CHAPTER II.

LOUIS PHILIPPE AND HIS FAMILY.

Louis Philippe, after accepting the lieutenant-generalship of the
kingdom, which would have made him regent under Henri V., found
himself raised by the will of the people--or rather, as some said,
by the will of the _bourgeoisie_--to the French throne. He reigned,
not by "right divine," but as the chosen ruler of his countrymen,--to
mark which distinction he took the title of King of the French,
instead of King of France, which had been borne by his predecessors.

It is hardly necessary for us to enter largely into French politics
at this period. The government was supposed to be a monarchy planted
upon republican institutions. The law recognized no hereditary
aristocracy. There was a chamber of peers, but the peers bore no
titles, and were chosen only for life. The dukes, marquises, and
counts of the old régime retained their titles only by courtesy.

The ministers of Charles X. were arrested and tried. The new king
was very anxious to secure their personal safety, and did so at a
considerable loss of his own popularity. They were condemned to
lose all property and all privileges, and were sent to the strong
fortress of Ham. After a few years they were released, and took
refuge in England.

There were riots in Paris when it was known that the ministers
and ill-advisers of the late king were not to be executed; one
of the leaders in these disturbances was an Italian bravo named
Fieschi,--a man base, cruel, and bold, whom Louis Blanc calls a