A Short History of France

Short History of France, A

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Title: A Short History of France
Author: Mary Platt Parmele
Release Date: October 20, 2005 [EBook #16910]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SHORT
HISTORY OF FRANCE ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: Gambetta proclaiming the Republic of France. From the
painting by Howard Pyle.]

A SHORT HISTORY OF FRANCE

BY
MARY PLATT PARMELE

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1907

Copyright, 1894, By
WILLIAM BEVERLEY HARISON
Copyright, 1898, 1905, 1906, By
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Early Conditions in Gaul
CHAPTER II.
Julius Caesar's Conquest of Gaul Lutetia
CHAPTER III.
Birth of Christianity Its Dissemination Its Espousal by the Roman

Empire Hunnish Invasion
CHAPTER IV.
The Frank in Gaul Clovis Rois-Fainéants Charles Martel
Mahometanism Pepin Seizes the Crown
CHAPTER V.
Charlemagne Holy Roman Empire Treaty of Verdun
CHAPTER VI.
Invasions by Northmen Normandy Given to Invaders Feudalism
Decline of Kingship Ascendancy of the Church Hugh Capet "Truce of
God" William the Conqueror
CHAPTER VII.
Social Structure of France Free Cities Their Creation and
Enfranchisement The Crusades Philip Augustus War with King John of
England Toulouse and the Albigensian War
CHAPTER VIII.
Abelard Louis IX. End of Crusades Philip III. Philip IV. and Papacy
Creation of States-General Popes at Avignon Knights Templar
Exterminated Change in Succession
CHAPTER IX.
Edward III. Claims French Throne Crécy Poitiers Treaty of Bretigny
Charles V. and Bertrand du Guesclin Death of Black Prince Charles VI.
A Mad King Feud Between Houses of Orleans and Burgundy Siege of
Orleans Joan of Arc Charles VII.
CHAPTER X.

Standing Army Created Louis XI. The Passing of Mediaevalism
Charles VIII. Invasion of Italy Louis XII. Francis I. Struggle for Throne
of the German Empire The Reformation
CHAPTER XI.
The House of Guise Marie Stuart Francis II. His Death Regency of
Catharine de' Medici Her Designs Coligny Henry of Navarre His
Marriage Charles IX. St. Bartholomew's Eve Henry III. His Death
Henry of Navarre King
CHAPTER XII.
Edict of Nantes Ravaillac Louis XIII. Regency of Maria de' Medici
Richelieu The Fronde
CHAPTER XIII.
Louis XIV. Four Great Wars Revocation of Edict of Nantes A
Victorious Coalition Death of Louis XIV. Louis XV.
CHAPTER XIV.
John Law Life at Versailles Marriage of Dauphin Unseen Currents
Approaching Crisis Death of Louis XV.
CHAPTER XV.
Louis XVI. American Revolution Turgot Necker States-General
Summoned National Assembly Destruction of Bastille Revolution
Lafayette Varennes The Temple Triumphant Jacobins Execution of the
King Charlotte Corday Execution of Queen Fate of the Dauphin
Girondists Philippe Égalité Revolution Ended
CHAPTER XVI.
France a Republic Napoleon Bonaparte Breaking Chains in Italy

Campo Formio Campaign in Egypt An Empire Rapid Steps from
Toulon to Versailles A New Map of Europe Maria Louisa Moscow
Leipsic Elba
CHAPTER XVII.
Louis XVIII. Return of Napoleon Waterloo St. Helena Bourbon
Restoration Charles X. Louis Philippe Revolution Second Republic
Louis Napoleon
CHAPTER XVIII.
Second French Republic The _Coup d'État_ Napoleon III. A
"Liberator" in Italy Peace of Villafranca Suez Canal An Empire in
Mexico Franco-Prussian War Sedan
CHAPTER XIX.
Third French Republic The Commune The Germans in Paris
Reconstruction from Thiers to Loubet Affaire Dreyfus Law of
Associations Separation of Church and State Conference at Algeciras
Election of M. Fallières Conclusion
Sovereigns and Rulers of France
Index

ILLUSTRATIONS.
Gambetta, proclaiming the Republic of France . . . Frontispiece
Coronation of Charlemagne
Burning of Joan of Arc at Rouen, May 30, 1431
Napoleon at the Battle of Rivoli, January 14, 1797
Josephine crowned Empress, December 2, 1804, in Notre Dame

Cathedral
The Revolution of July 28, 1830

A SHORT HISTORY OF FRANCE.
CHAPTER I.
One of the greatest achievements of modern research is the discovery
of a key by which we may determine the kinship of nations. What we
used to conjecture, we now know. An identity in the structural form of
language establishes with scientific certitude that however diverse their
character and civilizations, Russian, German, Englishman, Frenchman,
Spaniard, are all but branches from the same parent stem, are all alike
children of the Asiatic Aryan.
So skilful are modern methods of questioning the past, and so
determined the effort to find out its secrets, we may yet know the origin
and history of this wonderful Asiatic people, and when and why they
left their native continent and colonized upon the northern shores of the
Mediterranean. Certain it is, however, that, more centuries before the
Christian era than there have been since, they