The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-11-02
THE KINGDOM OF YYETOT.
II etait I'm roi d'YyetOt
Pen connu dams r'histOire."

LII any BOug at0utU AppSu IOC W nave
read Beranger's song, lie r0i FYUetOt,
/ look upon him as lucky nal who still
has some enjoyment left. always have
felt, and it seems to meevery body must
feel so, a kind of envy in reading the
poets picture of the happy idyllie life of
that potentate whe arose late, went to
bed early and slept perfectly well with
out "gloire." AS to this last expensive
article, it remains a considerable Ques-
ton If he ever would have been able to
acquire what is generally sO-called, as,
always according to the same author,
his entire royal guard was composed of
a single dog. He, consequently, did not
trouble his neighbor-for he had only
one of thekind, the King of France-and
lived in peace with all the world, enjoy
ing his four meals a day, and, now and
then, taking q ride through his realms,
not on horseback; but-peace-loving
sovereign that he was-On a peaceable
donkey. Like a bon petit rOi he, of
course, loved all his subjects; but, as we
all will understand easily enough, prin-
cipally the fair ones, and in more than
one respect, says my authority, he, on
~sequently, merited the name of his coun-
try's father. Only Il thing troubled
him, according to Beranger, the same
| that has troubled, still troubles, and, it
is to be feared, ever will trouble a good
many kings aud other gentlemen, his
always being rather dry; but the only
tax in his happy kingdom being imposed
on wines and liquors and being levied
in kind by himself, he managed, some
how, to quench his thirst. His subjects,
as might have been expected, felt jolly
and content under his rule, and
zee nest que lorsqu'il expira
Que lie peuple qui Penterra
Pleura."
| Certainly, every one who reads Beran-
gers songmust, involuntarily, repeatits
burden: QueB bon petitrOi C'etait la, with
a sort of regret that this good little king
should be only a fiction, a person too
happy to have ever lived in this blessed
world of ours. .-.
But truth is stranger than fiction-this
~potentate may have existed-at least it
is certain that a Royawpe dYUetOt did
exist for a couple of hundred years and
that, accordingly, several kings succeed
ed each other on it's throne.
The sources of information as to the
history of this happy country, which are
accessible here, leaves us, I am sorry to
say, considerably in the dark; but even
that is to some minds rather an attract
i've feature than otherwise. Another
interesting question we are unable to
answer is, why the BourhOns only called
themselves "ROis de France ct de Ma
varre." We feel inclined to think that
the title "Rois de France, de Navarro
ct d'Yvetotn would have had a much
more sonorous and grandiose sound but
the Bourbon Kings, evidently, did not
think as we do.
We will, however, give what little we
have found about the Yvetotian Empire
and its rulers; perhaps some other stu
dent of history, instigated by our exam
pie, may be able to give more exhaust
i've description of that interesting coun-
try, { history, geography, statistics, etc.
The town Yvetot is situated in the
Department Seine Inferieure and had,
in 1850, a%population of 9,913 inhabitants.
Asthe name of this town, as we'll as those
of many other places in Normandy, is of
Northman origin, it is extremely prOba-
BILE that is was founded by one of the
followers of Rolf, or, as he was called
after his christening, Robert, the first
Duke of Normandy. Yyetotis not men
; toned in historical records before the
eleventh century, when we find a sire
d'Yvetot accompanying William the
Conqueror to England and distinguish.
ing himself at the battle of Hastings
1896. At that time, then, it was already
the chief town of o harony.
; A fabulous tradition tells thatthe title
/ of king first was conferred, in 534, upon
the heiro Of Gautier, sred'Yvetot, by King
Clotaire /, to expiate the assassination
of this baron in the church of Scissors
but this is a mere invention, possibly by
l some Yvetotian poeta IaureatWs.
BUTT is a fact that Jean " d'Yvetot
: about 1883 gives himself the title O.
King in his public and private deeds
: and he had, doubtless, somerightto thiI
g appellation, since he is called SO in {
Judgment of the Supreme Court Neehi
QaierJ of Normandy, dated 1899. Hi
t successor was King Martin, whom WI
may justly call the Magnificent. HI
: took his royal dignity in earnest, made
great expenses, affected quite kngly
n manners, ran into debt, and as he, afte
a all, was q bon petit Roi who didnot wan
his subjects to pay for his gloire, he a
: lastsimply soldhis kingdom May Cd, 1401
As all regular sOyereigAs Del groti
It the kingsof Yvetot coined money. we
O totian coins are very rare; but a few ar
found in large numismatic collections
and they n in perfect conformanc
d with the modest extent of tile kingdom
being only round piecesof leather, bear
ing d stamp, and having in the middl
the head of a nail. On such a leather
Q coin, the last mentionedking, Martin, i
/, presented on his throne, a four-legge,
. stool, crowned with the royal diadem
% without branches or feurons, and receiy
d ing the homage of one Of his dutifu
80 y, fs1nA- H. 1Fas1 - - -