The Student's France; A History of France from the Earliest Times to the Establishment of the Second Empire in 1852 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: liuiua of the Pulace of Julian (Palais dei ZVicraies) at FurU. BOOK II. GEBMAN GAUL. A.d. 407-987. CHAPTER III. FROM THE GREAT HAKBARIAN INVASION TO TUB DEATH OF CLOVI8. A.li. 407-511. 1. Reign of Constantino in Gaul. 2. The Visigoths, the Burgundians, the Franks. 3. Aetius; Gaul invaded by the Huns under Attila; Ste. Gene'vieve; Battle of Chalons. 4. gidius; Syagrius; Fall of the Western Empire. 5. Clovis, King of the Franks; his Baptism. 6. Alliance between Clovis and the Chureh. His conquest of the Burgun- dians and Visigoths. 7. His Crimes; he becomes sole Sovereign of the Franks. 1. Upon the news of the irruption of the barbarians, the Roman legions stationed in Britain renounced the imbecile Honorius, and elected to the purple a private soldier bearing the auspicious name of Constantino. This adventurer collected a considerable army, and gained over to his cause the Burgundians and Franks by guaranteeing to them the lands of which they had seized possession in the east and north of France. Thus powerfully re-enforced, Constantino made himself master of the central and southeastern provinces; and, having routed and driven back across theAlps a force sent against him by Honorius, he was left in full possession of the greater part of Gaul. The reign of Constantine lasted three years, during which he carried his victorious arms into Spain, and was even invested by Honorius with the honors of Augustus. In the year 411 his good fortune deserted him; he was besieged in Aries, his capital, by the general of Honorius, and his means of defense being exhausted, was compelled to throw himself on the unconditional mercy of the emperor. His life was promised him, but Honorius, to whose court the fallen usurper was sent captive, made no scruple in v...