The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-09-29
A Thousand Years Ago.

IT is'certainly one OF the greatest curl
osities in history that exactly one thou
seud years ago, In the year OF our Lord
$40, the people of France and Germany
fought under their kings upon the same
soil, that of Lorraine, for very nearly the
| same reasons, and with the same result
This happened as follows: The empire
of Charlemsgnc, and that of his son who
succeeded HIM, Ludwig l., called the
Pious, was divided by his three sons, the
| grandsons of Charienagne, in SAB, at the
congress Of Verdun, between themselves
| in such a manner that Lothaire received,
besides the title of Emperor, Italy ard
what was then called Middle Franconia,
a strip OF land running from the North
| Sea to the n e0iterranean, and there join
ing Upper Italy, broad strip of land
containing modern Holland. Belgium, and
Lorraine, the Alsace, and al that part Of
Southern France lying between the
Rhone and Saone and the Alps on the
east. Ludwig received Eastern Fran
conis, which was from that time called
Geruanis, or Germany, and from which
he, as Germany'S first king, was called
Ludwig the German.
Carl, who was called the Bald, from bis
3sld head. received Western Franconia,
from That Tune calIoH ec---~~,sa or
France. Lothaire died in $50, and again
subdivided his empire between his three
sons. To the Oldest, Ludwig, he gave
Italy, and the crown and title OF Emperor
TO the second, Lothaire, the northern
of modern Holland, Belgium, and the
province called up to this day Lorraine or
Lothsringen, the Alsace, and 81 the land
| RI hn
youngest, Carl, he gave all the land south
of the Ssone to the Mediterranean, under
the title Of Kingdom of Provence
In 500 Lothaire died without heirs, af-
ter he had previously become possessed
also of his brother Carts kingdom Of
Provence, and it was then that Carl the
Bald, King of France, stepped forward to
take sole possession OF his nephew's king
dom, comprising all the eastern part Of
modern France. and extending from the
Mouse TO the Rhine, and from the Rhone
to the Alps, and from the North Sea way
down TO the Mediterranean. He was COM
pletely successful, for his nephew Ludwig,
the Emperor in Italy, and his brother
Ludwig, the King of Germany. had both
their hands too full to claim their share OF
the rich inheritance.
| Dub u ySdi laLCi' liz CIV just OuS OAOU-
sand years ago, suddenly large and we'll
appointed German army crossed the
Rhine, broke into France, and defeated
Carl the Bald and his armies at once, snd
so completely that he was compelled to
sign treaty OF peace in the same year
$50, by which he ceded to his brother
Ludwig, the German, all the eastern part
of those lands which he had appropriated
from his nephew, aud comprising the
modern provinces of Alsaee, Eastern Lor-
raine, and the territories around the cities
of Trier, or Treves, Cologne, MastricSt
and Utrecht, down TO the mouth OF the
river Rhine.
The first grand fight for the Rhine
provinces on the part of France, and the
Alsace and Lorraine on the part of Ger
many, which is, after all, if not the sole
cause, certainly one of the principal
causes of the present war of 1870, took
place consequently just one thousand
years sgo, in $40. and with the same re
sult.-Ne.o York World.