Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 10.djvu/500

Rh 482 GERMANY 911-936, of I-‘ranconia was raised to the throne (911-918). He had Conrad 1. some excellent qualities, and in quieter times would have done good service to Germany; but he was rash and im- - pulsive, and far too ready to submit to priestly influence. The dukes of Bavaria, Swabia, and Lorraine were not [n1s'ror.Y. confining his efforts to Saxony and Thuringia, the only parts of Germany over which he had strong control. In the southern and western German lands, towns and fortiﬁed Fortiﬁc places had long existed ; but in the north, where Roman tion of influence had but fecbly extended, and where even tlie-t°“'“3' present at his election ; and the choice displeased them, pro- bably because he was likely to prove considerably more powerful than they wished. Rather than acknowledge him, the duke of Lotharingia or Lorraine transferred his allegi- ance to Charles the Simple of France; and it was in vain tlut Conrad protested and despatched armies into Lorraine. 'ith the help of the French king the duke maintained his ground, and, for the time, his country was lost to Germany. Javaria and Swabia yielded, but, mainly through the fault of the king himself, their submission was of brief duration. The rise of the dukes had been watched with extreme jealousy by the leading prelates. They saw that the inde- pendence they had hitherto enjoyed would be much more imperilled by powerful local governors than by a sovereign who necessarily regarded it as part of his duty to protect the church. Hence they had done everything they could to prevent the dukes from extending their authority, and as the government was carried on during the reign of Louis the Child mainly by Hatto, archbishop of Mainz, they had been able to throw considerable obstacles in the way of their rivals. They now induced Conrad to force a quarrel both upon Swabia and upon Bavaria, and the result was a series of wars in which he had only partial success. 'hat was incomparably worse, his clerical advisers involved him in a struggle with Henry, duke of Saxony, son of the duke to whom he chieﬂy owed his crown. Henry was a man of great personal charm, a just ruler, strong, and brave. The Saxon people were devoted to him; and his inﬂuence over them was intensiﬁed by the virtues of his beautiful wife, to whom he was known to be passionately attached. Conrad committed a profound mistake in making an enemy of a man like this; and he lived to repent his error. On his death-bed he recommended the Franconian nobles to offer the crown to Henry, whom, with ﬁne generosity, he recog- nized as the only man in the kingdom who could cope with the anarchy by which he had himself been baffled. Franks had not exercised much authority until the time of Charles the Great, the people still lived as in ancient times either on solitary farms or in exposed villages. Such fortresses as Charles had built had been for the most part destroyed in the wars after his time, and almost the only attempts at fortiﬁcation were to be found around the towers or castles of the great nobles, and the dwellings of the leading churchmen. Henry saw that, while this state of things lasted, the population could never be safe, and began in earnest the construction of fortresses and walled towns. Of every group of nine men one was compelled to devote himself to this work, while the remaining eight cultivated his ﬁelds, and allowed a third of their produce to be stored against times of trouble. The necessities of military discipline were next attended to. Hitherto the Germans had fought mainly on foot, and, as the Magyars came on horseback, the nation was placed at an immense disadvantage. A powerful force of cavalry was now raised, while at the same time the infantry were drilled in new and more effective modes of ﬁghting. Although these prepara- tions were carried on directly under Henry’s supervision only in Saxony and Thuringia, the neighbouring dukes knew what he was doing, and were stimulated to follow his example. Vhcn he concluded that he was almost ready, he made use of his new troops, before turning them against their chief enemy, the Magyars, to punish refractory Slavonic tribes; and at this time he brought under tem- porary subjection nearly all the Slavs between the Elbe and the Oder. He proceeded also against the Bohemians, whose duke was compelled to do homage. At the expiry of the truce the Magyar messengers came as usual for their tribute. They were sent away empty handed, whereupon a vast body of invaders crossed as in former years the frontier of Tlmringia. Henry prudently waited until dearth of provisions forced the enemy to divide into two bands. He then swept down upon the Saxon The nobles of Franconia acted upon the advice of their weaker force, annihilated it, and rapidly advanced against (l.W1a>t1-'- chief and king, and the Saxons were very willing that the the remaining portion of the army. The second battle was duke they loved so well should rise to still higher honours. more severe than the ﬁrst, but not less decisive. The Henry 1. Henry I. (918-936) was one of the best kings Germany Magyars, unable to cope with a disciplined army, were cut ever had, a born statesman and warrior. His ambition was of the noblest order, for he sank his personal interests in the cause of his country ; and he knew exactly when to attain his objects by force, and when by calmness and moderation.‘ By wise concessions he almost immediately overcame the opposition of the dukes of Swabia and Bavaria; and some time later, taking advantage of the troubled state of France, he accepted the homage of the duke of Lorraine, which for many centuries afterwards remained a part of the German kingdom. Having established internal order, Henry was able to turn to matters of even more pressing moment. In the very ﬁrst year of his reign the terrible Magyars, who had continued to scourge Germany during the reign of Canrad, broke into Saxony and plundered the land almost without hindrance. In 924 they returned, and this time, by good fortune, one of their greatest princes fell into the hands of the Germans. Henry restored him to his country- men on condition that they should agree to a truce of nine years; and he had the courage to undertake to pay, during this period, yearly tribute. The heedless barbarians
 * 1 :cepted his terms, and faithfully kept their word in regard

t-» the immediate lands of Henry, although Bavaria, Swabia, anl Francouia they occasionally invaded as before. He l.]’1’l6 admirable use of the opportunity he had secured, down in great numbers, and those who survived rode in wild terror from the ﬁeld. The exact scenes of these con- flicts are not known, but few more important battles have ever been fo11ght. The power of the Magyars was not indeed destroyed, but it was broken, and the way was prepared for the effective liberation of Germany from an intolerable plague. While the Magyais had been troubling Germany on the east and south, the Danes had been irritat- ing her on the north. Charles the Great had established a march between the Eider and the Schlei ; but in course of time the Danes had not only seized this territory, but had driven the German population beyond the Elbe. The Saxons had been slowly reconquering the lost ground, and now Henry, advancing with his victorious army into Jutland, forced Gorm, the Danish king, to become his vassal. The German lands were given back, and it is probable that the march of Schleswig was at this time instituted. When this great king died, every land inhabited by a German population formed part of the kingdom, and none of the duchies were at war either with him or among themselves. Along the northern and eastern frontier were tributary races, and the cou11try was for the time rid of an enemy which, for nearly a generation, had kept it in per- petual fear. Vast as were these results, perhaps Henry did even greater service in beginning the growth of towns Defeat Magyar Impoi ance ( lenrj reign.