Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-09-30
A Thousand Years Ago.

IT is certainly one of the greatest curl.
osities in history that exactly one thou
sand 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 CharlemsgDe, and that Of his son who
succeeded him, Ludwig l., called the
Pious, was divided by his three sons, the
grandsons of Charlemagne, in S43, at the
| congress of Verdun, between themselves
in such manner that Lothaire received,
besides the title of Emperor, Italy and
what was then called Middle Franconia,
a strip Of land running from the North
Sea to the Mediterranean, and there join
ing Upper Italy, broad strip of land
containing modern Holland, Belgium, and
Lorraine, the Alsace, and all that part OF
Southern France lying between the
Rhone and Saone and the Alps on the
east. Ludwig received Eastern Fran.
coma, which was from that time called
Germania, or Germany, and from which
he, as Germany's first king, was called
Ludwig the German.
Carl, who was called the Bald, from his
bald head, received Western Franconia,
From that time called Franoonia, OF
France. Lothaire died in e55, and again
subdiyided 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
part OF his dominion, comprising part
of modern Holland, Belgium, and the
province called up to this day Lorraine or
Lotharingen, the Alsace, and all the land
10 "a NJ = AIo
youngest, Carl, he gave all the land south
of the Saone 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 Carl's 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
Meuse 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.
But year later, in $40, Just one thou
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, and
so completely that he was compelled to
sign a treaty of peace in the same year
(S70), by which he ceded to his brother
Ludwig, the German, all the eastern part
OF those lands which he had appropriated
from his nephew, and comprising the
modern provinces of Alsaee, Eastern Lor.
raine, and the territories around the cities
of Trier, or Treves, Cologne, Mastricht,
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 aud 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 ago, in $40, and with the same re-
sult-Neao York World.