the river Aude. Charles attempted to convert Saxony and Frisia to Christianity and gave aid to Saint Boniface (q.v.) in his missions. He died on October 22, 741, at Quiercy on the Oise, leaving the government of the kingdom to be divided between his two sons, Carloman and Pepin the Short.
CHARLES OF ANJOU, äN′zhōō′, Count of Provence and King of Naples and Sicily (1226-85). He was the seventh son of Louis VIII. of France, and wedded Beatrice, heiress of Provence. In 1248 he went on a crusade in company with his brother, Louis IX., suffered captivity in Egypt with him, and returned to Provence in 1250. Exceedingly ambitious, he sought everywhere for opportunities to increase his possessions. For aid rendered Margaret of Flanders (q.v.), he was promised the Province of Hainaut; but Louis interfered and Charles was compelled to relinquish Hainaut for a large sum of money. In 1262 Pope Urban IV. invited Charles to assume the crown of the Two Sicilies, and to assist in the overthrow of the bastard Manfred, the Ghibelline King. In 1263 Charles was made Senator of Rome, and in 1266 was crowned King of the Two Sicilies. A crusade was preached against Manfred, who was overwhelmed and slain in the battle of Benevento. In 1268 the young Conradin, the legitimate heir, was defeated at Tagliacozzo, captured, and executed; a like fate was dealt out to many Italian nobles; estates were confiscated to reward the French mercenaries, and Charles established himself firmly in power. In 1270 Charles participated in the disastrous crusade of his brother, Louis IX., and later (1282), when he was preparing for another expedition, news was brought of the rebellion afterwards known as the Sicilian Vespers (q.v.). Charles at once sent his fleet against Messina, refusing all offers of capitulation; but the city held out until assistance came from Don Pedro of Aragon, and Charles's fleet was burned. In 1285 the King died at Poggio. Charles of Anjou was one of the most powerful rulers of his time in Christendom. He was all-powerful in the councils of France; ruled over Anjou, Provence, and the Two Sicilies; was Senator of Rome, Imperial Vicar of Tuscany, Governor of Bologna, and lord of several other cities; he had also bought the rights to the kingdom of Jerusalem. Consult: Sternfeld, Karl von Anjou (Berlin, 1888), which treats of Charles's career up to 1265; Archivio storico Italiano, 3d series, Vols. XXII.-XXVI. (Florence, 1875-77); id., 4th series, Vols. I.-VII. (Florence, 1878-81).
CHARLES OF ORLÉANS, ôr′lā̇′äN′ (1391-1465). A French poet and nobleman, the son of Duke Louis of Orléans. He was brought up at the Court of Blois, and upon the death of his father (who was murdered by the Burgundians and Valentino of Milan) succeeded to his estates. At the battle of Agincourt (1415) he was taken prisoner. He was never in close imprisonment, but it was nearly twenty-five years before he was ransomed and returned to Blois. Here he gathered about him the literary people of the day. Villon joined in the poetical competitions he held at his Court. But Charles was not the rival of Villon; he was the last of the mediæval poets—Villon is modern. His favorite subjects were Love and Spring, and on these two themes he composed many rondels, one of which is the charming Le temps a laissé son manteau, so often introduced into anthologies. Saintsbury says of him: “Few early poets are better known than Charles of Orléans, and few deserve their popularity better.” His son afterwards became Louis XII. of France. The best edition of his works is that by Héricault (1874).
CHARLES CITY. The county-seat of Floyd County, Iowa, 140 miles northwest of Dubuque, on Cedar River, and on the Illinois Central and the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul railroads (Map: Iowa, E 1). It has good water-power, and manufactures store fixtures, wood furnishings, furniture, sashes and doors, harrows, wagons, and carriages. The city has an opera-house and a large park, and is the seat of Charles City College (Methodist Episcopal), organized in 1891. Settled in 1856, Charles City was incorporated in 1869 under a general law, and is governed by a mayor, elected every two years, and a city council. The water-works are owned and operated by the municipality. Population, in 1890, 2802; in 1900, 4227.
CHARLES RIVER. A river of eastern Massachusetts (Map: Massachusetts, E 3). It rises in the western part of Norfolk County in a number of small headstreams which connect small lakes, and, pursuing a zigzag northeasterly course, empties into Boston Harbor. In the middle and lower parts of its 47-mile course, the Charles is very attractive for boating excursions. The chief towns on its banks are the Newtons, Waltham, Watertown, Cambridge, Brookline, and Boston. Below Watertown the stream is tidal, and between Cambridge on one side and Boston on the other it widens into an estuary, part of which has been filled in, and is known as Back Bay.
CHARLES'S WAIN. A common name for the constellation Ursa Major (q.v.).
CHARLESTON, chärlz′ton. A city and county-seat of Coles County, Ill., 48 miles west of Terre Haute, Ind., on the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and Saint Louis and the Toledo, Saint Louis and Western railroads (Map: Illinois, D 4). It is the centre of a farming district, and has manufactures of flour, brooms, stoves, and tiles. The city is the seat of the Eastern Illinois Normal School, and possesses a Carnegie free library and parks. Charleston was settled in 1830, incorporated in 1855, and at present is governed under a charter of 1870 which provides for a mayor, elected every two years, and a city council. The water-works are owned and operated by the municipality. One of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates was held here in 1858. Population, in 1890, 4135; in 1900, 5488.
CHARLESTON. A city and county-seat of Mississippi County, Mo., 15 miles west by south of Cairo, Ill., on the Saint Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad (Map: Missouri, G 5). It is in a highly productive agricultural region, and ships grain, flour, fruits, potatoes, and live stock. The industries include flour-mills and saw-mills, stave and heading factories, and manufactures of axehandles, boots, etc. Population, in 1890, 1381; in 1900, 1893.
CHARLESTON. A port of entry and an important commercial centre, the largest city in South Carolina and the county-seat of Charleston County (Map: South Carolina, D 4). It is seven miles from the ocean, on a low peninsula formed by the Ashley and Cooper rivers,
