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.
Indo-European Migrations—Divisions of the Aryan Family into European Races—The Teutonic Race
Hermann—Defeat of Varus—Characteristics of the Ancient Germans
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
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
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
Source of Weakness in the Empire—The Great Interregnum—The Nibelungen Lied—The Hanseatic League—The Guilds—Meistersingers
Conditions—First Hapsburg and First Hohenzollern—Swiss Freedom—Intellectual Awakening—The Golden Bull—Hussite War—A Hohenzollern Receives a Mortgage on the Territory of Brandenburg—Discovery of Gunpowder—Conditions Existing under Frederick III.—Invention of Printing—The Passing of the Old and Coming of the New
General European Conditions—Centralizing Tendencies at Work—Maximilian I.—A New World—The Rise of Spain—Isabella—Charles IV.
Triple Game between Francis I., Henry VIII., and Charles IV.—Leo X.—Luther—The Diet of Worms—Protestantism Born—Margrave of Brandenburg Usurps Sovereignty over Prussia—The Peasants War—The Augsburg Confession—Charles V. Thwarted—Protestantism a Dominant Power in his Empire—Schisms in the New Faith—Calvinism—Reformers—Lutherans—The Schmalkaldian League—Anabaptists—Abdication of Charles V.—Philip II.—Death of Charles—Ferdinand I.—Council of Trent—Society of Jesus
A Protestant Germany—A Divided Protestantism—True Meaning of the Struggle—Unfruitful Waiting—The Renaissance—Music, Art, Letters, Born Anew—Thought Awakened—Copernicus—Galileo—Kepler—Impending Calamity—Protestant Union and Catholic League—Thirty Years' War Commenced—Wallenstein—Gustavus Adolphus—His Triumph and Death—Richelieu—Death of Wallenstein—Peace of Westphalia—Division of Territory
Romano-Germanic Empire Perishing—European Conditions—Louis XIV.—Decay of National Spirit—Rise of Brandenburg—Combination against Louis XIV.—Spanish Succession—Under Frederick I. Brandenburg Becomes Prussia—Alliance with England—Marlborough and Prince Eugene—Blenheim—Peace of Utrecht—Territorial Changes—Charles XII. and Peter the Great—Pragmatic Sanction—Frederick William I.—Stirrings of Thought in this Time of Chaos—Birth of German Speculative Philosophy—Spinoza—Soul Awakening
Frederick the Great—His Childhood—Von Katte's Execution—Frederick at Potsdam—Frederick II., King of Prussia—Maria Theresa, Empress—War of Austrian Succession—Silesia—Personal Traits of the Two Sovereigns—Frederick Joins France against Austria—Peace of Dresden—Frederick Becomes "The Great"—Healing the Wounds Left by Two Wars—Voltaire's Influence—Frederick a Reformer and a Despot—Growth in Thought and Birth of a Native Literature—Voltaire at Frederick's Court—Change Wrought by a Nearer View of King and Poet
War over American Boundary between England and France—Maria Theresa Joins France—Her Policy—A Combination against Frederick II.—Seven Years' War—Peace of Hubertsburg—Silesia Forever Abandoned by Austria—Prussia One of the "Five Great Powers"—Healing Wounds Again—Conditions External and Internal
Marie Antoinette Married to the French Dauphin Louis—Unsuspected Conditions—Joseph II.—Reforms by a Progressive Hapsburg are a Failure—Romanticism Replaces Sentimentalism in Literature—Sturm und Drang Period—Luther's Influence upon Letters—Frederick Succeeded by his Nephew—Effect of Prussia's Ascendancy in the German Empire—Its Coming Dissolution—Why Patriotism Could Not Exist—The Calm before the Hurricane
The Beginnings of the Storm—The United States of America and France—The Thought-Currents Which Moved toward a Vortex—Execution of King and Queen—France a Ruin but Free—A Republic—First Coalition—Poland and its Partition—Austria Fighting Alone for the Empire—Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy—His Methods and Their Result—Treaty of Campo Formio—Three New Republics—Napoleon in Egypt—His Return—Second Coalition—Dominions of Ecclesiastical Rulers Given Away—Napoleon the Instrument of Fate
Napoleon Emperor of the French—Third Coalition—Prussian Neutrality—The Rheinbund—Dissolution of the Empire and Abdication of Francis II.—Retribution for Prussia—Battle of Jena—Peace of Tilsit—A Continental Blockade—Marriage with Marie Louise
Revolt of Bavarian Peasants—The "League of Virtue"—Invasion of Russia—Burning of Moscow—Retreat—General York Leads a Popular Movement—Prussia at War with Napoleon—The Battle of Leipzig—The Allies in Paris—Napoleon Deposed—Louis XVIII. King—Return of Napoleon—Waterloo and St. Helena
Reconstruction—The Act of Union—Sentiment of the People—Concessions—Francis II. Died—A Republic in France—Blaze of Revolutionary Fires in Europe—A National Parliament Granted—Its Failure—Napoleon III. in France—Magenta and Solferino—Revolution in Italy—Victor Emmanuel King—William I. King of Prussia
King William and Bismarck—Schleswig-Holstein—Proposed Division—War against Austria—Königgrätz—The North German Union
Napoleon III. Plans the Overthrow of Prussian Dominion—Vacant Throne in Spain—A Hohenzollern Candidate—Benedetti and King William—War Declared by France—Metz—Sedan—King William at Versailles—Crowned Hereditary Emperor of the German Empire—Death of Emperor William I.—Emperor Frederick—His Unfulfilled Dreams and his Death—William II. Emperor