. The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century : a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and a pronouncing vocabulary of each nation . uch of Europe,its fullest development in France. Each soldier, each serf,of the field was subject to the petty noble whose strongered nearest to his defenceless home. This noble com-m in war, and was supposed to protect him in jDcace. Theas in turn subject to some greater lord, from whom heis estate qx fetid on the promise of military service. Thisgreate
. The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century : a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and a pronouncing vocabulary of each nation . uch of Europe,its fullest development in France. Each soldier, each serf,of the field was subject to the petty noble whose strongered nearest to his defenceless home. This noble com-m in war, and was supposed to protect him in jDcace. Theas in turn subject to some greater lord, from whom heis estate qx fetid on the promise of military service. Thisgreater noble w-as perhaps vassal to one of the great Dukes, andthey in turn swore allegiance to the King. Thus in theory the King was the head of all; when he wished to makewar, he had only to call on his Dukes and Counts, who in turn called on theirsubordinates. In practice, however, this system left the king as helpless as thepeasantry, and all real power lay with the nobility. The nobles had their iron-clad soldiers, to compel the obedience of the peasantry; and in their almostinvulnerable castles they defied attack. A succession of weak kings had con-ferred so many privileges on these great lords, as to make them France—Hugh the Great 791 When Charles the Simple summoned them to war, they answered him withopen scorn. France was really divided into a hundred or more little, indepen-dent districts, whose chiefs made their own wars and laws, and administered ordenied justice within their domains, as might suit their sovereign powerful of these lords in the north were the Dukes of Normandy, Lor-raine, and Burgundy, with the Counts of Paris, Flanders, and Anjou. In thesouth there was the great Count of Toulouse, inheritor of the power of theGoths, and the Dukes of Gascony and Aquitaine, the latter of whom found eventhe name of vassalage irksome, and twice resumed the ancient kingly title ofAquitaine. What chance of success had Charles the Simp
Size: 1071px × 2335px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidg, booksubjectworldhistory
