what 
 his wild rescue meant. 
 
 The rage against the Bastile found expression some 
 hours later in an attack upon the massive walls, and it 
 continued throughout the darkness, and never stopped 
 until the structure was razed to its foundations. This 
 was on the night of July 14, 1789. 
 
 When the news was carried to the king at Versailles, 
 he roused from sleep, rubbed his goggle eyes and said, 
 "Why, this is a revolt." "^^ No, sire," replied his inform- 
 ant, "it is a revolution." 
 
 The destruction of the Bastile was the spark that 
 kindled the flames which quickly spread to the provinces. 
 The peasantry who had so long groveled in the depths of 
 poverty, and meekly bowed their heads to cuffs and blows, 
 sprang upright to their feet, a wild thirst in their blood 
 which could be satisfied only by blood itself. Catching 
 up whatever would serve them as weapons, they assailed 
 the monasteries and castles, and with a savage delirium 
 vented their pent up hate on those that had oppressed 
 them. As they had received no mercy they showed none; 
 they burned, murdered and sometimes tortured wherever 
 they could find a victim. 
 
 The nobility were terrified. At a meeting of the 
 Constituent Assembly held on August 4, they offered to 
 give up their feudal claims and privileges, but when this 
 proposal was eagerly accepted, the nobility had no better 
 sense than to demand that they should receive full 
 pay for all they surrendered. Their magnificent "bluff" 
 therefore came to naught. 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 217 
 
 vv niie the Assembly was engaged in preparing a Con- 
 stitution, matters were fast approaching a crisis in Paris. 
 Poor crops had made the people hungry, and, as is always 
 the case, thousands of desper- 
 ate tramps and characters 
 flocked into the city, where 
 they scented plunder and pill- 
 age. To add to the excite- 
 ment, tho king continued to 
 play the fool. The gaunt, 
 starving mobs in Paris learned 
 that he had given a ban- 
 quet to some officers, at 
 which the colors of the Na- 
 tional Guard had been tram- 
 pled on. 
 
 Hardly had the news 
 reached the city, when a rab- 
 ble, in which were several thou- 
 sand ragged, desperate women 
 — for the women were foremost among the most blood- 
 thirsty from the beginning to the end — started on foot 
 for Versailles, fourteen miles distant. A drenching rain 
 did not add to their appearance nor improve their tigerish 
 tempers. Nothing of account was done that day, and 
 Lafayette followed rapidly with a strong force of the 
 National Guard, for he knew trouble was ahead. 
 
 The next morning the mob killed the Swiss guards, 
 swept everything before them and burst into the palace. 
 They yelled for the life of the queen, or the "Austrian" 
 
 Louis XVI. 
 
218 Young People's History of France. 
 
 as they called her, and when she showed licxooxr, she 
 would have been rended to pieces but for Lafayette, who 
 succeeded in saving her life. Bat she, the king, the 
 dauphin and the rest of the family were compelled to go 
 back to Paris with the rabble. In advance, were sent 
 fifty cartloads of grain taken from the royal stores. The 
 exulting multitude shouted as they trotted alongside the 
 royal carriage and gibed the trembling occupants. 
 
 " We shall feast now, for we've got the baker, the 
 baker's wife and the baker's little boy ! " This wretched, 
 dismal, pitiful journey of the royal family from Ver- 
 sailles to Paris took place on October 6, 1789, and the 
 people called it the " Joyous Entry." 
 
 As might be expected, the nobility began running out 
 of France while they had time to save themselves. They 
 clustered on the German frontier, boasted of what they 
 would do, and did nothing except to add to the rage 
 of the revolutionists by threats to bring foreign aid to 
 suppress them. The Constituent Assembly left Versailles 
 and established themselves in Paris. 
 
 France being threatened with foreign interference, 
 had to equip armies of defense. To do this and avoid 
 taxation, the crown lands Avere confiscated and then the 
 possessions of the clergy, desjDite their remonstrances, 
 were seized. This inconceivable wealth it is said 
 comprised more than one-third of all the land in France, 
 and was worth $400,000,000. Then the monasteries and 
 nunneries were suppressed, and the election of the 
 bishops and appointments placed in the hands of the 
 people. On the basis of these possessions, which could 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 219 
 
 not be converted at once into cash, the Assembly began 
 issuing money and kept the presses going until the bills 
 sent forth called for more than $8,000,000,000. As a 
 
 The "Joyous Entry." 
 
 consequence the value of the paper money went down 
 until it was worth absolutely nothing at all. 
 
 On the first anniversary of the taking of the Bastile 
 (July 14, 1790) the Constitution was formally ratified by 
 the people. The Altar of the Country was raised in the 
 Field of Mars, in Paris, and a hundred thousand repre- 
 
220 Young People's History of France. 
 
 sentatives from all over France gathered to swear 
 allegiance to the new government. There Louis XYI. 
 took the oath to maintain the liberties of the people 
 under the new Constitution. The queen, too, was present 
 and held up the dauphin in her arms, to signify that he 
 joined in the pledge. Just then the rain ceased falling, 
 and the sun broke through the clouds and shone upon 
 the royal family, as they stood beside the altar with up- 
 lifted hands. The vast multitude broke into shouts of 
 joy and accepted it as an omen of the good times coming, 
 but never again was the sun to shine with promise on 
 the heads of the king and queen and never again were 
 the populace to break into cheers at sight of them. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 HOUSE OF BOURBON (Concluded). — 1589-1792. 
 Louis XVI. {1774c-1792.— [Concluded). 
 
 THE more the revolutionists got the more they de- 
 manded. Having seized the Church lands and 
 placed the control of the clergy in the hands of the 
 people, they now ordered the former to take an oath of 
 allegiance to the Constitution. This was a bitter pill to 
 swallow, for it was a declaration that everything that had 
 been done by the Assembly was right and lawful. The 
 Pope issued a warning that all of the French clergy who 
 took the oath would be ex-communicated. The king 
 
The Bread Eiots. 
 The "Women ou the Road to Versailles. 
 
 221 
 
222 Young People's History of France. 
 
 vetoed the measure, but was scared into upholding it, and 
 in the end, about half the clergy did likewise. In the 
 spring of 1791, Mirabeau died, which was a bad thing for 
 France, for, though he was a revolutionist, he was wise 
 and moderate, and could have done more than any other 
 person to restrain the savage instincts of the mob. 
 
 It was not long before the king and queen were 
 brought to see what had been plain to their friends for a 
 long time : the only way of saving their lives was to flee 
 the country. The populace would not trust the king. 
 He had sworn to support the Constitution and had 
 appeared before the Assembly. He had done things 
 ordered by that body, but nothing was clearer than that 
 he hated every man in it, and would be rejoiced to cut 
 off his head. There was no longer any doubt that some 
 of the foreign Powers were preparing to interfere and 
 forcibly replace him on the throne, with all his absolute 
 privileges intact. Then woe betide these common people 
 who had dared to raise their hands against the " divine 
 right ! " 
 
 The muttering thunder, the rumbling earthquake, 
 warned the king, as I have said, that his only hope lay 
 in flight. Not until beyond the borders of the country 
 given over to madness, could he and his draw their breath 
 in safety. Already thousands were clamoring for their 
 lives, and thousands more were joining in the shrieks 
 every day and night and hour. 
 
 The night of June 20 was fixed upon for the flight of 
 the royal family. The Count of Provence, eldest 
 brother of the king, slipped forth in disguise late in- the 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 223 
 
 evening, and, accompanied by a Gascon gentleman, drove 
 out of the city in a common cabriolet, which attracted no 
 attention, and the count reached Brussels without any 
 difficulty whatever. 
 
 A carriage had been spe- 
 cially arranged for the royal 
 family large enough to carry 
 six persons. Since it was 
 liable to be noticed, the 
 friends who had charge of 
 the delicate business, advised 
 that the party should separate 
 and make their flight in two 
 ordinary vehicles. Prudence 
 commended this plan, but the 
 queen refused. She had made 
 as elaborate preparations as 
 if those were the days of 
 peace and splendor, and she 
 was on her way to make 
 a state call upon a sister queen. These preparations 
 required days and weeks to complete, and there is no 
 doubt that some of the hairdressers and waiting maids 
 betrayed the secret. 
 
 At eleven o'clock at night the royal children were 
 awakened and dressed, the Dauphin as a girl and his 
 Majesty as a valet, who answered to the name of Durand. 
 There were delay and bother in starting, precious hours 
 were frittered away, and daylight was at hand when the 
 royal party, having at last got together, clattered away 
 
 Mirabeau. 
 
224 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 from the gates of Paris. The heavy vehicle lumbered 
 along, with its outriders, and cumbered with enough 
 baggage to make a load for a double team of horses. 
 
 When it grew light in the east, 
 the party were at Bondy, seven 
 and a half miles away. Re- 
 lays were ready, the change 
 was made, and again the party 
 were off, all in high spirits, 
 which became higher with 
 each mile placed behind them. 
 The king was so free from fear 
 that he was foolish enough to 
 spend an hour at the wayside 
 on one of his prodigious meals, 
 during which it may be be- 
 lieved he chuckled as he 
 thought of the chagrin of those 
 whom he had left in Paris, and 
 over the greater chagrin that 
 would come to them, with the resistless armies of his 
 foreign friends bringing him back to his own. 
 
 Naturally as the distance increased, the king grew 
 bolder and more confident. When the carriage stopped 
 to change horses, he poked his head out of the window 
 and stared around. At the bottom of some of the hills^ 
 he swung himself out and waddled, panting to the tojD. 
 Sometimes the children frolicked at his side and no one 
 can picture the scene without the deepest sympathy for 
 the family. 
 
 Louis XVII. (The Dauphin.) 
 
The Eoyal Family under Arrest at Varennes. 
 
 yal captives were eight days returning, every village looking on at 
 sorry sight ; and the procession threaded the streets of Pans amidst 
 
 '' The ro 
 
 tliB sorrv 
 
 a multitude' and with covered heads." 
 
 lo— Ellis' France. 
 
 225 
 
226 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Everything was bungled. The carriage was several 
 hours late, the king and queen had been recognized, and 
 the ringing of bells roused the people in advance. When, 
 late at night the party arrived at Yarennes {ya-ren'), near 
 Yerdun, the friends of the king had blundered worse 
 than ever and no relay was ready. The royal family was 
 recognized; bribes and threats were powerless, and the 
 royal carriage was turned back and escorted to Paris, 
 deep despair in tl:se hearts of all the occupants. The 
 vehicle was driven slowly through the streets amid pro- 
 found silence. Prominent placards contained the warn- 
 ing: "Whoever applauds the king shall be flogged; who- 
 ever insults him shall be hanged." 
 
 The constituent Assembly having completed its work, 
 dissolved the next day, and October 1, a new body call- 
 ing itself the Legislative Assembly came together. The 
 members were composed of three classes: the Constitu- 
 tionalists or Conservatives, who were in favor of a 
 limited monarchy; the Girondists {zliee-ron' dists) thus 
 named because their founders came from the department 
 of Gironde, who favored the establishment of a republic; 
 and the Jacobins. The last were the violent Revolution- 
 ists, who clamored for the overturning of all things and 
 the killing; of everyone that had been identified with the 
 former oppressive government. Their leaders were the 
 terrible Robespierre, Danton and Marat (inar-ali'). 
 
 The new Assembly ordered that the members of the 
 clergy who refused to take the required oath should be 
 forbidden to hold public services and should receive no 
 pay, and all the nobles who took up arms against the 
 government were condemned as traitors. 
 
House of Bourbon. 
 
 227 
 
 Austria, Prussia and Spain were preparing to send 
 armies into France to replace Louis on the throne, and to 
 restore the confiscated property to the Church. The lead- 
 ing nation in this coalition 
 was Austria, whose Emperor 
 was a nephew of Maria Antoi- 
 nette. No choice being left to 
 Louis, he was compelled with 
 a sinking heart to declare war 
 against Austria, April 20,1792. 
 
 There was no confidence 
 between the soldiers and their 
 leaders and the first move- 
 ment resulted in defeat for the 
 French. The news threw 
 Paris into consternation for 
 the time, and then into a 
 rage which hastened the 
 appalling events that were 
 soon to follow. The Assembly 
 ordered that the refractory priests should be banished, 
 the Swiss body guard of the king disbanded, and a camp 
 of twenty thousand provincial troops established for the 
 defense of Paris. The king consented to the disband- 
 ment of his body guard but vetoed the other measures, 
 and when the ministry protested, he dismissed them from 
 ofiice. 
 
 Some weeks later a manifesto from the Duke of Bruns- 
 wick, leader of the allied forces, reached Paris, in which 
 the duke declared that he would hang every man as a 
 
 Robespierre. 
 
228 Toimg People's History of France. 
 
 traitor who supported the actions of the Assembly. The 
 Jacobin leaders in the Assembly demanded that the king 
 should be deposed. There was delay and hesitation, and' 
 an immense mob rushed to attack the Tuileries {tioeeWee'). 
 Louis and his family fled to the Assembly for protection. 
 The mob assailed the palace, which was bravely defended 
 by the Swiss guards. The king sent orders to the guard 
 to stop firing and to come to the Assembly. Some did 
 not understand the order and only a few started. The 
 whole guard numbered about 800, and every one of them 
 and 1200 nobles and gentlemen of the palace were mas- 
 sacred by the frenzied rioters. 
 
 Like famishing wolves, the insurgents were made 
 more furious by the taste of blood. They marched to 
 where the white-faced members of the Assembly were 
 shivering together and demanded that the king should be 
 deposed. The Assembly passed a decree August 10, 1792, 
 temporarily suspending the king from office and calling 
 the National Convention, for which the mob had clamored. 
 The command of the National Guard was taken from 
 Lafayette who saved his life by hasty flight from France. 
 The king and royal family were sent as prisoners to the 
 Temple, the ancient stronghold of the Knights Templars. 
 
 The conduct of Louis during his fi\e months of cap- 
 tivity, when he w^as allowed to have no communication 
 with any one outside, was so calm and dignified as to 
 command the respect and even the sympathy of his 
 jailers. It may be said that never before did he conduct 
 himself so like a king. 
 
 A daring plan was formed for his rescue by his friends, 
 
Louis XVI. and the Mob in the Tuileries. 
 
 229 
 
280 
 
 Young People's JSistory of France. 
 
 and it might have succeeded but for the witless queen, 
 
 who could not keep the secret and chattered it to 
 
 one of the jailers whom she fancied could be won over. 
 The royal family had been in prison only a few weeks, 
 
 when news came to Paris that 
 the allied armies had entered 
 France. "What shall be 
 done?" shrieked the mob. 
 Dan ton, Robespierre and Ma- 
 rat shrieked back : " Strike 
 terror to the hearts of the 
 Royalists ! We will kill every 
 political prisoner, man and 
 woman in the city!" 
 
 These prisoners were sev- 
 eral thousand in number, and 
 their massacre began on Sep- 
 tember 2, 1792, and did not 
 stop until when at the end 
 of four days J there was none 
 left to kill. 
 On the 21st of September, the National Convention 
 
 met, abolished royalty and declared France a republic. 
 
 All titles of honor and respect were forbidden ; every 
 
 man was "citizen" and every woman "citizeness." 
 
 On the 3d of December the king was ordered to 
 
 appear before the Convention. The proceedings and 
 
 result may be thus summarized : 
 
 1. Is Louis guilty of conspiracy against the public 
 
 liberty and an attempt against the public safety ? The 
 
 vote was unanimously in the affirmative. 
 
 Danton. 
 
Execution of Louis XVI. 
 
 231 
 
232 Young People's History of France. 
 
 2. Shall he have an appeal to the people ? Out of 
 745 voting, only 276 were in the affirmative. 
 
 3. What penalty shall be inflicted? There were 387 
 votes for death unconditionally; 338 for detention or 
 death conditionally; 28 absent or not voting. 
 
 4. Shall his execution be delayed ? There were 310 
 in the affirmative and 380 in the negative. 
 
 Then it was ordered that his execution should take 
 place within twenty-four hours. 
 
 On the 21st of January, 1793, Louis XVI., with a 
 calmness, fortitude and resignation for which the world 
 will always honor him, ascended the scaffold. Turning 
 and looking down upon the sea of faces distorted with 
 passion, he attempted to speak, but his voice was drowned 
 by the roll of drums and then came the end. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE REPUBLIC (1792-1804). THE CONYEI^TION' 
 
 (1792-1795). 
 
 ROBESPIERRE, Danton, Marat and the furious 
 leaders of the revolution thought they would scare 
 ofE the interferring nations by their execution of 
 Louis XYL, but the opposite effect was produced. Eng- 
 land added her mighty strength to that of Holland, 
 Spain, Austria and Prussia in the war to restore the 
 monarchy, which action was not wholly disinterested on 
 their part, for the uprising of the people ground to the 
 earth for generations was a terrifying menace to all the 
 other governments in Europe. 
 
 France displayed tremendous energy. She answered 
 the action of the different Powers with a bold declaration 
 of war, and announced that wherever her armies went, 
 they would proclaim their principles. So the prodigious 
 contest was in one sense a strife between the p ople and or- 
 ganized government everywhere. If France succeeded, 
 there would be such an overturning of thrones and dy- 
 nasties as the world had never seen. 
 
 Despite the valor of the French soldiers, under skill- 
 ful generals, the allied armies began to gain headway 
 against them. They checked the French advance and 
 
 233 
 
234 Young People's History of France. 
 
 drove the troops out of Belgium. Soon after Dumouriez 
 [du-'moo-ree-ay')y the ablest French general, disgusted with 
 the atrocities of his followers, turned squarely about, and, 
 failing to take his army with him, went over to the 
 Austrians, ready to do all he could to help restore 
 the monarchy. 
 
 The news caused the wildest panic in Paris, but the 
 appalling peril only roused the revolutionists to desper- 
 ation. The blame for the disasters was charged against 
 the Girondist policy, and the convention established a 
 committee of Public Safety, composed of nine of the 
 most violent radicals, who adopted a new constitution and 
 assumed absolute control of the government. The con- 
 vention had 200,000 men under arms and it was voted 
 to raise this force to half a million. 
 
 The air throbbed with suspicion. Robespierre, Marat 
 and Danton suspected the Girondists of plotting with the 
 allies, and the Girondists saw devastation, ruin and de- 
 struction so long as the men named controlled the govern- 
 ment and this horrible state of affairs produced what has 
 been well named the Reig^n of Terror. 
 
 The Girondists first attacked the radical leaders by 
 chargirbg Marat with being unfaithful to the republic. 
 That mons ,cr of hideous face, who hungered for the lives 
 of the innocent as well as the guilty, smirked and grinned, 
 for he knew he had the howling mob behind him. The 
 oily Robespierre, as gentle and low-voiced as a woman, 
 calmly watched proceedings and bided his time, for he 
 knew, too, that the rabble were at his back. 
 
 In this contest between the Girondists and Jacobin^ 
 
The Republic. — The Convention. 
 
 235 
 
 the weakness of the former surprised even their oppo* 
 nents. Then the Jacobins took their turn. They wheeled 
 about and fiercely denounced the Girondists and demanded 
 their arrest. A panting mob 
 broke into the chamber, white 
 and screeching for blood. 
 Thirty-one Girondists were ar- 
 rested, and then began a reign 
 of crime and murder such as 
 the world never saw and it is 
 to be prayed will never see 
 again. 
 
 In the wild tumult ten 
 of the Girondists managed 
 to escape from the hall, and, 
 making their way to the prov- 
 inces, started a counter revo- 
 lution. They made good 
 headway, and the cities of 
 Lyon and Toulon declared in 
 their favor. In a white heat of fury the Convention sent 
 an army to Lyon, making sure that a guillotine was 
 among its equipments. The city was powerless, and the 
 dreadful implement of death was set to work, but, though 
 it was kept going with the utmost diligence, the task was 
 too enormous. So the prisoners were massed in the public 
 square and mowed down with grapeshot. 
 
 At Nantes, too, the guillotine proved too slow, and 
 men, women and children were chained together on barges 
 and pushed out into the Loire and sunk. In Nantes alone 
 
 Dumouriez. 
 
236 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 more than thirty thousand people were put to death. At 
 La Yendee and elsewhere the same wholesale massacres 
 took place. 
 
 Marat chuckled like a fiend and rubbed his hands 
 
 with glee when the awful 
 news came to him. He had 
 had a magnificent meal but 
 he craved more. He spent 
 his spare time in preparing 
 long lists of victims for the 
 guillotine. All he wanted was 
 simply the name of some man 
 or woman against whom an- 
 other had whispered a sus- 
 picion. He did not bother to 
 find out whether the charges 
 were inspired by spite ; he 
 craved victims and could not 
 get enough of them. 
 
 On the ISthof July, 1793, 
 word was brought to Marat 
 that a young woman had called from one of the 
 rebellious provinces with a list of traitors which she 
 wished to place in his hands. Although Marat was in 
 his bath, he was so delighted that he hastily flung on a 
 few garments, and gave orders for her to be admitted. 
 She came in, a beautiful and intelligent young woman, 
 and he eagerly asked for the list. He had a stool at the 
 side of his bath, with writing materials and he began 
 taking down the names with ferocious joy as she called 
 them off. 
 
 Marat. 
 
Cbai-lotte Corda^ Assassinates Marat, 
 
 237 
 
238 Young People's History of France. 
 
 He was thus engaged, chuckling meanwhile over the 
 punishment he would mete out to these traitors, when 
 like a flash of lightning, the young woman sprang forward 
 and buried a knife that she had concealed in her dress, 
 into the bosom of the monster, who was barely able to 
 gasp, " To me, my friend," when he was dead. 
 
 Charlotte Corday, as was her name, remained calm 
 and self possessed amid the wild confusion that immedi- 
 ately followed. When placed on trial, she declared that 
 she was a Republican and had always been one, but she 
 had sought to end anarchy and had taken one life to save 
 a hundred thousand. She was condemned and soon 
 afterwards suffered death by the guillotme. A young man 
 who begged the privilege of dying for her, was also 
 executed on account of the offer, and the crowd hooted 
 and yelled and danced with delight at the sight. 
 
 The death of the leadmg wretch did not check the 
 Reign of Terror, but added intensity to it. Satan was 
 unloosed. The leaders insisted that only one safe course 
 was open — that was to kill everyone who refused to 
 take sides with them. Thereupon the Convention passed 
 a law, ordering all persons '' suspected " of ill-will toward 
 the republic to be imprisoned. In a short time, the 
 prisons and jails were crowded to overflowing. The 
 guillotine was set up in Paris and its hideous clicking 
 was never silent day nor night. Everybody suspected 
 everybody else. No man knew when some enemy would 
 declare him a suspect ; the most intimate friends shunned 
 each other and even members of the same family lost 
 mutual faith, Anyone could make the charge and when 
 
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240 Young People's History of France. 
 
 made it meant the guillotine. Often when a man or 
 woman ran to the Committee to accuse some enemy, he 
 or she would find that that enemy had got there a few 
 minutes before and made his own charges. Then the 
 belated one went under the guillotine and j^ei'haps the 
 one who made the first charge was called back to keep 
 the other company on the last journey. 
 
 You remember the young man Camille Desmoulins, 
 who harangued the crowd in the Palais Royal and stuck 
 a green twig in his cap as a sign of liberty. Well, some- 
 body made accusation against him, and despite his shrieks 
 of innocence and his shouting of his name, he was hustled 
 to the guillotine and beheaded. 
 
 There was nothing vile, wicked, ferocious, blasphem- 
 ous and brutal which the revolutionists did not do. They 
 abolished the existing calendar, making the months, be- 
 ginning with January as follows : Nivose, Pluviose, Ven- 
 tose, Germinal, Floreal, Prairial, Messidor, Thermidor, 
 Fructidor, Yendemiair^ <rumaire and Frimaire. 
 
 The next thinr .oiished was the Christian Religion. 
 Sunday was enddci and the churches closed. A shameless 
 actress painted and bedizened, with the red cap of the 
 commune on her head, was set up for public adoration 
 upon the altar of Notre Dame. She was called the 
 ^' Goddess of Reason" and the times became the "Age 
 of Reason." 
 
 The wonder is that Maria Antoinette was spared so 
 long. She had been expecting the summons for some 
 time, when she was called before the Tribunal. As she 
 kissed and bade good-bye to her children, she said: "I 
 

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 241 
 
242 jfoung PeojDle's History of France. 
 
 go to meet your father." Imprisonment and grief had 
 told upon her, and as she came forth into the sunlight, 
 she had aged many years within the past few months. 
 When asked to plead in her own behalf, she refused and 
 replied: ^^Iwas a queen and you took away my crown; 
 I was a wife and you robbed me of my husband ; I was 
 a mother and you robbed me of my children ; my blood 
 alone remains ; take it and I only pray you that you do 
 not make me suffer long." On the same day that she was 
 sentenced to the guillotine — October 16, 1793 — she was 
 executed. 
 
 The most violent of the revolutionists were called 
 Hebertists, after their founder, Jacques . Rene Hebert, 
 leader of the communists. It was he and his party who 
 set up the "Goddess of Reason" and worshipped her, 
 and who abandoned themselves to the lowest practices of 
 vice. Robespierre attacked Hebert and his friends as 
 worse than tlie priests whom they had supplanted. 
 Hebert started an insurrection in the Convention, but 
 Robespierre outwitted him and Hebert and his comrades 
 were arrested, tried and guillotined. Danton had become 
 weary of the horrifying slaughter and showed signs of 
 wishing to check it, though it was he who created the 
 Revolutionary Tribunal which caused so much woe and 
 death. The first sign of weakening on Danton's part 
 was fatal, and he and his friends followed their thousands 
 of victims to the guillotine. 
 
 Robespierre was thus left at the head of affairs. His 
 full name was Maximilien Marie Isidore de Robespierre. 
 He had hundreds of spies everywhere, and he showed no 
 
Maria Antoinette Leaving tlie Tribunal. 
 
 Maria Antoinette was drawn to the place of execution, exposed to the insolent 
 gaze of the populace, in a common cart, with her arms bound, in a 
 prison dress, like the vilest criminal; but her calm die:nity which had 
 abashed her judges a few hours before did not desert her. 
 
 243 
 
244 Young People's History of France. 
 
 mercy to man, woman or child against whom a word ol 
 suspicion was breathed. Let us sum up the awful narra- 
 tive by saying that careful estimates of the whole number 
 of deaths during the French Revolution, due to massacre, 
 civil war and the guillotine reach the appalling total of 
 one million ! 
 
 Finally the Convention turned upon Robespierre. He 
 was accused of seeking his own interests by putting other 
 leaders to death. He was tried and declared guilty, but 
 managed to escape. Had he not been a coward, he might 
 have rallied a strong party of supporters, but his heart 
 failed him. When about to be taken again, he made an 
 attempt at suicide, but the pistol which he used only 
 broke his jaw. On the 28th of July, 1704 (10th Ther- 
 midor), as he lay helpless and bleeding, '• One and Indi- 
 visible " as he was called, no one offered him a drink of 
 water. He was hurried to the scaffold and he too per- 
 ished by the guillotine. 
 
 A reaction now set in and France took time to 
 breathe. The guillotine was allowed to rest and tl^e 
 prisons were opened. Ten thousand were set free in 
 Paris alone. The Convention assumed the powers of the 
 Commune of Paris and the Jacobin Club was closed. 
 The armies of the Republic defeated the English and 
 Dutch early in 1795, and later in the same year, Belgium 
 was declared a part of the French Republic. The com- 
 mittee appointed by the Convention to draw up a new 
 constitution did so in the summer of 1795, and the gov- 
 ernment was placed in the hands of five directors, from 
 which fact it received the name of the Directory. 
 
The Republic. — Tke Convention. 
 
 245 
 
 Madame Roland, wife of M. Roland, a Girondist leader 
 and Minister of the Interior from March, 1792, to Janu- 
 ary, 1793, was one of the most extra-ordinary women of 
 
 Robespierre Made an Attempt at Suicide. 
 
 her time. Remarkably beautiful and possessed of a bril- 
 liant mind, she was scarcely less influential than her hus- 
 band on the side of constitutional liberty. He saved his 
 life by fleeing from Paris, May 31, 1793, but she was 
 arrested on the same night, without the shadow of reason, 
 
246 Young People's History of France. 
 
 and imprisoned. Released on June 24, she was immedi- 
 ately rearrested and thrown again into prison. She spent 
 the time in study and the composition of her political 
 Memories. She was condemned, and on November 9, 
 guillotined, amid the execrations of a crazy mob. A more 
 dauntless spirit never lived. Standing at the foot of the 
 statue of Liberty, Avhere the scaffold was erected, she 
 apostrophized it, '^ Liberty what crimes are committed 
 in thy name ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XVH. 
 THE KEPUBLic {continuecl) 1792-1804. — 
 
 THE DIRECTOEY (1795-1799). 
 
 THE creation of the forms of government in France 
 known as the Convention and the Directory brought 
 forward the most wonderful military genius of 
 modern times, and the history of the country for more 
 than twenty years following the dethronement and execu- 
 tion of Louis XVI. is mainly the history of the doings 
 and achievements of Napoleon Bonaparte. 
 
 The founder of this remarkable house was Carlo Buona- 
 parte (as the name was originally)^ a lawyer of honorable 
 descent, born at Ajaccio (ali-yaht'-clio) in the island of 
 Corsica, in 1 746. His sons were Joseph, Napoleon, Lucien, 
 Louis Napoleon and Jerome. Louis was the father of 
 Charles Louis Napoleon, who became the head of the 
 government of France in 1852. 
 
The Republic. — The Directory. 
 
 247 
 
 Napoleon Bonaparte was born at Ajaccio on August 1 6, 
 1769. He showed so marked a taste for military life that 
 at the age of eleven he was sent to the military school at 
 Brienne (hree-en) in Cham- 
 pagne, and in 1784, to the 
 military school in Paris. A 
 year later he was nominated 
 as sub-lieutenant of artillery, 
 and detailed on duty in his 
 native country. He was 
 driven out of the island in 
 1792 by the ally of the Eng- 
 lish, and withdrew to Mar- 
 seilles, where he lived in pov- 
 erty with his mother and sis- 
 ters. He was made a captain 
 In 1793, and was employed to 
 put down the rising in Mar- 
 oeilles, which he accomplished. 
 Before the close of the year he 
 was made lieutenant-colonel and sent to join the army be- 
 sieging Toulon {too-loii'). 
 
 It was there Bonaparte gave the first evidence of the 
 military genius that was to rouse the admiration of the 
 world. The army was only a mob and the artillery 
 department without any organization whatever. He 
 insisted upon a rigid and thorough reorganization, and 
 upon a number of reforms, which after much urging on 
 his part were adopted. Then he proposed to attack the 
 outer works. These were carried, and, as he had foreseen, 
 
 Napoleon Bonaparte. 
 
248 Yoimg People's History of France. 
 
 tlie allies were compelled to surrender the town and ] 
 harbor. 
 
 His decisive success caused him to be appointed 
 brigadier-general of artillery, with the chief artillery 
 command in the south of France ; but jealousy was at 
 work, and, being under suspicion, his name was erased 
 from the active list. Five months of idleness followed, 
 during which he was so poor that he was almost in rags 
 and without enough money to buy more than sufficient 
 to keep from starving. His ambition burned within him 
 with as fierce a flame as ever, and he was dreaming of 
 offering his services to the Gra-nd Seignior, with the hope 
 of a dazzling career of conquest in Asia, when the Direc- 
 tory, although still suspicious of him, was reduced to 
 such extremities that the government mado use of his 
 services. 
 
 The reaction against the Reign of Terror led the royal- 
 ists to hope for their restoration to power. The little 
 Dauphin, son of Louis XVI., had died of ill treatment, 
 but the brother of the late King was living in Russia, 
 where he had taken refuge, and the royalists wished to 
 place him on the throne with the title of Louis XVIIL, 
 for the Dauphin had been recognized as Louis XVH., 
 King of France, by England and Russia, after the execu- 
 tion of his father. 
 
 In the wrangle for power, the National Guard was 
 persuaded to join the monarchical cause, and, in October, 
 1795, the combined forces, numbering 40,000 men, 
 marched on the Tuileries to drive out the Convention and 
 prevent the formation of the Directory. In their peril; 
 
The Republic. — The Directory. 
 
 249 
 
 the Convention appealed to General Barras [har-rah') to 
 defend them^ and he asked young Bonaparte to act as his 
 lieutenant. With his usual vigor, Bonaparte quickly 
 turned the palace into an 
 intrenched camp. He had 
 barely 6000 troops, but he 
 planted his batteries with 
 perfect skill in all the streets 
 around the x\ssembly, and 
 when the National Guard ap- 
 peared, he played so terrific- 
 ally upon their dense ranks 
 with grape shot, that after 
 several hours' fighting, they 
 broke and fled in all direc- 
 tions. That night Bonaparte 
 surrounded the different de- 
 tachments in their retreats, 
 attacked, captured, disarmed 
 and sent them to their homes. 
 
 These services were too brilliant to be overlooked, 
 and all saw that this young artillery officer was the man 
 for the hour. He was appointed second in command of 
 the army of the interior and soon afterward by the retire^ 
 ment of Barras, was made General of the Interior. 
 
 Meanwhile, Austria, Germany and England were 
 pushing their war against France, and it was necessary 
 for the Directory to move against them. It was decided 
 to attack the enemy at three different points. The bat- 
 tles on the Rhine were to be fought by General Moreau 
 
 Barras. 
 
250 Youno; People's History of France. 
 
 o 
 
 [moJi-roh') and Jourclan, while Napoleon was to advance 
 against the A-Ustrians and Sardinians in Northern Italy. 
 Vienna, the capital of Austria, was the objective point 
 of all three armies. 
 
 It looked as if no man was ever given a more hope- 
 less task than Napoleon. The Directory was so poor that 
 it could place only a sum less than twenty thousand dol- 
 lars in his hands for the expense of the campaign. The 
 army itself, numbering barely 40,000, was in a miserable 
 condition, and for three years had accomplished nothing. 
 It was now huddled at the base of the Alps, between 
 Savoy and the sea, whither it had been driven by the 
 allies, w^hose forces numbered 60,000 veterans. 
 
 ^'Famine, cold and misery," said Napoleon in his first 
 proclamation, '^are the school of good soldiers. Here on 
 the plains of Italy you will conquer our enemies and 
 then you will find comfort, riches and glory. Soldiers of 
 the Army of Italy, you will not lack courage for the 
 enterprise." 
 
 There was a resistless magnetism about Napoleon. 
 His men caught his dauntless spirit, and clamored to be 
 led forward by their marvelous leader. Rushing like a 
 torrent down the Alps, the "Little Corporal," as his ad- 
 miring soldiers called him, routed first the Austrians and 
 then the Sardinians. Two weeks later, he made peace on 
 his own terms wdth the Sardinians. The Austrians 
 rallied at the bridge of Lodi in order to protect Milan, 
 the capital of Lombardy. There they were attacked and 
 in a furious battle routed, and Napoleon entered Milan in 
 triumph. No general had ever moved so swiftly, nor 
 
Napoleon at the Bridge of Lodi. 
 
 251 
 
252 Young People's History of France. 
 
 struck so hard and unexpectedly. When he was believed 
 to be miles distant, he fell upon the enemy like a cyclone. 
 
 Napoleon now besiged Mantua and the enemy gathered 
 a tliird army of 60,000 men to attack him at Verona. 
 He passed out of the town by the western gate, crossed 
 the river Adige (ad'e-je), fourteen miles below, and 
 attacked the Austrians at the village of Areola, in the 
 middle of extensive marshes, where the town could be 
 reached only by causeways and a wooden bridge. The 
 fighting lasted three days, and ended in the retreat of the 
 Austrians. Two months later, the decisive struggle took 
 place on the plains of Rivoli and again Napoleon was 
 victorious. Having conquered Italy, he started for 
 Vienna, but the frightened Emperor opened negotiations 
 for peace. The treaty of Campo Formio ended the war. 
 The prodigious work of Xapoleon included in the brief 
 space of two months, eighteen battles fought and won, 
 three Austrian armies destroyed and 145,000 prisoners 
 captured. Besides, he had levied $9,000 000 tribute on 
 the Pope and other Italian rulers who opposed the Direc- 
 tory, and established the Cisalpine republic of Northern 
 Italy, in which were included Lombardy, Parma, Modena 
 and a portion of the Papal dominions. Greater than all 
 these, was the whole of the Austrian Netherlands or Bel- 
 gium which was ceded to France as the prize of the war. 
 
 It has been said that Napoleon began his campaigns 
 with only a beggarly sum of money. Through his vic- 
 tories, he was enabled to clothe and feed his army, to send 
 $2,000,000 to the Directory, and a large sum to the help 
 of the French army in Germany. His amazing success 
 
The Republic. — The Directory. 
 
 253 
 
 inflamed his ambition. He robbed the Vatican at Rome 
 and the churches, libraries and picture galleries of their 
 choicest treasures, and sent 
 enormous quantities of the 
 plunder to France. 
 
 Returning to Paris, he 
 spent several months with his 
 newly married wife Josephine, 
 during which he planned an 
 expedition to Egypt. His 
 dream was to establish an 
 eastern empire, overthrow 
 England's supremacy in that 
 country, and obtain control of 
 the Mediterranean. The Di- 
 rectory were uneasy over the 
 popularity of the new hero, 
 and quickly accepted his pro- 
 posal ; for they would be rid 
 of him, for a time at least, 
 and hardly a member of the 
 government believed that success was possible for his 
 vast and far-reaching enterprise. 
 
 He left France in the spring of 1798, with a squadron 
 carrying 36,000 veterans, most of whom had fought 
 under him and were eager to go anywhere at his com- 
 mand. The first step necessary was to get possession of 
 the strongly fortified island of Malta, nominally in the pos- 
 session of the Knights of St. John, but really an out- 
 post of England. The guards were bribed and it was 
 
 Josephine. 
 
254 
 
 Young People's' History of France. 
 
 taken without firing a gun. Napoleon landed at Alex- 
 andria in July, and captured the city by storm. Within 
 less than a month, his camp was under the shadow of 
 
 The British at Aboukir Bay, 
 
 the Pyramids. Pointing to those great monuments of the 
 Pharaohs, he said: ^'Soldiers, from the summits of those 
 pyramids, forty centuries look down upon you." 
 
 The Mamelukes were the bravest and best disciplined 
 troops in Egypt, but they charged the solid French 
 
256 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 squares again and again, with no more effect than 
 of dashing against a mountain walL Cairo (kl-ro) 
 and Lower Egypt fell into the possession of the invaders. 
 
 who thus became virtual mas- 
 ters of the most ancient dy- 
 nasty in the world. 
 
 But while the French were 
 celebrating their triumph, 
 news of disaster reached them. 
 That grand naval hero, Nel- 
 son, had overtaken Napoleon's 
 fleet in Aboukir Bay, off Alex- 
 andria, and destroyed every 
 vessel but two. It was a 
 serious blow, for it was 
 the first reverse that had 
 come to the man who seemed 
 to be invincible, and it 
 heartened England and her 
 allies. 
 The disaster spurred Napoleon to greater exertions. 
 With the purpose of adding Syria to his conquests, he 
 crossed the desert separating Asia from Africa, stormed 
 Jaffa and laid siege to Acre, which was stubbornly de- 
 fended by the Turks and their English allies. The task 
 which Napoleon had given his men was beyond their 
 power, for they were worn out by their exhausting 
 marches, the frightful heat, and by hunger and pestilence. 
 At the end of fifty-seven days, he retreated to Egypt, 
 after having with 2,000 men defeated with great slaughter, 
 a force of 20,000 Ottomans at Mount Tabor. 
 
 Kleber. 
 
The Republic. — The Directory. 
 
 257 
 
 All this time, as may be said, Napoleon kept his eye 
 on France, thousands of miles away. His friends there 
 kept him apprised of the situation, though it took a good 
 while for news to travel back 
 and forth. With that genius 
 which enabled him at times to 
 pierce the immediate future 
 with unerring vision, he saw 
 that the weakness of the Di- 
 rectory offered him his golden 
 opportunity. He needed no 
 one to tell him the real reason 
 why the government had been 
 so willing to send him off to 
 Egypt, wdth his devoted sol- 
 diers, and he was not deceived 
 for a moment. With exulta- 
 tion, he heard that the people 
 were wearied of the rule of 
 the Directory, that they had 
 lost all confidence in it, and 
 were longing for almost any change. . 
 
 He determined to hurry to France, not with his army 
 but secretly. A ship was hastily prepared, and at 
 night he went aboard with a few of his devoted followers. 
 He intrusted the army to his second in command, Gen- 
 eral Kleber {Ma-hare'), and sailed. On the voyage he 
 narrowly escaped capture by the English cruisers, but 
 landed in France to the astonishment of every one. He 
 was received with unbounded enthusiasm, for the Direc- 
 
 17 — EUis^ France. 
 
 Lucien Bonaparte. 
 
258 Young People's History of France. 
 
 tory had been growing more unpopular clay by day. Na- 
 poleon found that while he was away a new war had 
 been begun; Switzerland had been forced to adopt a new 
 government modeled on that of the French Republic ; the 
 Vatican at Rome had been plundered anew of its treasures, 
 and, to crown all, the Pope had been carried as a prisoner 
 to France, where he lived but a short time. 
 
 With every condition so inviting, Napoleon was not 
 the one to hesitate. He became the head of a powerful 
 party, and, aided by his brother Lucien and several of his 
 generals, he overthrew the Directory on the famous 18th 
 Brumaire, year 8 of the Republic. (November 9, 1799.) 
 A new Constitution w^as adopted, under which the gov- 
 ernment was placed in the hands of three consuls. Napo- 
 leon being the first. They w^ere chosen for a term of ten 
 years, but it is hardly worth while to name the other two 
 since they were simply the tools of the first consul, who, 
 although the country was still called a Republic, was as 
 supreme as the Czar of Russia. 
 
CHAPTER XYIII. 
 
 THE REPUBLIC AND THE EMPIRE 1792-1815. 
 
 The Consulate and the Emjnre — (1799-1815). 
 
 NAPOLEON Bonaparte had reached the position he 
 craved : he was at the head of the French nation 
 and before him opened a career of conquest, whose 
 dazzling grandeur was to overshadow the world and 
 raise him to a summit of glory that, to quote the extra- 
 vagant words of a writer, threatened to disturb the 
 equilibrium of the universe. 
 
 That wonderful man was great in everything to which 
 he turned his hand. With an iron sternness he ended the 
 anarchy that had brought the nation to the edge of ruin. 
 Political discussion was stopped. " There are no Jaco- 
 bins," he said; "no Royalists; nobody but Frenchmen." 
 The opposing newspapers were suppressed, and the others 
 wa.rned to be careful. He removed the restrictions to 
 trade, established the Bank of France and wiped out the 
 savage laws- against the return of French noblemen. He 
 created a new nobility, based on merit instead of birth or 
 wealth, and instituted the Legion of Honor as a reward 
 for meritorious services ; the educational systems were 
 vastly improved ; industry and mechanical invention 
 were encouraged ; the modern University of France was 
 
 259 
 
260 Young People's History of France. 
 
 established ; a great system of roads, canals, arsenals, 
 harbors and various public works was begun ; he com- 
 pleted the Pantheon and the palace of the Louvre (louvr). 
 He began building the Church of the Madeleine and 
 provided Paris with the Arc de Triomphe, the most 
 magnificent structure of its kind in the world ; he made a 
 solemn treaty with the Pope in 1801, by which a modified 
 form of Catholicism was re-established as the religion of 
 France, and, more remarkable than all these, he caused 
 the compilation of the Code Napoleon, by which the 
 enormous mass of edicts, ancient laws and acts were 
 sifted, condensed and made uniform throughout the 
 country. In this vast work, the peerless brain of Napo- 
 leon was the guide and directing genius. The Code 
 Napoleon was a gigantic and masterly work, upon which 
 have been founded the laws of France, Western Germany, 
 Belgium, Holland, Italy, Switzerland and the code of the 
 State of Louisiana in our own country. 
 
 One of Napoleon's first acts was to ask the King of 
 England and the Emperor of Germany to agree to a treaty 
 of peace, which as he said was "the first necessity and 
 the first glory" for all the European nations; but while 
 making this Christian proposal, the wily and ambitious 
 Consul imposed conditions which no one knew better than 
 he would not be accepted by either of the rulers, for he 
 insisted that he should be allowed to hold Egypt and 
 Malta, and also to control Italy. 
 
 And so the year 1800 opened with preparations for 
 war by those who would not boAv to his despotic will. 
 In Italy, the Austrians outnumbered the French four to 
 
The Republic and the Empire. 261 
 
 one. At first the French were defeated. Then Napoleon 
 placed himself at the head of the army. His first achieve- 
 ment was one that his friends declared and his enemies 
 believed impossible. With 35,000 men he crossed the 
 Alps in six days, and rushed down like one of their 
 awful avalanches upon the plains of Italy. At Marengo, 
 June 14, 1800, was fought a tremendous battle, which 
 was closed by the surrender of the Austrian general, and 
 northwestern Italy once more fell into the hands of the 
 French. 
 
 Meanwhile, Moreau had entered Germany with an 
 army of 100,000 men. The village of Hohenlinden 
 stands in a pine forest, on the river Iser. There, in the 
 month of December, 1800, the two armies met in one of 
 the most terrific of battles. A tremendous snow storm 
 was raging, so that the contending troops could locate 
 each other only by the flashes of their guns. Nearly 
 every boy and girl has read, and perhaps some of them 
 have recited, the poem descriptive of this battle, which 
 
 opens thus: 
 
 >> 
 
 " On Linden, when the sun was low, 
 All bloodless lay the untrodden snow, 
 And dark as winter was the flow 
 Of Iser rolling rapidly." 
 
 The last stanza is: 
 
 " Few, few shall part where many meet ! 
 The snow shall be their windino; sheet; 
 And every turf beneath their feet 
 
 Shall be a soldier's sepulchre." 
 
262 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Moreau was so overwhelmingly victorious that the 
 German Emperor begged for peace in order to save his 
 capital. By the treaty of Luneville {lu-nay-veel) made 
 soon after, all that had been granted by the treaty of 
 Campo Formio was confirmed. The left bank of the 
 Rhine and the Austrian Netherlands were to be held by 
 France, while the republics of northwestern Italy were 
 recognized as her dependencies. 
 
 But while Napoleon was invincible on land, he was 
 vanquished on the water. England captured Malta, and 
 Nelson broke up the league against Great Britain, which 
 had been formed when the latter tried to stop all trade 
 with France. Then the French were driven out of Egypt 
 and Napoleon began forming his plans for invading Eng- 
 land. But the exhaustion of war caused both nations to 
 welcome a temporary peace, which was signed at Amiens 
 {ah-mee-an') in 1802, and which secured to France all the 
 territory between the Pyrenees and the Rhine. 
 
 In the following summer, Napoleon was chosen First 
 Consul for life, with the right of naming his successor. 
 A wise step on his part was to sell the immense Territory 
 of Louisiana to the United States, for it was an element 
 of weakness to France. Its sale brought her a large sum 
 of money ($15,000,000, as you remember) and strength- 
 ened the United States at the expense of England. 
 
 As everybody must have expected, the peace of 
 Amiens did not last long. England seized a number of 
 French vessels, and Napoleon imprisoned several thousand 
 Englishmen within his dominions. This started the 
 great war which lasted for ten years. That France 
 
Napoleon I. in Imperial Robes. 
 
 As the hymn Charlemagne heard, when saluted Emperor of the "West, 
 rang Uirough the aisles of Notre Dame at the coronation of Napoleoii 
 }., all Paris joined in the acclamations. 
 
 263 
 
264 Young People's History of France. 
 
 worshipped lier idol was proven on May 18, 1804, when 
 by a vote that was almost unanimous the inhabitants 
 elected him Emperor. The Pope made a special journey 
 to Paris at the close of the year to give the sanction of 
 the Church to the people's wishes, and the potentate 
 anointed the new sovereign "Emperor of the French" 
 in the venerable cathedral of Notre Dame. Then Na- 
 poleon did a strange thing, which perhaps after all was 
 not strange : he crowded himself and placed a golden 
 laurel wreath on the head of Josephine. In the follow- 
 ing spring, he crossed the Alps, and, setting the iron 
 crown of Lombardy on his head, received the title of 
 King of Italy. 
 
 Europe was alarmed by the boundless ambition of Na- 
 poleon. England, Russia and Austria formed an alliance 
 against him, and he began his preparation for the inva- 
 sion of England, which he declared was a "nation of 
 shopkeepers." These preparations were on a colossal 
 scale and all France ardently favored the tremendous 
 project. 
 
 But Admiral Nelson was on the watch, and when the 
 combined French and Spanish fleets appeared off Cape 
 Trafalgar {tra-fal'gar)^ October 21, 1805, on the southern 
 coast of Spain, he attacked them with such bravery and 
 skill that both were virtually destroyed. The French 
 admiral was so humiliated that he committed suicide. 
 The illustrious Nelson lost his life in this battle, but 
 gained for his country the mastery of the ocean and 
 ended all fear of a French invasion. 
 
 Previous to this, Napoleon unexpectedly led his army 
 
The Republic and the Empire. 
 
 265 
 
 against A-iistria which was planning with Russia to sur- 
 prise the French emperor. But to the amazement of the 
 Austrians, Napoleon suddenly appeared before the city of 
 Ulm, where he speedily com- 
 pelled the Austrian general to 
 surrender, and then advanced 
 against Vienna, which fell like 
 ripe fruit into his hands. 
 
 On the 2d of December, 
 1805, he encountered the com- 
 bined armies of Russia and 
 Germany at Austerlitz, in 
 Austria. The allies greatly 
 outnumbered the French and 
 held a powerful position; but 
 Napoleon, by a series of mas- 
 terly maneuvres, quick, stra- 
 tegic movements and brilliant 
 operations won one of the 
 most signal triumphs of his 
 career. The victory was so 
 decisive that when peace was asked for, he dictated his 
 own terms. Austria gave up all claim to Italy and her 
 "sphere of influence" in Switzerland. He compelled 
 Francis 11." to surrender his imperial crown and to be 
 satisfied with the title of Emperor of Austria. The num- 
 erous states of which the empire had been composed were 
 recast with Napoleon as protector and real master. 
 
 Then playing with kings and dynasties as if they were 
 so many footballs^ the French emperor seized the kingdom 
 
 Francis II. 
 
266 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 of Naples and gave the crown to his elder brother Joseph 
 who had no ability at all as a military leader and very little 
 as a civil ruler. Next the republic of the Netherlands was 
 
 turned into a monarchy and 
 presented to his brother Louis, 
 with the title of King of Hol- 
 land. Finally Italy was 
 chopped up into nineteen 
 dukedoms and divided among 
 his friends. You will notice 
 that the grand scheme of Na- 
 poleon, was to make France 
 the one overshadowing Pow- 
 er, surrounded by dependen- 
 cies and with him as the 
 supreme head and master of 
 them all. 
 
 The panic of the northern 
 nations caused another coali- 
 tion against the one man who 
 threatened to trample upon 
 them all. Into this mighty 
 alliance, entered England, Russia, Sweden, Saxony and 
 Prussia, and you would think such an array must sweep 
 everything before it. 
 
 War was renewed in 1806. In one day, Napoleon 
 fought the great battles of Jena {vay'nah) and Auerstadt 
 {ow-er-stet') , humbling the Prussian monarchy into the 
 dust. Then entering Berlin, he issued the Berlin Decree, 
 November 21, 1806, which forbade all trade or intercourse 
 
 Louis Bonaparte. 
 

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 267 
 
268 Young People's History of France. 
 
 with England. This decree was followed in 1807 by an- 
 other still more stringent. 
 
 What was left of the Prussian forces joined the 
 Russians, and a battle was fought at Eylau (i'lou), with- 
 out decisive result, bat a few months afterward, the 
 French won the victory of Friedland (freeflant), and 
 Prussia, by giving up a large portion of her territoiy, 
 secured the peace of Tilsit in July, 1807. A part of the 
 territory named was formed into the kingdom of AVest- 
 phalia, over which Napoleon's brother Jerome was made 
 king. 
 
 In order to complete his majestic circle of conquest. 
 Napoleon now set out to subjugate Spain and Portugal. 
 When the French army reached Lisbon, it inspired such 
 terror, that the city surrendered without resistance, and 
 the king was sent into exile. Next Napoleon compelled 
 the King of Spain to abdicate, and placed his brother 
 Joseph, King of Naples, on the throne. Joseph, as I have 
 said, was a weak man, and when the angry Spaniards 
 rose against him, he gathered enough wealth together to 
 support a monarch for a lifetime and withdrew from 
 Madrid. All of Spain was surrendered, except a part 
 bordering on the Pyrenees. 
 
 All this time, England was busy. She sent an army 
 into Spain to expel the French. It Avas under the command 
 of Sir Arthur Wellesley, more generally known as the 
 Duke of Wellington. The Peninsular War, as it was 
 called, began in 1808, and after several years, was suc- 
 cessful. Russia threatened Napoleon so seriously that he 
 had to withdraw his main forces, after which Wellesley 
 
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 269 
 
270 Young People's History of France. 
 
 completed the work of driving out the last French army 
 from Spain. 
 
 His vast success and mad ambition caused Napoleon 
 to commit more than one grave blunder. The Pope 
 wished to remain neutral, but the emperor insisted that 
 he was only a temporal sovereign, and was bound to aid 
 him in crippling English commerce. Since the Pope 
 could not be swerved from his position, the emperor 
 sent a force into Rome and annexed it to France. The 
 Pope excommunicated him, and Napoleon carried the 
 Pope off as prisoner, and held him as long as his power 
 remained. The foolishness of this act was that it gave 
 no strength to the French emperor, and made the Catholic 
 clergy of France and of all Europe his enemies. 
 
 Napoleon could not live without war. He picked a 
 quarrel with Austria and compelled Russia to be his ally 
 for the time, but England did her utmost to baflie the 
 "Kino; of Kino-s." The Austrians orained some successes, 
 but at AVagram on July 6, 1809, their army was routed 
 "horse, foot and dragoons," and in the peace that followed, 
 France gained still more territory. 
 
 Bonaparte was now at the zenith of his glory. For 
 centuries the world had not seen so resistless a conqueror. 
 The boundaries of France reached to the Baltic on the 
 north and beyond Rome on the south. His brother Louis 
 was King of Holland; Jerome of Westphalia; he expected 
 to replace Joseph on the throne of Spain; and when Lu- 
 cien, who was not quite as docile as the imperious brother 
 demanded, should become tractable, a throne was waiting 
 for him. One sister was queen of Naples, being the wife 
 
The Republic and the Empire. 
 
 271 
 
 of Murat, and the other two were princesses. The Pope 
 was the emperor's prisoner, and it seemed impossible to 
 gather any army in Europe that could hold its own 
 against his marvelous genius. 
 
 Napoleon would brook no 
 resistance to his will by 
 members of his own family. 
 He would not permit them 
 to marry, unless he chose 
 their partners. Since he had 
 no children, he divorced Jos- 
 ephine, and, in 1810, com- 
 pelled the conquered Emperor 
 of Austria to give him his 
 daughter Princess Maria 
 Louisa in marriage. A son 
 was born to them known as 
 Napoleon IL, and was called 
 the " King of Rome." He 
 developed consumption and 
 died at the age of twenty-one. 
 
 The putting away of his wife Josephine, marked the 
 beginning of Napoleon's downfall. Resentful against 
 Russia because the czar refused to close his ports to 
 English trade, the Emperor determined to humble her 
 and thus cripple an ally of England. 
 
 Now pause a moment to reflect upon a matter to 
 whicJi I have already asked your attention — that is the 
 incomprehensible folly of sensible men allowing the 
 ambition of one human being to cause hundreds of thou- 
 
 General Murat. 
 (King of Naples.) 
 
272 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 sands of deatlis, anguish in multitudes of homes, de- 
 vastation amounting to untold millions of dollars, and 
 
 sufferings beyond the power 
 of any mind to picture. 
 Napoleon wanted Russia to 
 inflict misery upon England 
 by refusing to trade with her; 
 Russia refused; therefore, 
 rivers of blood must flow, 
 with the end that the Rus- 
 sian ports were not closed, 
 and all this massacre by 
 wholesale went on without 
 the gain of a single thing, 
 except tears, broken hearts, 
 and deaths by the hundreds 
 of thousands. What a ser- 
 vice would have been ren- 
 dered humanity if Napoleon 
 Bonaparte had been shot at 
 the beginning of his bloody career or he had died about 
 the time mentioned ! 
 
 The emperor raised an army of 600,000 men, a host 
 too vast for any mind to comprehend. Suppose you 
 placed this arm}^ in platoons, each of which contained 
 ten men, and started them on the march, with just a yard 
 between every tw^o platoons so as to give the men room 
 to walk. The length of that army, including its wagon 
 trains, would be more than fifty miles! 
 
 This mighty host crossed the river Niemen (nce'man) 
 
 Caroline Bonaparte, 
 (Queen of Naples.) 
 
Josephine Swoons on Hearing the Decree of Divorce. 
 IS—MHs' France. 273 
 
274 Young People's History of France. 
 
 in the summer of 1812, and began its march to Moscow, 
 the ancient capital of Russia. No army could be 
 gathered strong enough to resist the invaders when led 
 by their great commander. The Russians, therefore, fell 
 back burning their villages and fields of grain. The 
 enemy must have food and forage, and they expected to 
 get it from the country as they passed through, but all 
 the fair fields were turned into a smoking waste.; The 
 Russians inflicted severe suffering and loss upon them- 
 selves, but still greater upon their enemies, and, desperate 
 as it was, it was the only remedy within their reach. 
 
 Five hundred miles were passed in this manner, when 
 the Russians made a stand at Borodino {dee-no). After 
 a loss of 45,000 in killed and wounded, and an immense 
 loss on the part of the French, the Russians were defeated 
 and the road to Moscow opened. Ten days later. Napo- 
 leon entered the old city and the invaders began pillaging 
 it. Scarcely had they started, when to their dismay, they 
 saw fires burning in a score of places. Moscow was 
 doomed. Napoleon and his men were appalled, for they 
 had reckoned on nothing like this. Nine-tenths of the 
 city was laid in ashes, and then the miserable army be- 
 gan its return in the depth of winter through the snow 
 and ice. No pen can describe, no mind conceive the hor- 
 rors of that retreat. The Cossack cavalrv hovered on the 
 flanks of the freezing army and cut down the men by the 
 hundred, while tens of thousands perished from cold and 
 starvation. At the Beresina {see'na) river, the Russians 
 made a determined stand, killed multitudes and many 
 more met their deaths in the icy waters. Of that mag- 
 
The Republic and the Empire. 
 
 275 
 
 nificent army of more than half a million men who en- 
 tered Russia with elastic step and in high hope, only a 
 shivering rabble of 20,000 tottered back to France. 
 Napoleon had previously fled 
 in disguise to Paris. 
 
 All France was in mourn- 
 ing, but such was the power 
 of this one man that he soon 
 raised an army of 350,000 
 soldiers to fight a new coali- 
 tion, consisting of England, 
 Russia, Prussia, Austria and 
 Sweden, under whose ban- 
 ners a million muskets were 
 gathered. The decisive con- 
 flict took place at Leipsic, in 
 Germany, in the autumn of 
 1813. The allied army num- 
 bered 250,000 men and the 
 French about 150,000. This 
 great contest has been called the Battle of the Nations. 
 At the end of three days. Napoleon was completely 
 routed. The allied armies invaded France, swept every- 
 thing before them, and Paris, being unable to defend itself 
 against them, surrendered. The victorious hosts passed 
 through her gates, March 31, 1814. 
 
 Feeling that all hope was gone, Napoleon abdicated, 
 that is surrendered his crown. ^It is said he took poison, 
 but it failed of effect. He was sent as an exile to the 
 island of Elba in the Mediterranean, and all Eurone f^r 
 tne nrsx time m years nreatUed treeiy 
 
 Joseph Bonaparte. 
 
276 Young People's History of France. 
 
 But lo! on March 1, 1815, Napoleon escaped with the 
 help of friends, and reached France. His arrival caused 
 consternation to the royalists and the wildest joy to the 
 populace who still worshipped him. Marshal Ney (no), 
 who had been sent to arrest the usurper, deserted to him, 
 and when the troops were drawn up with orders to shoot 
 their ^'Little Corporal," he walked out in front of them, 
 folded his arms and called : Who dares to shoot at his 
 emperor ? " The men rushed forward and almost 
 smothered him in their frantic embraces. The whole 
 nation went mad, and he entered Paris on the 20th of 
 March amid scenes of joy and enthusiasm, sucli as that 
 impulsive city has rarely seen in its long and stirring 
 history. 
 
 After the surrender of Paris, a provisional govern- 
 ment had been formed, and the brother of Louis XVI. 
 was placed on the throne, with the title of Louis XVIH. 
 (You remember that tbe Dauphin who was Louis XVII. 
 had died), and the Bourbon family was formally restored 
 May 3, 1814. It was while a congress of the European 
 Powers at Vienna were engaged in settling the affairs of 
 Europe, that it received news of the escape of Napoleon 
 from Elba. 
 
 Louis XYIII. fled on the approach of the ogre, who in 
 less than two months found himself again on the throne 
 of France, with an army of 200,000 men without the 
 National Guard. The allies prepared for the impending 
 conflict. Three immense armies were formed. The first 
 consisted of x\ustrians; the second of British, Germans 
 and Prussians, and the third of Russians. On Sunday, 
 
Napoleon's Eetnrn from Elba. 
 
 Throwinypen his surtout so ns to show the star <,f the Le^^ion of Honor 
 ^apoleou exclaimed : - If there be among you a soldier who de'ires to 
 . kill his general-his Emperor-let him dS it now. Here I am P' 
 
 277 
 
278 Young People's History of France. 
 
 June 18, 1815, was fouglit the battle of Waterloo, where 
 the allies under the Duke of Wellington routed the 
 French and drove them into precipitous flight. Napoleon 
 fled to Paris, but seeing the uselessness of further resist- 
 ance, he made his way to the coast and surrendered to a 
 British ship of war. He was sent as a captive to the 
 little island of St. Helena, where he arrived in October, 
 1815, and was closely guarded until his death. May 5, 
 1821. Thus ended perhaps the most extraordinary 
 career in the annals of the world. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 HOUSE OF BOUKBO^ (restored) . 1815-1830. 
 
 Louis XVIII.— Charles X. 
 
 YOU will remember that Louis XVIII. was a brother of 
 Louis XVL, whom the revolutionists executed. The 
 former was about a year younger than the latter, and 
 was originally known as the Count de Provence. He fought 
 with the allies against the republicans, but his services 
 amounted to little. Having fled from France upon the 
 approach of Napoleon after his escape from Elba, he 
 came back a second time and entered Paris July 9, 1815, 
 two days behind the British and Prussians. He dated 
 his accession from the time of the death of his nephew 
 Louis XYIL, in 1795, making what was really the first 
 year the twentieth of his reign. Thus Napoleon Bona- 
 
280 Young People's History of France. 
 
 parte was treated as a usurper not worth taking into 
 account, and yet you have learned that the " Little Cor- 
 poral" made matters very lively for the crowned heads of 
 Europe. 
 
 The new king was a true Bourbon, who forgot nothing 
 and learned nothing. He was a believer in the divine 
 right of kings, but he was obliged to bow at first to the 
 will of the people, in some respects. When he first 
 ascended the throne, he granted a liberal charter, which 
 he had to bind himself to respect. 
 
 The Royalists did not know how to be magnanimous 
 in their day of triumph. Marshal Ney, one of the 
 bravest men that ever lived, who had been a prominent 
 actor on the side of Napoleon after his escape from Elba, 
 and several other generals that had fought on a score of 
 bloody battlefields were shot for their devotion to the fallen 
 Emperor. Ney had sworn to support the Bourbon dynasty 
 and then deserted it. According to the laws of war, his 
 execution was just, but all Europe sympathized with him 
 and the Duke of Wellington made a special appeal in his 
 favor. 
 
 Perhaps you have read accounts that appear from 
 time to time in the newspapers, declaring that Marshal 
 Ney was not executed, but was permitted to escape and 
 that he made his way to the United States, where he 
 lived for a good many years, engaged as a teacher in the 
 South. Some of these accounts were so full, and sup- 
 ported by such good testimony that it was hard to doubt 
 their truth. We should all be glad to believe that 
 Marshal Ney, the '' Bravest of the brave" was thus spared 
 to old age, but it is not likely that he was. 
 
House of Bourbon (Restored). 
 
 281 
 
 At tlie conclusion of a war, the rule is to make the 
 conquered nation pay an "indemnity" to the victor. 
 This is a good law, and if the indemnity were made ten 
 times more grievous, it would 
 be still better, for it would 
 tend to discourage the busi- 
 ness of wholesale murder. In 
 addition to an immense bill 
 for damages, France was now 
 compelled to pay $140,000,000 
 to the allies, to surrender a 
 number of frontier fortresses, 
 and to support at her own 
 expense a border garrison of 
 150,000 soldiers for three 
 years. These troops, how- 
 ever, were withdrawn be- 
 fore the end of the period ,, , , 
 
 T ^ Marshal Ney. 
 
 named. 
 
 Thousands of the Bonapartists were imprisoned an(^ 
 persecuted. The state of affairs was the opposite of that 
 in the United States, at the close of the Civil War in . 
 1865. As soon as the last gun was fired and General 
 Lee surrendered at Appomattox, the North and South 
 became warm friends and not a solitary person was ever 
 executed for fighting against the Union. The fires of 
 mutual hatred burned a long time in France. 
 
 In the month of February, 1820, while the Duke of 
 Berry, nephew of the king, was escorting the duchess to 
 their carriage, at the close of the opera, he was stabbed 
 
282 Young People's History of France. 
 
 to death by a wretch, who wished to show his detestation 
 of the Bourbon race. Such crimes always react and the 
 effects are evil in every respect. Sympathy was roused 
 for the Bourbons and the hatred between political parties 
 intensified. 
 
 Despite the liberal constitution granted at first by the 
 king, he did not hesitate, being a true Bourbon, to violate 
 its spirit and letter. -Individual liberty was suspended, 
 the press was muzzled and the powers of the landed pro- 
 prietors greatly increased. Tlie Jesuits .returned to 
 France and the skies of the Bourbons were radiant with 
 promise. 
 
 The monarchies of Europe were still shivering because 
 of the seeds of democratic principles sown by the French 
 Revolution. People were beginning to think, or rather 
 they continued to think about justice, equal rights and 
 such things that are very troublesome to those who claim to 
 rule by divine right. The Czar of Russia became so un- 
 easy that he persuaded the Emperor of Austria and the 
 King of Prussia to unite with him in forming the ^'Holy 
 AlUance," whose avowed purpose was to help the cause of 
 Ciiristianity, as they considered that sacred cause to be, 
 but whose real object was to crush the spread of demo- 
 cratic ideas. In Spain, which has always been one of the 
 most oppressive governments in the world, the people 
 rose against the tyrannous acts of their sovereign Ferdi- 
 nand YII. France was forced to send an army thither to 
 heljD the tyrant, and Louis XYIII. naturally grew more 
 oppressive at home. The life of the laboring man be- 
 came one of drudgery and his lot indeed was a sorry one. 
 
Souse of Bourbon (Restored). 
 
 283 
 
 The king was too much of a gkitton to restrain his 
 gross appetite. He knew he was injuring himself by over 
 eating, but he would not stop. He was attacked by a dry 
 erysipelas in his 
 legs, and soon lost 
 the power of walk- 
 ing. Then he be- 
 came enormously 
 fat, and still gor- 
 mandizing, died 
 September 16, 
 1824, at the age of 
 sixty-nine years. 
 
 His brother, two 
 years younger, suc- 
 ceeded as Charles 
 X. He proved to 
 be more of a Bour- 
 bon than the dead 
 king, who had at- 
 tempted to give 
 him some good 
 
 advice, but which The Duke of Berry. 
 
 received no attention. Charles cared nothing^ for the 
 Charter, but believed his mission to be the restoration 
 of the monarchy with all its hateful privileges. In 
 ancient times, every article touched by the king was 
 regarded with awe and reverence. One belief was that 
 the contact of his hand would cure disease, this being 
 esjDccially true of scrofula, which I presume, because of 
 
284 Yoimg Peoj)ie's History of France. 
 
 that superstition, is sometimes called the "king's evil." 
 Would you believe that Charles X. was fool enough to 
 restore this old custom, at which every sensible person 
 laughed ? 
 
 There seemed to be no idiotic lengths to which this 
 monarch did not go, apparently under the belief that it 
 was impossible for him to disgust the people. One of 
 his first acts was to demand that $200,000,000 should be 
 paid to the nobles who had fled the country during the 
 days of the Republic instead of remaining and lighting 
 for their rights. Then he insisted that the nunneries 
 should be re establishd, the right of primogeniture — that 
 is of the privileges of parents descending to their first- 
 born — and severe laws to compel men to be good, as if 
 such a thing as law ever made a person good. All these 
 demands were granted by the chambers or ruling body. 
 
 These silly and oppressive measures were just what 
 was needed to strengthen the Liberal party which grew 
 rapidly. The only praiseworthy act of France during 
 those times was done abroad. Greece was engaged in a 
 life and death struggle with Turkey, and would have 
 been crushed but for England, Russia and France, whose 
 fleets annihilated that of the Turks at Navarino in 1827, 
 and thus delivered the gallant little country from bondage. 
 
 There is none so blind as those who won't see. The 
 National Guard of France was made up mostly of honest, 
 law-loving persons and was looked upon as the one great 
 wall against violence and anarchy. The king issued an 
 order disbanding the National Guard and the people were 
 almost angry enough to break out in open rebellion ; but 
 
House of Bourbon (Kestored). 
 
 285 
 
 there had been so much woe and misery by revolts, that 
 they waited and contented themselves with sending more 
 Liberal members to the 
 Chambers. 
 
 Then the king tried to 
 have a law passed forbid- 
 ding the publication of all 
 newspapers and books 
 which were not approved 
 by his committee. Fortu- 
 nately the bill failed to be- 
 come a law, and moreover, 
 he was compelled to make 
 some concessions to the 
 Liberal party, one of which 
 was to remove the Jesuits 
 from the control of the 
 schools and colleges. 
 
 Another triumph 
 gained abroad was the 
 conquest, in 1830, of the 
 city of Algiers and the establishment of a flourish- 
 ing French colony in Northern Africa. It was this 
 military success that gave Charles X. courage to force 
 matters at ' home. His opposition to the wishes of 
 the people was continually proven by his acts, but in the 
 elections of 1830, the Liberals gained a sweeping victory. 
 It should have been a warning to the bigoted king, but 
 such as he do not know enough to heed a warning of that 
 nature. Instead of bowing to the will of the people, he 
 determined upon a coup d' etat {koo-day-tah'). 
 
 Louis XVIII. Advising Charles X. 
 
286 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 When the governing power of a country commits a 
 violent, unexpected and unlawful act by which it seizes 
 
 the supreme power, 
 it is said to make a 
 coup d' etat. 
 
 The king suspen- 
 ded the liberty of the 
 press; dissolved the 
 Liberal legislature, 
 that had just been 
 elected; withdrew 
 the ballot from all 
 except property 
 holders ; summoned 
 a new leg-islature to 
 be elected under the 
 law just proclaimed, 
 and nominated a 
 Council of State, 
 composed of his own 
 partisans. 
 
 This daring ac- 
 tion was beyond the 
 power of Paris to 
 stand and the people 
 broke out in revolt, 
 which lasted throughout July 27, 28 and 29, 1830. The 
 royal guard and the Swiss showed great bravery, but they 
 were overcome, and the army refused to fight for the 
 abominated king, who, if he had been blind before, now 
 
 Charles X. 
 
House of Orleans. 287 
 
 saw things as they were. France wanted him no longer, 
 and the only way to save his head was by abdicating, 
 which he proceeded to do in favor of his grandson, the 
 Duke of Bordeaux. His tomfoolery had cost him his 
 throne and 6000 victims either killed or wounded, who 
 were worth infinitely more than the throne. 
 
 Once more the House of Bourbon was snuffed out, 
 and the dethroned king, who had long been accustomed 
 to a wandering life, shook the dust of his native land 
 from his feet, and faced toward England, finally taking 
 up his abode at Holy rood Palace, Edinburgh, where twenty 
 years before he had found an asylum. He removed to 
 different places, and finally died in 1836, from an attack 
 of cholera. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 HOUSE OF ORLEANS. 1830-1852. 
 
 Louis Philippe — The Republic, 
 
 THE father of Louis Philippe was the Duke of Orleans 
 a savage wretch, who, under the name of Philippe 
 Egalite (e-gaVi-te, meaning equality), took a leading 
 part in the excesses of the Revolution, and like many of 
 his associates fell a victim to the guillotine. The son 
 was summoned at the same time to appear before the 
 Committee of Public Safety, but he had sense enough to 
 
288 Young People^s History of France. 
 
 get out of reach as fast as he could. He traveled a great 
 deal through European countries and spent several years 
 with two of his brothers in the United States. He was 
 fifty-three years old when crowned, because the prominent 
 men in whom the inhabitants had confidence favored him. 
 
 Louis Philippe had done several things that pleased 
 the people. He bore a good character, had favored the 
 views of the Liberals, was simple in his tastes, had edu- 
 cated his boys in the public schools, and seemed to have 
 the good of the country and people at heart. He promptly 
 accepted tlie Charter of Rights agreed upon by the 
 Cb amber of Deputies and his reign began very promis- 
 ingly. He was a member of what was called the Bour- 
 bon-Orleans family and was often referred to as the 
 " Citizen Kino;." 
 
 To understand the events that follow, you must bear 
 in mind that there were four political parties at that 
 time in France. The most determined was the Republi- 
 cans, who believed that the best form of government in 
 the world was that of the United States (and therein 
 they showed their good sense) ; they favored a republic 
 and were sure that the rio;:lit tliino; to do with kino's was 
 to bundle them off about their business and let them 
 earn their living like honest folks, instead of trying to 
 rule those who were abler and better than the}'. 
 
 Then there were the Bonapartists. Frenchmen could 
 not forget the glory that wrapped that name in a halo, 
 but they did forget the woe and misery and wretched- 
 ness and humiliation brought to France by that colossal 
 curse, whose career was a blight to humanity, and they 
 
House of Orleans. 
 
 289 
 
 dreamed of the restoration of the Empire and the splen- 
 dor that had dazzled their senses. They advocated the 
 placing of a member 
 of the Bonaparte 
 family on the throne. 
 There were plenty of 
 Bonapartists then and 
 you can find them in 
 France to-day, though 
 not in sufficient num- 
 bers to make trouble. 
 
 The Constitution- 
 alists supported the 
 king and favored a 
 monarchy, limited by 
 a constitution like 
 that of England. Fi- 
 nally, there were the 
 Legitimists who be- 
 lieved that the most 
 lieavenly form of gov- 
 ernment that ever 
 blessed mankind was 
 that of the Bourbons, 
 just as it tormented 
 the people before the 
 Revolution and had Louis PMiippe. 
 
 at intervals cursed them since. 
 
 As I said, everything looked promising, but the French 
 are the most excitable people in the world, ready to 
 
 19 — Ellis'' France. 
 
290 Young People's History of France. 
 
 appeal to revolution at all times in support of their 
 views, and often swayed by blind impulse and passion. 
 Several ominous incidents showed the bitterness between 
 the political parties. You remember that the Duke of 
 Berry was assassinated. The Legitimists were holding a 
 service in memory of him, when a vicious attack was 
 made upon the church by the Republicans and rabble, 
 the crucifix, the priests' vestments and the communion 
 plate were thrown into the Seine and the archbishop's 
 residence was gutted. Several other outbreaks occurred 
 and how do you suppose the authorities quelled them ? 
 
 Naturally you think it was by grapeshot, or the 
 sabres of the mounted cavalry, but it was very different. 
 The fire engines were called out and the hose squirted 
 such big streams upon the howling mob that their pas- 
 sions were cooled and they were sent scurrying in every 
 direction to dodge the deluge. It was impossible for the 
 king to please all parties, and the rancor on the part of 
 the Republicans was shown by several desperate attempts 
 to assassinate him. More than once he had a remarkable 
 escape. 
 
 The year 1832 is memorable because of the first 
 visitation of Europe by that dreadful pestilence, cholera. 
 It attracted attention in the East in the early part of the 
 century, and kept creeping toward Europe. In 1828 and 
 1829, it appeared in different places in Russia, but as I 
 have said, its first real visitation was in 1832. Cholera 
 attacks a person without warning and it often happens 
 that within two hours of the attack, he is dead. In the 
 space of six months 20,000 victims died in Paris alone, 
 
House of Orleans. 
 
 291 
 
 and many entire villages were left without a living 
 person. 
 
 Three months after its appearance in France, the dis- 
 ease crossed the Atlantic, first appearing at Quebec^ and 
 three weeks later at New York. 
 Old people who can remember 
 as far back as that, will tell 
 yoii dreadful tales of the 
 ravages of the disease. Our 
 
 The Kue de Rivoli, Paris. 
 
 country at the time was engaged in the Black Hawk 
 War, and so many soldiers died from cholera that General 
 Scott had to -stop the campaign until the cooler weather 
 of autumn. 
 
292 Young People's History of France. 
 
 There was continual plotting against the king, and 
 naturally severe laws were made by him and his friends 
 for their protection. Some of the papers were so abusive 
 that rightly enough they were suppressed, but this power 
 was often used unjustly to prevent the expression of 
 honest opinions. 
 
 Among the plotters against the king was a miserable 
 fraud, of whom I may as well tell you something in this 
 place, since he is soon to come prominently forward 
 again j I refer to Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, son 
 of Louis Bonaparte, ex-king of Holland and brother of 
 the great Napoleon. He was born in Paris in 1808, but 
 had not one spark of the ability of his uncle, who over- 
 turned and created new empires at his pleasure. Never- 
 theless, although banished from France, Louis Napoleon 
 and a few of his friends made an attempt in 1836, to 
 seize the fortress of Strasburg, believing that because 
 the town was not specially fond of the existing govern- 
 ment, it would rally around the name of Napoleon. 
 
 The attempt was a ridiculous failure, and Napoleon 
 himself was captured, taken to Paris and spared on con- 
 dition that he should be sent to the United States. Some 
 persons might wonder why it was that France, after prov- 
 ing so good a friend to us in our Revolution, should thus 
 show her ill will. He spent several years in this country, 
 and at times had hard work to earn his bread and butter, 
 but all the time he was watching matters in France, think- 
 ing about his uncle, and never forgetful of the fact that he 
 really had a right to the name of Bonaparte. 
 
 Biding his time, he took up his residence in England 
 
House of Orleans. 
 
 293 
 
 in the latter part of 1838, and, in 1840, determined to 
 make another attempt to gain the French throne. He 
 hired a London steamer, the City of Edinhurgh, and with 
 fifty-five associates, landed Aug- 
 ust 6, near Boulogne (boo-lon') 
 and summoned the troops to 
 surrender or join him. Only 
 one man surrendered, a young 
 lieutenant of the 42d regiment, 
 who tried to persuade the others 
 to imitate him, but they refused. 
 The National Guard beat to 
 anns, and the tame eagle wdth 
 which the Prince had provided 
 himself could not be coaxed to 
 make its impressive flight in 
 air, and thus fire the enthusiasm 
 of the soldiers by appealing to 
 their memories of the eagles of the great Napoleon. 
 
 The "nephew of his uncle" concluded that the time 
 had come to retreat, and he started in haste for his 
 steamer, but he was captured before he could get away. 
 The leaders were taken to Paris, put on trial and con- 
 victed of treason. The prince was sentenced to perpetual 
 imprisonment in a fortress and confined in the citadel of 
 Ham. 
 
 One day, after he had been a prisoner for six years, 
 he put on the disguise of a workman, and, succeeding in 
 eluding the vigilance of the guards, made his escape 
 Mav 25, 1846. He crossed the frontier into Belgium, 
 
 Napoleon III. 
 
294 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 and for tlie third time took refuge in England, where he 
 remained until the revolution of 1848, of which we shall 
 now learn. 
 
 In 1846, the Queen of Spain married her cousin, and 
 her sister at the same time married the youngest son of 
 
 the king of France. In 
 this way the Spanish and 
 French Bourbons were 
 closely joined, much to the 
 dissatisfaction of England, 
 which saw danger of an 
 extension of the power of 
 Louis Philippe to Spain. 
 The liberals of France were 
 also displeased, for they 
 believed evil would come 
 from the alliance. 
 
 The discontent in- 
 creased. Most of the 
 people were still without 
 the ballot, and began to 
 clamor for the same 
 rights that had been given 
 to the workmen in Eng- 
 land. Meetings were held at which fiery speeches were 
 made, and a grand banquet was arranged for Washing- 
 ton's birthday, February 22, 1848. The government 
 attempted to repress this banquet, whereupon the enraged 
 populace rose in rebellion. When the troops joined the 
 the mob, the king thought it was time to flee and he did 
 
 Eebellion, 1848. 
 
House of Orleans. 
 
 295 
 
 so^ making his escape to England where he died two 
 years later. 
 
 The king being out of the way, a provisional govern- 
 ment was formed, consisting of seven members, and 
 France was declared a republic with the motto, "Liberty, 
 Equality and Fra- 
 ternity." Distinc- 
 tions of nobility 
 and hereditary ti- 
 tles were abolished 
 and a national as- 
 sembly was called 
 for the purpose of 
 framing a consti- 
 tution. The one 
 adopted vested the 
 government in a 
 president, to be 
 elected for a term 
 of four years, and 
 a na^tional assembly. Louis Napoleon was elected by a 
 large majority first president of the republic. 
 
 In accepting this apparent proof of the confidence of 
 his fellow citizens, he declared, " My name is a symbol of 
 order, natioiiality and glory." He was crafty and am- 
 bitious. Knowing that a large number viewed him with 
 distrust, he took every possible means of removing the 
 feeling. He complained of the injustice of such suspi- 
 cions and sought to strengthen his hold upon the French 
 jiation, more especially the soldiery, by reviving, when- 
 
 The Pantheon, seen from the Gardens of 
 the Lycee of Henry IV, 
 
296 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 ever the chance ofleied, the most agreeable memories of 
 
 his uncle's rule. 
 
 Meanwhile, in Italy a revolution had broken out and 
 
 the people were engaged in a struggle to free themselves 
 
 from the Austrian yoke. A revolt in Eome was so suc- 
 cessful that the Pope fled, 
 and under the leadership 
 of Garibaldi and Mazzini 
 {mat-zee'ne), a republic was 
 declared. It is said that 
 Louis Napoleon had 
 pledged himself to favor 
 Italian liberty, but such 
 pledges counted for naught 
 when his own interests 
 were at stake. He sent a 
 strong force to crush the 
 Roman republic and rein- 
 state the Pope, and by that 
 means, he gained the warm 
 support of the Church. 
 
 street Singers, Paris. q^^ ^f ^^^ prOvisioUS 
 
 of the new constitution was the wise one that the presi- 
 dent of the republic could not again be a candidate until 
 he had been out of oflice for at least one term. Thus, 
 Louis Napoleon after serving his first term would have 
 to wait until 1856, which he could not bring himself to 
 do. But how could he help himself? Ah, there was 
 the coup d' etat. Why not appeal to that? 
 
 He made careful and secret preparations. He filled 
 
House of Orleans. 
 
 297 
 
 the most important offices with those upon whom he 
 could depend; created new generals, cultivated the good 
 will of the army and promised rewards where they were 
 likely to be effective. Learning that the Assembly was 
 about to take measures to check his growing influence, he 
 
 Le Pont-Neuf, Paris. 
 
 made his first move at midnight, December 1, 1851, 
 when his most prominent opponents in the Legislature 
 were taken from their beds and hurried to prison. Plac- 
 ards had been prepared and when Paris awoke the next 
 morning, the city was white with them. 
 
 These announced that the Legislative Assembly was 
 dissolved; universal suffrage restored; a new general 
 election called for December 14, Paris and the suburbs 
 were in a state of siege and the Council of State dissolved. 
 
 The plans were so perfect that the slight resistance 
 
298 Young People's History of France. 
 
 made amounted to nothing. A new constitution was pro- 
 claimed, which not only added greatly to the powers of 
 the president but extended his term to ten years. The 
 people accepted, for most of them were disgusted with the 
 continual wrangling in the National Assembly from which 
 no good had resulted. 
 
 Thus matters stood for about a year. In the autumn 
 of 1852, Louis Napoleon made tours through several of the 
 departments of France, and when he returned his friends 
 insisted that the cries of ^^ViveL' Empereur!" which 
 greeted him everywhere left no doubt of the wishes of 
 the people, and it was proposed that the question of 
 restoring the empire should be submitted to the country. 
 
 This proposal was accepted, and when the vote was 
 counted, it was found that the French nation had declared 
 in favor of the restoration of the empire by a majority 
 of 6,000,000. Accordingly the empire was proclaimed 
 December 2, 1852, the Prince assuming the style and title 
 of "Napoleon HI., Emperor of the French, by the grace 
 of God and the will of the people." He was recognized 
 by the English government, afterward by the -other 
 Powers, and finally by the Emperor of Russia and the 
 German sovereigns. 
 
CHAPTER XXl. 
 
 THE SECOND EMPIRE 1852-1870. 
 
 Napoleon III. 
 
 UNDER Napoleon III. it looked for a time as if the 
 splendor and magnificence of the First Empire 
 were to be restored. Paris was almost rebuilt on a 
 scale of grandeur that made it the wonder of the world and 
 
 M:i': 
 
 The Louvre as seen from the Rue Marengo. 
 
 drew admiring visitors from all quarters of the globe. 
 The metropolis was completely sewered and became a 
 model of cleanliness and health and other cities followed 
 
 299 
 
300 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 her example. The Louvre was completed; boulevards 
 were cut through; new ones made; schools and churches 
 sprang up in all quarters; gardens and promenades were 
 
 laid out and im- 
 mense improve- 
 ments were car- 
 ried on in the 
 construction o f 
 railways, canals, 
 roads and ports. 
 No industry 
 w^ a s neglected. 
 Boards of agri- 
 culture were or- 
 ganized, and ag- 
 ricultural prizes 
 offered in order 
 to spread the 
 best methods 
 among farmers and breeders. Institutions for their ben- 
 efit w^ere founded, forests were renewed on the mountains 
 and the division and sales of common lands helped in 
 every way. The sum of $20,000,000 was appropriated 
 to improve the systems of draining, and thousands of 
 acres that had long been considered to be waste lands 
 were turned into fertile fields for culture. The public 
 schools were perfected, and elementary instruction in 
 agriculture was required in all of them. In fifteen years, 
 the number of children who received primary instruction 
 was increased by a million, and 13,000 school libraries 
 
 A Cabaret in Montmartre, Paris. 
 
Ilhe Second Empire. 
 
 301 
 
 were estahlWysO. The pay of teachers was increased and 
 
 the standard of ^^heir qualifications raised. Hundreds of 
 
 evening schools for the instruction of adults were founded; 
 
 technical schools established and the Ecole 
 
 des Hautes Etudes {'d-kol da zote-za t\ 
 
 instituted for ad ranee d scientific 
 
 researches. 
 
 Through the 
 Fonder the landed 
 prietors were ena- 
 bled to improve 
 their propeYty 
 and raise their 
 mortgage?^, more 
 easily. The 
 Ci^edil Mohilier 
 extended credit 
 more rapidly 
 than was wise, 
 for many fail- 
 ures resulted, 
 and when the 
 State wished to contract a loan, instead of applying 
 solely to the bankers, it invited the citizens to be- 
 come subscribers. Following the example of England, 
 free trade was established and commercial treaties on 
 that basis were made with England, Italy, Belgium, 
 Turkey and other countries. For a long time im- 
 prisonment for debt was a common penalty but that 
 was now wiped out, The World's Exhibitions held in 
 
 Law School, Paris. 
 
302 Young People's History of France. 
 
 Paris in 1855 and in 1867, were patronized by tlie leading 
 nations of the globe and gave a powerful impulse to all 
 forms of industry. In order to strengthen foreign com- 
 merce, the government aided in the establishment of new 
 lines of steamers to America and from the Mediterranean 
 ports to Asia. A natural result was that the annual 
 amount of exportations and importations tripled in the 
 course of twelve years. The rights of workmen to com- 
 bine for the purpose of securing higher wages was 
 recognized by law, and pauperism and crime were greatly 
 diminished. Paris became the head of fashion for the 
 civilized world, and the Mecca of all who looked upon 
 pleasure and enjoyment as the end and aim of life. 
 
 Was not France under the Second Empire the ideal of 
 the highest and best form of government? Why should 
 it not serve as the model for other peoples? Why should 
 it not be forever a beacon light and guide to all nations 
 struggling toward the perfection of human rule? 
 
 I tell you, my young friends, no nation can become 
 and remain truly great, happy and prosperous, unless it 
 clings immovably to pure Christianity. It may attain 
 power and glory, and for a time dazzle the world by its 
 splendor, but, just so sure as night follows day, so sure 
 will ruin follow, if that nation forsakes the principles of 
 truth, right, justice and humanity. The history of 
 France, from the time of the Gauls, to say nothing of 
 other nations, has proven this time3 almost without 
 number. 
 
The Second Empire. 
 
 303 
 
 Napoleon III. was selfish, base and wicked, and 
 those associated with him in the government were the 
 same. His court was corrupt to the core, and underneath 
 all the apparent - 
 prosperity were the 
 rapidly growing 
 seeds of decay. The 
 fountain was im- 
 pure, the tree was 
 rotten at the root, 
 the professed Chris- 
 tianity was blasphe- 
 mous hypocrisy, the 
 rulers were follow- 
 ing strange gods 
 and now observe 
 the consequences. 
 
 Russia has been 
 for many years, as 
 
 Schoolboys Leaving the Lycee. 
 
 she is to-day the great Power that threatens the peace of 
 Europe. Wise men prophesy that the final mighty struggle 
 for mastery will open on the frontier of India between Rus- 
 sia and Great Britain and before it ends all Europe will be 
 ablaze. The advance of Russia into Turkey led to an alli- 
 ance in 1854 between France and England on the side of 
 Turkey. It looked strange to see those old rivals and ene- 
 mies united as friends. In September the allies, 70,000 
 strong, landed on the shores of the Crimea and began the 
 siege of Sebastopol. This siege, lasting almost a year, was 
 accompanied by suffering, disease and death, which made 
 
304 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 it the most terrible in the history of modern warfare. 
 The city fell in September, 1855, and a few months later 
 the Emperor, Nicholas, died, disappointed and almost 
 
 broken hearted over 
 the failure of his far- 
 reaching schemes. 
 Peace was made, and 
 Turkey, "the sick 
 man of Europe," un- 
 fortunately was pre- 
 served to continue 
 its crimes. 
 
 Napoleon III. de- 
 clared war against 
 Austria in 1859, with 
 the avowed purpose 
 of helping Italy in 
 her struggle for in- 
 dependence. The war 
 was very popular, 
 but the Emperor 
 thought only of his own interests. It was successful 
 and would have been pressed to the end but for the 
 threatened interference of Prussia and Germany on the 
 side of Austria. This led Napoleon III. to make peace, and 
 in payment for his help he received the provinces of Savoy 
 and Nice. 
 
 I suppose one reason why many of us Americans so 
 dislike the memory of Napoleon III. is because he was 
 our most malignant enemy during the War for the Union. 
 
 Left Wing of Opera House, Paris. 
 
c 
 
 3^ 
 
 o 
 
 ,> 
 
 
 'S 
 
 
 « 
 
 
 <u 
 
 6 
 
 Ch 
 
 fl 
 
 w' 
 
 ilii luj I I liiiu 1 1 II III II mil liiiiuiiiiii ll 
 
 20— Ellis' France. 
 
306 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 
 He was anxious to see this country destroyed, and tried 
 all he knew how to persuade England to join him in rec- 
 ognizing the Southern Confederacy. Finally, a dispute 
 
 with Mexico led him to be- 
 lieve that, while our hands 
 were tied Avith our own 
 war, we should not dare 
 to interfere with a flagrant 
 violation of the Monroe 
 Doctrine by him. So he 
 sent a French army into 
 Mexico and persuaded 
 Maximilian of Austria that 
 there would be little diffi- 
 culty in establishing an 
 empire there, with Maxi- 
 milian as Emperor. Our 
 government thought it 
 best to let the intruders 
 alone until we were 
 through with our own 
 troubles. That was not 
 long, and notice was then 
 sent to Napoleon III. that he and his army must get out of 
 Mexico. He knew that such notice meant " business," and 
 he abandoned his dupe, Maximilian to his fate. The Mexi- 
 cans pressed the war so hard against the invaders that 
 they were routed, and Maximilian and his two leading 
 generals were captured in 1867 and shot. That was the 
 end of Louis Napoleon's attempt to found a French 
 empire on the American continent. 
 
 The Medici Fountain, Luxembourg 
 Garden, Paris. 
 
The Second Empire. 
 
 307 
 
 Vicompte Ferdinand de Lesseps (la-seps'), born at Ver- 
 sailles in 1805, an eminent engineer, completed, in 1869, 
 the Suez Canal, which joins the waters of the Mediter- 
 ranean and the Red Sea. The original capital of 
 
 Hotel de Ville, Paris. 
 
 $60,000,000 was increased to $90,000,000, and on 
 November 17, the canal was opened to commerce, in the 
 presence of the Empress Eugenie, and other crowned 
 heads. On that memorable day, 130 ships passed through 
 free of toll. The Suez Canal has proven of immeasurable 
 benefit to the world at large, for vessels, which formerly 
 had to sail around the Cape of Good Hope to reach India 
 
308 Young People's History of France. 
 
 and China, now save thousands of miles by using the 
 canal. 
 
 You remember the terrific beating which Germany 
 suffered at the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte. The 
 wounds did not heal after his death on St. Helena, and 
 another war was one of the certainties of the future. 
 Germany spent years in preparing for it. Bismarck, the 
 greatest statesman of modern times, was the real power 
 in Germany, and he laid his plans with consummate skill. 
 He, King William and Yon Moltke meant that when the 
 time came to strike, they would strike with the fabled 
 hammer of Thor. There were scores of German teachers 
 employed in the schools of France, who made themselves 
 familiar with the streams, strength of the bridges, the 
 '^ lay of the land," the military power of the country, 
 and indeed with everything that could be of help to their 
 government. 
 
 There was continual friction, but the rupture did not 
 come until 1870. In that year, the vacant throne of 
 Spain was offered to Prince Leopold, an officer of the 
 Prussian army, and a relative of the Prussian King, who 
 told him he might accept it. Napoleon III. flared up, 
 as perhaps he was justified in doing, and Leopold seeing 
 the trouble that was likely to come, like a sensible fellow 
 withdrew his name. Surely that ought to have ended the 
 matter, but Napoleon III. had no more sense or good taste 
 than to demand from the King of Prussia a written pledge 
 that he never would support Leopold as a candidate for 
 the Spanish throne. 
 
 Count Bismarck, the Prussian Prime Minister, re- 
 
The Second Empire. 
 
 309 
 
 garded this demand as an msnlt and refused to lay it be- 
 fore his King. Some time later, the French Ambassador 
 (Count Benedetti who died March 28, 1900) meeting the 
 King in a public park, haught- 
 ily insisted upon his giving the 
 pledge. The brusque old mon- 
 arch told the Frenchman that 
 that was not the time nor place 
 to consider the question, and 
 notified the impudent Ambass- 
 ador that he would not be 
 allowed to enter the palace, or 
 meet the Emperor again. 
 
 Then it was Napoleon's 
 turn to consider himself insul- 
 ted, and he declared war on 
 July 19, 1870. The step was 
 popular, and only those who 
 
 knew the facts looked for any result other than the 
 defeat of the Prussians. Empress Eugenie clapped her 
 gloved hands and exultingly declared '^ This is my war!" 
 and her misguided subjects raised the war cry, " On to 
 Berlin!" Napoleon III. placed himself at the head of a 
 body of troops, and marching northward, made his head- 
 quarters at Metz, from which city he intended to cross 
 the Rhine into Germany. 
 
 But lo ! before that could be done, the Germans were 
 in France and marching straight npon Paris! Their 
 armies were numerous and powerful, they were led by 
 the ablest of officers, and were in the highest state of 
 
 Count Bismarck. 
 
310 Young People's History of France. 
 
 discipline. The Frencli were poorly equipped, poorly dis- 
 ciplined and poorly led. 
 
 The -fighting soon began, and the superiority of the 
 invaders instantly showed itself. Marshal MacMalion 
 was forced back toward Chalons (slial-on'), with his army 
 of 160,000 men, and Marshal Bazaine, after a furious 
 struggle, was driven tumultuously behind the fortifications 
 of Metz, to which the Germans immediately laid siege. 
 Cooped up there, Bazaine could not help himself nor do 
 France any good. Napoleon HI. ordered MacMalion to 
 march to his relief, but the Germans kept him away, and it 
 wasonly by desperate work that he managed to reach Sedan 
 (suh-dang) in northeastern France, where he was attacked 
 on the 1st of September and completely routed. MacMa- 
 lion surrendered 80,000 prisoners of war and one of them 
 was Napoleon TIL When the news reached Paris, the 
 legislature declared the Emperor deposed and France a 
 Kepublic. Thus the Second Empire was blotted out. 
 
 The German armies advanced upon Paris and be- 
 sieged it from September 19, 1870 to January 30, 1871, 
 during which food became so scarce that the people lived 
 on dogs, cats, rats, and finally ate the wild beasts in the 
 Zoological Gardens. The weather was intensely cold, 
 and the trees in the parks and boulevards were cut down 
 to keep the wretched inhabitants from freezing. A pro- 
 visional government had been organized for defense, but 
 the end was inevitable. When it became a choice be- 
 tween surrender and starvation, a preliminary treaty of 
 peace was signed February 26, 1871, by which France 
 agreed to give up German-speaking Lorraine, the fortress 
 
The Second Empire. 
 
 311 
 
 of Metz, all of Alsace, and to pay an indemnity of |1,- 
 000,000,000, a German army to remain on French soil 
 until the debt was paid. 
 
 Paris was further humiliated on the 1st of March by 
 the sight of a large German force entering the city and 
 passing imder the magnificent arch, which Napoleon the 
 Great had reared to commemo- 
 rate his victories. 
 
 But the cup of misery was 
 not yet full. The German army 
 which had occupied Versailles 
 withdrew, and the provisional 
 government which Thiers {tee- 
 air') had established, moved to 
 that city. Then the Commun- 
 ists closed the gates of Paris, 
 and uniting with the National 
 Guard, took possession of the 
 city and held it for more than 
 two months. Proud Paris was 
 given over to plunder, violence 
 and crime, like that under the Reign of Terror. The 
 Communists believe in no government, and insist that no 
 man has the right to own property, which ought to be 
 held in common. The churches were closed, the nuns and 
 sisters of charity driven out, and the Vendome (von- 
 dome') Column erected in honor of the wars of Napoleon 
 I. was pulled down. 
 
 These men declared that France had been betrayed 
 by the Thiers government, because of the treaty it signed 
 
 Marshal Bazaine. 
 
312 Young People's History of France. 
 
 with Germany. They made several attacks on Versailles 
 and a number were taken prisoners. The Communists 
 seized the aged Archbishop Darboy, and more than sixty 
 priests and public citizens, under the pretense of holding 
 them as hostages. Instead of doing so, they deliberately 
 murdered every one. 
 
 As was always the case, the most bloody and merci- 
 less of the Communists were the women, and hundreds 
 of boys, some of them of tender years, followed their 
 frightful examples. 
 
 The Versailles government was not powerful enough 
 to move against Paris until the return of the exchanged 
 soldiers. Then, on the 21st of May, Marshal MacMahon 
 succeeded in forcing his way into the city. In their mad 
 fury the Commune determined to destroy Paris. In 
 the Cathedral of Notre Dame and other churches, barrels 
 of gunpowder were piled and men, women and children 
 with cans of petroleum to feed the flames ran pell mell 
 to all the public buildings and drenched them with the 
 inflammable fluid. The troops, by the hardest work, pre- 
 vented this wholesale destruction, but the palace of the 
 Tuileries, the Hotel de Ville (d-vili) and many other 
 structures were laid in ashes. 
 
 The Communists were routed from their barricades 
 and gathered for their last stand in the principal ceme- 
 tery, where they were mowed down with musketry and 
 grapeshot. In the brief, horrible reign of the Commune, 
 fully 20,000 people were killed and property to the value 
 of a hundred million dollars was destroyed. 
 
 Through the aid of friends. Empress Eugenie managed 
 to escape from the city, or she would have been one of 
 
The Second Empire. 
 
 313 
 
 the first victims to the fury of the populace. Napoleon 
 
 III. was held in royal state as a prisoner for a time, and 
 
 upon his release 
 
 went to England, for 
 
 he was too wise ever 
 
 to set foot on the 
 
 soil of France again. 
 
 He died from the 
 
 effects of a surgical 
 
 operation in 1873. 
 
 Prince Napoleon 
 completed his mili- 
 tary education in 
 England, and en- 
 tered her service in 
 the war against the 
 Zulus in South Af- 
 rica. One day he 
 and some of his 
 brother officers were 
 surprised by a party 
 of ■ savages in the 
 bush. The young 
 man while running 
 beside his horse and 
 
 Summary Execution of a Communist. 
 
 trying to mount, was pierced by the assagais or spears 
 of the pursuing Zulus and killed. At this writing (1901) 
 his mother, a gray, aged, decrepit and broken-hearted 
 woman is still living, and none can think of her past and 
 present without a feeling of sympathy, for the contrast 
 could not be greater nor more sorrowful. 
 
CHAPTEE XXII. 
 
 THE THIRD REPUBLIC 1870. 
 
 Committee of Public Defense — Thiers — MacMahon — 
 
 Grevy — Carnot — Perier — Faiire — Loubert. 
 
 (1870-1901). 
 
 THE Commune having been stamped out, the question 
 was as to what government should assume charge 
 of France. The National Assembly was divided. The 
 Legitimists wished that the direct line of Bourbons should 
 be summoned to the throne in the person of Count Cham- 
 bord, grandson of Charles X., called by his friends Henry V. 
 The Orleanists desired the restoration of the limited 
 monarchy in the person of the Count of Paris, grandson 
 of Louis Philippe, or the Duke d' Aumale son of Louis 
 Philippe, while the Bonapartists favored the young Prince 
 Napoleon. 
 
 Although the Assembly was often involved in contro- 
 versy with its president, L. A. Thiers, it was so generally 
 felt that he was the strongest man, that on the last day 
 of August, 1871, he was elected President of the Republic 
 to last as long as the present Assembly. 
 
 The presence of the German soldiers on the soil of 
 France was so irritating that the nation resolved to pay 
 
 314 
 
The Third Republic. 
 
 315 
 
 the indemnity at the earliest possible day and thus rid 
 themselves of them. When subscriptions were asked, 
 they were made far in excess of the vast sum needed, 
 and the last Ger- 
 man soldier left the 
 country in Septem- 
 ber, 1873. 
 
 A bill for the 
 tliorou2i:h reoroi:ani- 
 zation of the army 
 was passed in July, 
 1872, for the tre- 
 mendous lesson of 
 the last war was 
 burned into the 
 mind of every one. 
 At the close of the 
 following year, a 
 court martial sen- 
 tenced Marshal 
 Bazaine to death 
 for the surrender of 
 Metz, but this sen- 
 tence was changed 
 to imprisonnient for a term of twenty years. AYith the 
 aid of his wife, he effected his escape in 1874, and some 
 years later died abroad. 
 
 The Bonapartist cause was made hopeless in 1873 by 
 the death of Napoleon III. After a long and earnest 
 debate, the Assembly on May 24, 1873, voted against 
 
 Louis Adolphe Thiers. 
 
316 Young People's History of France. 
 
 the views of Thiers, who thereupon resigned, and on the 
 same day Marshal MacMahon was elected by the Assem- 
 bly to succeed him as President. He was an honest old 
 soldier and not a politician and commanded the respect 
 of all. In answer to his request for an extension of 
 powers, his term in November, 1873, was made seven 
 years, but the warring factions were unable to decide for 
 a long time whether the future form of government 
 should be that of a republic or monarchy. On the 
 30th of January, 1875, however, after a prolonged 
 and bitter discussion, it was. decided by a majority of 
 one vote that it should be a republic. Then a permanent 
 constitution was framed, by which the legislative power 
 was vested in the assemblies — the Senate and Chamber of 
 Deputies. The Senate was to be composed of three hun- 
 dred members, two hundred and twenty-five of whose 
 terms were nine years, one-third retiring by rotation 
 every three years. The remaining seventy-five were to 
 be chosen for life by the National Assembly. The mem- 
 bers of the Chamber of Deputies were to be elected by 
 universal suffrage and were dependent upon the popula- 
 tion. Thus you will notice that the organization was 
 similar to our Senate and House of Eepresentatives. 
 The term of the President was fixed at seven years. His 
 office resembled that of a constitutional monarch, and in 
 some respects that of the President of the United States. 
 The sessions of the governing bodies of France have 
 often been stormy and exciting and there have been much 
 wrangling and diversity of views. The elections of 1879 
 convinced President MacMahon that it was impossible to 
 
The Third RGpublic. 
 
 317 
 
 maintain harmonious relations among the parties and on 
 January 30 of that year he resigned his office. On the 
 same day, the Senate and Chamber, sitting as the Na- 
 tional Assembly elected M. 
 Jules Grevy (gra-ve'), a moder- 
 ate Republican as his successor 
 for the full term of seven years. 
 Among the important acts of 
 his administration were the for- 
 cible closing of the establish- 
 ments of the Jesuits and others, 
 to the number of nearly three 
 hundred, and the passage of 
 la.ws for the extension of public 
 education. 
 
 In the spring of 1881,. a 
 military force from Algeria en- 
 tered Tunis under the pretext 
 of punishing the tribes on the Tunisian frontier for depre- 
 dations ; and, occupying the capital, compelled the Bey 
 to sign a treaty by which he placed his country under 
 the protectorate of France. Little or no protest was 
 made against the act by the other Powers with the excep- 
 tion of Italy who was so indignant that she has as yet 
 not fully recovered from it. 
 
 In 1879, the Khedive of Egypt became involved in 
 financial trouble and the financial administration of his 
 country was placed in the hands of two controllers, ap- 
 pointed by England and France respectively, for the pro- 
 tection of the citizens of those countries who were the 
 
 Count Von Moltke. 
 
318 Young People's History of France. 
 
 holders of Egyptian bonds. In 1882, the difficulties be- 
 tween the Khedive and his council caused England and 
 France to determine to intervene in behalf of their threat- 
 ened interests, hut after lengthy negotiations, the inter- 
 vention was left to England alone and France was ousted 
 from all share in the Dual Control. 
 
 In 1882, France resented the encroachments upon her 
 rights in northwestern Madagascar by the leading tribe 
 of that island. In the following year, the French 
 Admiral commanding the squadron in the Indian Ocean, 
 demanded that the northwestern part of Madagascar 
 should be placed under a French protectorate, and that a 
 large indemnity should be paid. The demand was refused 
 by the Queen, whereupon the city of Tomatave was 
 bombarded. In the summer of that year, the natives 
 signally defeated a French expedition, and a treaty was 
 signed by which the foreign relations of the island were 
 placed under the control of France, while the Queen paid 
 certain claims and retained control of internal affairs. 
 
 By a treaty made in August, 1883, with Annam, a 
 province was ceded to France and a French protectorate 
 was established over Annam and Tonquin, though hostili- 
 ties did not cease for a long time afterward. Difficulties 
 with China led to a treaty in June, 1885, which arranged 
 for the evacuation of Formosa by the Chinese, with the 
 future diplomatic relations of Annam to be through 
 France, which was to have virtual control over that and 
 Tonquin. These several affairs did not result satisfactorily 
 to France and eventually led to the downfall of the min- 
 istry which ordered them. 
 
 
The Third Republic. 
 
 319 
 
 There was no end to the wrangling and political dis- 
 putes. Scandals came to the surface and the honesty of 
 many men in high places was attacked. In 1887, 
 M. Daniel Wilson, son-in-law of 
 M. Grevy, was proven to have 
 been concerned in selling public 
 offices for money. The attempts 
 of M. Grevy to shield his rela- 
 tive brought about his own en- 
 forced retirement. He was so 
 hard pressed by the chambers 
 that he resigned the presidency 
 of the Republic on December 2, 
 1887. 
 
 After many attempts at 
 election, the parties united 
 upon Marie F. S. Carnot {kar- 
 noh'), a Republican of high 
 integrity, who commanded the respect of the country. 
 He was a distinguished engineer and a grandson of the 
 Carnot, who as minister of war, rendered good services 
 to the armies during the French Revolution. 
 
 On May 5, 1889, the one-hundredth anniversary of the 
 Assembly of the States-General was celebrated with im- 
 pressive ceremonies at Versailles. The Universal Exhibi- 
 tion at Paris, the greatest ever held in France down to 
 that time, was formally opened the following day by 
 President Carnot. 
 
 France has always been a hot-bed of anarchists and plot- 
 ters against all forms of government, and they committed 
 
 Marshal MacMahon. 
 
32.0 Young People's History of France. 
 
 many outrages in Paris in 1892. One of the execrable 
 miscreants effected the assassination of President Carnot 
 at Lyon on June 24, 1894. Jean Casimir Perier {pa-re' ai) 
 was elected his successor three days later, and held office 
 until January 17, 1895, when he was succeeded by Felix 
 Francois Faure ifoJir), who in turn was succeeded by 
 Emile Loubet (loo-hay') elected February 18, 1899. 
 
 You remember the great achievement of Ferdinand 
 de Lesseps in the construction of the Suez Canal. The 
 same distinguished engineer undertook to build a canal 
 across the Isthmus of Panama, but in 1889, the company 
 went to pieces after squandering the enormous sum of 
 $350,000,000, most of which were subscriptions from 
 people who could ill afford to bear the loss. The attempts 
 to revive the hopeless scheme resulted in disclosures 
 which showed that gigantic frauds had been committed, 
 scores of trusted officials having made enormous fortunes 
 by the most shameless stealing, Avhich involved all classes. 
 The mention of the Panama Scandals to-day will cause 
 any honest Frenchman to blush. 
 
 The Dreyfus scandal is of such recent date, that all 
 are acquainted with its particulars. In January, 1895, 
 Captain Dreyfus {di^e'fus) was condemned for treason and 
 sentenced to life imprisonment on the horrible South 
 American waste known as Devil's Island. It gradually 
 became so apparent that he was the victim of despicable 
 wretches in high station, that the government was forced 
 in very shame to bring him back to France and give him 
 a new trial, the result of which in 1899, was his complete 
 exoneration from guilt and his restoration to his family 
 and friends. 
 
The Third E,epublic. 
 
 321 
 
 Another result was the proof that among tlie highest 
 officers in the army and of the government, inchiding 
 even the judiciary, were as villainous a set of rascals as 
 ever went unhanged. Dreyfus 
 was a Jew and his ruin was 
 plotted by others who thought 
 it necessary in order to hide 
 their own infamous crimes. 
 
 France joined the leading 
 civilized nations in suppressing 
 the formidable "Boxer" upris- 
 ing in China in the summer of 
 1900, and acted a prominent 
 part in the adjustment of the 
 troubles in the Celestial Empire 
 in which the whole world was 
 interested. 
 
 France has long; held the 
 foremost rank in science, literature and invention. In 
 ^.he last-named field, she has never been surpassed, while 
 her achievements in science have benefited the whole 
 civilized world. Froissart's chronicles of the fourteenth 
 century are a vivid picture of the wars of the English 
 and French. Comines, who wrote in the fifteenth cen- 
 tury, w^as one of the first true historians of his country. 
 The writings of Rabelais, Ronsard, Amyot, and Montaigne 
 added force and terseness to the French language. The 
 Academie Francaise was established in 1634, and during 
 that period, Corneille brought French tragedy to its high- 
 A est point of grandeur in the classic style of the drama 
 31 — Ellis' ^7'an(?' 
 
 M. Jules Grevy. 
 
322 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 which he had adopted. The reign of Louis XIY. was 
 made luminous by a series of great names in every 
 branch of literature. Despite the frivolity of the life in 
 
 the higher classes of France, 
 no age produced more vigor- 
 ous writers or original think- 
 ers. Montesquieu, Voltaire, 
 Rousseau and Buffon, were men 
 of genius, but irreligious in 
 their writings, which had much 
 to do in bringing about the 
 Revolution. 
 
 A period of intellectual tor- 
 por succeeded the Revolution, 
 which improved only to a slight 
 extent under the Empire. A 
 reaction took place with the 
 productions of the new roman- 
 tic school as shown by Madame 
 de Stael and Chateaubriand, which were soon followed by 
 numerous others, either of the same, or the rival classical 
 school. Among the numerous young and original writers 
 who acquired reputation in poetry, dramatic art and fiction, 
 were Victor Hugo, the greatest of modern French poets; 
 Alfred de Vigny, Frederic Soulie and A. Dumas, the elder, 
 an amazingly prolific novel writer. George Sand (Madame 
 Dudevant) was one of the most eloquent authors of the 
 country. The vivid portraiture of the concealed miseries 
 and depravities of social life gave to Eugene Sue a na- 
 tional reputation. Among other famous writers of fiction 
 
 Voltaire. 
 
The Third Kepublic. 
 
 323 
 
 may be named Balzac, A. de Mussat, with his dazzling 
 richness of fancy; Jules Sandau, who wrote in conjunc- 
 tion with George Sand^ the historian Merimee ; Theophile 
 Gautier; Paul de 
 Kock ; Edmond Ab- 
 u t ; Dumas the 
 younger; Gautier and 
 De Banville, Jules 
 Yerne; Daudet and 
 many others who are 
 continually coming 
 into notice. The al- 
 most universal blot 
 upon French fiction 
 lies in its intrigue and 
 appeal to the baser 
 passions of our nature. 
 It is the very anti- 
 podes of the works of 
 such writers as Sir 
 Walter Scott, Wash- 
 ington Irving, George 
 Eliot, Hawthorne, 
 Fenimore Cooper, and the foremost English and American 
 authors. 
 
 The chief French historians who have gained a world- 
 wide reputation are Barante, Guizot, Thierry, Sismondi, 
 the late^President L. A. Thiers, Louis Blanc, Lamartine, 
 Villemain, Michelet, Martin and Taine. 
 
 The great scientific writers of modern France include 
 
 Market Place and Garden of the Temple, Paris. 
 
324 
 
 Young People's History of France. 
 
 in metaphysics and political economy, Victor Con sin, 
 Jouffroy, Simon and Lamennais ; and in socialism Comte, 
 St. Simon^ Fourier and Leroux ; while Chevalier, De 
 
 Tocqueville, Bonald and Lafer- 
 riere are famed for their bril- 
 liant exposition of the jurispru- 
 dence of nations and the social 
 and political condition of 
 democracy throughout the 
 world. 
 
 New light has been thrown 
 on the origin of races and lan- 
 guages by the profound re- 
 searches into Egyptian hiero- 
 glyphics and Semitic literature 
 made by Champollion, Sylvestre 
 de Sacy, Kenan, Remusat and 
 Stanislas Julian. Among the 
 greatest mathematicians are 
 D'Alembert, Laplace, Lagrange, Biot, Ampere and Arago. 
 There are a host of great discoverers in natural history and 
 its kindred sciences, the more distinguished of whom are: 
 Cuvier, Geoffroy and Isidore St. Hilaire, Blainville, Jus- 
 sieu, D'Orbigny, Haiiy, Gay-Lussac, Elie de Beaumont, 
 Milne-Edwards, and Brongniart. No country has ever 
 produced so many elegant essayists and literary critics as 
 France, whose language lends itself more readily to the 
 concise, graceful and forcible style of epigrammatic writ- 
 ing and admits of the highest polish and idiomatic 
 terseness. 
 
 Rousseau. 
 
The Third Eepublic. 
 
 325 
 
 At this writing (1901), the annual salary of the 
 President of the French Republic is $120,000, with an 
 allowance of the same amount for expenses. The num- 
 ber of Senators is 300, of whom 250 are Republicans and 
 the remainder representatives of various shades of 
 opposition. 
 
 There are 585 Deputies among whom are represented 
 every possible shade of political sentiment, with the Re- 
 publicans the most numerous. 
 
 The following are the latest statistics : 
 
 COUNTEIES. 
 
 Population. 
 
 Square Miles. 
 
 Capitals. 
 
 Prance & Colonies 
 
 63,166,967 
 
 3,357,856 
 
 Paris 
 
 France 
 
 38,517,975 
 
 204,177 
 
 Paris 
 
 Colonies 
 
 21,448,064 
 
 2,923,679 
 
 
 Algeria 
 
 3,870,000 
 
 260,000 
 
 Algiers 
 
 Senegal, etc. 
 
 183,237. 
 
 580,000 
 
 St. Louis 
 
 Tunis 
 
 1,500,000 
 
 45,000 
 
 Tunis 
 
 Cayenne 
 
 26,502 
 
 46,697 
 
 Cayenne 
 
 Cambodia 
 
 1,500,000 
 
 32,254 
 
 Saigon 
 
 Cochin- China 
 
 1.223,000 
 
 13,692 
 
 
 Tonquin 
 
 12,000,000 
 
 60,000 
 
 Hanoi 
 
 New Caledonia 
 
 62,752 
 
 7,624 
 
 Noumea 
 
 Tahiti 
 
 12,800 
 
 462 
 
 
 Sahara 
 
 1,100,000 
 
 1,550,000 
 
 
 Madagascar 
 
 3,500,000 
 
 230,000 
 
 Antananarivo. 
 
SOVEREIGNS OF FRANCE. 
 
 Merovingians. 
 
 A. D. 
 418. 
 
 428. 
 447. 
 458. 
 481. 
 
 511.- 
 
 534. 
 
 548. 
 658. 
 
 661.- 
 
 575. 
 593. 
 594. 
 613. 
 
 Pharamond. 
 Clodion. 
 Merovseus. 
 Childeric I. 
 Clovis I. 
 
 Thierry I. (Austrasia or Metz.) 
 Clodomir. (Orleans.) 
 Childebertl. (Paris.) 
 Clotaire I. (Soissons or Nuestria.) 
 Theodebert I. (Metz.) 
 Theodebald. (Metz.) 
 Clotaire I. (France. ) 
 Caribert. (Paris.) 
 Gentran. (Orleans and Bnr- 
 
 gnndy.) 
 Chilperic I . ( Soissons. ) 
 Sigebert I. (Austrasia.) 
 
 Childebert II. (Austrasia.) 
 " " (Burgundy.) 
 
 Clotaire II. (Soissons.) 
 ** " (France.) 
 
 A. D 
 595. 
 
 628. 
 638. 
 656. 
 660. 
 670. 
 673. 
 691. 
 695. 
 711. 
 715. 
 
 f Thierry II. (Burgundy.) 
 I Theodebert II. (Austrasia.) 
 
 Dagobert I. 
 
 Sigebert II. (Austrasia.) 
 Clovis II. (Soissons and Bur- 
 gundy. ) 
 Clovis II. (France.) 
 
 r Clotaire III. (Soissons and Bur- 
 
 i gundy.) 
 
 ! Childeric II. ( Austrasia ) 
 
 Childeric II. (France.) 
 Dagobert II. (Austrasia.) 
 - Thierry III. ( Soissons and Bur- 
 gundy. ) 
 
 Clovis III. (Nuestria and 
 Burgundy. ) 
 
 Childebert III. (Nuestria and 
 Burgundy.) 
 
 Dagobert III. (Nuestria and 
 
 Burgundy.) 
 Chilperic II. (Nuestria and 
 
 Burgundy.) 
 
 327 
 
328 
 
 Sovereigns of France. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 717. 
 
 720. 
 
 Clotaire IV. (Nuestria and 
 Burgundy. ) 
 
 Thierry IV. (Nuestria and 
 Burgundy. ) 
 
 A. D. 
 737. 
 
 742. 
 
 ( Interregnum ) ( Nuestria and 
 Burgundy ) 
 
 Childeric III. (Nuestria and 
 Burgundy. ) 
 
 Caelovingians. 
 
 A. D 
 
 752. 
 
 768. 
 
 814. 
 840. 
 877. 
 879. 
 882. 
 
 Pepin. (The Short.) 
 
 Charles I. Charlemagne. (The 
 
 Great. ) 
 Louis I. [Le Dehonnaire.) 
 Charles II. (The Bald.) 
 Louis II. (The Stammerer. ) 
 Louis III. and Carloman. 
 Carloman. ( Alone. ) 
 
 A. D. 
 
 884. 
 
 887. 
 
 898. 
 
 922. 
 
 923. 
 
 936. 
 
 954. 
 
 981. 
 
 Charles the Fat. (Emperor. ) 
 
 Eudes. 
 
 Charles III. (The Simple. ) 
 
 Robert T. 
 
 Rudolph. (Or, Raoul ) 
 
 Louis IV. ( Z)' Outre mer. ) 
 
 Lothaire. 
 
 Louis V. {Le Faineant.) 
 
 A. D. 
 
 987. 
 
 996. 
 1031. 
 1060. 
 11U8. 
 1137. 
 1180. 
 1223. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1328. 
 1350. 
 1364. 
 1380. 
 
 Hugh Capet. 
 
 Robert II. 
 
 Henry I. 
 
 Philip I 
 
 Louis VL (The Fat.) 
 
 Louis VIL (The Young.) 
 
 Philip II. (Augustus.) 
 
 Louis VI IF. (The Lion.) 
 
 Capetians. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1226. 
 
 1270. 
 1285. 
 1314. 
 
 1316. 
 1316. 
 1322. 
 
 Louis IX. (St. Louis. ) 
 Philip IIL (The Bold.) 
 Philip IV. (The Fair.) 
 Louis X. ( The Headstrong. ) 
 
 (Hutin.) 
 John I. 
 
 Philip V. (The Long.) 
 Charles IV. (The Fair.) 
 
 House of Valois. 
 
 Philip VI {De Valois.) 
 John II. (The Good.) 
 Charles V. (The Wise.) 
 Charles VI. 
 
 1422. Charles VII. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1461 
 1483. 
 1498. 
 1515 
 1547. Henry II. 
 
 Louis XL 
 Charles VIII. 
 Louis XIL 
 Francis I. 
 
Sovereigns of France. 
 
 329 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1559. Francis II. 
 
 1560. Charles IX. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1574. Henry III. 
 
 House of Bourbon. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1589. Henry IV. (Of Navarre.) 
 
 1610. Louis XIII. (The Just.) 
 
 1643. Louis XIV. {Le Grand.) 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1715. Louis XV. (The Well Beloved . 
 
 1774 Louis XVI. 
 
 1793. (Only nominally a king. ) 
 
 The Republic. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1792. Convention. 
 
 1795. Directory. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1804. Napoleon I. 
 
 1814. Louis XVIII. (King.) 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1799. Consulate. 
 
 The Empiee. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1815. Napoleon I. (Again.) 
 
 A. D. 
 1815. 
 
 Louis XVIII. 
 
 House of Bourbon Restored. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1824. 
 
 Charles X. 
 
 A. D. 
 1870. 
 1871. 
 1873. 
 
 1879. 
 
 House of Orleans. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1830. Louis Philippe I. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1848. 
 
 Republic. 
 
 The Second Empire. 
 A. D. 
 1852. Napoleon III. (Charles Louis.) 
 
 The Third Republic. 
 
 Committee of Public Defense. 
 L. A. Thiers. 
 Marshal MacMahon. 
 Jules Grevy. 
 
 A. D. 
 
 1887. 
 1894. 
 1895. 
 1899. 
 
 Marie F. S. Carnot. 
 Jean Casimir Perier. 
 Felix Francois Faure. 
 Emile Loubet. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Aboukir Bay, 256 
 
 About, Edmond, 323 
 
 Acre, 76 
 
 Adige, The, 252 
 
 Adriatic, The, 73 
 
 Africa, 15, 40, 90, 256 
 
 Age of Reason, The, 238 
 
 Agincourt, Battle of, 114, 116 
 
 Agnadello, Battle of, 138 
 
 Aix, 16 
 
 Aix-la-Chapelle, 46 
 
 Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of, 188 
 
 Ajaccio, 246, 247 
 
 Albert of Austria, 96 
 
 Albigenses, The, 85, 86, 88, 154 
 
 Aleppo, 78 
 
 Alexandria, 254, 256 
 
 Alexis, Emperor, 72 
 
 Algiers, 317 
 
 Algeria, 285 
 
 Alice, Queen, 84 
 
 Alps, The, 15, 73, 250, 261, 264 
 
 Alsace, 176, 311 
 
 Anagni, 96 
 
 Amalfi, 66 
 
 America, 13, 55, 150, 160, 181, 184 
 
 American Congress, The, 206 
 
 American Revoliltion, The, 205 
 
 Amiens, Peace of, 262 
 
 Ampere, 324 
 
 Amsterdam, 180 
 
 Amyot, 321 
 
 Anet, 171 
 
 Anglers, 173 
 
 Anjou, 85 
 
 Anjou, Dukes of, 114, 160 
 
 Annam, 318 
 
 Anne of Austria, 178 
 
 Anne, wife of Henry I., 63 
 
 Antioch, 73 
 
 Antoine, King of Navarre, 151 
 
 Aquitanians, The. 19, 44 
 
 Arabia, 38 
 
 Arabs, The, 68, 79 
 
 Arago, 324 
 
 Aragon, 95 
 
 Areola, 252 
 
 Argues Battle of, 171 
 
 Arras, 168 
 
 Arthur, King, 80 
 
 Arverni, The, 16 
 
 Ascalon, 74, 76 
 
 Asia, 72, 74, 256 
 
 Atlantic, The, 190 
 
 Attila, 27, 28 
 
 Auerstadt, Battle of, 266 
 
 Aumale, Duke d', 314 
 
 Aurillac, 63 
 
 Austerlitz, Battle of, 265 
 
 Austrasia, 32, 36 
 
 Austria, 176, 180, 182, 185, 188, 227, 
 
 233, 249, 264, 265, 270, 275, 304 
 Austrian Succession, War of the, 187, 
 
 188 
 Auvergne, 63 
 Avignon, 86, 111 
 
 Baltic, The, 18, 270 
 Balue, Cardinal, 130 
 Balzac, Honore, 323 
 Banville, Theodore de, 323 
 
 331 
 
332 
 
 Index. 
 
 Barante, 323 
 
 Barras, 249 
 
 Bastile, The, 184, 214, 216, 219 
 
 Battle of the Nations, The, 275 
 
 Battle of the Spurs, The, 144 
 
 Bavaria, 182, 188 
 
 Bayard, 143, 144, 145, 146 
 
 Bazaine, Marshal, 310, 315 
 
 Beaumont, Eric de, 324 
 
 Belgians, The, 19 
 
 Belgium, 182, 188, 234, 244, 252, 293 
 
 Benedetti, Count, 309 
 
 Beresina, The, 274 
 
 Berlin, 266 
 
 Berlin Decree, The, 266 
 
 Berri, Dukes of, 112, 281, 290 
 
 Bertha, Queen, 61, 62 
 
 Blot, 324 
 
 Biscay, Bay of, 164 
 
 Bismarck, Count, 308 
 
 Bituitus, 16 
 
 Black Death, The, 104 
 
 Black Prince, The, 103, 106 
 
 Blanc, Louis, 323 
 
 Blanville, 324 
 
 Blenheim, Battle of, 182 
 
 Blois, 166, 173 
 
 Blois, Count of, 73 
 
 Bonald, 324 
 
 Bonaparte, Caroline, 270 
 
 Bonaparte, Charles Louis Napoleon, 
 
 246, 292-298, 303-310, 313, 315 
 Bonaparte, Jerome, 246, 268, 270 
 Bonaparte, Joseph, 246, 268, 270 
 Bonaparte, Louis Napoleon, 246, 266, 
 
 270, 292 
 Bonaparte, Lucien, 246, 258, 270 
 Bonaparte, Napoleon, 246-257, 261- 
 
 280, 292, 308 
 Bonapartists, The. 288, 314 
 Bondy, 224 
 
 Boniface, Archbishop, 41 
 Borgia, Caesar, 140 
 Borgia, Lucretia, 140 
 Borgia, Roderick, 140 
 
 Borodino, Battle of, 274 
 Bourbon, Cardinal de, 170 
 Bourbon, Dukes of, 116, 167 
 Bourbon, House of, 167-232, 278-287 
 "Boxers," The, 24, 321 
 Bourges, 117 
 Bouvines, Battle of, 86 
 Bread Riots, The, 217 
 Brie, 130 
 Brienne, 247 
 Brittany, 112 
 Brittany, Dukes of, 128 
 Brongniart, 324 
 Brunehaut, 36 
 Brunswick, Duke of, 227 
 Brussels, 188, 223 
 Buffon, 322 
 
 Burgoyne, General, 206 
 Buonaparte, Carlo, 246 
 Burgundians, The, 19, 27, 32 
 Burgundy, 36, 59, 64, 128, 130 
 Burgundy, Dukes of, 112, 128, 130, 
 132 
 
 Caen, 82 
 
 Caesar, Julius, 19, 20, 24, 45 
 
 Cairo, 256 
 
 Calabria, 66 
 
 Calais, 103, 104, 108, 114 
 
 Calvin, John, 154, 157 
 
 Calvinists, The, 152, 156, 157 
 
 Campo Formio, Treaty of, 252, 262 
 
 Canada, 190 
 
 Cape of Good Hope, 307 
 
 Capet, Hugh, 58, 59, 84 
 
 Capetians, The, 58-99 
 
 Capitals (French), 325 
 
 Caribert, 36 
 
 Carloman, 41, 42 
 
 Carlovingians, The, 42-57 
 
 Carnot, M. F. S., 319, 320 
 
 Catalaunian Plains, The, 27 
 
 Catholics, The, 152-170, 193 
 
 Celts, The, 14 
 
Index. 
 
 333 
 
 Cinq Mars, 176 
 
 Chalons, 27, 310 
 
 Chambord, Count, 314 
 
 Chambray, Peace of, 148 
 
 Champagne, 130, 247 
 
 Charlemagne, 42-55, 80 
 
 Charles Martel, 40, 41 
 
 Charles III., 56, 57, 58 
 
 Charles IV., 98, 99, 167 
 
 Charles V., 110, 111, 214 
 
 Charles VI., 112, 116, 117, 138, 168 
 
 Charles VII., 117, 118, 120, 122, 124, 
 
 Charles VIIL, 133, 134, 136, 138, 144, 
 
 150 
 Charles IX., 158, 160, 162, 164 
 Charles X., 283, 284, 285, 286, 287 
 Charles I. of England, 178 
 Charles II. of England, 180 
 Charles of Anjou, 94, 95 
 Charles of Valois, 98 
 Charles V. of Germany, 142, 146, 148, 
 
 152 182 
 Charles the Bold, 126, 128, 130, 132 
 Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine, 151 
 Champollion, 324 
 Chateaubriand, 322 
 Chevalier, 324 
 Childebertl., 34 
 Childeric I., 28 
 ChildericIII., 41 
 Chilperic, 36 
 
 China, 13, 104, 308, 318, 321 
 Chivalry, Days of. The, 80 
 Cholera, Epidemic of, The, 290, 291 
 Christians, Persecutions of, 62 
 Cleodald, 34 
 Clermont, 69 • 
 Clive, Lord, 192 
 Clodion, 28 
 Clodomir, 32, 34 
 Clotairel., 34, 36 
 Clotaire II., 36 
 Clovis. 28, 30, 32, 126 
 Colbert, 178 
 
 CoJigny, Admiral, 156, 158, 160, 162, 
 
 166 
 College of Three Languages, The, 170 
 Colouna Family, The, 96 
 Columbus, Christopher, 55, 150 
 Column of July, The, 214 
 Comines, 321 
 
 Communists, The, 311, 312 
 Compiegne, 124 
 Comte, 324 
 Concini, Marshal, 173 
 Conde, Princes of, 151, 156, 157, 158, 
 
 159, 174 
 Conradin, 94 
 Constance, Queen (wife of Louis VII.), 
 
 84 
 Constance, Queen (wife of Robert II.), 
 
 62, 63 
 Constantine, Emperor, 26, 50 
 Constantinople, 40, 73, 126 
 Constitution, The, 219, 220 
 Constitutionalists, The, 226, 289 
 Consulate, The, 259-263 
 Convention, The, 233-246 
 Corday, Charlotte, 238 
 Cordova, 63 
 Corneille. 321 
 Cornwallis, Lord, 206 
 Corsica, 246 
 Couisin, Victor, 324 
 Coup d'etat. The, 296, 297 
 Crecy, 114 
 
 Crecy, Battle of, 100, 102, 103, 106 
 Credit Foncier, The, 301 
 Credit Mobilier, The, 301 
 Crimean War, The, 303 
 Crusades, The, 66, 68, 69, 78, 79 
 Crusade, First, 69, 72, 76 
 Crusade, Second, 72, 76 
 Crusade, Third. 76, 84 
 Crusade, Fourth, 76 
 Crusade, Fifth, 76 
 Crusade, Sixth, 76 
 Crusade, Seventh, 76 
 
334 
 
 Index. 
 
 Crusade, Eighth, 76 
 Cumberland, Duke of, 188 
 Cuvier, 324 
 
 Dagobeet I , 36, 37 
 
 Damascus, 78 
 
 Damietta, b8 
 
 Danes, The, 55 
 
 Danton, 226, 230, 234, 242 
 
 Darboy, Archbishop, 312 
 
 Daudet, Alphonse, 323 
 
 D'Alembert, 324 
 
 D'Orbigny, 324 
 
 Delabrosse, 92, 94 
 
 De Ruyter, Admiral, 180 
 
 Desmoulins, Camille, 213, 240 
 
 De Thou, 176 
 
 Dettingen, Battle of, 188 
 
 Devil's Island 320 
 
 Dinwiddle, Governor, 190 
 
 Directory, The, 244-252, 257, 258 
 
 Dreyfus Scandal, The, 320, 321 
 
 Druids, The, 15, 16, 19 
 
 Du Guesclin, 110, 112 
 
 Dumas, Alex., 322 
 
 Dumas, Alex., Jr., 323 
 
 Edwakd I. of England, 95 
 Edward II. of England, 99 
 Edward III. of England, 100, 103, 
 
 104, 108 
 Edward IV. of England, 128, 130 
 Edward the Confessor, 64 
 Egypt, 40, 78, 253, 256. 257, 262 
 Elba, Island of, 275, 276, 280 
 Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen, 83 
 Empire, First, The, 264-278 
 Empire. Second, The, 299-313 
 End of the World, The, 59, 60, 66 
 England, 14, 55, 64, 100,111, 134, 146, 
 180, 181, 185, 190, 191, 192, 206, 
 248, 249, 253, 256, 262, 264, 266, 
 268. 27<', 271, 272, 275, 284, 287, 
 292, 294 
 
 Essex, Earl of, 171 
 
 Eugene, Prince, 182 
 
 Eugenie, Empress, 307, 309, 312 
 
 Exilles, 184 
 
 Eylau, Battle of, 268 
 
 Fauee, Felix Francois, 320 
 Ferdinand VII. of Spain, 282 
 Feudalism, 53, 54, 55, 200, 201, 202, 
 
 203 
 Field of the Cloth of Gold, The, 142 
 Field of Mars, The, 219 
 FJagellants, The, 106 
 Flanders, 86, 96, 100, 180 
 Flanders, Count of, 73 
 Florence, 136 
 Florida, 190 
 
 Fontenoy, Battle of, 188 
 Formosa, 318 
 Fornova, Battle of, 144 
 Fourier, 324 
 France, Area of, 325 
 France and Her Colonies, 325 
 France, Early History of, 13-26 
 France, Population of, 325 
 Franche Comte, 180 
 Francis I., 140, 142, 143 
 Francis II., 149, 151, 154, 157 
 Francis II. of Austria, 2<J7, 265, 271 
 Franklin, Benjamin, 206 
 Franks, The, 19, 27, 28, 32, 53, 74 
 Fredegonde, 36 
 
 Frederick Barbarossa Emperor 76 
 Frederick the Great, 188, 192, 193 
 Friedland, 268 
 Froissart. 321 
 Fronde, War of t^e, 178 
 
 Gabigliano, The, 144 
 Gaul, 13, 19, 20, 22, 26, 28, 53 
 Gauls, The, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 27, 36 
 Gautier. Theophile, 323 
 Gay-Luspac, 324 
 Gentran, 36 
 
Index. 
 
 335 
 
 George II., of England, 188 
 Germany, 14, 36, 40, 45, 55, 70, 72, 
 
 134, 180, 181, 182, 261, 304, 308, 
 
 309, 312 
 Girondists, The, 226, 234, 235 
 Gisors, 84 
 
 Goddess of Reason, The, 242 
 Godfrey of Bouillon, 72, 73, 74, 76 
 Granson, Battle of, 132 
 Great Famine, The, 61 
 Greece, 15, 284 
 Greeks, The, 16, 20 
 Greenland, 55 
 Grevy, M. Jules, 317, 319 
 Guanahani, Island of, 13 
 Guienne, 95, 99, 100, 108, 164 
 Guiscard, Robert, 64, 66 
 Guiscard, Roger, 64, 66 
 Guise, Dukes of, 149, 151, 158, 162, 
 
 164, 166 
 Guizot, 323 
 
 Gunpowder, First use in battle of, 100, 
 . 102 
 
 Harfleur, 114 
 
 Harold, King of England, 64 
 
 Hastings, 64 
 
 Hauy, 324 
 
 Hebert, Jacques Rene, 242 
 
 Henry I., 63, 64 
 
 Henry II., 148, 149 
 
 Henry III., 164, 166, 167 
 
 Henry IV,, 160, 161, 166, 167, 170, 
 
 171, 172, 173 
 Henry V. of England, 114, 116, 117 
 Henry VI. of England, 117, 124 
 Henry VIII. of England, 138, 142 
 Hohenlinden, 261 
 Holland, 160, 180, 182, 185, 233 
 Holy Alliance, The, 282 
 Holy League, The, 138, 164, 166, 170, 
 Holy Sepulchre, The, 68 
 Huguenots, The, 152, 156, 158, 159, 
 
 160, 162, 164, 170, 171, 176, 181, 
 
 187, 193 
 
 Huns, The, 27 
 
 Hugo, Victor, 322 
 
 Hundred Years' War, The, 100 
 
 Hungary, 72 
 
 Iceland, 55 
 
 India, 192, 308 
 
 Indians, The, 13, 14 
 
 Inquisition, The, 62, 96 
 
 Interdicts, 62, 96 
 
 Isabella, Wife of Edward II. of En- 
 gland, 99 
 
 Isabelle of Bavaria, 116, 168 
 
 Iser, The, 261 
 
 Italy, 15, 16. 40, 41, 55, 96, 134, 138, 
 152, 182 250, 265, 266, 296, 304 
 
 Ivry, Battle of, 171 
 
 Jacobins, The, 226, 228, 234, 235 
 
 Jacquerie, The, 108 
 
 James II. of England, 182 
 
 James V. of Scotland, 151 
 
 Jena, Battle of, 266 
 
 Jerusalem, 68, 69, 72, 73, 74, 78 
 
 Jesuits, The, 193, 194, 282, 285, 317 
 
 Jews, The, 13, 63, 70, 98 
 
 Joan of Arc, 119, 120. 122, 124, 126 
 
 John II., The Good, 106, 108, 110 
 
 John of Procida, 94 
 
 John of Luxembourg, 124 
 
 John of England, 85, 86 
 
 Joseph, The Grey Cardinal, 176 
 
 Josephine, Empress, 253, 271 
 
 Jouflfroy, 324 
 
 Jourdan, 249 
 
 Joyous Entry, The, 218 
 
 Julian, Stanislas, 324 
 
 Jussieu, 324 
 
 Khedive of Egypt, The, 317, 318 
 Kleber, 257 
 Knighthood, 80, 81 
 Knights Hospitallers, 74 
 
336 
 
 Index. 
 
 Knights of St. John, 128 
 Knights Templars, 74 
 Kock, Paul de, 323 
 Koran, The, 38 
 
 Lafayette, 212, 213, 217, 228 
 Laferriere, 324 
 Lagrange, 324 
 Lamartine, 323 
 Lamennais, 324 
 Laon, 58 
 Laplace, 324 
 La Vendee, 236 
 Law, John, 185, 186, 187 
 League of the Public Good, 126 
 Legislative Assembly, Tlie, 226, 227 
 Legitimists, The, 289, 290, 314 
 Leipsic, 275 
 Leopold, Prince, 308 
 Leroux, 324 
 
 Lesseps, Ferdinand de, 307, 320 
 Library of Paris, 110 
 Liege, 128 
 Lodi, Bridge of, 250 
 Loire, The, 30, 55, 117, 118, 120, 235 
 Lombards, The, 41, 42, 44 
 Lombardy, 138, 250 
 Lombardy, Iron Crown of The, 44 
 London, 64 
 
 Lorraine, 119, 156, 187, 310 
 Lost Tribes, The, 13 
 Loubet, Emile, 320 
 Louis I., the Debonnaire, 52 
 Louis V. , the Fool, 58 
 Louis VI., the Fat, 82, 83 
 Louis Vir., the Young, 83, 84 
 Louis VIIL, the Lion, 86 
 Louis IX., Saint Louis, 86, 88, 90, 92 
 Louis X., the Headstrong, 96, 98 
 Louis XL, 126, 128, 130, 132, 133, 168 
 Louis XI r., 138, 140, 144 
 Louis XIII., the Just, 173, 174 
 Louis XIV., 176, 178, 180, 181, 182, 
 184, 185, 207, 322 
 
 Louis XV., 185, 187, 188, 190, 192, 
 
 194, 200, 203, 204, 207 
 Louis XVI., 200, 2U4, 205, 207, 208, 
 
 209, 210, 212, 220, 227, 228, 230, 
 
 232, 233, 246, 248, 278 
 Louis XVII., 220, 223, 248, 276, 278 
 Louis XVIII., 248, 276, 278, 282, 283 
 Louis de Bourbon, 128 
 Louis Philippe, 287, 288, 294 
 Louisiana, 262 
 Louvaire, 85 
 Louvois, 178 
 
 Louvre, The, 162, 173, 300 
 Luneville, Treaty of, 262 
 Luthur, Martin, 146, 152, 154 
 Lutherans, The, 152, 154, 156 
 Lyons, 158, 235 
 
 MacMahon, Marshal, 310, 312, 316 
 
 Madagascar, 318 
 
 Mahomet, 38, 40 
 
 Maine, 85, 190 
 
 Maintenon, Madame de, 180, 185 
 
 Malta, 253, 262 
 
 Mamelukes, 88, 254 
 
 Mansourah, 88 
 
 Mantua, 252 
 
 Mantua, Duke of, 184 
 
 Man with the Iron Mask, The, 184 
 
 Marat, 226, 230, 234, 236 
 
 Marengo, Battle of, 261 
 
 Marguerite of Valois, 160 
 
 Maria Antoinette, 205, 212, 217, 220, 
 
 227, 228, 240, 242 
 Maria Louisa, 271 
 Maria Theresa, 192, 205 
 Marignano, Battle of, 142 
 Marigny, 98 
 Marius, 18 
 
 Marlborough, Duke of, 182 
 Marseilles, 247 
 Martin, 323 
 Matthioli, Count, 184 
 Maurice of Saxony, 148, 152 
 
Index. 
 
 do/ 
 
 Maximilian of Austria. 306 
 
 Mayors of the Palace, 36, 40 
 
 Mecca, 38 
 
 Medici, Catherine de, 149, 151 
 
 Medici. Lorenzo de, 149 
 
 Medici, Mary de, 173 
 
 Medina 38 
 
 Mediterranean, The, 55, 180, 253 
 
 Menes, 14 
 
 Mercantile Treaties, 132 
 
 Merimee, Prosper. 323 
 
 Merovseus, 28 
 
 Merovingians, The, 27-42 
 
 Metz 32, 149, 309, 310, 311, 315 
 
 Mexico, Gulf of, 190 
 
 Michelet, 323 
 
 Middle Ages, End of the, 126 
 
 Milan, 142, 250 
 
 Milne, Edwards, 324 
 
 Mirabeau, 212 222 
 
 Mississippi Bubble, The, 186, 187 
 
 Mississippi Valley, The, 190 
 
 Modena, 252 
 
 Mohammed II., 126 
 
 Montaigne, 321 
 
 Montcalm, General, 191, 192 
 
 Montesquieu, 322 
 
 Montfauoon, 94 
 
 Moors, The, 46 
 
 Morat, Battle of, 132 
 
 Moreau, 249, 261, 262 
 
 Moscow, 274 
 
 Mound Builders, The 13 
 
 Mount Tabor, 256 
 
 Murat, General. 271 
 
 Muskets, P^irst use of, 168 
 
 Mussat, Alfred de, 323 
 
 Nanci, Battle of, 132 
 Nantes, 235 
 
 Nant€S, Edict of, 171, 181, 193 
 Naples, 66, 266, 270 
 Napoleon I (see Bonaparte) 
 Napoleon II., 271 
 Napoleon III. (see Bonaparte) 
 22— Ellis' France. 
 
 Napoleon, Prince 313, 314 
 Narbonue, 16 
 
 National Assembly, The, 211. 212, 213 
 Natioual Constituent Assembly, The, 
 
 212. 216, 217, 218 
 National Convention, The, 228, 230, 
 
 238, 244 
 National Guard, The, 213, 217, 2<J8, 
 
 248, 249, 284 
 Navariuo, Battle of, 284 
 Navarre, 151 
 
 Necker, 208, 209 210, 212 
 Nelson, 256, 262, 264 
 Netherlands The, 176, 266 
 Netherlands, Austrian, The, 188 
 Newfoundland, 192 
 Ney, Marshal, 276. 280 
 NiciB, Council of, 26 
 Nicholas I., of Russia, 304 
 Niemen, The. 272 
 Nile, The. 88 
 
 Normandy, 57 59, 64. 83, 85, 116 
 Normandy, Duke of, 73 
 Northmen or Normans, The, 55, 56, 
 
 57, 58 
 North Sea, The, 1 8, 55 
 Norwegians, The, 55 
 Notre Dame, Cathedral of, 264, 312 
 Nuestria, 34, 36 
 
 Odin, 19 
 
 Omar, Mosque of, 73 
 
 Orleans, 32, 36, 118, 120, 122, 158 
 
 Orleans, Dukes of, 116, 185 
 
 Orleans, House of, 287, 298 
 
 Palais Royal, The, 214, 240 
 
 Palermo, 66 
 
 Palestine, 66, 72, 74, 76, 83, 90 
 
 Panama Scandal, The, 320 
 
 Paris, 20, 32, 34. 56, 59, 85, 94, 124, 
 158, 170, 217, 218, 219, 224, 227, 
 230 234, 238, 247, 276. 278, 290, 
 292, 299, 300, 301, 302, 309, 310, 
 311, 312, 319 
 
338 
 
 Index. 
 
 Paris, Count of, 314 
 
 Paris, Siege of, 310 
 
 Paris, Treaty of, 192 
 
 Paris, Univeisity of, 167 
 
 Parma, 252 
 
 Passion Plav, The, 168 
 
 Paul, The Apostle 22 
 
 Pavia, 143 148 
 
 Pedro of Arragon, 94 
 
 Peninsular War, The, 268 
 
 Pepin the Short, 41. 4 i 
 
 Perier, Jean Casimir, b20 
 
 Peter the Hermit, 68, 69, 70, 73 
 
 Pevensey, 64 
 
 Picardy, 164 
 
 Pignerol, 184 
 
 Pitt, William, 191 
 
 Pharamond, 28 
 
 Philip I., 64, 82 
 
 Philip II. (Philip Augustus), 76, 84, 
 
 85, 86 
 Philip III , the Hardy, 92, 95 
 Philip IV., the Fair, 95, 96, 98 
 Philip v., the Long, 98 
 Philip VI , de Valois, 99, 100 
 Philip II., of Spain, 158, 171 
 Philip v., of Spain, 182 
 Philip Egalite, 287 
 Philippa. Wife of Edward III. of 
 
 England, 104 
 Plains of Abraham, The, 192 
 Plassy. 192 
 
 Plaving Cards, Invention of, 168 
 Po,The, 15 
 Pocahontas, 104 
 Poitiers. Battle of, 106 
 Poitou, 85 
 Poland, 187 
 
 Pompadour, Madame de, 192 
 Pope Boniface VIII , 96 
 Pope Clement VI ,111 
 Pope Clement VII , 146, 149 
 Pope Clement XIV., 194 
 Pope Gregory III., 41 
 Pope Innocent III., 86 
 
 Pope Leo TIL, 48, 50, 52 
 
 Pope Leo X , 149 
 
 PopeSixtusIV., 130 
 
 Pope Sylvester II., 63 
 
 Pope Urban II , 69 
 
 Pope Urban VI., 110 
 
 Portugal, 150, 268 
 
 Printing, Invention of 132 
 
 Protestants. 152, 159, 193 
 
 Provence, Count of, 222 
 
 Prussia, 192, 247, 233, 249, 266, 275, 
 
 304 
 Pyramids The, 254 
 Pyrenees, The, 32, 40, 46, 85, 151, 
 
 262, 268 
 
 Quebec, 192 
 
 Rabelais, 321 
 
 Kandon, 112 
 
 Reign of Terror, 248 
 
 Remusat, 324 
 
 Renaissance, The, 138 
 
 Renan, 324 
 
 Republic, The. 233-278 
 
 Republic, The Third, 314-326 
 
 Republicans The, 288, 290 
 
 Retz, Cardinal de, 178 
 
 Revolutionary Tribunal, The, 242 
 
 Rheims, 30, 122 
 
 Rhine, The 19, 27, 36, 44, 55, 180, 182, 
 
 249, 262, 309 
 Rhone, The, 55, 111, 208 
 Richard I., of England, 76, 78, 84. 88 
 Richelieu, Cardinal, 174, 176, 193 
 Rivoli, 252 
 
 Robert IE., the Pious, 59, 61, 63 
 Robespierre, 212, 226, 230, 234, 242, 
 
 244 
 Roland, 46, 48 
 Roland, M. 245 
 Roland, Madame, 245, 246 
 Rollo, 56, 57, 64 
 
Index. 
 
 339 
 
 Romans, The, 16, 20, 22, 27 
 
 Kome, 15, 18, 19 20, 22, 26, 28, 134, 
 
 146, 158, 253, 258. 270 
 Roncesvalles, Pass of, 46. 48 
 Roueu, 56, 82, 88, 116, 124 
 Ronsard, 321 
 Rousseau, 322 
 Russia. 55, 248, 264, 265, 266, 268, 270, 
 
 271, 272, 276, 284, 303 
 Ryswick, Treaty of, 182 
 
 Sacy, Sylvestre de, 324 
 
 Saladin, 76. 77, 78 
 
 Salic Law, 98. 99, luO 
 
 Saud, George, 322 
 
 Sandau, Jules, 323 
 
 Saraceus, 40, 66 
 
 Saratoga, 206 
 
 Saul of Tarsus, 26 
 
 Savonarola, 136 
 
 Savoy, 250 
 
 Saxe, Marshal de, 188 
 
 Saxons, 44, 45, 46, 48 
 
 Saxouy, 266 
 
 Schism of the West, The, 111 
 
 Scotland 100, 157 
 
 Sebastopol, Siege of, 303 
 
 Sedan, 310 
 
 Seine, The, 20, 28, 55, 56, 290 
 
 Sesia, The, 145 
 
 Seven Years' War. The, 192 
 
 Sicilian Vespers, Massacre of, The, 95 
 
 Sicily, 66, 94, 95 
 
 Sigebert, 36 
 
 Simon, Jules, 324 
 
 Sluggard Kings, The 37 
 
 Sluys, Battle of, 100 
 
 Soisson, 28 30, 34, 36 
 
 Soulie, Frederic, 322 
 
 Spaio, 15 40, 46, 55, 112, 134. 140, 
 
 150, 152. 160, 182, 185, 198, 227, 
 
 233, 268, 270, 282 
 Spanish Succession. War of The, 182 
 Stael, Madame de, 322 
 
 Strasburg, 32, 292 
 States-General, The, 210, 211 
 Stuart, Mary (Queen of Scots), 151, 
 
 156, 157 
 St. Bartholomew, Massacre of, 162 
 St. Cloud, Palace of 35 
 St. Denis, 42 
 
 St. Germain, Treaty of, 159 
 St. Gervaise, 82 
 St. Helena, Island of, 278, 308 
 St. Hilaire, 324 
 St. Marguerite, 18-* 
 St. Maria, Church of, 52 
 St. Mars, M. de, 184 
 St. Pierre, 103 
 
 St. Peter's, Cathedral of, 42, 48 
 St. Simon. 324 
 Sue, Eugene. 322 
 Suez Caual, The, 307, 320 
 Sully, Duke of, 172, 173 
 Sweden, 180 266. 275 
 Switzerland, 258, 265 
 Syria, 78, 256 
 
 Taine. 323 
 
 Temple, The, 228 
 
 Theobald of Biois, 84 
 
 Thierry, Augustin, 323 
 
 Thierry I., 32 
 
 Thierry III., 41 
 
 Thiers, L. A., .311, 314, 316, 323 
 
 Third Estate, The, 96. 210, 211, 212 
 
 Thirty Years' War, The, 176, 178 
 
 Thor, 19 
 
 Thrace. 73 
 
 Tilsit, Peace of, 268 
 
 Tocqueville de, 324 
 
 Tomatave, 318 
 
 Touquin, 318 
 
 Toulon. 235 247 
 
 Toulouse, Counts of, 73, 86, 88 
 
 Touraine, 98 
 
 Tours, 40, 158 
 
 Tours, Battle of, 41 
 
O'tV) 
 
 Index. 
 
 Trafalgar, Battle of, 264 
 Troyes, Treaty of, 116 
 Truce of God, The, 61 
 Tuileries, The, 248, 312 
 Tunis, 90, 317 
 Turgot, 207, 208 
 Turkey, 284, 303, 304 
 Turks, 68, 72, 126 
 
 IJlm, 265 
 
 United States, The, 206, 262 
 
 Utrecht, Treaty of, 182 
 
 Valois, House of, 99-166 
 Van Tromp, Admiral, 180 
 Varennes, 226 
 Vatican, The, 253, 258 
 Venice, 143 
 Verdun, 226 
 Verdun, Treaty of, 55 
 Vermandois, Count of, 73 
 Verne, Jules, 323 
 Verona, 252 
 
 Versailles, 206, 212, 213, 217, 218,311, 
 319 
 
 Victoria of England, Queen, 178 
 Vienna, 252 265 , 
 
 Vienna, Congress of, 276 
 Viguy, Alfred de, 322 
 Villemain, 323 
 Virginia, 190 
 Visigoths, 19,27, 32 
 Voltaire, 322 
 Von Moltke, Count, 308 
 
 Wage AM, Battle of 270 
 Walter the Penniless, 69, 70 
 Washington, George, 198, 212 
 Wellington, Duke of, 268, 278, 280 
 Westminster Abbey, 64 
 William the Conqueror, 64, 82 
 William I., of Germany, 308 
 William, Prince of Orange, 180, 182 
 Wilson M Daniel, 319 
 Wolfe, General, 192 
 Wolsey, Cardinal, 142 
 World's Expositions, 301, 302, 319 
 
 YOEKTOWN, 206 
 
ylLTEMUS' ILLUSTRATED 
 
 YOUNG PEOPLE'S 
 HISTORIES^ ^ ^ 
 
 By Edward S. Ellis, A.M. 
 
 These volumes are written with all the fascinating- skill, 
 graphic power and impressive presentation of facts that 
 have won world-wide fame for Mr. KHis, who is confessedly 
 the most bmliant and popular of living writers for boys. 
 
 They are full and accurate in their statements : open- 
 ing with the first glimmerings of history, the events 
 are brought down to the present ; the subject matter is 
 arranged in true historical proportions; the incidents are told 
 with vivid and graceful power ; the pages are luminous with 
 truth, with patriotism, and all the charming style of the 
 most delightful romance. 
 
 They contain no superfluous words, neither are they 
 "written down" to the presumed capacity of learners. 
 Important facts and apposite comments are furnished, and 
 as much detail as is available for schools or for the general 
 reader. In the hands of Mr. Ellis history becomes as fas- 
 cinating as romance. The text is not statistical, but ample 
 reference tables and voluminous indices are found in their 
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 wars, the way in which they began and ended is clearly 
 presented, and enough detail supplied to show the spirit in 
 which they were carried on. 
 
 Handsomely printed on fine super-calendered paper from 
 large, clear type, and profusely illustrated in the highest 
 style of art, with handsome frontispieces, portraits of the 
 great makers of history, and superb illustrations of leading 
 events and incidents, from rare historical paintings and en- 
 gravings, they present the handsomest and most interesting 
 series of histories ever prepared for young readers. 
 
 Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia 
 
jil.TEMVS' ILLUSTRATED 
 
 YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY 
 OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 By Edward S. Ellis, A. M. 
 
 It is appropriate that the initial work of this series should 
 be that of our own country. From a few struggling colon- 
 ies strung along the Atlantic seaboard, with a population of 
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 tants. 
 
 Xo nation or country has so fascinating and instructive a 
 history as that of the United States. Strange adventures 
 and marvelous achievement crowd its pages ; and the 
 attainments shown in the fields of education, of discovery, 
 of invention, of literature, of art and science are wonderful 
 and unprecedented. 
 
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jiLTEMUS' ILLUSTRATED 
 
 YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY 
 or ENGLAND ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 By Edward S. Ellis, A.M. 
 
 No history can be more absorbing and instructive to 
 youths and adults than the History of England, and the 
 aim of this volume is to enable them to easily acquire a 
 knowledge of the leading facts ^-^ /^^'^^^''^-'S "i, ^^ 
 stupendous British Empire, whose full history, teeming 
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 quires volumes for the telling. 
 
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 s ve survey of the advancement of a horde of wild savages, 
 conquered by the Romans before the Christian Era to the 
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 World, and its perusal will arouse an interest that can only 
 be sat sfied by a deeper and more extended study of the 
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 ooment and progress of the world. 
 
 ■^^aluable reference tables, showing a list of the sovereigns 
 of England, its colonies and dependencies, with dates and 
 modes of acquisition, area, population, etc., are incorpor- 
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^LTEMUS' ILLUSTRATED 
 
 YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY 
 
 OF FRANCE j^ j^ j^ j^ 
 
 By Edward S. Ellis, A. M. 
 
 At present France appears to be a republic ; she 
 has been an aristocracy, a monarchy, an absolute 
 despotism, and a commune. She has been ruled by 
 savages, and by men claiming to be civilized, yet 
 who were less worthy to rule than savages. Her 
 throne has been filled by monsters of villainy and 
 by wise and good statesmen. She produced the 
 greatest military genius the world ever saw ; her 
 scholars, scientists, discoverers, philosophers, poets, 
 dramatists, historians, novelists, essayists, sculptors 
 and painters have never been surpassed. 
 
 No nation has been more humiliated than France; 
 none has been exalted to more dizzy heights of 
 glory. Her dreams have turned into realities, 
 and her realities have dissolved into visions. In 
 blood and flame she has gone down to despair and 
 then leaped to heights that have caused the world 
 to wonder. 
 
 France is a wonderful nation, and her history is 
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jiLTEMUS' ILLUSTRATED 
 
 YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY 
 
 OF GERMANY j^ j^ j^ i^ 
 
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 The long, varied and wonderfully interesting his- 
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 savages who roamed the wilderness between the 
 Alps and the Baltic, and stretches across two 
 thousand years to the German Empire of to-day and 
 its population of more than fifty millions. 
 
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 toil, sacrifice and daring. 
 
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^LTEMUS' ILLUSTRATED 
 
 YOUNG PEOPLE'S HISTORY 
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 In tracing back the development of the present civilized 
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 the Greeks, whose history forms one of the most fascinating 
 and instructive narratives in the annals of mankind. 
 
 We know very little of their early history, yet, by digging 
 deep into the ground we find remains of ancient strongholds 
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 liness that the world cannot afford to lose. 
 
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^LTEMUS' ILLUSTRATE'D 
 
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PONY 
 
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