Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-10-06

1t is certainly one of the greatest curl
osities in history that exactly onethousand
years ago, in the year of our Lord $40,
the people of France and Germany fought
under their kings upon the,same soil, tina!
OF Lorraine, for nearly the same reasons,
and with the same result. This happened
as follows: The empire Of Charlie
magne, and that Of his son, who succeeded
him, Ludwig L., called the Pious. was d.
vided by his three sons, the grandsons Of
Charlemagne, in S43, at the Congress Of
Verdun, between themlseyes in such a
manner that Lothaire received, besides the
title OF Emperor, Italy and what was then
called Middle Franconla, strip Of land
running from the North sea to the Mediter-
ranean and there joining Upper Italy, a
broad strip of land containing modern
Holland, Belgium, the Lorraine. the
France, and all that part of Southern
France lying between the Rhope and Soane
and the Alps on the east Ludwig re-
ceived Eastern Francoaia which was from
that time called Germania, or Germany,
and from which he, as Germanys first
King, was called Ludwig the German,
Carl, who was called the Bald, from his
bald head, received Western Francenia,
trom that time called Franconia, or France.
Lothaire died in 1856, and again subdivid-
ed his empire among his three sons, To
the Oldest, Ludwig, he gave Italy and the
crown and the title Of Emperor; to the sec
ond, Lothaire, the northern part of his do
minion, comprising part of modern Hol-
land, Belgium, and the province called up
TO this day Lorraine or Lotharingen, the
Alsace, and all the land extending down to
the Soane. To the youngest, Carl, he gave
all the land south OF the Soane to the
Mediterranean under the tile Of Kingdom
Of Provence.
In 500 Lothaire died without heirs, after
he had previously become possessed also
of his brother Carl's kingdom Of Provence,
and it was then that Oafl the Bald, King
Of France, stepped forward to take the sole
possession of his nephew's kingdom, COM
prising 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, 10: his nephew Ludwig, the En-
pe7or OF Italy, and his brother Ludwig, the
King of Germany, had both their hands
too full to claim their share OF the rich in.
herliance.
But year later, in $40, just one thou.
sand years ago, suddenly large and well
appointed German army crossed the Rhine,
broke into France, and defeated Carl the
Bald and his armies ut once, and 80 COM
pletely that he was compelled TO sign a
treaty'of peace in the same yoar (S70l by
which he coded to his brother Ludwig, the
German, all tho eastern part of those
lands which he had appropriated from his
nepher, and comprising the modern pro-
vnces of Alsace, Eastern Lorraine, and
the territories around the cities of Trier,
or Treyes, Cologne, Mastrcht 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 the part OF Germany,
which is after all, if not me sole cause.
certainly one of the principal causes of the
present war of 1870, took place Just one
thousand years ago, in $40, and with the
same result