CHARENTE 424 CHARLEMAGNE the sea about 8 miles below Rochefort, opposite to the isle of Oleron, after a course of about 200 miles. CHARENTE, an inland department of France, formed chiefly out of the an- cient province of Angoumois and trav- ersed by the river Charente; area, 2,305 square miles; capital, Angouleme (pop. about 39,000). Soil generally thin, dry, and arid; one-third devoted to tillage, a third to vineyards, and the remaining meadows, woods, and waste lands. The wines are of inferior quality, but they yield the best brandy in Europe, the celebrated cognac brandy being made in Cognac and other districts. Pop. about 350,000. CHARENTE-INFERIEURE (an-fa- ri-eur). Lower Charente, a maritime province of France; area, 2,791 square miles. Surface in general flat; soil chalky and sandy, fertile, and well culti- vated; a considerable portion planted v/ith vines; salt marshes along the coast. The pastures are good, and well stocked with cattle, horses, and sheep. The wine is of common quality, and chiefly used for making brandy. Oysters and sar- dines abound on the coast. Salt and brandy are the only articles manufac- tured to any great extent. Capital, La Rochelle (pop. about 37,000). Pop. about 450,000. CHARING CROSS, the titular center of London, so named from a cross which stood until 1647 at the village of Charing in memory of Eleanor, wife of Edward I. It is now a triangular piece of roadway near Trafalgar Square. The present copy was erected near the original site in 1865. CHARIOT, in ancient times a kind of carriage used either for pleasui'e or in war. According to the Greeks, it was invented by Minerva : while Vergil as- cribes the honor to Erichthonius, a mythi- cal king of Athens, who is said to have appeared at the Fanathenaic festival, founded by him, in a car drawn by four horses. The ancient Chariot had only two wheels, which revolved upon the axle, as in modern carriages. The pole was fixed at its lower extremity to the axle, and at the other end was attached to the yoke either by a pin or by ropes. The Greeks and Romans seem never to have used more than one pole, but the Lydians had carriages with two or three. In general the Chariot was drawn by two horses. Such was the Roman biga, but we also read of a triga, or three-horse Chariot, and a quadriga, or four-horse one. CHARITY. SISTERS OF. TERHOODS. See SlS- CHARIVARI (shar-e-var'-e), an im- itative word, having its origin in slang, describing a mock serenade of discordant music with such accompaniments as tin kettles, shouting, whistling, groaning, hissing, and screaming, and the like, meant for the annoyance and insult of an obnoxious person. CHARLEMAGNE ( shar-le-man' ) , Charles the Great, King of the Franks, and subsequently Emperor of the West, was born in 742, probably at Aix-la- Chapelle. His father was Pepin the Short, King of the Franks, son of Charles Martel. On the decease of his father, in 768, he was crowned king, and divided the kingdom of the Franks with his brother Carloman, at whose death in 771, Charlemagne made himself master of the whole empire, which embraced, be- sides France, a large pai't of Germany. His first great enterprise was the con- quest of the Saxons, a heathen nation living between the Weser and the Elbe, which he undertook in 772; but it was not till 803 that they were finally subdued and brought to embrace Chris- tianity. While he was combating the Saxons, Pope Adrian implored his as- sistance against Desiderius, king of the Lombards. Charlemagne immediately marched with his army to Italy, took Pavia, overthrew Desiderius, and was crowned King of Lombardy with the iron crown. In 778 he repaired to Spain to assist a Moorish prince, and while re- turning his troops were surprised in the valley of Roncesvalles by the Biscayans, and the rear-guard defeated; Roland, one of the most famous warriors of those times, fell in the battle. As his power increased, he meditated more seriously the accomplishment of the plan of his ancestor, Charles Martel, to restore the Western Empire. Having gone to Italy to assist the Pope, on Christmas day 800 he was crowned and proclaimed Caesar and Augustus by Leo III. His son Pe- pin, who had been made King of Italy, died in 810, and his death was followec' the next year by that of Charles, hia eldest son. Thus of his legitimate sons one only remained, Louis, King of Aqui- tania, whom Charlemagne adopted as his colleague in 813. He died Jan. 28, 814, in the 47th year of his reign, and was buried at Aix-la-Chapelle, his fa- vorite and usual place of residence. Charlemagne was a friend of learning, and deserves the name of restorer of the sciences and teacher of his people. He attracted by his liberality the most dis- tinguished scholars to his court (among others, Alcuin, from England), and es- tablished an academy in his palace at Aix-la-Chsp-V-. the sittings of which he
