The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-11-11
A Thousand Years Ago-A Strange Coincidence
Of History.


1t is certainly one of the greatest curios-
tiles in history that exactly one thousand
years ago. in the year of our Lord $40, the
people of France and Germany fought I'M
der their kings upon the same soil, that of
Lorraine for very nearly the same reason,
and with the same result. This happened
as follows: The empire of Charlemagne
and that OF his son who succeeded him.
Ludwig l., called the Pious, was divided
by his three sons, the grandsons of Charlie
magne, S43, at the congress of Verdun, be
tween themselves in such manner that
Lothaire received, besides the title of EN-
peror, Italy and what was then called Mid
ole Franconia, strip of land running from
the North Sea to the Mediterranean, and
there joining Upper Italy, broad strip of
land containing modern Holland, Belgium,
the Lorraine, the Alsace, all that part of
Southern France lying between the Rhine
and Saone and the Alps on the east. Lud
wig received Eastern Franconia, which,
was from that time called Germania, or.
Germany, and from which he, as Gerniany's
first king, was called Ludwig the German.
Carl, who was called the Bald, from his
bald head, received Western Franconia, or
France. Lothaire died in 855, and again
suodlvlded his empire amongst his three
sons. 10 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 Gay Lorraine or Lotharingen,
the Alsace, and all the land extending
down to the Saone. To the youngest, Carl,
ne gave all the land south of Saone to the
Mediterranean, under the title of X ingdom
of Provence.
In S69 Lothaire died without heirs, after
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 kingdom, COM
prlslng 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 completely sue
cessful, for his nephew Ludwig, the EN-
peror in Italy, and his brother Ludwig, the
King of Germany, had both their hands
too full to claim their share of the rich in
heritance.
But year later, in $40, just one thous-
ana 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 COM
pletely that he was compelled to sign q
treaty of peace in the same year, (S70,) by
which he coded to his brother Ludwig, the
German, all the eastern part of those lands
which he had appropriated from his neph-
ew, comprising the modern provinces of
Alsace, Eastern Lorraine, and the terrific
ries around the cities of Trier, or Treyes,
Cologne, Mastricht, and Utrecht, down to
the mouth of the River Rhine
The first grand fight for the Rhine PROV
inces on the part of France, and the Alsace
and Lorraine on that of Germany, which
u.s. 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 result.-N Y. World.