CHARLEMAGNE
368
CHARLES II
The archbishop of Paris gave them the name of Servants of the Poor, which they have proudly kept ever since. The sisters became so useful and beloved that they were spared by the Revolution. They have since spread to almost every civilized country, and are doing a good and faithful work.
Charlemagne (shar'le-man}, meaning Charles the Great, born April 2, 742, was the eldest son of Pep in, the first king of the Franks, of the Carlovingian dynasty. He was at first joint-king with his brother Carloman, but on the latter's death in 771 he became sole king. Six wars made him master of the Saxons, whom he Christianized. Crossing the Alps with two armies, he overthrew the kingdom of the Lombards in 774. In 778 he invaded Spain, and by his campaign against the Moors added a large region south of the Pyrenees to his kingdom. Ten years later Bavaria was made a part of his empire, and the savage Avars were conquered. In 800 he fought as the ally of the pope against the rebellious Romans. Here, while worshiping in St. Peter's church on Christmas Day, the pope set a crown upon his head and, amid the shouts of the people, saluted him as the emperor of the Romans. The remainder of his reign was spent in strengthening his vast empire, which extended from the Ebro to the Elbe. Bishoprics were founded; the country was divided into districts ruled by counts; and counts, called markgrafen, defended the frontiers from attack. A further element of strength was a great yearly military muster, attended by the high officials of the empire. Charlemagne was not merely a soldier; a learned man for his era, he had a school in the palace for the sons of his servants and set up schools throughout the country. He promoted commerce and manufactures; he also took an interest in farming, and had fruit trees brought from southern Europe and planted by his subjects on their lands. His fame spread to all parts of the world, the great Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid sending an embassy to show his respect. Charlemagne was tall and looked every inch a nobleman. The greatness of his kingdom ended with his own life. His successors were weaklings, and the great empire fell to pieces. Yet his attempt to maintain order and observance of law among his people and to gather small tribes into one great nation, had great effect in making Europe civilized. He died Jan. 28, 814.
Charles I, king of England, born Nov. 19, 1600, was a weakly child, unable to speak until his fifth year or to walk until his seventh. He, however, outgrew both defects, became active in outdoor sports and was an accomplished scholar. He succeeded his father in 1625, and the same year welcomed, at Dover, his little bright-eyed queen, the French Princess Henrietta
Maria, whom he had married by proxy six weeks earlier. At first he was the mere tool of Buckingham, but after that noble's murder in 1628, he gradually submitted himself to the guidance of his wife. It was his yielding to her influence and also to that of Stafford and Laud, that caused the rupture between the king and Parliament. The struggle was caused by Charles' determination to get money without rendering an account of it. For eleven years he ruled without summoning a parliament. His attempt to make the inland counties pay a ship-tax was met by the resistance of Hampden; while Laud's foolish attempt to force the Scottish church to become English arrayed the whole northern kingdom against him. In 1640 two parliaments met; the short parliament, which lasted but three weeks, and the long parliament, which outlasted Charles. Afraid that the queen would be impeached, he signed the bill which sent Stafford to the block. Then came Pym's Grand Remonstrance, as it was called, and Charles' attempt to arrest the five members of Parliament who had gone farthest in opposing him. In 1642 began the Civil War, in which Charles showed great bravery but which resulted, at the battle of Naseby, in the utter destruction of his cause. He was tried and condemned to death, and on the 3oth of January. 1649, was beheaded. His faults were as a ruler. As a man, a husband and a father, one English prince alone is worthy of being named beside him—the late prince consort. It has been well said: "No man so good was ever so bad a king."
Charles II, king of England, born May 29, 1630, was present with his father at the battle of Edgehill, when but 12 years old, and in 1646 he escaped to France. In 1650 he landed in Scotland, was crowned at Scone, and with 10,000 Scots marched into England, but was defeated and his army put to rout by Cromwell at Worcester. For six years Charles wandered about, a fugitive with a price of £1000 set on his head now hiding in an oak tree and anon disguised as a serving-man. More than 40 persons shared in his secret, yet not one betrayed him, and he escaped from the country. On the fall of the protectorate in 1660 he was recalled to the throne. His first adviser was Lord Clarendon, who was succeeded by the cabal or cabinet, and they by Shaftesbury. He was unpatriotic, selling to France Dunkirk, a French town which the English had long held, and also secretly taking money from Louis XIV for not opposing the schemes of France. Two wars with Holland; religious troubles at home; the struggle to prevent the king's brother James, duke of York, from being declared heir to the throne; and the Popish and Rye House plots made up the political incidents of his reign. Under Charles II
