and their successors, who could not agree in their division of the kingdom. At length Pepin, mayor of the palace, assumed the sovereignty, and transmitted it to his posterity.

His successor was Charlemagne, who, on the demise of his brother Carloman, became sole monarch of France; and during a long and a glorious reign of 45 years, extended his dominion over the greatest part of Europe, and was crowned at Rome in 800. The posterity of Charlemagne filled the throne, till 987; when Hugh Capet, a potent chief, obtained possession of sovereign power; and thus founded the third dynasty of kings in this country.

The most memorable events which took place in the succeeding reigns were, the Crusades, which commenced in the reign of Philip I. at the persuasion of Peter the Hermit, and with the approbation of Pope Urban; the institution of parliaments, under the reign of Philip IV. surnamed the Fair, who left an only daughter, and in whom, in consequence of the Salic law, which excludes females, the direct line of Capet ended, and Philip de Valois, the next male heir, was raised to the throne in 1328; the claim made to the French crown by Edward III. of England, and the battle of Cressy, gained by that monarch.

Henry V. of England, having gained the battle of Agincourt, in 1420, a treaty was concluded, by which his son, the unfortunate Henry VI. was crowned King of France a Paris; but towards the close of that century,the French recovered from the English all their possessions in that country, much to the happiness of both nations.

Joan of Arc, the pretended prophetess, who was afterwards inhumanly burnt for sorcery, distinguished herself in the reign of Charles VII. and was principally instrumental in delivering her country from the English.

For thirty years, however, France was harrassed by civil wars, which began in the reign of Francis II. and which were occasioned by attempts to extirpate the Protestants, or Hugonots, as they were called. At length, in the reign of Charles IX. religious fury broke out in all its violence, and on the eve of Saint Bartholomew, 1572, about 70,000 protestants were murdered by the order of that execrable monarch.

In Henry III. ended the line of Valois, when Henry IV. of the house of Bourbon, ascended the throne; and proving one of the best and most amiable of princes, justly obtained

the title of Great; but fell by the hand of a fanatic, in 1610.

In the reign of Louis XIII. his minister Richelieu, in order to put an end to the disorders which prevailed, had recourse to the bold measure of establishing an absolute government; and the fetters which had been forged, were riveted under Louis XIV. a man of the most restless spirit and unbounded ambition; but who, after a series of defeats by the English and their confederates, was obliged to conclude the peace of Rhyswick. This prince, who, notwithstanding his ambition, had some great and splendid qualities, was succeeded by his great grandson, Louis XV. a weak and debauched monarch; and upon his demise, in 1774, his grandson, Louis XVI. mounted the throne, and expiated the political crimes and follies of his predecessors, by falling under the stroke of the guillotine, Jan. 21, 1793; while, a few months after, his queen, Maria Antoinetta of Austria, shared the same fate, in consequence of one of the most tremendous revolutions that had ever agitated and afflicted the human race. Royalty being abolished, a republic was established, which waged a successful war with the principal powers of Europe, at the same time that it was torn with intestine divisions, and disgraced by atrocities that make the heart shudder to contemplate.

The republic however was not of long duration, for after various modifications, in which the name of liberty had been prostituted to the most unworthy purposes of faction, and deluges of blood had been spilt, it was found that the theories of government, which had been formed, were incompatible with practice; and Buonaparte, a successful and enterprising general of the revolution, seized on the executive power, under the title of First Consul, and associated two others with him, in name, but without authority.

Soon after he assumed the title of Emperor of the French, and King of Italy; established a military government; restored the profession of Christianity in France, and a variety of civil institutions, which the frenzy of the revolution had abolished. For some time he carried his victorious arms from one side of Europe to the other; by force or fraud, annexed Holland, as well as many of the smaller states, to France, and dictated terms of peace to every country except Great Britain; but at length the ambition which had prompted these excesses became his ruin: after repeated defeats in Spain, Portugal, Russia, Germany, and France,

he has been compelled to yield the sovereignty of the latter to one of its native princes, who has long found an asylum in England; and who has at length ascended the throne of his ancestors, amidst the acclamations of the French people, with the title of Louis XVIII.

On the decline of the Roman power, SPAIN became a prey to the Suevi, the Vandals, and the Alani. Adolphus, King of the Goths, subdued them, and founded the kingdom of the Visigoths, in 411, which continued till 712, when Spain was conquered by the Saracens. At length, in the 15th century, an union of the different states or kingdoms took place under Ferdinand and Isabella, in whose reign, and under whose auspices, Columbus discovered America.

Ferdinand was succeeded by his grandson, Charles V. who after filling Europe with his fame, resigned the crown to his son, Philip II. a gloomy and vindictive tyrant, who united Portugal to his dominions, but who lost the seven provinces of the Netherlands, in 1579.

Under Philip IV. Portugal rebelled, and established its independance. Under his successor, Philip V. the first of the house of Bourbon, extensive wars involved Europe, which were concluded by the treaty of Utrecht. Charles III. entered into the famous family-compact, and waged an unequal war with England. Charles IV. at first made a demonstration against the French revolutionists; but changing sides, he became a vassal to France, and Buonaparte taking advantage of his weakness, carried both him and his son, now styled Ferdinand VII. prisoners into France.

He then endeavoured to place his brother Joseph on the throne of Spain. But the opposition he met with from the Spaniards, and the powerful support they for several years received from England, conspired finally to defeat his project, and to deliver this unhappy country from so galling a tyranny.

The history of SWEDEN, DENMARK, and NORWAY at an early period is necessarily obscure; and, as is usual among uncivilized nations, we find little, except revolutions and massacres. At length they were united under Margaret Waldemar, by the treaty of Calmar, 1387. But Gustavus Vassa, a descendant of the ancient kings of Sweden, recovered the liberty of his country, in 1544, and the states made the crown hereditary in his family.

The most remarkable events during the reigns of his successors are the following: Gustavus Adolphus, a most illustrious prince, was killed at the battle of Lutzen, in 1632; his daughter Christina, resigned the crown in favour of his cousin, Charles Gustavus; Charles XII. one of the most extraordinary men that the world ever saw, closed his mortal career at the siege of Frederickshall, in 1718; Gustavus III. though he had sworn to preserve the liberties of the Swedes, in violation of his oath, rendered himself absolute, and was assassinated at a masked ball, in 1792. On his death, his son, Gustavus IV. ascended the throne, but has recently been deposed, and his uncle called to reign in his stead; while one of the principal generals of the French empire, Bernadotte, is invested with the title of Crown Prince."

POLAND was partitioned, in 1795, under the reign of Stanislaus Augustus, by the courts of Russia, Prussia, and Austria; and since that time has undergone farther changes by the victories of the French over the Austrians and the Prussians.

The form of its government was elective monarchy; and under John Sobeiski, the greatest of its sovereigns, it made a distinguished figure among the European powers.

PRUSSIA, formerly a marquisate, and then an electorate, was raised to a regal government, in 1701, by Frederick, son to Frederick William, surnamed the Great, who had paved the way to the attainment of this dignity, and who was succeeded by his son of the same name, a wise and politic prince.

Frederick William was succeeded by his son Frederick II. a great and warlike king, who filled Europe with the terror of his arms, while he cultivated the arts of peace occasionally, with no less success. He left the throne to his nephew, Frederick William II. a weak and unprincipled prince, who dying in 1797, was succeeded by Frederick William III.

RUSSIA, formerly known by the old name of Muscovy, is comparatively a new country, and did not reach any considerable degree of civilization till about a century ago; though when properly governed, its power and resources entitle it to a high rank among the European nations.

The title of Czar of this country was first assumed by John Basilowitz, in 1486, after having liberated Russia from the dominion of the Tartars.

From this period we read only of tyrannical governors and barbarous subjects, during a succession of reigns; for it was not till the time of Peter the Great, that Russia began to assume its consequence.

That he might improve his people, and instruct them in the knowledge and arts of other nations, this prince travelled into different countries of Europe, and worked as a common ship-carpenter, both in Holland and England. He was the first that assumed the title of Emperor; he built Petersburgh, which he made the capital instead of Moscow; extended his dominions by various conquests; and, in a word, was one of the most extraordinary men that ever appeared on the theatre of the world.

His successor was his widow, Catherine, whom he had promoted to his throne and his bed, though a poor peasant, on account of the talents she displayed; and she proved worthy of his choice.

Catherine was succeeded by Peter II. grandson of Peter the Great, who performed nothing very remarkable; but who was followed by Anne, Duchess of Courland, an empress of considerable energy of character, and whose reign was successful.

The successor to Anne was John, son to her neice, Catharine; but who being deposed and murdered in 1740, Elizabeth, second daughter of Peter the Great, was elevated to the throne, and swayed the sceptre with glory.

Elizabeth was succeeded by her nephew, the Duke of Holstein, who took the title of Peter III. but was soon deposed by his consort Catharine, and put to death.

A faction which she had taken care to form, then raised Catharine, the second of that name, to the throne, which she filled with glory, as far as conquest and national improvement warrant the expression; but her vices as a woman were degrading to her sex, and the policy by which her relation with foreign powers was regulated, was often detestable. Yet it must be observed, that Russia has generally been most fortunate under female reigns.

The successor to Catherine II. was her son, Paul Petrowitz, who from natural weakness, or depravity of heart, acting the part of a capricious tyrant, was deposed and murdered

in 1801.

His son, Alexander Paulowitz, succeeded him, and has since made a conspicuous figure in the politics of Europe.

The TURKS and HUNS, who were descendants of the