File:The story history of France from the reign of Clovis, 481 A.D., to the signing of the armistice, November, 1918 (1919) (14773604151).jpg

Identifier: storyhistoryoffr01bonn (find matches)
Title: The story history of France from the reign of Clovis, 481 A.D., to the signing of the armistice, November, 1918
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Bonner, John, 1828-1899 Bonner, John, 1828-1899. A child's history of France
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Publisher: New York and London, Harper
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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dissipation. She was as imperious as ever ; what-ever she said was law ; every one had to obey whomsoevershe honored. She humbled the nobles, made enemies ofthe priests, and provoked the soldiers. So when the sonof her old enemy Fredegonde led an army to attack her,she was unable to defend herself. People would not fightfor her. There was a battle, but Brunehaults troopsthrew down their arms, and the old queen was captured.It was no use expecting pity in those cruel times. A ropewas twisted in the gray hair of the old woman, and wastwined round one wrist and one ankle. The other end wasfastened to the tail of a wild horse, and he was lashed intoa furious gallop over brake, brier, thorn, and boulder. Thebody of the poor old queen was literally torn in pieces.Before her death, her old rivals son had inflicted on herevery form of insult and torture, and it is quite likely thatdeath, however cruel it w^as, was not wholly unwelcome.It was said of her that she had killed ten kings, most of
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DEATH OF BRUNEHAULT whom were her own kith and kin ; and in those days it wasthought to be much more serious busmess to kill a kmg than a common man. . ri .i. For nearly a hundred and twenty years after the deathof Brunehault there was but one king of France-Dago-l^ert—whom you would care to hear about. The otherswere idle kings, as the people called them : they worelong hair and long beards and crowns, and lived m pal- 2 18 (511-752 aces, and on coronation day were taken to church inwagons drawn by bullocks, while the people cheered, andthe boys and girls shouted for glee ; but they had nopower, did not try to interfere with public affairs, butspent their time in games with friends as idle as they.Dagobert did try to do his duty ; he improved the lawsand punished those who were guilty of crime ; but he leda loose life, and enjoyed the society of the gay ladies ofhis court better than that of his counsellors. As for theothers, they were simply nobodies. No one paid any at-tention to

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