is familiar to every one, "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments,” is not only a most pleasing composition in point of intagination, but contains, as an original work, a genuine picture of oriental manners, and conveys very high ideas of the police and splendor of the empire of the caliphs, in the time of Airaschid.

CHAPTER II.

MONARCHY OF THE FRANKS.

Uncertainty of the early History of the Franks-Merovingian Period-Mayors of the Palace-Change in the Dynasty effected by Pepin-Manners and Customs-Form of Government and Laws of the Franks-Feudal System.

LEAVING at present the history of the Eastern nations, we turn our view to the Western part of Europe, to take a short survey of the origin of the monarchy of the Franks, who, in the course of a few ages, raised, on the ruins of the Roman power, a great and flourishing empire. The rise of a new dominion is also, at the same period, to be traced in Italy -the church, which had hitherto been confined to an authority in spiritual matters, exalting herself into a temporal sovereignty; and, under the title of a charter from Heaven, arrogating a supreme control over all the princes of the earth.

The history of the origin of the Franks is in no degree more certain than that of any of the other barbarous nations, who overran the Western empire. The most probable opinion is, that they were, originally, those tribes of German nations, inhabiting the districts that lie on the Lower Rhine and the Weser, who in the time of Tacitus passed under the names of Chauci, Cherusci, Catti, Sicambri. These, and some other petty nations around them, forming a league for mutual defence against the Roman power, termed themselves Franks, or Freemen.*

The first who is mentioned in history as the sovereign of this united people is Pharamond, and he seems to possess but a doubtful or legendary xistence. His successor and kinsman Merovius, who is the head of the first race of the French monarchs known by the name of the Merovingian, is a personage whose history

Gibbon, vol. i., c. x. Howel, part iii., book ii., c. 5.

† Mezeray has, notwithstanding, bestowed four books of his great History of France on the establishment of the Franks in Gaul, preceding the reign of Pharamond.

is fully as doubtful as that of his predecessors. His grandson was the famous Clovis, who succeeded to the monarchy of the Franks in the year 482. He was a prince of intrepid spirit, who from the beginning of his reign, and while yet in the twentieth year of his age, projected the conquest of all Gaul.

The Romans at this time maintained a very feeble authority in that country; and Syagrius, governor of the province, was quite unable to make head against this enterprising prince. The conquest was soon achieved.* Clovis next threw his eyes upon the kingdom of Burgundy. Gondebald had usurped the throne of Burgundy, by the murder of his father Chilperic. Clovis married Clotilda, the daughter of Chilperic, and on pretence of avenging his murder, dethroned Gondebald, but allowed him afterwards to hold his dominions as his ally and tributary.

Clotilda had great influence over her husband. The Franks had not yet embraced the Christian religion, but adhered to their ancient idolatry. Clotilda converted Clovis ;† in all probability, by persuading him that this measure was the most effectual means of conciliating the affection of all the Gallic nations. Clovis, accordingly, was baptized, and most of the Franks followed his example.t

The politic and ambitious genius of Clovis derived from his conversion to Christianity a new pretext for extending his empire. The Visigoths, who, as has already been observed, were all of the Arian persuasion, possessed Languedoc and Aquitaine. Clovis now pretended that his conscience would not allow him to rest while a nation of heretics remained in any part of Gaul. With the assistance of his tributary, Gondebald, he immediately invaded the territory of the Visigoths, and in a short time deprived them of their whole dominions. The Visigoths retired into Spain, and made Toledo the seat of their kingdom. Theodoric the Great, who had been prevented from affording aid to his Gothic brethren by a war in which he was then engaged with the emperor Anastasius, was resolved as soon as possible to avenge their quarrel. He hastened across the Alps into Aquitaine, and there, in a decisive engagement near the city of Arles, he entirely defeated and dispersed the armies of Clovis and Gondebald; and retook from them the whole territory of the Visigoths, which he added to his own dominions. This was the period of the glory of

+ Mezeray, tom. 1., p. 320. Gibbon, vol. vi., c. 28.

The generous enthusiasm and barbarian magnanimity of Clovis is well characterized by the following anecdote. Soon after his conversion, while he was hearing a sermon, preached by the bishop of Rheims, in which the preacher gave an impassioned description of the sufferings and death of Christ, Clovis suddenly started up in the assembly, and seizing his spear, exclaimed in a loud voice, Would to God that I had been there with my valiant Franks, I would soon have redressed his wrongs!"-Fredegarii Epitome, cap. 21.

VOL. II.

8

Clovis. He died soon after, in the 511th year of the Christian

era.*

France, which during the reign of Clovis had become an extensive and powerful monarchy, was in a short time thrown back into a state of weakness and division, almost equal to that from which it nad so recently emerged.

Clovis left four sons, who divided the monarchy among them, and were continually at war with each other. Their short and distracted reigns, the mischiefs arising from a divided empire, the miserable anarchy which prevailed through every part of the kingdom, and the deplorable weakness of the whole of the princes of the Merovingian race, render the history of France, at this period, a most disgusting as well as uninstructive picture; nor is it till the rise of the Maires du Palais, when a degree of order. arose under the usurpation of those officers, that the transactions. of those dark ages become at all interesting. On the death of Dagobert the First, who left two infant sons, Sigibert and Clovis the Second, the government fell into the hands of their chief officers, the Majores Palatii, or Mayors of the Palace. These officers founded a new power, which, for some generations, held the French monarchs in the most absolute subjection, and left them little else than the name of king.

The proper kingdom of the Franks was at this time divided into two distinct provinces, of which the line of separation ran from north to south. The eastern part was called Austrasia; the western, Neustria. Pepin, surnamed Heristel, Mayor of the Palace, and Governor of Austrasia, made war against the impotent monarch of Neustria, drove him into Paris, took the city, and thus became master of the whole kingdom. He was generous enough to spare the life of his sovereign. He allowed him the rents of some inconsiderable territories, and continued himself to govern France, with admirable wisdom and moderation, during a period of twenty-seven years. He never affected the title of King, but contented himself with that of Duke of Austrasia, and Mayor of the Palace of Neustria. The only weak and impolitic action of his life was the last, the appointment of his infant grandson Theobald to succeed him in his dignities, while at the same time he left a son Charles, surnamed Martel, in every respect worthy of those honors, and capable of asserting and vindicating with spirit what he might, with justice, esteem his right.

Austrasia declared for Charles, who immediately assumed the title of Duke, to which, as by hereditary right, he added that of Mayor of the Palace. The young Chilperic, the nominal monarch, had a degree of spirit beyond that of his predecessors; and

* The name Clovis, which is the same as Lewis, is variously given by different ancient authors; we find it Chlodovæus, Hludowicus, Chlodvig, Ludvich, &c.Howel, part. iii., ch. i., sect. 3.

endeavored to emancipate himself from that bondage to which they had patiently submitted. He treated the Mayor of the Palace as a rebel and usurper, and sought by force of arms to reduce him to subjection. A civil war took place, which ended fatally for Chilperic. Charles Martel was victorious, but allowed the monarch to retain, like his ancestors, the royal name and insignia, while he himself possessed the whole power and authority. Charles Martel governed France for about thirty years' with great wisdom, spirit, and ability. He was victorious over all his intestine foes; he kept in awe the neighboring nations; he delivered his country from the ravages of the Saracens, whom he entirely defeated between Tours and Poictiers-thus averting the imminent danger of Mahometanism overspreading Western Europe; and he died honored and lamented, bequeathing, in presence of his officers, the kingdom of France, as an undisputed inheritance, to his two sons, Pepin and Carloman.

Charles Martel had now assumed the name of king. His sons at first followed their father's example, and were styled, like him, dukes and mayors of the palace, the one of Austrasia, the other of Neustria and Burgundy; Childeric III., a son of the last nominal prince, being permitted, in the meantime, to hold the insignia of royalty. But Carloman, the younger son of Charles, inspired with a devout apathy for the empty honors of this world, thought proper to retire into a cloister; and Pepin, the elder, now possessed of the entire administration, determined to assume the name, as he possessed the power of king.

The means which Pepin adopted to secure to himself an undivided sovereignty are characteristic of the spirit of the times. He could have deposed his weak and nominal sovereign, and put him to death. His power was equal to any attempt, of which the measures he followed afford perhaps a stronger proof than if he had resorted to force to compass 'his ends. He sent an embassy to Rome to Zachary the pope, proposing it as a question to his holiness, whether he, or Childeric, had the best title to the throne. Zachary had formed the scheme of erecting a temporal dominion in Italy, and wished, for that purpose, to employ the arms of France to wrest the kingdom from the Lombards. An opportunity now offered of securing the friendship of Pepin, which the designing pontiff, on due consideration of its advantages, scrupled not to embrace. He decided the question by declaring that it was conducive to the honor of God, and the interests of the church, that Pepin, who already exercised the office of king, should possess the title also. Thus have the holy fathers often chosen to veil their schemes of avarice or ambition, confounding their own temporal views with the sacred interests of religion.

The kings of the Franks had hitherto been inaugurateď by a ceremony peculiar to the Gothic nation. Seated on a shield, they were carried through the ranks and received the homage of the

army. Pepin, aware of the violence he had done to human institutions, was anxious to impress the belief that his right to the crown was of heavenly origin. He adopted from Scripture the ceremony of consecration by holy oil, and was anointed by the hands of Boniface, archbishop of Mentz; * and this ceremony became ever after an established usage in the coronation of Christian princes. The church, for very obvious reasons, annexed to this ceremony a very high degree of importance. The hierarchy thus assumed a supremacy over temporal governments; and hence, in after times, has the Head of the Church arrogated to himself the right of disposing of kingdoms, as an inherent branch of his spiritual sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The first or Merovingian race of kings thus came to an end in the person of Childeric III., who, with an infant son, was conducted to the monastery of St. Bertin, where they passed the remainder of their days. This dynasty of weak and insignificant princes had filled the throne of France for three hundred and thirty-four years. There reigned at Paris alone twenty-one princes of this race; but including the various divisions into which the kingdom of the Franks was split, we have to reckon about forty princes of the family of Merovius.

In the person of Pepin, son of Charles Martel, commenced the second, or Carlovingian race of the monarchs of France, perpetuating in their name the illustrious foundation of a family which, to this day, gives princes to a great part of Europe. Pepin prepared to discharge his obligations to the see of Rome, of which he was reminded by a most extraordinary letter from heaven, written by pope Stephen III., the successor of Zachary, in the character of St. Peter! Urged by this invocation, he passed the Alps, and compelled the king of the Lombards to evacuate the greater part of his territories. His conquests put him in possession of a great part of Italy, and enabled him, as is said, to bestow upon the pope the territories of Ravenna, Bologna, and several other states, the first temporal possessions of the see of Rome. This gift, it must be owned, has been called in question, as the zealous advocates for the temporal sovereignty of the popes maintain that their right, in the Italian territory, was of a much more ancient date; while those who dispute that sovereignty assert that they never had any other title than a gradual usurpation of a temporal

*

Bonifacius was an Englishman, who, professing no other end than the propagation of Christianity, migrated from his own country into Germany and France, and ingratiated himself so highly with Charles Martel and Pepin, as to regulate all the affairs of the church within their dominions. He founded many bishoprics, and at last fixed his own residence at Mentz, which for many subsequent ages continued the see of the first archbishop of Germany.

It is a remarkable circumstance in the history of the Merovingian period, and goes far to account for the weakness and misery of the kingdom, that almost all the princes of this race ascended the throne while yet infants.-Mezeray, in his Abrege Chronologique, has attached to the name of each prince, as it occurs, the age at which he began to reign-vide p. 323, et seq.