Produced by Al Haines
A SHORT
HISTORY OF GERMANY
BY
MARY PLATT PARMELE
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1898
COPYRIGHT, 1897, BY MARY PLATT PARMELE
COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
A SHORT HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES A SHORT HISTORY OF ENGLAND A SHORT HISTORY OF FRANCE A SHORT HISTORY OF GERMANY A SHORT HISTORY OF SPAIN
PREFACE.
It is more important to comprehend the forces which have created a great nation, and the progressive steps by which it has unfolded, than to know the multitudinous events and incidents which have attended such unfolding.
In order to forestall criticism for the absence of some events in this History of Germany the author desires to say, that there has been an effort to keep strictly to the main line of development and to resist the temptation of introducing details which do not bear directly upon such line.
The bypaths of history are fascinating, but they are of secondary importance, and may better be explored after the main road has been traveled and is thoroughly known.
Such is the ideal which has been very imperfectly followed in this book.
M. P. P.
NEW YORK, _June_ 21, 1897.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Indo-European Migrations--Divisions of the Aryan Family into European Races--The Teutonic Race
CHAPTER II.
Hermann--Defeat of Varus--Characteristics of the Ancient Germans
CHAPTER III.
Social Conditions--Form of Government--The Goth in Rome--A Gothic Kingdom in Spain--The Teuton Race Covering the European Surface--The Angles and Saxons in Britain
CHAPTER IV.
Ulfilas--The Hunnish Invasion--The Roman Empire Perishing--Its Conversion--An Eastern Empire--Increasing Power of the Church--Charlemagne--France and Germany Separated--Feudal System
CHAPTER V.
Early Conditions--Hungarian Invasions--Creation of Burgs--Knighthood--Pope and Emperor Become Rivals--Henry IV.--Canossa--First Hohenstaufen--Welf and Waiblingen--The Crusaders--Conrad--Frederick Barbarossa
CHAPTER VI.
Source of Weakness in the Empire--The Great Interregnum--The Nibelungen Lied--The Hanseatic League--The Guilds--Meistersingers
CHAPTER VII.
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: A Short History of Germany by Mary Platt Parmele
- 2: Spanish Succession Under Frederick I
- 3: However fair the structure is to be
- 4: Gaul and Briton were sons of the Kelt
- 5: Hermann was the first to dream of German unity
- 6: Hermann had not consolidated his people
- 7: So this untamed and untamable Teuton was being spread
- 8: And Teuton and Kelt became merged
- 9: Written by Ulfilas more than fifteen centuries ago
- 10: When Constantine removed his capital to Byzantium
- 11: And the temporal at Aix la Chapelle
- 12: When the Hungarians insolently demanded their tribute
- 13: Crept to the castle of Canossa
- 14: The Waiblingen family long ago disappeared
- 15: And what is the Teutonic King now
- 16: And make friends of their burghers and guilds
- 17: Which reduced the number of electors to seven
- 18: That Hapsburg who came to the throne in 1440
- 19: And other writers to confuse John Fust
- 20: Was chosen by the electors in 1486
- 21: They secured the daughter of Maximilian
- 22: This grandson would wear not alone the crown of Spain
- 23: Money flowed in swollen streams into the thirsty coffers
- 24: But this new specter of Protestantism would not down
- 25: As distinguished from the Lutherans
- 26: And the permanent union of Germany and Spain
- 27: Protestantism was not blossoming
- 28: Matthias had succeeded his brother Rudolf as Emperor
- 29: While Wallenstein was retreating to Leipzig
- 30: Wallenstein realized that his hour had come
- 31: Sweden was supreme in the North
- 32: England grew tired of fighting for the Hapsburgs
- 33: Was defeated by Prussia and Hanover
- 34: Frederick determined to run away
- 35: Which were assailed by the Elector of Bavaria
- 36: Her next step would be to try to recover Silesia
- 37: But it was a despotism of intelligence and justice
- 38: Frederick was entertaining Voltaire
- 39: Formally declared war against Prussia
- 40: And this useful tuber saved Prussia and Silesia from famine
- 41: How should the Empress of Austria
- 42: When Karl August called Goethe to his Court in Saxe Weimar
- 43: This led to assaults upon other fetters
- 44: But Austria was jealous of Prussia
- 45: Napoleon had won fourteen battles
- 46: This was known as the Rheinbund
- 47: Colossal in his grasp of the forces about him
- 48: No blood but the Hapsburg was fit for this great office
- 49: While Frenchmen guarded Prussians at home
- 50: The allied princes offered to Napoleon that the Rhine
- 51: Where would have been the kingdom of Wurtemberg
- 52: This new Bonaparte was a son of Louis Bonaparte
- 53: When that parliament met at Frankfort
- 54: The no less patriotic statesman
- 55: Also Duke of Schleswig Holstein
- 56: Detach Schleswig from Holstein
- 57: These lines of course were despotic
- 58: Without replying turned away and left Benedetti standing
- 59: It is a curious fact that Bavaria