CHARLES 



1276 



CHARLES 



was equally successful in establishing order in 

 his own kingdom. Charles was a patron of 

 art and literature, and laid the foundations of 

 the National Library of France (see BIBLIO- 

 THEQUE NATIONALS). The famous prison known 

 as the Bastille (which see) was built by him 

 to keep the lawless citizens of Paris in order. 



Charles VI (1368-1422), son of Charles V, was 

 a boy of twelve when his father died. Four 

 of his uncles divided the kingly power among 

 them, and their personal ambitions soon 

 brought the country to a state of great dis- 

 order. Finally, in 1388, Charles took the gov- 

 erning power into his own hands and ruled 

 wisely until 1392. In that year he suffered 

 from an attack of insanity, and when it became 

 evident that his mind was permanently weak- 

 ened his uncles regained their power. 



The rivalry between two of these, the Duke 

 of Burgundy and the Duke of Orleans, split the 

 country into two warring factions. Henry V 

 of England, making the weakness of France 

 serve his own purposes, invaded the country 

 and in 1415 won a great victory at Agincourt 

 (which see). Five years later the Peace of 

 Troyes was signed, by which Charles VI 

 acknowledged Henry V as his successor and dis- 

 inherited his own son. When the king died 

 in 1422, nearly all of France was under the 

 control of the English. 



Charles VII (1403-1461), who succeeded his 

 father Charles VI in 1422, fell heir to a 

 crown that was claimed by the English for 

 their king, Henry VI. With nearly all of his 

 realm in the hands of the foreign foe, the 

 young king looked on helplessly while the 

 English continued their conquests, and when 

 Orleans was besieged in 1428 the outlook for 

 France was dark indeed. In 1429 came another 

 terrible defeat, but in that year the deliverer 

 of France appeared the heroic Joan of Arc 

 (which see). Inspired by her faith and en- 

 thusiasm, the French raised the siege of Or- 

 leans, and on July 17, 1429, Charles was 

 crowned at Rheims. In the years that fol- 

 lowed the French drove the English from all 

 their holdings in France except Calais. 



As soon as Charles knew that his claim to the 

 throne was secure, he began to reorganize the 

 government, and in the course of time peace 

 and prosperity returned to France. He was, 

 however, a timid and irresolute ruler, and it 

 is to his lasting discredit that he made no 

 effort to save Joan of Arc from her terrible 

 fate. 



Charles VIII (1470-1498) succeeded his father, 



Louis XI, in 1483, when he was only thirteen 

 years of age. For the next eight years the 

 kingdom was wisely governed by the boy king's 

 sister, Anne of Beaujeu. In 1491 he married 

 Anne, Duchess of Brittany, thereby adding 

 the duchy to the French realm. Charles be- 

 came king in fact as well as in name at the 

 age of twenty-one, and his reign is memorable 

 because of his invasion of Italy in 1494. This 

 was an epoch-making event in European his- 

 tory, for it was the beginning of four centuries 

 of interference by the Northern nations in the 

 affairs of Italy. Charles accomplished the con- 

 quest of the kingdom of Naples in 1495, but 

 a league was formed against him and his 

 efforts came to nothing. 



Charles IX (1550-1574), son of Henry II and 

 Catharine de' Medici (which see), succeeded 

 his elder brother Francis II at the age of ten. 

 Even after he was declared of age, his mother, 

 who had acted as regent, was the real sovereign 

 of the nation. His reign was one of the un- 

 happiest in French history, disturbed contin- 

 ually by civil wars, intrigues and strife between 

 the Roman Catholics and Protestants. Though 

 not vicious, the young king was weak and 

 easily influenced, and so was persuaded by his 

 mother to permit the greatest outrage of his 

 entire reign, the massacre of Saint Bartholo- 

 mew's Day (August 24, 1572). Charles himself 

 suffered terrible remorse for having given his 

 consent to the massacre, and died two years 

 later. See SAINT BARTHOLOMEW'S DAY, MASSA- 

 CRE OF. 



Charles X (1759-1836), younger brother of 

 Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, and the last 

 sovereign of the older Bourbon line of kings, 

 was a striking example of the old saying, "A 

 Bourbon never learns anything and never for- 

 gets anything" (see BOURBONS). Succeeding 

 his brother, Louis XVIII, in the year 1824, 

 he began at once to revive the old despotic 

 rule which had driven the French people to 

 the terrible Revolution of 1789 (see FRENCH 

 REVOLUTION). All liberal measures were dis- 

 regarded, the clergy was restored to power, the 

 constitution was ignored and laws were changed 

 merely by the king's proclamation. In 1830 

 the people of Paris rose in revolt, and in 

 August of that year Charles abdicated in favor 

 of his grandson, Henry of Bordeaux. The 

 French, however, chose Louis Philippe, Duke 

 of Orleans, as their king. Charles escaped to 

 England, and afterwards took up his residence 

 in Austria, where he died. See FRANCE, sub- 

 title History. B.M.W. 



