THE 



MONTHLY MAGAZINE 



OF 



POLITICS, LITERATURE, AND THE BELLES LETTRES. 

 VOL. X.] OCTOBER, 1830. [No. 58. 



THE KING OF THE FRENCH, FRANCE, WELLINGTON, AND EUROPE. 



FRANCE now attracts the universal eye, and as a great portion of her 

 conduct must be determined by the character of her chief, the history 

 of Louis Philippe has a peculiar interest at the present time. 



Of all the countries of Europe, France has seldomest seen the suc- 

 cession to her throne disturbed by war, conspiracy, or the influence of 

 foreign powers. Yet, since the tenth century she has been governed by 

 seven dynasties : the Capet, the Valois, the Orleans Valois, the Angou- 

 leme, the Bourbon, the Napoleon, and the Orleans ; or on an average, 

 one every century. 



The death of Louis le Faineant, a profligate youth, left Hugh Capet, 

 who had been appointed his guardian, master of the crown, in 987- 

 Charles, Duke of Lorrain, the late king's uncle, disputed his right ; 

 but Capet's descent from Charlemagne, and his own intelligence, mode- 

 ration, and virtue, secured the affections of the people. His dynasty 

 governed France down to the fourteenth century, when, in 1328, Charles 

 the Fourth, named the Handsome, died, leaving no male issue. 



The Valois branch of the Capets now succeeded; a memorable event 

 in French history, as the origin of those dreadful wars with England, 

 which devastated France for almost a hundred and fifty years. The right 

 to the crown was claimed by Edward the Third, in virtue of his descent 

 by the female line. But the French pleaded the Salique law against 

 him, and the nobles chose Philip, the son of Charles de Valois, brother 

 of Philip the Fair, and uncle of Charles the Handsome. In Charles 

 the Eighth the line failed, in 1498. 



The Orleans branch ascended the throne, in the person of Louis, 

 Duke of Orleans, cousin of Louis the Eleventh. He married a sister 

 of the English Henry the Eighth. In speaking of those various 

 branches as dynasties, of course we have not taken the word in its 

 general sense, of a long succession in each, but merely as the change of a 

 direct lineage. 



The Angouleme branch succeeded in 1515. Francis, Duke cf 

 Angouleme, the famous Francis the First, thd rival of Charles the 

 Fifth of Germany, ascending the throne, by the death of Louis the 



M.M. New Series. VOL, X. No. 58. 3 A 



