or a century--the people, who were stifled under feudalism,
stamped upon by Valois kings, riveted down by Richelieu, then prodded,
outraged, and starved by Bourbons, have become a great nation.
Many-sided, resourceful, gifted, it matters not whether they have
called the head of their government consul, emperor, king, or
president. They are a race of freemen, who can never again be enslaved
by tyrannous system.

There may be in store for France new revolutions and fresh
overturnings. Not anchored, as is England, in an historic past which
she reveres, and with a singularly gifted and emotional people who are
the sport of the current of the hour, who can predict her future! But
whatever that future may be, no American can be indifferent to the fate
of a nation to whom we owe so much. Nor can we ever forget that in the
hour of our direst extremity, and regardless of cost to herself, she
helped us to establish our liberties, and to take our place among the
great nations of the earth.

SOVEREIGNS AND RULERS OF FRANCE.

KINGS OF THE FRANKS

MEROVINGIAN LINE

A.D.
Clovis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
Thierry, Clodomir, Clothaire, Childebert 511
Clothaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559
Charibert, Gontran, Chilperic, Sigheben 561
Childebert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584
Theodebert, Thierry II., Clothaire III. 596
Dagobert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
Clovis II., Sigheben II. . . . . . . . . 638
Clothaire III., Chilperic II. . . . . . 656
Thierry III., Dagobert II. . . . . . . . 673
Clovis III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690
Childebert III. . . . . . . . . . . . . 695
Dagobert III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711
Chilperic III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716
Thierry IV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720
Chilperic IV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741

CARLOVINGIAN LINE

Pepin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
Charlemagne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 768
Louis (The Debonnaire) . . . . . . . . . 814

KINGS OF FRANCE

AFTER DIVISION OF THE EMPIRE

Charles (The Bald) . . . . . . . . . . . 843
Louis (The Stammerer) . . . . . . . . . . 877
Louis III. and Carloman . . . . . . . . . 879
Charles (The Fat) . . . . . . . . . . . . 884
Hugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 887
Charles (The Simple) . . . . . . . . . . 898