The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-26

1 toward the great monarch to give him 1 welcome. The streets ,ang with songs, | children waved green branches and the clergy. in splendid vestments, sang the "Benedictus Qui Venit," Although this visit to Rome was accompa aied with in- numerable signs of loyalty to Charle- magne another visit was to be made whose sequel was to surpass any event in profane history. That sequel befell on the last Christmas day of the eighth century. At that approaching Christmas tide the pope and cardinals said: This defender of the Faith must have the I greatest Christmas gift possible for, nor i tals to bestow." Charles, However, was to be kept in ignorance of the pope's intention until Christmas day should arrive. The midnight mass followed the dying Christmas eve. Clergy, nobles, of- ficials. cardinals and he pope, in all their splendid vestments were present in St. Peters. It was a solemn assem- bly. hreathless hush fell upon the great gathering Suddenly the Emperor l Charlemagne entered and humbly bowed before the high altar; himself the great est monarch of earth worshiping the King of Kings.
 Without announcement Leo III held aloft the crown of the Roman world, then approaching the Emperor. placed it upon his bowed head. Immediately there was a mighty shout, Long Live Charles, crowned of God Emperor of the Romans" Old St. Peters had never before beheld such scene. The crown with which the pope crowned the great Emperor has been known throughout the ages as "The Iron Crown.n Inside of the gold band that encrcled the royal brow there was, and is to this day, strip of iron, said to have been one of the spikes that pierced the flesh of Jesus, the Galilean at Calvary That same crown may be seen at little town called Monza, near Milan, Italy. This was the Christmas sift that Char lefnagne received on the lcs Christmas day of the eighth century. E
 The great Emperor died at Aix-la-Cha- belle January 2s. Sl4, and the city of his death became the place of his burial.
 Coronation of the Norman.
 It is the cool, crisp month of Octo- Der. 1066, in old England. The mo mentous battle of Hastings is on, with it's whiz of arrows and clang and clash of battle-axes The Norman Dukes
 
 thought that William is slain, but he rises from the field and exclaims: T am living and 1 shall conquer The battle continued all day, but when night fell the Norman banners waved above the field, and the gallant Harold lay dead among his fallen soldiers. Haroid's wife, the beautiful Edith, wh ose goodness and womanly charms were sung by the old troubadours, 70 |, cI,ox nd had it conveyed to Waltham Abbey for burial.
 Though Harold was dead William was not actually king as yet nor could he be until his coronation. For this ceremony the Norman Duke made preparation, and in due time appeared in London. Instead of selecting the Abbey for the sublime service of his coronation, he chose church that was surrounded by his soldiery; and there on Christmas day, in the year 1068 William, the Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England. Since that far distant time no pure-blooded Anglo Saxon King has reigned In Eng land.
 The defeat of Harold was calami- tous disappointment to the England of that day. and the crowning of the Nor man Conqueror was excitive Of the 1erceSt bitterness, It IcquliSu HNC years actually to complete the humil- iation that the Normans began at Hastings, and for much longer time the English mingled saddest memories with their Yule-tide festivities, for the hated Norman was crowned on Christ mas day, in their own land; and th.s Norman, now their king, the bastard son of Robert, Duke of Normandy. the mother being the daughter of tanner of hides, who lived at Falaise. Williams coronation was characterized by treachery, arson and murder per petrated by the Normans on Christmas day. A tragic story too long to re- late here.
 About two years after the crowning of William, there cams Christmas day, which, for cruelty hsartlessness and ferocity, finds but few parallels in history. Tho English of the northern counties, taking advantage of solhe political distuFbance among the Nof- man barons, rose up in rspeahon