596 FRANCE. 
nie, and, above all, the of he- 
retics: but” ae Te ore corset tol pan 
ed in the banishment of the Confessor. 
The war still continued, grein reines Yn 
endeavonred to bring about a reconciliation. The Duke 
of Rohan, not being y supported, Jost the Valte- 
line. On the other hand, the Count D’Harcourt reco- 
- vered the isles of St Margaret and St Honorat, on the 
Success of 
the French 
in the Bris- 
ga. 
A. D. 1637. 
coast of Provence, which had been taken by the Spa- 
niards in 1695; the Duke of Valette reduced several 
forts, which the Spaniards had seized in Guienné ; Mar- 
shal Schomberg raised the siege of Lucat, and defeated 
Serbillon, the Spanish ; Cardinal de La Valette 
reduced Capelle again under the dominion of France ; 
the Marshal de C ilion obtained ion of Dam- 
villiers in Luxemburgh ; and the e of ille 
successfully advanced in Franche Comté. The Mar- 
shal Crequi, aided by the Duke of Savoy, defeated the 
By ea tel , under the command of the Duke of 
odena ; while Breda was obliged to surrender to the 
Prince of Orange. 
In 1687, Ferdinand IT. died, and was succeeded in 
the imperial throne by Ferdinand IIT. who pursued the 
same hne of’ politics as his father: hostilities therefore 
were continued. In the following year, the Duke of 
Saxe-Weimar, supplied from the treasures of France, 
took the field again; but he was surprised and routed 
in the siege of Rheinteld, where the Duke of Rohan, 
who served as a volunteer, from a friendship to the Duke 
of Saxe-Weimar, was wounded. The latter, 
impatient to wipe off the di of his defeat, collect- 
ed all his'force, and ex all his talents and skill ; 
and soon conquered in his turn. General de Savelli, 
and the famous John de Wert, who led the Imperialists, 
were taken sce care ; and the towns of Rheinfeld and 
Fribourg, the capital of the Brisgaw, were reduced. 
The siege of Brisac was afterwards undertaken with the 
greatest confidence of success ; during which, the Duke 
of Lorraine, and the Im General Goentz, attempt- 
ed in vain to check the success of the Duke of Saxe- 
Weimar ; and Brisac was forced to surrender, after it 
had been reduced to such an extremity that the gover- 
nor was under the necessity of ren, Re somioeeepme 
burial-places, lest the inhabitants shou up and de- 
vour the dead. ‘ 
As soon as Richelieu heard of the reduction of Brisac, 
he immediately formed the scheme of annexing it to 
France; and accordingly made the pro to the 
Duke of Saxe-Weimar. But this would not 
part with his conquest: “ To part with my conquest,” 
was his reply, “ would be to sacrifice my honour: ask 
a virgin to give up her chastity!” In 1689, the Duke 
died, not without suspicion that his death had been has- 
tened by the Cardinal, ‘who certainly, as soon as it hap- 
pened, sueceeded in procuring from his successor, not 
only Brisac, but Fribourg also. ‘Thus was the King 
of France, by the abilities and’ intrigues of his minis- 
ter, rend sovereign of almost all Alsace, and a great’ 
part of the Brisgaw. 
To retaliate on the Spaniards for their invasion of Pi- 
cardy, the Prince of Condé was ordered to lay siege to 
FPonterabia ; but he was defeated by the Admiral of 
Castile, and with the remainder of his army, escaped 
with difficulty to his ships. 
In 1641, the Emperor, though he to be 
desirous of peace, convoked a diet at Ratisbon, for the 
rpose of concerting measures for carrying on the war. 
pon this the Swedish 1 Bannier, having joined 
Erfart, formed the design of dis« 
ing the assembly, and even of surprising the city. 
Fie maveh'ene id and well planned. Teaetetee 
Hoff on the Sth of January, and proceeding with the 
same celerity, he crossed the Danube on ice, and’ 
took above 1500 of the.enemy’s » The Emperor’ — 
himself narrowly escaped rane prisoner. Ais‘ Attempt on 
Ratisbon was utterly unprepared for a siege, the ap- Buti 
of the Swedes a 
hey had planned to take advantage of the frost, and’ 
starve the town into submission; but the weather 
changing, it was resolved to repass'the Danube, before’ 
the ice thawed. Bannier, however, ordered’ the gene- 
ral of the French to advance as nearly as possible’ 
to Ratisbon, and to salute the E with 500 shot 
an insult which meee deprived 
powers of reason and recollection. After this ineffec~ 
tual attempt, the French ‘themselves from 
their allies, and marched towards Bamberg. After the 
death of Bannier, in united, and under the com- 
mand of Guebriant, the i 
the Archduke and Piccolomini, at the battle of Wolfe1 
buttel. As soon as Tortensten assumed the commit 
of the Swedes, the French again separated ‘from 
by yee of the Cardinal, and Guebriant entered We 
phalia. . 
one pein cintinueyona ah testi 
tween Sw and France, most vi ' 
solutions taken for ing the war, — sunt 
crossed the Rhine, and understanding that Hasfeld was 
rene} ‘ 
ref aww and of the whole Imperial army 
ve escaped. consequence of this victory 
was the reduction of nearly the whole electorate of Co- 
On the oe a French army entered Rousil- Conspiracy 
lon, and reduced Colonna and P. 
self was at the head of this army, 
Richelieu, who accompanied him as - 
where he fell y ill. During his illness, 
confederacy was formed against him, at the head 
which was Cinq Mars, whose lively , agreeable 
address, and handsome person, seconded 
mendation of the Cardinal, had made him a great favou- 
rite with the king. Thus fortunate, he aspired to be 
made a Duke ; and on the Cardinal ing hi 
he became his secret enemy. Cinq 
very weak intellect, and it is probable that his intrigues 
would have been i i frustrated by his incapa- 
city, had he not been son of the ce- 
i 
: 
& 
ms 
lebrated historian De Thou, by w advice he con~ 
nected himself with the Dukes of Orleans and 
and soon afterwards formed a secret alliance with’ thie” 
court of Spain, which ised to su the con 
tors with money and a prmidable aruiy Bor Rise 
stem of vigilance and detection was so well organised, 
uk ards ing his extreme illness, it operated as 
powerfully and completely, as if he had been able to 
superintend it himself. He was informed of the 
long before it had assumed a ) ; and he 
immediately persunded Louis to return to Fran, even 
before the fall of Perpignan, putting into his hands a 
copy of the treaty which the conspirators | 
into with Spain. Cinq Mars: was arrested in Narbonne, 
and the D of Bouillon in Italy, where he had the 
erdinand ofall the 
ial army, led by 
was concluded be- Wd 
a eae ee re © ee 
a Sa Re 
ee 
i 
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