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MAX , they met with a signal overthrow. Maximilian strove earnestly to induce the Germanic princes to take part in the war, and with this view convoked the famous diet of Worms in 1496, over which he presided in person; but the succours which he demanded were steadily refused. Maximilian was soon after involved in new disputes with the French king in consequence of his refusal to fulfil the stipulations of the treaty of Senlis, by restoring certain towns to the Archduke Philip, the emperor's son; and also with Charles d'Egmont, respecting the duchy of Guelder: and scarcely had these been settled in 1499, when he picked a quarrel with the Swiss cantons, who, however, inflicted upon him a signal defeat, and compelled him to acknowledge the independence of the Helvetian republic. Meanwhile, Louis XII. of France had completed the conquest of the Milanese, and was menacing the kingdom of Naples. Maximilian, alarmed at the progress of the French arms, made preparations for war; but his son Phillip, dazzled by the brilliant offers of Louis, exerted himself successfully to bring about an amicable agreement between the two monarchs; and accordingly a treaty was concluded at Trent in 1501. The emperor next formed the project of a crusade and quarreled with the princes of the empire, who not only refused to supply him with money and soldiers, but insisted on presenting to him a list of their grievances and steadily opposed all his illegal demands. In 1503 Maximilian, as head of the empire, was called on to interfere in a quarrel respecting the succession to the elector palatinate, and narrowly escaped with his life in a battle fought under the walls of Ratisbon. Maximilian's fondness for fishing in troubled waters led him once more to interfere in the affairs of Italy; and having crossed the Alps in the depth of winter at the head of twenty-five thousand men, he laid siege to Verona on the ground that the Venetians refused to allow him a passage through their territories. But his army was surrounded in Friuli by a combined force of French and Venetians, and the greater part of his men were taken prisoners. In 1508 the emperor and the king of France entered into a league with Pope Julius II. and the king of Arragon, the object of which was to humble Venice and to make a partition of its territories. The republic was in consequence reduced to great straits; but the allies became jealous of each other and quarreled, and Maximilian broke his engagements with the other powers, and recalled his troops from the French service. He subsequently entered into an alliance with Henry VIII. of England against France, and even served as a volunteer in the English army on the continent. He displayed his usual courage and military skill in this campaign, and gained a decisive victory over the French army which came to the relief of Guinegate. In 1516 Maximilian once more invaded Italy, seized Lodi, and invested Milan; but in the end he was compelled to retreat without accomplishing anything of importance. His reign was now drawing to a close; but he still busied himself with ambitious projects, and bent all his energies to secure the succession to the imperial crown for his grandson Charles. He regarded the commencement of the Reformation by Luther with indifference, if not with approbation, and contented himself with addressing a letter to Leo X., calling on him to put an end to those religious disputes. Maximilian died 11th January, 1519, in the sixtieth year of his age. He was the author of some poems and of memoirs of his own reign.—J. T.  MAXIMILIAN II., Emperor of Germany, was born on the 1st of August, 1527. He was the eldest son of Ferdinand I., brother of Charles V., and was thus first cousin of Philip II., with whom he was educated in Spain. He married another cousin, Mary, daughter of Charles V., and a strenuous adherent of Catholicism. After governing Spain in the name of Charles, he returned to Germany, and at one time was almost a Lutheran. He finally professed Catholicism, but always retained a friendly feeling towards the Lutherans. He endeavoured to procure the abolition of celibacy among the clergy, and even to bring about an agreement between catholics and protestants. The father-in-law of Charles IX. of France, who married his daughter Elizabeth, he expressed his abhorrence of the massacre of St. Bartholomew, and the Dutch looked to his mediation as to that of a friend, in their revolt against Philip II. King of the Romans, of Bohemia, and of Hungary, in the years immediately preceding the death of Ferdinand, he found himself after the latter event, 1564, heir to the archduchy of Austria, and succeeded his father on the imperial throne. Two years after his accession, was renewed the struggle with the Turks, who supported the claims of a Zapolya to the crown of Hungary. It was then that the two great religious parties manifested their joint regard for him, by voting him large supplies for the conduct of the war against the Turks. It ended successfully for Maximilian. A pacific and tolerant prince, he preserved peace within the limits of the empire, and granted to the Austrian aristocracy permission to celebrate worship according to the Lutheran form. He endeavoured even to put a stop to the levying, in the empire, of troops to take part in the religious struggles of France and the Low Countries. Indeed, his whole reign was an effort to restore an appearance of concord between catholics and protestants. He was an accomplished, affable, and virtuous sovereign. He is praised by historians of all parties, with the perhaps single exception of Menzel, who cannot forgive him his non-profession of Lutheranism.—F. E.  MAXIMILIAN II. , King of Bavaria, was born on the 28th November, 1811. He was the eldest son of King Ludwig, received lessons from Schelling, and finished his studies at Göttingen, 1829-31. He then travelled in Italy and Greece, and on his return was admitted to the privy council, but was not allowed to take part in the government of the kingdom. On the 5th October, 1842, he married Frederica Francesca, daughter of Prince Frederick William of Prussia, born in October, 1825. In 1848 King Ludwig was obliged to abdicate, and Maximilian succeeded to the throne. He proclaimed a general amnesty, and made some important reforms in the administration of public affairs. He opposed the project of a united Germany with Prussia for its head, and in the Italian war would have supported Austria to the utmost of his power. He had two sons, Ludwig (who succeeded him), born 25th August, 1845, and Otho, born 27th April, 1848. He died 10th March, 1864.—P. E. D.  MAXIMILIAN. See.  MAXIMINUS I., Roman emperor, was born in the confines of Thrace, and brought up as a shepherd. As he grew up he became noted for his huge stature and immense strength; so that after enlisting in the Roman army Septimius Severus appointed him one of his guards. Under Caracalla he rose to the rank of centurion. In consequence of Macrinus' hatred he withdrew to his native land and accumulated considerable property. On Elagabalus' accession he returned to Rome and accepted the tribuneship; though he had reason to be disgusted with the emperor. Alexander Severus treated him with respect, and appointed him tribune of the fourth legion. At last he rose to the highest military command, with the full approbation of the soldiers; and had it not been for the vestiges of his barbarous origin, it is probable that the emperor would have given his own sister in marriage to his son. But his ambition was increased, not satisfied with promotion. By cunning and low-minded emissaries he spread discontent among the soldiers, so that a conspiracy was formed to cut off Severus and proclaim Maximin emperor. Accordingly the emperor was assassinated in Gaul, and Maximin at once invested with the purple by the barbarous soldiers, in 235. His reign was characterized by cruelty, avarice, rapacity, oppression, and ferocity. The rich, noble, and great were especially the victims of his suspicion and tyranny. A conspiracy against his life was either imagined or discovered; at the head of which Magnus, a consular senator, is supposed to have been. Accordingly, he and four thousand alleged accomplices were massacred. Spies and informers found their trade very profitable; and numbers were hurried off to torture and death, without the shadow of a crime resting upon their character. After the private estates of illustrious citizens were lavished on his soldiers, the emperor seized on public property. Even for their knowledge of his original obscurity many friends who had assisted him in his poverty were put to death; while he wreaked his direst vengeance on the haughty nobles whose slaves had once driven him from their doors. Nor were the soldiers exempted from the fury of his ferocious temper: for slight offences they suffered severe tortures. After his election he prosecuted the war against the Germans, and crossed the Rhine for that purpose. The campaign continued for eighteen months, and the enemy were completely defeated; on which the emperor withdrew for the winter to Pannonia, and established himself at Sirmium with the intention of making war upon the north in the following spring. He was never at Rome. About 238 an insurrection took place in Africa, headed by the Gordian family, one of whom—the proconsul—was most reluctantly compelled to accept the purple. The senate favoured his cause 