Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-06-17


for many centuries the bar
baric invasion. II
Under the first Triumvirate Cisalpine
Gaul fell to the charge Of Julius Cesar;
and when he crossed ihe Rubicon, he
was regarded as having invaded Italy, /
and defed Rome.
In the fall of the Empire the Goths
desolated this Northern region and the
tribe of Germans, who had
been invited in, as stipendaries, proved \
even more cruel than the Goths. They
held it under a succession of twenty-one
Monarhs for over two cennries.
In 962, Ohio the Great,a Saxon, was
crowned at Milan with the ron crown of
Lombardy, and at Rome with the golden
crown of the Empire. 1t isthe crown
of the Caesars that the Imperial Kaizers
claim to wear; and they reign over Aus
tria and Germany, as Conqueas of the
Roman Crown. For several centuries
the German Emperors were recognized |
as the Sovereigns of all Italy, Then
CbarIemagne annexed it to the Empire
of the Franks. Then again it fell to
Germany.
The power of the Church broke this
supremacy. The Popes encouraged the
Northern Provinces to revolt, and the
Lombard league was formed, which tri-
umphed at the battle of Legane in 1176,
and the peace of Constance gave free
dom the Italian cities, and laid the found
ations of the Republics of Genoa, and
Florence, and Venice.
In this struggle Frederick Barbarossa
burned Tortona, destroyed Crema, and
razed Milan to the ground. The free
cities built Alessandria, the present for
tress of Sardinia, as bulwark against
Northern invasion. This italian triumph
was short lived and the history of Italy
was one of internal wars, alternated by
invasions from without.
The battle of Payia, another of the
great battles of the world, was fought
upon its soil, between Charles the Vth of
Austria, and Francis /. of France, in
which the latter was routed and taken
prisoner, and wrote home all is lost
except honor
Whether the aim has been to check
the domination Of Spain, to unite Europe
against France, to crafty the ambition
of Austria, Italy has always been the
battle field and always the victim. The
Conquerors divided its territory as they
chose and the petty princes were sacri-
feed and their domains partioned when
ever it suited the great powers to COM
promise their differences by a settlement.
The Spanish drove out the Germans, and
held dominion. The French drove out
the Spanish, and were in turn driven
out; but surviving all, the patient Ger
mans held possession to the last.
The treaty of AK la Chapelle, which
closed the great wars in the beginning Of
the 18th century conceded Milan to Aus
tria and as it remained undisputed until
the war of the French revolution.
Austria and Sardinia united to put
down the French revolution and Gen
Bonaparte was sent with an army to de.
tach Sardinia from the alliance, by the
offer Of a portion of the conquests to bt
made from Austria in Italy. He wa;
more successful than he dreamed or thar
the Directory who had sent him contem
plated; and instead of fnessing in diplo
macy he dictated his own terms of peace
In fifteen days, after crossing the Alps
he won six victories, forced Sardinia Il
sue for peace, and to surrender all he
territories, and drove back Austria int
the Milanese. He defeated three Aus
I trian Generals in succession, and ther
| concluded peace by giving Venice witt
Mantua to Austria, and organising th,
! rest of Northern Italy in the Cisalpin
Republic.
The next European combination, whicl
! united Russia with Austria and Englan,
against Napoleon, sent Russian arm,
under Suwarrow, who gained decisiv
, battle over the French, in a three days
! fight, in June I799-at Trebia. the seen
of HannibaIs victory many centurie
q before.
Again Napoleon staked his persona
fortunes and those of bis Nation, at Ma
rengo, and lost the battle there at moor
and won it again before night. The Aus
trian General, Melas, had withdrawn t
write his victorious description to Yienn
while the French were in retreat, an
: found himself routed and bis army d.
stroyed, by one of those combinations ,
military genius to which Napoleon, wbe
.