People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-05-12
SKETCHES FROM FRENCH HISTORY

TRALIzEs THE GOVERNMENT AND
CHECKS THE ENcRoACHMENT OF
THE CHURCH.
Philip was succeeded by his son
Louis the Fat. Although his name
seemed to give him the right to
membership In the brotherhood of
those who are "born tired" and
whose energies are spent in lodging
work, yet he trotted his lord around
with so much activity that he won
the nick-names of "the Fighter" and
'the Wide-awake."
The Feudal lords had grown en-
tirely too big for their breaches.
They had become robbers as well as
tyrants. They imprisoned merchants
and travellers in their castles and re-
fused to hberate them without the
payment of large ransom. If the
merchant was a little slow IN coming
to terms they helped him to de-
cision by MASKING his feet in an
iron vice; by crushing his thumbs in
thumb screw; by roasting him
over a slow fire, or some other such
methods of persuasion. They also
robbed the churches and ill-reated
the clergy.
In fact, they levied toll upon all
who passed their castles, and thus
they lived in a splendor which dimly
foreshadowed the way IN which our
Millionaire Manufacturers and Ma
tonal Bankers and Rail Road Kings
would revel in luxury when they had
succeeded in getting our laws SO
framed that they could levy toll
upon every man, woman and child in
all the land.
Louis the Fat made common cause
with the clergy who were outraged
by the plunderiDg of churches, and
with the town people who were tired
If being robbed, and he made sue
oessful war upon the Feudal aris-
tocracy.
In return for the help the king
received from the workmen of the
towns, he granted them charters
which allowed them self govern
ment, and which exempted them
from the hateful power and the hate
full taxes of the Feudal lords. From
this time commerce began to flourish
and the merchants and towns began
to grow rich. The roads began to
grow safe for travellers and the
country began to be orderly.
The city of Paris is now the most
splendid city in the world; but in
those days its trade was unimpor-
tant, It's buildings were shabby and its
streets were narrow, dirty and full of
pigs. In the year 1871 the oldest
son of the king was riding through
\ Paris and one of these pigs ran be-
tween the legs of the princes horse,
causing him to fall. The young man
was so badly hurt that he died in a
few hours.
Louis the Fat died in 1877 and
was succeeded by his son Louis VII.
Philip Augustus succeeded Louis
VII in the year 1880. He was
Frances greatest ruler since Charlie
magne.
He built colleges and schools and
churches. He still further humbled
the feudal lords and added to the
royal power. He wrested the great
province of Normandy from the En-
glish, and thus added immensely to
the strength of the throne.
A horrible religious war took place
in France during his reign, called
the Albigensian Crusade.
In the beautiful and prosperous
portion of Southern France, called
Languedoc, lived an industrious and
cultured people who entertained re-
igious views different from the or
thodox faith. They were said to be
enemies to the church and to the
people. A ''holy war" was pro-
claimed against them just as if they
had been Moors or Turks. A large
army was collected from all parts of
France and put under command of
Simon de Montfort. Lauguedoc was
LAID in waste-its homes burnt, its
people butchered. The cruel contest
lasted twenty years. AS an example
of the barbarous spirit in which this
"holy war" was fought, we are told
IL -. L. 4o-rx, Of Paziorc 1yoc