Miniatures of French history, Hilaire Belloc

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by Hilaire Belloc · 1870–1953

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"Miniatures of French history" by Hilaire Belloc is a collection of historical vignettes written in the early 20th century. It presents vivid, tightly focused scenes from antiquity to the medieval formation of the French state, highlighting moments of colonization, conversion, warfare, and kingship that shaped a national identity. The opening of this collection moves briskly from myth-tinged origins to state-building: Greeks found Marseilles through a Ligurian princess’s choice; Cæsar crushes the seafaring Veneti in a decisive naval gambit; St. Martin dies amid visionary memories that anchor the faith in Gaul; and Clovis’s baptism at Rheims weds Frankish arms to Catholic legitimacy. It then recounts Charles Martel’s stand against the Arab advance near Tours, the ambush of Charlemagne’s rearguard at Roncesvalles that begets the Roland legend, and Paris’s grim defense against Viking siege led by Eudes as imperial aid falters. With Hugh Capet’s election and coronation at Noyon, the narrative marks France’s political re-centering; on the Aragon frontier it sketches the hard, hopeful rhythms of early Reconquista; and it closes this opening stretch with William of Normandy, rebuffed by the French king yet methodically mustering ships and men for the English venture.

Summary generated automatically by Project Gutenberg.

Read time
284 min
Words
62,505
Chapters
37
Paragraphs
944
Price
Free
  • France -- History
Miniatures of French historyTHE NORMAN SIEGE

Within the city the monk Abbo watched all, and he has written it down in verse for us.

Dentro de la ciudad, el monje Abbo lo observaba todo, y lo ha escrito en verso para nosotros.

Nor was what he watched a small thing.

Y lo que observaba no era una cosa pequeña.

Here was, with Paris, France and all Christendom in the balance; and this swarm of the empty northern savages about to extinguish the light.

Aquí estaba, junto con París, Francia y toda la cristiandad en la balanza; y esta multitud de salvajes del norte vacío a punto de extinguir la luz.

Within, to defend the city, was first of all the Count Eudes, the son of that Robert the Strong, the founder of his line, who had fallen at Brissarthe, and beside him Gozlin,

Dentro, para defender la ciudad, estaba primero el Conde Odo, hijo de aquel Roberto el Fuerte, fundador de su linaje, que había caído en Brissarthe, y a su lado Godolino,

the bishop’s and Gozlin’s nephew Ebles, the abbot of the great Abbey of St. Germans outside the walls, all good bowmen;

el obispo, y Godolino, el sobrino de Godolino, Ebles, el abad de la gran Abadía de San Germán fuera de las murallas, todos buenos arqueros;

and under these the Parisians were to make trial which should win--the little fortress of Christendom or the black north.

y bajo ellos los parisinos iban a hacer la prueba que debía ganar: la pequeña fortaleza de la cristiandad o el norte negro.

When the barbarians had moored their vessels and established their camp, and beleaguered the city all about, they made a great charge to enter by the northern bridge, and strongly shook the Little Castle which defended it.

Cuando los bárbaros amarraron sus embarcaciones y establecieron su campamento, y asediaron la ciudad por todas partes, lanzaron un gran ataque para entrar por el puente norte, y sacudieron con fuerza el Pequeño Castillo que lo defendía.

But they could do nothing against it, for the defenders threw down fire upon them, and the best of the fighting men were there.

Pero no pudieron hacer nada contra él, porque los defensores arrojaban fuego sobre ellos, y los mejores de los hombres de combate estaban allí.

Also there were perpetual sallies from within.

También había salidas perpetuas desde dentro.

Count Eudes, the lord of the city, rode out with his spear, and coming back with pagans upon it, said, “I have game upon my spit.”

El Conde Odo, el señor de la ciudad, salió a caballo con su lanza, y regresando con paganos en ella, dijo: «Tengo caza en mi asador».

And when the assailants, tortured by the thrown fire, threw themselves into the Seine water, the citizens mocked them from the walls.

Y cuando los asaltantes, torturados por el fuego arrojado, se lanzaron al agua del Sena, los ciudadanos se burlaban de ellos desde las murallas.

But the assault was fierce, and Abbo in his tower heard even by night the whistling of the arrows.

Pero el asalto era feroz, y Abbo en su torre escuchaba incluso de noche el silbido de las flechas.

About the author

Hilaire Belloc1870–1953

Hilaire Belloc was a French-English writer, poet, and politician born in La Celle-Saint-Cloud in 1870 and died in Guildford in 1953.

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Book details

Original language
English
Translation
Spanish, machine translation
Source text
Project Gutenberg #78114
Licence
Public domain worldwide

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