P. 129, c. 1.—“Merovingians,” mer-o-vinˈgi-ans. The first Frankish king
of whom we have authentic accounts was Chlodio, who ruled about the
middle of the fifth century. His successor, Merovæus, gave his name to
the first _house_, or dynasty of the Franks; of him we know little more
than that he fought against Attila.
“St. Remigius,” re-mijˈi-us, or St. Remy, rehˈmeˌ. (439?-533.) The
Apostle of the Franks. When but a young man he was made Bishop of Rheims.
By his zealous work he spread Christianity widely through the Frankish
kingdom. A contemporary declares him to have been the most eloquent man
of his times.
“Rheims,” reemz. A city in northeastern France, whose bishops date from
the fourth century, and whose cathedral is one of the finest gothic
edifices in Europe.
P. 129, c. 2.—“Arian.” The religion of Arius, a bishop of the fourth
century, who held that Christ, though chief of created beings, was not
equal to God. A book lately issued by Appleton & Co., “Arius the Libyan,”
will be found to be an interesting account of his life and doctrines.
“Paris.” The first account which we have of Paris is from Cæsar,
who visited it in the last century before Christ. It was then but a
collection of huts on an island in the Seine, and was called Lutetia.
“Poitiers,” poi-teerzˈ. A town of France, one hundred and eighty miles
southwest of Paris.
“Abderrahman,” äbd-er-rähˈmän; “Viceroy,” vīceˈroy. One who rules in
the place of a king; a substitute. “Caliph,” cāˈliph. The successors of
Mohammed were all called caliphs.
“Damascus.” Soon after the death of Mohammed Damascus was captured by his
followers and made their capital. Such it remained for ninety years. On
the fall of the Ommiyades, their successors, the Abbassides chose Bagdad
as their capital.
P. 130, c. 1.—“Islam,” ĭzˈlam. Meaning obedience, submission, is a name
given to the religion of Mohammed.
“Gregory I.” (540-604.) Born of a noble family and educated for public
life, he was made prefect of Rome in 573, but his strong religious
nature led him to give up his position, turn over his wealth to the
Church and become a monk. Through the fourteen years of his pontificate,
Gregory employed every means to purify and strengthen the Church,
sending missionaries into all parts of the world, combating Arianism and
rectifying many abuses.
“Augustin.” The Apostle of the English. A Benedictine monk at Rome
when chosen by Gregory I. to go on a mission to the Saxons. He went to
England about 597, was received kindly by King Ethelbert, and allowed to
preach through Kent. After a time Ethelbert adopted Christianity and was
baptized. This led to the complete triumph of the religion throughout the
kingdom. Augustin was made Archbishop of Canterbury, and until his death
had charge of the Church in England.
“Holy See.” A name given to the office of the pope, and also applied to
the pope himself, or his court. _See_ is derived from the Latin verb “to
sit,” and literally means a seat, or site, hence a place where power is
exercised.
P. 130, c. 2.—“Asceticism,” as-cetˈi-cism. The practice common among
members of the early Church of withdrawing from all business and society
to devote themselves to a rigorous life of penance and self-denial.
“Vatican Hill.” The _Mons Vaticanus_ of the ancient Romans, from which
the palace of the Vatican takes its name.
“Dacia,” dāˈci-a. A province of the Romans north of the Danube, and
comprising parts of the present countries of Hungary, Transylvania and
Roumania.
“Dalmatia,” dal-māˈti-a. A narrow strip of country lying along the
eastern shore of the Adriatic, now belonging to the Austro-Hungarian
Empire.
“Istria,” isˈtri-a. A peninsula, now of Austria, on the northeastern
coast of the Adriatic.
“The German Crown.” In 1806, one thousand and six years after the
crowning of Charlemagne, a league known as the Confederation of the
Rhine, and of which Napoleon Bonaparte was protector, was formed between
the central and southern German states. Its real object was to aid France
against Prussia and Austria. The king of Germany resigned his crown then,
and the empire came to an end.
P. 131, c. 1.—“Roland.” Roland, or Orlando, was the nephew of King
Charlemagne, brought up by him and trained to be a warrior. He is the
hero of one of the most famous stories of the middle ages, “The Song of
Roland.” Various authors have used this tale. The _Orlando furioso_ of
Ariosto, and _Orlando innamorato_ of Boiardo, are prominent among these.
In a metrical narrative the story was sung by the minstrels of those
times. According to this song Charles had been seven years in Spain
warring against the heathen, until there remained but one king unsubdued,
Marsilius of Saragossa. He had promised homage, and the step-father of
Roland, Ganelon, was, by Roland’s advice, sent on an embassy to him.
Ganelon was angry because Roland had advised that he be sent, and in
revenge betrayed to Marsilius the pass through which the rear guard and
most valiant portion of Charles’ army, under Roland would pass. Charles,
with the body of his army, passed through, and when Roland appeared
with his twenty thousand men, an army of four hundred thousand heathens
attacked him. Roland fought until only a fragment remained before blowing
his enchanted horn to summon Charles to his aid. Before his uncle could
reach the pass every man was dead. The Saracens fled back to Spain, but
the king pursued, completely defeating them. But the death of Roland
robbed the conquest of all its glory, and threw France into mourning.
“Paladin,” pălˈa-dĭn. A distinguished knight.
“Roncesvalles,” ron-thĕs-välˈyĕs. The pass in which Roland and his band
were destroyed.
“Otto the Great.” Otto I. (936-973.)
“Ardennes,” arˌdenˈ. The forest of Ardennes lies in the northeastern part
of France, covering a portion of the department of the same name, and
extending into Belgium.
P. 131, c. 2.—“Frisian,” frisˈi-an. Belonging to the Frisians, a tribe
formerly living beyond the Batavi, but pushed to the borders of the North
Sea by the Franks.
“Aix,” āks. A town in southern France whose thermal springs were known to
the Romans.
“Alcuin,” ălˈkwin. (735-804.) His great reputation for learning caused
Charles to invite him in 780 from England, his native country, to open
a school in France. This institution is supposed to have been the germ
of the present University of Paris. Alcuin afterward opened a school at
Tours, which became very famous.
“Verden.” A town lying southeast of Bremen, in Prussia.
P. 132, c. 1.—“Haroun-al-Raschid.” See notes in THE CHAUTAUQUAN for
November.
“Bretons.” The inhabitants of Brittany, the triangular peninsula which
extends from the western coast of France into the Atlantic Ocean.
“Almayne,” alˈ-main.
P. 132, c. 2.—“Eginhard,” ĕgˈin-hart. He had been a pupil of Alcuin,
and by him was introduced at court. Eginhard’s history of Charles and
his accounts of the Franconian kings have given him a permanent place
among the writers of the middle ages. See Longfellow’s poem, “Emma and
Eginhard,” in “Tales of a Wayside Inn.”