6<v3' FRA 
Henry king of.Germany. That'monarch was not deaf 
So his intreaties ; tire inclinations of William duke of 
Normandy, who had fucceeded his father Rollo, leaned 
to the fame fide ; and the deftruflion of Rodolph was 
only averted by the treachery of Herbert count of Ver¬ 
mandois. That nobleman, dreading the reftoration of a 
monarch whom he had injured too much to be forgiven, 
pretended to defect the caufe of the new king, and offered, 
by his deputies, to ereft once more the fiandard of loyalty. 
Charles, confiding in his deliffive promifes, marched into 
the country of Vermandois, where he was feized by the 
perfidious count, and imprifoned in the fortrefs of Chateau 
Thiejri; his queen, Egiva, efcaped with her fon Louis 
to the court of her brother Athelrtao king of England ; 
and Rodolph, releafed from his apprehenfions, turned his 
arms againrtrWilliam duke of Aquitain. That prince 
was Coon compelled to a ready fitbmiflion ; and the throne 
of Rodolph might have (food fecure, but for a formidable 
confpiracy raifed againft him. Herbert count of Ver¬ 
mandois had claimed as the reward of his perfidy, but 
was refuf’ed, the city of Laon ; his refentment was made 
known to Hugh duke of France, who had married Ethe- 
linda, the daughter of Edward king of England, and the 
filter of Charles’s confort : in conjunction with Wiliiam 
duke of Normandy, they determined to reftore the cap¬ 
tive Charles to the throne ; and Henry king of Germany, 
and pope John IX. confirmed that prince’s hopes 
by the promife of their united fupport. Yet the genius 
and policy of Rodolph difperfed the rifing fiorm ; the 
death of the Roman pontiff delivered him from the me¬ 
naces of the church ; the zeal of Henry was difarmed by 
the art^of flattery; Herbert was gratified by the acqui- 
fi-tion of Laon ; and drew along with him Hugh duke of 
France ; Egiva, once more, by the advice of the duke of 
Normandy, retired to England ; and Charles was furren- 
derea by the count of Vermandois into the cuftody of 
Rodolph. He was received with refpetl, and the royal 
fetters were rendered lefs cumberfome by the liberality 
of the hand which impofed them ; yet Charles lurvived 
not long this lecond revolution; in the fifty-firft year of 
his age, on the 9th Of October, 929, at the cattle of Pr- 
ronne, he was releafed by death front a life of cruel dif- 
appointments; and if his. character as a prince cannot 
command our clieem, the niifery to which he was inva¬ 
riably allotted, excites at lead our companion. The re¬ 
maining years of the reign of Rodolph, though fuccefs- 
fu.l againft the Normans of the Loire and the favage Hun¬ 
garians, could not reftore the internal vigour of France, 
deeply, wounded by the rage of civil commotion, and 
weakened by the divifion of almoft all the territories of 
the crown into feod’al tenures. , The pioffeffors of thefe 
refilling homage and fealty, ?^d quarrelling amongft 
themlelves, allowed the king to enjoy but a fhort portion 
of tranquillity ; in the fourteen'.^, year of his reign he 
expired at Auxerre, on the 15th of January, 936. 
The duchy of Burgundy now devolved on Hugo fur- 
named the Black , the brother of Rodolph ; but the molt 
powerful claimant to the French crown,'was' Hugo duke 
of France. His defigns were’oppofed by Herbert count 
of Vermandois ; and their contention allowed Atlielflan 
king of England to plead the caufe of his nephew, the 
fon of Cliailqs tlie Simple. The duke of France was 
readily perfuaded by Wiliiam of Normandy to rtifle his 
ambitious hopes, and to concur in placing on the throne 
a prince with whom by marriage he was (o'Warly con- 
nedfed. William arihbifhbp of' Sens was deputed to 
England to invite over Louis, furnamed d'Outre-mer ,"or 
Stiangqr; and the young prince, landing at Boulogne, 
proceeded to Laon, and was crowned in that city on the 
20th of June, 936, by Artaud archbifliop of Rheims. 
Louis IV. Imd but juft entered into the feveiiteenth' 
year of his age, when he fucceeded to the throne of his 
father; yet he took every precaution to maintain the in¬ 
ternal tranquillity of his kingdom. Tb'd'ilbl'iarge his ob¬ 
ligations 10 Hugo, lie appoiuted him iniiiifler, and corn- 
2 
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mitted to his hands the reins of government. The duke 
of Burgundy had prefunied on an infant reign, to violate 
the fall duty of the peace, and to feize the city of Langres; 
the infult was refented by the duke of France; at the 
head of a powerful army he penetrated into Burgundy, 
and compelled the brother of Rodolph to purchafe an 
ignominious peace by the ceflion of great' part of that 
fruitful duchy. So vigorous a condud infpired the 
French with the molt pleafing expedations ; but the flat¬ 
tering profped was- foon overcaft, and the mind of the 
king appeared to be impreffed with a deep and fatal fuf- 
picion of his rriinifter. The duke of France perceived 
himfelf eftranged from the confidence of his mailer, and 
retired from an ungrateful court to cultivate the returning 
friend Hi i p of the Count of Vermandois : that nobleman 
furprifed the city of Laon; and the king, fenfible of his 
weaknefs, once more affedted to commit himfelf to the 
counlels of Hugo duke of France. Yet, amidft thefe 
marks of external regard, he only wailed a favourable 
opportunity to break the chains of his powerful fubjedt ; 
he recalled his mother Egiva', and allured to his intereft 
Hugo duke of Burgundy, Artaud archbifliop of Rheims, 
and the count of Poidtiers. The duke of France was 
joined by William duke of Normandy, Arnold count of 
Flanders, and Herbert count of Vermandois. Rheims 
furrendered, Laon was inverted by the confederates ; and 
Charles, having fullered a decilive defeat in the vain 
hope of relieving that city, confented to a peace, which 
was negociated unclerthe mediation of pope Stephen VIII. 
The death of William duke of Normandy, in 942, who 
was affaflinated at the mitigation of the count of Flan¬ 
ders, and of Herbert count of Vermandois, changed the 
face of public affairs; the fon of Herbert was protected 
by the friendlhip of Hugo ; but Richard, the luccelfor 
of William, was an infant, whofe extenfive dominions 
promifed an eafy conqueft. The neutrality of the duke 
of France was purchafed by the ceflmh of part of Bur¬ 
gundy ; and Louis, entering into Normandy, was re¬ 
ceived at Rouen With every mark of refpetl by Bernard 
the Dane, to whole protetlion the deceased duke had be¬ 
queathed the tender years of his fon. The Normans 
were prevailed upon by Louis, to relign their young duke 
to his care ; he was conveyed to Laon, and the dark de- 
lign of murder has been imputed to the faith'eTsguar- 
dian; but Richard was preferred by the vigilance of his 
-governor Ofmun, who, in the difguife of a groom, 
efcaped with his charge concealed in'a trufs of hay, and 
mounting a fleet liorfe, conveyed him in fafety to Ber¬ 
nard count of Senlis. On the flight of Richard, Louis 
entered Normandy, and advanced to Rouen with a power¬ 
ful army, while the duke of France'penetrated into the 
country of Bayeux ; but the king was deceived by the 
fubmillive declarations 1 of Bernard the Dane, gnd the 
count of Senlis; he commanded Hugo to retire; who re¬ 
luctantly obeyed the royal mandate; and, in concert 
with Bernard, advanced to encounter Aigrol king >of 
Denmark, who iiad landed in'Normandy to fupptfi-t the 
claims of the infant duky. This fraud of■ Bernard le- 
cured the defeat of the French ;■ and while Louis was 
engaged in a conference with Aigrol, in 944, his army 
was iuddenly attacked by the Danes; the Franks Wei e 
furprifed and broken on every fide;’the count of Pon- 
thieu, with eighteen other nobles, perilhed on the field ; 
and the king himfelf was carried prifoner to Rouen. 
The perlon of the captive monarch was’given up to 
Hugo duke of France ; but Louis loon difeovered that 
me fetters of his own fubjetls were equally oppreflive 
with thole of the Normans; and the price of his free¬ 
dom, after twelve month’s confinement, was the city and 
dioceie of Laon. Thefe were granted by Hugo to the 
count of Chartres; and the marriage of Emma daughter 
of the duke of Frai.ce with Richard of Normandy, 
awakened the jealo'ufy 1 of the'nobles,~and the apprelien- 
lions of Otho king of Germany. A formidable con- 
fp'iracy foon enabled Lonryto avow his refeminent agahirt 
1 this 
