Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/303

 1922 SHORT NOTICES 295 As Heft 67 of the ' Abhandlungen zur Mittleren und Neueren Geschichte ' there appears Der Kampf urn Sizilien in den Jahren 1302-1337 by Dr. Eugen Haberkern (Leipzig: Rothschild, 1921). Dr. Haberkern handles, in a careful and scholarly manner, a subject which has hitherto received inadequate treatment. His work is in effect a political history of the reign of Frederick II (or III, as he preferred to style himself) from the peace of Caltabellota to Frederick's death in 1337. The author has been able frequently to throw new light on the period by the use of sources as yet unprinted. He is not overwhelmed by details, and tells the story in a picturesque and interesting manner ; the notes are relegated to the end, so that the reader's attention is not distracted from the narrative. Frederick's career deserved a worthy historian. The young prince of Aragon, who had accepted the invitation of the Sicilians when they were deserted by his elder brother ; who maintained his purpose resolutely to establish a dynasty of kings of Sicily, in spite of the peace of Calta- bellota and the title of ' rex Trinacriae ' that was all that the pope would allow ; who faced the allied powers of the papacy and the Angevins of Naples with little support other than the diplomatic assistance of the kings of Aragon, his brother and nephew, and occasional backing from the Ghibelline party in Italy such a man was a fitting hero for a larger stage. Dr. Haberkern pictures him as a medieval knight, chivalrous and im- petuous, anything rather than a diplomatist. But Frederick could bide his time when necessary, and bear the frequent blows of fortune with patience. It was surely not rashness, but prudence, that caused him to risk so much when he allied himself with the Emperor Henry VII ; here was the opportunity to realize his highest hopes, and he seized it. He failed, only owing to Henry's death. When Lewis the Bavarian came into Italy, Frederick risked nothing by joining him, but it was an excess of caution that made success impossible on this occasion. As the narrative proceeds, it becomes increasingly a matter of surprise that Frederick was not overwhelmed by his difficulties. The temperament of his great enemy, Robert of Naples, was an asset in his favour ; there were frequent occasions, it seems, when Robert, had he struck with all his power, must have reconquered Sicily. But it is unwise to speculate ; the alliances and counter-alliances, as Dr. Haberkern shows, were so intricate that it was impossible to tell what the enemy's strength might be, difficult to estimate one's own. The internal politics and economic condition of Sicily are only touched upon by the author, so far as they affect the position of Frederick ; they become increasingly important as the reign advances, and the situation at his death seems so hopeless that Dr. Haber- kern is careful to insist that Frederick had not really failed. This the future was to prove, more certainly than the past, to which alone the author looks. There is one defect in this excellent treatise. It contains no table of contents, and there are no chapter-headings. There is an index, but only of names, which is of little value by itself. Z. N. B. A book on St. Colette can hardly fail to be interesting, but La Belle Vie de Sainte Colette de Corbie, by E. Sainte-Marie Perrin (Paris : Plon, s.a.), cannot be taken as a serious contribution to history. On p. 40 we read :