Identifier: greatestnations05elli (find matches)
Title: 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
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Ellis, Edward Sylvester, 1840-1916 Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis), 1870-1942
Subjects: World history
Publisher: New York : F.R. Niglutsch
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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s condescended to. The sudden death of these two central figures made a great change inFrance. In Paris the infant son of Henry and Catharine was proclaimed king.But the child himself, little Henry VI., was kept safe in his English kingdom.His French possessions were entrusted to his uncle, the Duke of Bedford.Bedford was an able man, but he had not, like Henry V., the whole power ofEngland behind him. That country was divided by parties and dissensions,and Bedford found himself compelled to rely largely on French and Burgun-dian aid for his support. In the South, the partisans of Charles declared him king as Charles VII.(1422-1461). He came afterward to be called the Victorious ; but it wasnot he who won his victories, though he made at first a few flickering efforts.His party, even before Henrys death, had won a victory of some importancefrom the English at Bauge, and Charles, securing both Scotch and Spanishassistance, re-invaded northern France. His forces, however, were twice de-
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France—The Siege of Orleans 841 feated by Bedford with heavy loss. His Scotch regiment was annihilated, andCharles collapsed into the helpless idleness characteristic of his family, amus-ing himself with sports and pleasures at Brouges, surrounded by a little courtof favorites as worthless as himself. The French nicknamed him in scorn theKing of Brouges. By 1428, Bedford felt himself strong enough to invade southern France,and bring this divided sovereignty to an end. An army of Burgundians andEnglish advanced to the Loire, capturing all the cities to the north, until onlyOrleans was left, Orleans was at once a city and a mighty fortress, thestronghold of Charles party, and the key to southern France. If it fell theircause was lost. Yet Charles did nothing; he left the defense of the all-important town to its inhabitants and his captains within the walls. Hehimself remained sipping languid pleasure at Brouges, waiting in apparentindifference for the end. After six months of siege, S

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