Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

FRA [ 403 1 FRA
France, came all his enemies, and eftablifhed himfelf firmly up- on each other, but fpoiling and robbing his fubje&s France.
*—v—- on the throne. In return for this, he fupported Wil- with impunity. —-y—i
liam, Robert’s natural fon, and aftervvards king of In the year /no, Philip prevailed on the court of
England, in the poffeffion of the duchy of Normandy. Rome to have his affair reviewed in an affembly at
Afterwards, however, growing jealous of his power, Poi£tiers ; where, notwithflanding his utmoft efforts,
he not only fupported the pretenders to the duchy of fentence of excommunication was a fourth time pro-
Normandy fecretly,but invaded that country himfelf in nounced againft him. Yet, in fpite of all thefe fen-
their favour. This enterprize proved unfuccefsful, and tences, as queen Bertha was dead, and the count o£
Henry was obliged to make peace : but no lincere re- Anjou offered, for a large fum of money, to give
conciliation ever followed ; for the king retained a deep whatever afii'fance was requifite for procuring a dif-
fenfe of the difgrace he had met with, and the duke ne- penfation, Philip at laft prevailed, and the countefs
ver forgave him for invading his dominions. The trea- was proclaimed queen of France. But though the
ty between them, therefore, was quickly broken ; and king’s domeftic affairs were now in fome meafure quiet-
Heury once more invaded Normandy with two armies, ed, his negligence in government had thrown the af-
one commanded by himfelf, and the other by his bro- fairs of the nation into the greateft diforder. He there*
then The firll was haraffed by continual fkirmifhes, fore affociated with him in the government his eldeft
and the lafl totally defeated ; after which Henry was fon Louis. This prince was the very reverfe of his fa-
obliged to agree to fuch terms as the duke thought ther ; and by his adfivity and refolution, keeping cou-
proper: but the rancour between them never ceafed, flantly in the field with a confiderable body of forces,
and was in reality the caufe of that implacable averfion he reduced the rebellious nobility to fubjeftion, and,
which for a long feries of years produced perpetual according to the beft hiftorians, at this time faved the
quarrels between the kings of France and thofe of the Hate from being utterly fubverted.
41 Norman race in England. For thefe fervices tbe queen looked upon theyoun£
Philip. Henry died in 1059, not without a fufpicion of be- prince with fo jealous an eye, and gave him fo much
ing poifooed ; and was fucceeded by his eldeft fon Phi- diflurbance, that he found it neceffary to retire for fome
lip, at that time in the eighth year of his age. Bald- time into England; where he was received by king
win earl of Flanders was appointed his guardian ; and Henry I. with the greateft kindnefs. He had not been
died in the year 1066, about the time that William of long at court, before Henry received, by an exprefs, a
Normandy became king of England. After the death letter from Philip ; telling him, that, for.certain im-
of his tutor, Philip began to fliow a very infincere, portant reafons, he fhould be glad if he clofely confined
haughty, and oppreffive difpofition. He engaged in a his fon, or even difpatched him altogether. The king
war with William the Conqueror, and fupported his of England, however, inftead of complying with this
fon Robert in his rebellion againft him*. But after infamous requeft, fhowed the letter to Louis, and fent
the death of William, he aflifted Robert’s brothers a- him home with all imaginable marks of refpedt. Im*
gainft him ; by which means he was forced to confent mediately on his return, he demanded juftice ; but
to a partition of his dominions. the queen procured poifon to be given him, which o-
In 1092, king Philip being wearied of his queen perated fo violently that his life was defpaired of. A
Bertha, procured a divorce from her under pretence of ftranger, however, undertook the cure, and fucceeded •
confanguinity, and afterwards demanded in marriage only a palenefs remained in the prince’s face ever af-
Emma daughter to Roger count of Calabria. The terwards, though he grew fo fat that he was fufnamed
treaty of marriage was concluded ; and the princefs was the Grofs.
fent over, richly adorned with jewels, and with a large On his recovery, the prince was on the point of re¬
portion in ready money : but the king, inftead of e- venging his quarrel by force of arms; but his father
fpoufing her, retained her fortune, and difmiffed the having caufed the queen to make the moft humble fub-
princefs herfdf, carrying off from her huftmnd the coun- millions to him, his refentment was at length appeafed,
tefs of Anjou, who was efteemed the handfomeft wo- and a perfedf reconciliation took place,
man in France. With her he was fo deeply enamour- Nothing memorable happened in the reign of kingr
ed, that not fatisfied with the illegal poffefiion of her Philip after this reconciliation. He died in the year Grofs.1 *
perfon, he procured a divorce between jjer and her huf- 1108, and was fucceeded by his fon Louis the Grofs.
band, and prevailed upon fome Norman bilhops to fo- The firft years of his reign were dilturbed by infur-
iemnize his own marriage with her. The whole of reftions of his lords in different places of the king-
thefe tranfaftions, however, were fo fcandalous, that dom ; and thefe infurreftions were the more trouble-
the pope having caufed them to be revifed in a coun- fome, as they were fecretly fomented by Henry I. of
cil at Autun, in the year 1094, pronounced fentence England, that by weakening the power of France
of excommunication againft Philip in cafe he did not his duchy of Normandy might be the more fecure.
part with the countefs. On his repentance, the cen- This quickly brought on a war ; ifl which Henry
fure was taken off; but as the king paid no regard to was defeated, and his fon William obliged to do ho-
his promifes, he was, in 1095, excommunicated a fe- mage to Louis for the duchy of Normandy. As the
cond time. He again profeffed repentance, and was kings of England and France, however, were rivals
abfolved ; but foon after, living with the countefs of and exceedingly jealous of each other, the latter e-
Anjou as formerly, he was excommunicated a third fpoufed the caufe of William the fon of Robert duke
time. This eondudt, fo unworthy of a prince, expo- of Normandy, whom Henry had unjuftly deprived of
fed him to the contempt of the people. Too many of that duchy. This brought on a new war ; in which
the nobility followed his example, and at the fame Louis, receiving a great defeat from Henry, was obliged
time defpifed his authority ; not only making war up- to make peace upon fuch terms as his antagonift thought
3 E 2 proper.
* See Eng¬
land, n° by.