The absence of any existing text-book, narrating with any approach to fulness the history of the period with which this work is concerned, induced the writer to think that the most useful course that he could pursue would be to cover as much of the whole ground as his space allowed. Finding that there was not room to treat all the aspects of European history with the same fulness, the author resolved to limit himself to the central struggle between the Papacy and the Empire, and to the events di

To the general modern authorities for French history for this period must now be added the valuable new Histoire de France edited by M. Ernest Lavisse (Hachette), of which the three half-volumes covering this period are now published. They are: Les Premiers Capétiens (987–1137) , by Achille Luchaire, II. ii.; Louis VII. , Philippe Auguste, Louis VIII. , by Achille Luchaire, III. i.; and Saint Louis, Philippe le Bel, les derniers Capétiens directs , by Ch. V. Langlois, III. ii. A large collection

General Characteristics of the Period—The End of the Dark Ages—The Triumph of Feudalism—The Revival of the Roman Empire and Papacy—The Struggles of Papacy and Empire—The Spread of Religion and Civilisation—The Crusades and the Latin East—The Growth of National Monarchies. It is a trite thing to say that all long periods of European history are ages of transition. The old order is ever passing gradually away, and a new society is ever springing up from amidst the ruins of the dying system that ha

Henry III. was now two-and-twenty years of age, and had been carefully educated for his great position. Gisela had procured for him the best of literary teachers, while Conrad himself had taken care that he should excel in all knightly exercises, and go through a sound drilling in war, law, and statecraft. He had already won martial glory against the Poles and Hungarians, while he had acquired political experience as virtual, if not formal, co-regent with his father. He was now able to take up h

The duchy of Burgundy was the last remaining great fief of the Capetians in northern and central France. While various kingdoms, duchies, and counties of Burgundy grew up, as we have seen, in the imperial lands beyond the Saône and the Rhone, one Richard the Justiciar, famous like all the founders of fiefs as a successful foe of the Norman marauders, became, in 877, the first duke or marquis of that Burgundy which became a French vassal state. His brother was Boso, founder of the kingdom of Prov

Minority of Henry IV. —Regency of Agnes—Rivalry of Adalbert and Anno—The Saxon Revolt—Election of Gregory VII. —Beginnings of the Investiture Contest—Canossa and its results—Rudolf of Swabia and Guibert of Ravenna—The Normans and Gregory VII. —Victor III. and Urban II. —Last years of Henry IV. —Henry V. and Pascal II. —Calixtus II. and the Concordat of Worms—Death of Henry V. While the Cluniac movement had at last attained ascendency over the best minds of Europe, and a swarm of monastic reforme

Early Pilgrimages to Palestine—The Turkish Conquest—Causes of the Crusades—Urban II. and the Council of Clermont—Leaders of the First Crusade—Alexius and the Crusaders—Results of the Crusade—Organisation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and its dependent States—The Military Orders—Rise of the Atabeks—Fall of Edessa—The Second Crusade—Decline of the Kingdom of Jerusalem—Power of Saladin—Fall of Jerusalem. The piety of the Middle Ages, ever wont to express its spiritual emotions in concrete shape, had

Aspects of the Hildebrandine Movement—The new Religious Orders—Bruno and the Carthusians—The Beginnings of the Cistercians and Robert of Molême—The Charter of Charity—The Canons Regular—Norbert and Prémontré—The Military Orders—Influence of St. Bernard—The Speculative Revival—Beginnings of Scholasticism—Abelard and his influence—Abelard and Bernard—Popular Heresies—Peter de Bruys—The Poor Men of Lyons—The Albigenses—The Legal Revival—Irnerius and the Civil Law—Gratian and the Canon Law. With all

Election and Policy of Frederick I. —Frederick and Adrian IV. —Fall of Arnold of Brescia—Frederick’s early German Policy—The Burgundian Marriage and the Diet of Besançon—Breach with the Papacy—Frederick’s Second Italian Journey—Diet of Roncaglia and Destruction of Milan—Alexander III. and the Antipopes—The Lombard League—Battle of Legnano—Peace of Constance—Frederick and Germany—Fall of Henry the Lion—Division of the Saxon Duchy—Union of Sicily with the Empire—The Lateran Council and the last da

Henry of England was equally active on his side. Besides his Breton vassals, he could rely upon the special enemies of Louis, the barons of the Isle de France. He became a warm partisan of Thierry of Alsace, and intrigued with the Flemish townsfolk, who were seldom on good terms with their counts. | Louis VI. and the House of Blois. | Above all he had the powerful support of his nephews, Theobald IV. , Count of Blois, surnamed the Great, and of his younger brother Stephen, who through his wife h

Europe in 1187—Preparations for the Third Crusade—Crusade and Death of Frederick Barbarossa—Destruction of the German Army—Crusade of Philip II. and Richard I. —Truce with Saladin—The Reign of Henry VI. —Henry’s Coronation and first Italian journey—First attack on Apulia—German troubles—Captivity of Richard I. —Conquest of Apulia and Sicily—The Hereditary Empire and the Conquest of the East—Death of Henry. In the second half of the twelfth century limits had already been set to the worst forms o

Character and theories of Innocent III. —The Sicilian Succession and the Minority of Frederick II. —The Subjection of Rome and the Patrimony of St. Peter—Innocent and Germany—Rivalry of Philip of Swabia and Otto of Brunswick—Innocent and Philip Augustus—The Pope as Feudal Lord—Otto IV. and Frederick II. —The Crusades—Innocent’s Religious Position—The Lateran Council. After the great Emperors came the great Pope. Within four months of the death of Henry VI. , Celestine III. had been succeeded by

Character and Policy of Frederick II. —His Work in Naples and Sicily—Frederick and Honorius III. —The Early Struggles of Frederick and Gregory IX. —Frederick’s Crusade and its Consequences—Peace of San Germano—Germany under Frederick—St. Engelbert and Henry VII. —German Civilisation under the Later Hohenstaufen—The Eastward Expansion of Germany—Livonia and Prussia—Frederick and the Lombard League—Battle of Cortenuova—Renewed Struggle with Gregory IX. —The Tartars—Innocent IV. and the Council of

Home Policy of Philip Augustus—The Fall of the Angevins and the Conquest of Normandy and Anjou—The Albigensian Crusade—The establishment of Simon of Montfort in Toulouse, and the Reaction under Raymond VII. —The Relations of Philip and his People—Paris—Administrative Reforms—Death and Character of Philip—Reign of Louis VIII. —The Conquest of Poitou and the Renewal of the Albigensian Crusade—The Regency of Blanche of Castille and the Feudal Reaction—The Treaty of Meaux—Character of St. Louis—His

The Regnum , the Sacerdotium , and the Studium —The Beginnings of the Universities—Their Organisation and their Spirit—Their Relations to the Church—The Introduction of Aristotle—Intellectual and Popular Heresy—St. Francis and the Minorites—St. Dominic and the Order of Preachers—Other Mendicant Orders—The Work of the Mendicants—Preaching and Pastoral Care—The Religious Revival—The Mendicants and the Universities—The Triumph of the Mendicants—The Great Scholastics of the Thirteenth Century and th

Characteristics of the Thirteenth-Century Crusades—Innocent III. and the Crusades—The Children’s Crusade—The State of the Latin Kingdom—The Fifth Crusade—Andrew of Hungary—John of Brienne and the Siege of Damietta—Crusade of Frederick II. and the Recovery of Jerusalem—Crusades of Theobald of Navarre and Richard of Cornwall—The Charismians conquer Jerusalem—The Tartar Crisis—The Sixth Crusade—St. Louis in Egypt—Divisions of the Latin Kingdom—The Mamelukes and Bibars—Fall of Antioch—The Seventh Cr

Characteristics of Spanish History—The Caliphate of Cordova and its decline—The Christian States—Navarre under Sancho the Great—Beginning of the Christian advance—Alfonso VI. and the Conquest of Toledo—The Cid—The Almoravides and the Battle of Zallaca—The Divisions of Islam—Rivalry of Almoravides and Almohades—Alfonso I. and the Rise of Aragon—Affonso Henriquez and the Capture of Lisbon—Triumph of the Almohades—Innocent III. and the Spanish Crusades—Las Navas de Tolosa—James I. of Aragon and St.

The Reign of Conrad IV. —Innocent IV. and Manfred—Alexander IV. and Edmund of England—Manfred King of Sicily—Fall of Eccelin da Romano—Ghibelline triumph in Tuscany—Urban IV. —Clement IV. —Coronation of Charles of Anjou—Battle of Grandella and Death of Manfred—Charles conquers Sicily—Guelfic Revolution in Tuscany—Conradin’s Expedition to Italy—Battle of Tagliacozzo—The Papal Vacancy and the Restoration of Peace by Gregory IX. —the Great Interregnum in Germany—Rivalry of Richard of Cornwall and A

* An asterisk is affixed to these Kings who were crowned Emperors by the Pope....