and Emma Brother of Hardiknut on the Mother's-side who had sought Sanctuary in Normandy was called in to be king of England He was crowned in the Year 1042 and to gain the Affection of the People he remitted a Tax called Danegeld which had been constantly paid for forty Years last past He reigned very peaceably except that he was now and then pester'd with the Irish and Danish Pirates whom nevertheless he quickly overcame He was the first to whom was attributed that Virtue which even to this day the Kings of England are said to have to heal by touching that Disease which in England is called the King 's Evil. He died without Children He intended to have left the Kingdom to his Cousin Edgar Atheling Grandson of King Edmund Ironside but he being very young Harald Son of Goodwin Earl of Kent who had the Tuition of Edgar put the Crown upon his own Head but did not enjoy it above nine Months being slain in a Battel by William Duke of Normandy whereby the Crown of England was transferr'd to the Norman Family § 5. This William sirnamed the Conquerour was Son of Robert Duke of Normandy who was descended from Rollo a Dane who about the Year 900 with a great number of his Country-men and Norwegians fell into France and ravaging the Country without resistance Charles the Simple the then King of France thought it the best way to set him at quiet by putting him into possession of the Province of Neustria which afterwards was called Normandy and giving to him in Marriage his Daughter Geisa under condition that he should become a Christian Rollo had a Son whose Name was William sirnamed Long-sword whose Son was Richard sirnamed the Hardy who was the Father of Richard II. sirnamed the Good who was succeeded by his son Richard III. as he was by his Son Richard IV. But he dying without Issue after him Robert became Duke of Normandy This Robert was Father to William the Conquerour whom he had by one Arlotte a Furrier's Daughter with whom 't is said he fell in love seeing her dance among other Maids in the Country and afterwards married her And notwithstanding this William was a Bastard yet his Father made him his Successour and got the Nobility to acknowledge him as such when he was but nine Years of Age and died soon after This William met with great Troubles and Dangers in his younger Years which he had the good fortune to overcome by his Valour and acquired thereby great Reputation After the death of Edward the Confessour William understanding that Harald had made himself King resolv'd to demand the Crown of England as belonging to him by virtue of the last Will of King Edward who he pretended had left the same to him as an acknowledgment for the great Favours he had received from his Father Robert There are others who say That Edward did only promise this by word of mouth and that Harald being then in Normandy was forc'd to engage by Oath to help him in obtaining the Crown of England It is possible this was only made use of as a pretence But however it be William landed without resistance with a great Army compos'd of Normans French and Netherlanders whilst the Fleet of Harald was sailed to the Northern Coast of England to oppose his Brother and Harald Harfager King of Norway who were enter'd England on that side and both vanquish'd by him but thereby he left open the Door to William to enter into the Kingdom and brought his Souldiers back much weakened and fatigued by their great Marches Yet having reinforc'd his Army as well as he could he offer'd Battel to William near Hastings in Sussex which Battel was fought on both sides with great obstinacy till Harald being mortally wounded by an Arrow the Victory and Crown of England remain'd to William England without any further resistance acknowledging him for a King The English were at first extreamly well satisfy'd with his Government he leaving each in possession of what was his own and only giving the vacant Lands to his Normans partly also because he was related to the former Kings of England partly because he was greatly recommended to them by the Pope He was also very strenuous in securing himself commanding all the Arms to be taken from the People and to prevent Nocturnal Assemblies and Commotions he ordered That after the Bell had rung at eight in the Evening no Fire nor Candle should be seen in their Houses Besides this he built several Forts in the most commodious places Notwithstanding all this Edgar Atheling being with some of the Nobility retir'd into Scotland and being assisted by the Danish Pirates continually ravag'd the Northern Parts of England burning the City of York it self wherein all the Normans were put to the Sword but he forced them afterwards thence There was also a dangerous Conspiracy set on foot against him which was happily suppress'd by him before the Conspirators could join their Forces His Son Robert also endeavoured to take from him Normandy against whom his Father led a great Army out of England and the Father and Son encountring one another in the Battel the first was dismounted by the latter but he discovering him to be his Father by his voice immediately dismounted embraced him and begg'd his pardon and was reconcil'd to his Father who freely pardon'd all past Injuries This King also forc'd Wales to pay him Tribute and King Malcolm of Scotland to swear Fealty to him But perceiving that this new-conquer'd People would not be govern'd altogether by Mildness he began to act more severely taking away out of the Convents what Gold and Silver he could meet with of which there was great store convey'd thither as into Sanctuaries He also imposed heavy Taxes he appropriated to himself a great part of the Lands of England which he gave unto others reserving to himself out of them a yearly Revenue He took upon him the Administration of the Goods and Possessions of all Minors till they came to the 21st Year of Age allowing them only so much as was requisite for their Maintenance He revised all their Privileges introduced new Laws in the Norman Tongue whereby a great many that did not understand that Language fell under severe Penalties He erected new Courts of Judicature and employed great tracts of Ground for the conveniency of his Hunting This King introduced first the use of the long Bow in England whereby he had chiefly obtained the Victory against Harald and whereby afterwards the English did great mischief to the French and gained many Battels from them At last Philip I. King of France by stirring up his Son Robert against him endeavouring to raise Disturbances in Normandy he went in person over into Normandy where the Son was quickly reconcil'd to the Father But being obliged to keep his Bed at Roan by reason of an Indisposition in his Belly which was very
gross the King of France ridicul'd him asking How long he intended to lie in to whom William sent this Answer That as soon as he could go to Church after his lying in he had vow'd to sacrifice a thousand Candles in France and he was as good as his word for he was no sooner recover'd but he invaded France and burnt all where-ever he came But he having overheated himself he fell ill and died leaving by his last Will to his eldest Son Normandy but to the second called William the Crown of England § 6. William II. sirnamed Rufus met at first with some Disturbances occasioned by his Brother Robert who pretending to the Crown was back'd by a great many of the Nobility but he appeased him by promising to pay him yearly the Summ of 3000 Marks and that he should succeed him after his death But the Nobles who had dispersed themselves up and down in the Country he partly by fair means partly by force reduced to Obedience This Rebellion proved very beneficial to the English the Rebels being most of them Normans wherefore the King afterwards rely'd more upon the English as the most faithfull He waged War twice with Malcolm King of Scotland whom he forced in the first to swear him Fealty but in the last he killed both him and his eldest Son He also subdued the Province of Wales Among other Inventions to get Money one was remarkable for he summon'd together 20000 Men under pretence to go with them into Normandy but when they were just agoing to be shipp'd off he caused Proclamation to be made that every one who was willing to pay ten Shillings should have leave to stay at home unto which every one of them readily consented He was kill'd by a random shot in hunting Him succeeded his younger Brother Henry who being present when the King died seized upon his Treasures whereby he procured himself a great many Friends so that he was preferr'd before Robert his elder Brother who at that time assisted in the taking of Jerusalem which proved no less than the loss of a Crown to him For Henry the better to establish himself in the Throne remitted not only several Taxes which were laid upon the People by the former Kings but also secured unto his Interest the King of Scotland Edgar his most dangerous Neighbour by marrying his Sister Maud. 'T is reported that this Maud had vow'd Castity and that when her Brother forced her to marry she wish'd that such Children as should be born out of this Marriage might never prove fortunate which wish was afterwards sufficiently fulfilled in her Children and a great many of their Posterity Notwithstanding this Robert landed a great Army in England but Henry and Robert by the mediation of some Friends and a Promise of a yearly Pension to be paid to Robert from Henry were reconcil'd which Pension also afterwards Robert remitted to Henry But afterwards repenting of what he had done Henry was so exasperated against him that he made a Descent in Normandy with a great Army and vanquish'd him in a bloody Battel wherein he took him Prisoner He kept him not only a Prisoner all his life time but also at last put his Eyes out uniting Normandy to the Crown of England But King Lewis of France sirnamed Crassus being very jealous of the Greatness of Henry undertook with the assistance of Fulco Earl of Anjou and Baldwin Earl of Flanders to restore unto William Son of Robert the Dukedom of Normandy whereupon a bloody War ensued which was at last composed under this condition That William Son of Henry should swear Fealty to France for this Dukedom of Normandy And it obtained afterwards as a Custom That the King 's eldest Son was called Duke of Normandy as long as this Province was united to England The new Duke of Normandy did also marry the Daughter of the Earl of Anjou And William Son of Robert being then made Earl of Flanders and endeavouring a second time to regain Normandy was slain in that War It is related by some tho' others contradict it That this King was the first who admitted the Commons unto the Grand Council of the Kingdom unto which the Nobility and Bishops only were admitted before it came to be divided into the Higher and Lower House His Son William being by the carelessness of a drunken Master of a Ship drowned at Sea with a great many other persons of Quality of both Sexes as they were coming back from Normandy to England he endeavoured to settle the Crown upon his Daughter Maud and her Heirs she being at first married to the Emperour Henry IV. by whom she had no Children and afterwards to Geoffrey Plantagenet Son to Fulk Earl of Anjou Her Father made the States of England take Oaths of Fealty to her in his life time He died in the Year 1135 and with him ended the Male Race of the Norman Royal Family in England § 7. After the death of Henry Stephen Earl of Boulogne Henry's Sister's Son did by great Promises obtain the Crown of England notwithstanding that both he and the States had taken the Oaths to acknowledge Maud for their Sovereign which they endeavoured by a great many frivolous pretences to prove to be of no force The better to establish himself in the Throne he gained the Affection of the States with Presents and discharged the People of several Taxes giving Authority to the Nobility to build fortify'd Castles which afterwards proved very mischievous to him He also married his Son Eustace to Constantia the Daughter of Ludovicus Crassus King of France This King's Reign was overwhelmed with continual Troubles For the Scots at first and afterwards a great many of his Nobles trusting in their strong Castles raised great Disturbances yet he bridled the Insolence of the Scots giving them a signal overthrow But his greatest Contest was with the Empress Maud for she landing in England was received by a great many and King Stephen in a Battel fought near Chester was taken Prisoner But she refusing to restore to the Londoners King Edward''s Laws they sided with her Enemies and besieged her very closely in the City of Oxford from whence she narrowly escaped and King Stephen also got an opportunity to get out of Prison These Troubles continued till Henry Son of Maud came to the nineteenth Year of his age who being Lord of four large Dominions as having inherited Anjou by his Father's Normandy by his Mother's side Guienne and Poictou by his Wife Eleonora Daughter and Heiress of William the last Duke of Guienne he also endeavoured to obtain the Crown of England for which purpose he landed with an Army in England But he obtained his End without any great opposition for Eustace King Stephen's Son dying suddenly an Agreement was made betwixt them whereby Stephen adopted him and constituted him his Heir and Successour and died not long after in the Year 1124.
Henry II. therefore succeeded him who among other memorable Actions demolish'd such fortify'd Castles of the Nobility and Bishops as were built with the consent of King Stephen After he had reigned near eighteen Years in Peace and Quietness he had a mind to have his Son Henry crowned the better to secure the Succession he received him as his Copartner in the Government but he being married to Margaret the Daughter of Lewis the younger King of France this proved the cause of great Disturbances afterwards For some persuaded young Henry That his Father having abdicated himself from the Government had committed thereby the same to his management France envy'd that a King of England should have such vast Possessions in France The Scots wish'd for nothing more than to have an opportunity of committing Depredations in England Wherefore the French and Scots joining with young Henry fell upon Henry II. all at one time but were as vigorously repulsed by him the Scots especially suffered the most in this War and lost all Huntingtonshire A Peace was also concluded with France Adela Daughter of Lewis King of France being promised in marriage to Richard second Son of Henry But the old King as 't is reported falling in love with her privately kept her company and therefore opposed the consummation of the marriage betwixt her and his Son Richard This so exasperated Richard who after the death of his eldest Brother Henry was now the next Heir to the Crown that he made Head against his Father and Philip Augustus King of France taking hold of this opportunity took the City of Muns King Henry seeing himself besides this deserted by his Friends Wife and Children died in few days of Grief This Henry also conquer'd Ireland and united it to England which he and his Successours govern'd under the Title of Lords of Ireland till the time of Henry VIII who after he had withdrawn himself from the Obedience of the Pope to nettle him the more assumed the Title of King of Ireland because the Pope pretends to the sole right to bestow the Title of King in Christendom and that none ought to take it upon him without his consent wherefore the Pope afterwards to make his Pretence the more plausible freely gave the same Title to Mary Queen of England Henry also had some differences with Thomas Backet Archbishop of Canterbury who pretended it was derogatory to the Glory of God that the Priests according to the King's Commands should be subject to the Civil Judicatures There is a fabulous Relation concerning this Archbishop Thomas That he riding a Horse-back one time through a Village the Country Fellows cut off the Tail of his Horse and that their Children afterwards were born with such Tails § 8. Richard I. who succeeded his Father Henry in the Kingdom did out of a preposterous Zeal undertake an Expedition into the Holy Land with 35000 Men being accompained by Philip Augustus King of France In this War he took the Island of Cyprus which he gave to Guido Lusignanus who in consideration thereof resigned his Right to Jerusalem and in the Year 1192 he was present at the taking of Ptolemais where the Standard of Duke Leopold of Austria being set up first he pull'd it down again putting his own in the place But when they were in great hopes of gaining Jerusalem Philip returned home engaging himself by a solemn Oath that he would not injure Richard in any of his Dominions Hugo Duke of Burgundy afterwards followed his example which greatly encouraged Saladin And Richard understanding that the French were fallen into Normandy he also made a Peace with Saladin and taking his way by Land incognito was discovered in his Journey through Austria where Duke Leopold remembring the affront done to him near Ptolemais took him Prisoner and delivered him to the Emperour who after fifteen Months Imprisonment made him pay 100000 Pounds for his Ransom After his return home he found every thing in confusion the French having not only ravaged Normandy and other Provinces belonging to him but also his Brother had made a Pretension to the Crown but he obliged the latter to implore his Pardon and beat the French back into their own Country He died not long after of a wound which he received in a Siege of some inconsiderable place in France After his death his Brother John took upon him the Crown of England who was opposed by Arthur Earl of the lesser Britainy his elder Brother's Son who finding himself alone not strong enough sought for Aid of the King of France who was ready upon all occasions to create Troubles in England He took a great many Cities in Normandy and Anjou Wherefore King John was obliged to make a dishonourable Peace with him giving in marriage to Lewis King Philip's Son Blanch Daughter of Alfonsus King of Castile and of his Sister Eleonora to whom he gave as a Dowry all the Cities which Philip had taken from him except Angiers Then he married Isabella Daughter and Heiress of the Earl of Angoulesme who was promised before to Hugh Earl of Marche He to revenge this affront join'd his Forces with the King of France and Prince Arthur of Britainy and fell into Touraine and Anjou But King John falling upon them unawares routed the Enemy and took Prince Arthur Prisoner who died not long after a Prisoner in Roan But Constantia the Mother of Arthur made her Complaints to Philip King of France whose Vassal King John was on the score of such Provinces as he was possess'd of in France and the King of France summon'd King John to appear before him and to answer for the death of Arthur But he not appearing it was declar'd that King John had forfeited what Fiefs he was possess'd of in France and King Philip took from him Normandy 316 Years after Rollo the Norman had conquered the same But the French afterwards attack'd also Angiers where they were repulsed with great loss by King John whereupon a Truce was concluded betwixt them for two Years During which time he routed the Scots and suppressed the Rebels in Ireland and Wales The Truce being expired the War began afresh with France and King John's Army being routed he made another Truce with France But this ill success had much diminished his Authority among his Nobles who also hated him because he had imposed heavy Taxes upon them wherefore they with joint consent demanded from him the restitution of their ancient Privileges but perceiving that he only intended to give them fair Words for Deeds they called to their aid Lewis Son of Philip King of France who landing with a great Army in England was received with a general applause and whilst King John endeavoured to make Head against him he died overwhelm'd with Troubles § 9. Him succeeded his Son Henry III. whose tender Age wrought Compassion on most and extinguish'd the Hatred which had been
conceiv'd against his Father And the Earl of Pembroke to whose Tuition he was committed having totally routed the French near Lincoln and destroyed the French Forces at Sea that were sent to their assistance Lewis did renounce all his Pretensions upon the Crown of England and retir'd into France This King's Reign was very long but also very troublesom occasion'd chiefly by the great concourse of Foreigners into England who crept into all places of profit For the Pope sent at one time 300 Italians who being admitted into Church Benefices did so lay about them that their yearly Rents amounted to 60000 Marks of Silver which was a greater Revenue than the Crown had at that time And by reason of the Prodigality of the King tho' constantly burthening the People with Taxes he was always in great want of Money He married besides this the Daughter of the Earl of Provence who having abundance of poor Kindred they enrich'd themselves out of the Treasury of the King This caused at last an open War betwixt the King and the principal Men of the Kingdom in which Henry resign'd to the King of France all his Pretensions upon Normandy Anjou Poictou Touraine and Mans in consideration of the Summ of 300000 pounds paid him by the French King and he was himself taken Prisoner in the first Battel But his Son Prince Edward gathered another Army and killed the General of the Rebels Simon of Monfort Earl of Leicester delivering thereby his Father and suppressing the whole Rebellion He did nothing worth mentioning abroad except that he undertook two Expeditions into France both which prov'd fruitless He died in the Year 1272. Him succeed his Son Edward who was at that time in the Holy Land and tho' he did not come into England till a Year after his Father's death yet took quiet possession of the Crown This King entirely united the Principality of Wales to the Crown of England the last Prince Lyonel being slain in a Battel Under his Reign also began a bloody War and an implacable hatred was raised betwixt the English and Scotch Nations which for 300 Years after caused abundance of bloodshed betwixt both Nations The occasion was thus After the death of Alexander III. King of Scotland who died without Heirs there were several that pretended to the Crown of Scotland wherefore King Edward took upon him the Arbitration of this matter that Crown having depended on his Predecessours and the Scots being still obliged to do Homage to the King of England The matter being examined it so proved that John Baliol Earl of Galloway and Robert Bruce were found to have the best Title to that Crown But these two having contested for the same during the space of six whole Years Edward sent under hand to Bruce telling him That he would decide the difference concerning the Crown of Scotland in favour of him if he would swear Fealty to England which Bruce refused answering That he was not so fond of the Crown as to purchase the same with the prejudice of the Liberty of his Native Country But John Baliol receiving the same offer was made King of Scotland There was about that time a capital Quarrel in Scotland betwixt the Earl of Fife and the Family of Alberneth who had kill'd the Earl's Brother and the King of Scotland had by his Sentence absolv'd the latter The Earl therefore appeal'd to the English Court whither King Baliol was called to appear and to sit with the King in Parliament But as soon as this matter came under debate he was admonished to rise from his Seat and to give an account concerning his Sentence He pretended to answer by his Advocate which being denied him he was obliged to answer in person from the same place where others used to plead their Causes Which both he and the Scots resented as so signal an affront that no sooner was he returned home but he renounced his Oath to King Edward pretending the same to have been unjust and that it was not in his power to make such a promise and renewing the ancient Aliance with France he denounced War against England King Edward therefore enter'd Scotland with an Army took the best strong Holds and forced the Scots and their King to swear fealty to him their King he sent a Prisoner into England leaving considerable Forces in Scotland which were nevertheless soon after beaten out of Scotland by the Scots under the Conduct of a Gentleman of a mean Fortune whose name was William Wallis But King Edward soon returned kill'd 40000 Scots in a Battel near Torkirke and forced them to swear Fealty to him a third time Notwithstanding all these Oaths Robert Bruce who had been John Baliol's Competitour took upon him the Crown who was several times worsted but also beat the English at other times particularly when King Edward going with an Army against Robert in person fell sick and died This King Edward had also had some Differences before with France For some of his Subjects in Aquitain having done considerable mischief by Privateering on the Coast of Normandy King Philip sirnam'd the Handsome summon'd Edward to appear at his Court as his Vassal and to answer the same which Edward refusing to do he declared all his Possessions which he held from the Crown of France to be forfeited taking from him by force of Arms Bourdeaux and some other places against whom Edward enter'd into a Confederacy with the Earl of Flanders and the Emperour Adolphus But coming into Flanders with an Army and finding every thing in confusion and disorder he made a Truce with King Philip promising That his Son Edward should marry Isabella Philip's Daughter This King caused likewise all the Jews to be banished out of England not allowing them to carry away any thing more than what they could carry themselves § 10. Him succeeded his Son Edward II. who at the very beginning of his Reign married Isabella Daughter of Philip sirnamed the Handsom with whom he had for a Dowry Guienne and the County of Ponthieu the greatest part whereof had been taken from his Father by the French This King was very unfortunate in his Wars against the Scots who in the Battel fought near Bannoksborough with an Army of 30000 Men defeated 100000 English which struck such a terrour among them that 100 English durst scarce face three Scotchmen And the English were continually beaten by the Scots except in Ireland where they beat the Scots out who had enter'd that Kingdom so that Edward was at last obliged to make a Truce with them He met also with great Disturbances at home the great Men of the Kingdom pressing him without intermission to leave to their Mercy his Favourites Gaveston and after him the Spencers which he refusing to consent to they fell into open Rebellion in which they proving unsuccessfull several of the Nobility paid with their lives for it But the Queen
her Reign the English Trade was first established in Turkey and the East Indies the finest Coin as also the Manufactury of Serges and Bays was settled in England about the same time This Queen also brought first into Reputation the English Naval Strength which she was so jealous of that tho' she supported the Netherlanders against the Spaniards yet would she never consent that the Netherlanders should so augment their Sea Forces as that thereby they might be able to contest with England at Sea This Maxim which seem'd so necessary for England was not regarded by King James he being a lover of Peace And King Charles I. having always his Hands full with his Rebellious Subjects was not in a capacity to observe it wherefore the Dutch Power at Sea could neither by Cromwel nor by Charles II. be brought down again This most glorious and by her Subjects extreamly beloved Queen died in the Year 1602 having before appointed James VI. King of Scotland for her Successour § 23. After the death of Elizabeth James VI. King of Scotland was with an unanimous applause proclaimed King of England His Title to this Crown was derived from Margaret Daughter of Henry VII who was married to James IV. King of Scotland whose Son James V. left one only Daughter who was Mother of James VI. He at first shewed himself pretty favourable to the Papists fearing lest they might in the beginning of his Reign raise some Commotions against him Notwithstanding which immediately after his Coronation the Lord Cobham Gray and others enter'd into a Conspiracy against him Their main design was to root out the Line of James and to put in his place the Marchioness d' Arbelle she being also descended from the abovesaid Margaret Daughter of Henry VII This Lady was after the death of her Father married to Archibald Douglass by whom she had Margaret who was married to Maâ—thias Earl of Lenox and this Arbella being the Daughter of Charles Lenox the third Son of this Earl was by the intercession of Spain to have been married to the Duke of Savoy and by this means the Popish Religion was again to be introduced into England But the whole Plot being discover'd the Ring-leaders were punish'd yet not with that Severity as the hainousness of their Crime did deserve tho' in the Year next following all the Jesuits and Popish Priests were by a severe Proclamation banish'd out of England In the Year 1605 some Popish Villains had hir'd a Vault under the Parliament House which being fill'd up with a great many Barrels of Gunpowder they intended to have blown the King the Prince and the whole Parliament into the Air. But this devilish Design was discover'd for one of the Accomplices by a Letter that was obscurely written and deliver'd by an unknown person to a Footman of the Lord Mounteagle did intreat him not to come the next day into the Parliament House Which causing a suspicion in the King all the Vaults were search'd and the Powder found Hereupon the Parliament made an Act That all Subjects by a solemn Oath should acknowledge James for their lawfull Sovereign neither that the Pope had any Authority to Dethrone Sovereigns or to absolve Subjects from their Allegiance He concluded a Peace with Spain and was afterwards one of the Mediators of the Truce made betwixt Spain and Holland His Son-in-law the Elector Palatine being banish'd out of his Territories he assisted only with sending of Ambassadours and proposing of an Agreement all which the Spaniards render'd ineffectual His Son Prince Charles was sent into Spain to marry the Infanta where the Marriage Contract was concluded and confirmed by Oath but the Nuptials were deferred till the next year the Spaniards being willing to gain time and to see how things would be carried on in Germany for the House of Austria But when after the Prince's return into England the English would needs have the Restitution of the Elector Palatine inserted in the Articles the Match was broke off and tho' the Parliament voted a Subsidie to be employed towards the restoring of the Elector Palatine yet the Design came to nothing Under this King there was a period put to the Differences and Wars betwixt England and Scotland which hitherto had created abundance of Troubles to this Island And that nothing of jealousie might remain betwixt these two Nations about Preference in the Royal Title he introduced the Name of Great Britain which comprehends both the Kingdoms There was also set on foot a Treaty to unite both Kingdoms into one Body but it did not succeed because the Scots would not be Inferiour to the English Under this King's Reign Colonies were established in Virginia Bermudos and Ireland by which means the English have extended their Dominions but there are some who believe that this has weakened the English at home and that in all probability it would have been more profitable for England to have employed those people in Manufactury and Fishing of Herrings which produce such vast Riches to the Dutch in the very sight of the English Yet some are also of Opinion That it is good for the publick repose that the unruly Multitude do not grow too numerous in England The East India Trade was also greatly promoted at that time but the English could not come there in competition with the Dutch these having been before hand with them This King died in the Year 1625. § 24. His Son Charles I. succeeded him who after the Spanish Match was broke off married Henrietta Daughter of Henry IV. He equipp'd out a great Fleet against the Spaniards the English landed near Cadiz but being repulsed with loss returned without doing any thing and all Commerce was prohibited betwixt Spain and England He also broke with France and because the French Merchants had been ill treated by the English all Commerce was also prohibited betwixt these two Nations The English thereupon endeavoured to send Aid unto the City of Rochelle and landing in the Isle of Rhee besieged the Fort of St. Martin which being valiantly defended by one Toyras the English were repulsed with great loss In the Year next following they undertook to relieve Rochelle but in vain Whereupon Charles concluded a Peace with France in the Year 1629 and in the Year next following with Spain having by this War waged against these two Nations which were not so easie to be attack'd by one at the same time gained no Reputation to the dissatisfy'd Subjects and vast Debts Under this King arose very violent Divisions betwixt him and the Parliament which produced a most strange Revolution in that Kingdom It will be very well worth our while to enquire a little more narrowly into the true causes thereof That wife Queen Elizabeth held it for a constant maxim to oppose the growing power of Spain with all her might whereby she weaken'd Spain and not only enrich'd her Subjects but
Haldan Sivand Erick Haldan Vngrin Regnald About the year 588. Rodolf was King of the Gothes but being vanquished by the English whom he left in the possession of that Kingdom he himself fled into Italy where he sought Sanctuary of Dicterick the King of the Gothes In the mean while Frotho either the Son or else a Kinsman of Regnald was King of Sweden whom succeeded these following Kings Fiolmus Swercher Valander Vislur who was burnt by his own Sons Damalder who was Sacrificed by his own Subjects to their Idol at Vpsal Domar Digner Dager Agnius who was hanged by his own Wife Alrick and Erick who flew one another in a single Combat Ingo Hugler Haco Jerundar Hacquin surnamed Ring under whose Reign that most memorable Battel at Brovalla was fought betwixt the Swedes and Danes where thirty thousand Men were killed on the Danish and twelve thousand on the Swedish side This King Sacrificed nine of his Sons to the Idol at Vpsal and would have done the same with the tenth who was the only Heir left to the Kingdom if he had not been prevented by the Swedes Him succeeded his Son Egillus whom followed in the Kingdom of Sweden Othar Adel Ostan Ingvard Amund Sivard Hirot or Herolt who married his Daughter Thera to Regnerthethen King of Denmark Ingellus the Son of Amund succeeded Hirot in the Kingdom of Sweden who the night after his Coronation caused seven of those petty Princes that were Vassals of the Crown of Sweden to be burnt in their Lodgings and afterwards exercised the same Cruelty against five more of the same Rank His Daughter Asa that was married to Gudrot a Prince of Schonen exceeded her Father in Cruelty for having murthered her Husband and his Brother she betrayed the Country to the Enemies which so exasperated Ivan the Son of Regner King of Denmark that he fell with great fury upon Ingellus who had taken his Daughter into his Protection destroying all with Fire and Sword Ingellus being reduced to the utmost extremity by the advice of his Daughter burnt himself his Daughter and the whole Family in his own Palace except his Son Olaus who sheltered himself in Wermeland After the death of Ingellus a certain Nobleman of an antient Family in Sweden whose name was Charles assumed the Royal Title and Power but Regner King of Denmark who pretended that it belonged to his Son did send a challenge to the said Charles and having killed him in the Combat transferred the Kingdom of Sweden to his Son Bero or Biorn who was Hirots Daughters Son § 3. Under the Reign of this Bero or Biorn Ansgarius a Monk of Corvey and afterwards Bishop of Bremen was sent into Sweden by the Emperour Lewis the Pious to Preach the Gospel in that Kingdom But the King refusing to hearken to his Doctrine was by the Swedes banished the Kingdom together with his Father Regner His Successor Amund did also Rule but a very few years and having raised a most horrible Persecution against the Christians was also banished the Kingdom The Swedes being quite tired out with Amund's tyrannical Government did call in Olaus out of Wermeland to be their King who to establish himself in the Throne married the Daughter of Regner to his Son Ingo and thereby obtained the quiet possession of the two Kingdoms of the Swedes and Gothes Not many years after Ansgarius rerurned into Sweden and Converted Olaus who then resided at Birca a most populous City to the Christian Faith Olaus then marched with a Potent Army into Denmark and having committed the Administration of that Kingdom to his Son Ennigruus returned into Sweden where he was by his Heathen Subjects Sacrificed to their Idol at Vpsal His Son Ingo the better to Establish himself in the Throne married the King of Denmark's Daughter and afterwards was killed in the War against the Russians Him Succeeded his Son Erick surnamed Weatherhat famous for his skill in Witchcraft who was succeeded by his Son Erick surnamed Seghersell who Conquered Finland Curland Livonia and Ehestland From Denmark he retook Halland and Schonen and at last drove the Danish King Swen out of Denmark who could not recover his Kingdom till after his death His Son Stenchill surnamed the Mild was Baptized at Sigtuna a great City at that time and having destroyed the Idol at Vpsal and forbid his Subjects upon pain of death to Sacrifice to the Idols the Pagans were so enraged thereat that they slew and burnt him near Vpsal and with him the two Christian Priests that were sent to him by the Bishop of Hamburgh His Brother Olaus nevertheless obtained from King Etheldred of England several Christain Priests who not only preached the Gospel in Sweden but also the King and a great number of People were Baptized by one of these called Sigfried in a Fountain called Husbye which is called St. Sigfrieds Kalla Wel to this day This Olaus was surnamed Skotkonung because upon the persuasion of the English Priests he granted to the Pope a yearly Tax against the Saracens which was called Romskot This Olaus took from Oluf Tryggeso the Kingdom of Norway which he however recovered afterwards This Olaus Skotkonung was also the first who made a perfect union betwixt the two Kingdoms of the Swedes and Gothes who had hitherto been often at great enmity with one another To Olaus succeeded his Son Amund under whose Reign the Christian Religion increased very succesfully in Sweden after whom Reigned his Brother Amund surnamed Slemme a Man very negligent both in maintaining Religion and Justice He was slain with the greatest part of his Army by Cnut King of Denmark near a Bridge called Strangepelle After his death the Gothes and Swedes disagreed about the Election of a new King the first choosing Haquin surnamed the Red. the latter Stenchill the younger At last it was agreed betwixt them that Haquin being pretty well in years should remain King during his life and should be succeeded by Stenchill After the death of Haquin who Reigned thirteen years Stenchill the younger Olaus Skotkonung's Sisters Son began his Reign who vanquished the Danes in three great Battels Him succeeded Ingo surnamed the Pious This King utterly destroyed the Idol at Vpsal which so enraged his Pagan Subjects that they Banished him the Kingdom and afterwards murthered him in Schonen he was buried in a Convent called Waâ—heiâ—â— in West-Gothland After him reigned with great applause his Brother Halstan whom succeeded his Son Philip Ingo Philip's Son and his Queen Ragoild were also very famous for their Piety and other Vertues she was after her death honoured as a Saint and her Tomb frequently visited at Talge This King left no Sons but two Daughters Christina and Margret the first was married to St. Erick the second to Magntis King of Norway He was poisoned by the East Gothes
greatly beloved both by his Father and the People and caused D. Agnes de Castro a very beautiful Lady who was without his consent married to his Son Pieter barbarously to be murthered which so exasperated Pieter that he taking up Arms against the Father did considerable mischief till at last the business was composed He died in the Year 1357. His Son Pieter was commonly called the Cruel tho' some will have this rather to have been spoken to his praise as having been an exact observer of Justice never sparing any Offender He died in the Year 1368. His Son Ferdinand contended with Henry the Bastard who had murthered his Brother Pieter sirnamed the Cruel King of Castile about the Kingdom of Castile because his Mother Beatrice had been Daughter of Sanctius IV. King of Castile and a great many of the Nobility and some Cities of that Kingdom declaring for him he waged War against the forementioned Henry But he being too strong for him he could not maintain his Pretensions but was obliged to make Peace However the War broke out afresh again betwixt them because Ferdinand had protected some who were banished out of Castile for High Treason neither would upon demand surrender them To revenge this Henry made an inrode into Portugal and finding no resistance over-ran the greatest part of the Country After the death of Henry Ferdinand made a Peace with his Son John but the same was soon violated again by the Portugueses who encouraged the Duke of Lancaster that married Constantia Daughter of Pieter King of Castile to pretend to the Crown of Castile He came with a good Army into Portugal but the English being quickly grown weary of the War in Spain and living very disorderly in Portugal a Peace was concluded on both sides At last Ferdinand married his Daughter Beatrice to John of Castile under condition that such Children as were born of their Bodies should succeed in the Kingdom of Portugal which was afterwards the occasion of bloody Wars This Ferdinand who by his frequent Wars had proved very pernicious to Portugal died in the Year 1383 being the last of the true Race of the Kings of Portugal § 3. After the death of Ferdinand great Troubles arose in Portugal most of the Portugueses not being able to brook living under the Subjection of the Castilians whom they mortally hated It was 't is true agreed on in the Articles of Marriage made betwixt the King of Castile and Beatrice Daughter of Ferdinand That her Mother Eleonora should have the Administration of the Government in Portugal till such Children as should be born of this Marriage should be of age But this Eleonora leaving all to the management of the Count of Ancira her much suspected Favourite she drew upon her self the hatred of the Portugueses John therefore natural Son of Pieter King of Portugal privately murther'd him whereby he got both the Favour of the People and encreased the hatred against the Queen Dowager But some of the Portugueses being much dissatisfy'd at these proceedings begg'd the King of Castile to take upon him the Crown of Portugal which he might in all likelyhood have obtained if he had been quick enough either by fair means or by force to have put himself into full possession of the same But he being uncertain in his Resolutions gave by his delays time and opportunity to the adverse Party to strengthen it self Wherefore he coming without an Army into Portugal his Mother-in-law resign'd to him the Government but he found but an indifferent Reception among the Portugueses they being very averse to him because he used very rarely to speak or converse with them Nevertheless a great many of the Nobility and some Cities did side with him but most out of a hatred to the Castilians chose for their Leader John the Bastard a wise and brave Man and much belov'd by the People The Castilians thereupon besieged Lisbon but their Army being for the most part destroyed by the Plague they were obliged to leave it without having got any advantage In the Year next following the Portugueses declar'd this John their King who very courageously attack'd those places which had declared for the Castilians and subdued the greatest part of them The Castilians then entred with an Army into Portugal but were entirely routed by this new King near Aliubarotta which Victory is yearly celebrated to this day among the Portugueses After this Battel all the rest of the Cities did without more adoe surrender themselves to the new King The Portugueses also calling unto their aid the Duke of Lancaster unto whom they had promised the Crown of Castile they enter'd into that Kingdom with an Army But the English having suffer'd extreamly by Sickness the Duke of Lancaster thought it most convenient to conclude a Peace with the Castilians whereupon it was agreed That the Son of the King of Castile should marry his only Daughter Catharine which he had by Constantia Daughter to Pieter King of Castile A Truce was also made betwixt Portugal and Castile at that time but the War soon breaking out again at last an everlasting Peace was concluded betwixt both Kingdoms so that John had the good fortune to maintain himself in the possession of the Crown of Portugal and reign'd with great applause After he was quietly settled in the Throne he undertook an Expedition into Africa and took the City Ceuta whose Son also first found out the Isle of Madera This King died in the Year 1433 and left a Memory that is to this day dear to the Portugueses § 4. His Son Edward was a very Virtuous Prince but did not reign long for at that time Portugal being over-run with the Plague he got the Infection by a Letter and died in the Year 1438. During his Reign his Brothers undertook a most unfortunate Expedition into Africa where being themselves taken Prisoners before Tangier they promised to restore to the Moors Ceuta for a Ransom leaving Don Ferdinand as a Hostage behind them But the States of Portugal refusing to stand to the Contract the Hostage was forc'd to end his days in Prison Alfonsus Son to this Edward was but six years old when his Father died whose Tuition was committed by his Father's last Will to his Mother But the States refusing to submit themselves to the Government of a Foreign Woman conferr'd the Administration of the Kingdom on Don Pedro Duke of Conimbria Brother to King Edward but he received a very slender Recompence for his Services for being falsely accused before the new King he was slain as he was going with some Troops to the King to justifie himself Alfonsus V. was else a very good Souldier and a brave Prince under whose Reign the Portugueses took several places on the Coast of Africa viz. Tangier Arcilla Alcassar and some others Good store of Gold was also transported out of Guinea into Portugal which he employ'd
came yet would Charles never hazard a Battel with them but contented himself to annoy them with Skirmishes whereby he did them considerable Mischief The Pope in the mean while labour'd hard to make Peace betwixt these two Crowns but King Edward happening to die about that time King Charles took hold of this Opportunity and attacking the English with five several Armies at one time took all from them but Calais Bourdeaux and Bayonne in Guienne and Cherbury in Normandy The English during the Minority of their King being also pester'd with the Plague and the War with the Scots were not in a Capacity to send sufficient Relief Yet this King miscarried in his Enterprize against Britainy In the Year 1379 the Emperour Charles IV. came to visit him in Paris where he constituted the Dauphin a perpetual Vicar of the Empire in Dauphine And ever since say the French the German Emperours never did pretend to any thing in Dauphine and in the Kingdom of Aâ—elat He died in the Year 1380. § 12. Now we are come to that most unfortunate Reign of Charles VI. at the very beginning of which one of the main occasions of Mischief to France was That Joan Queen of Naples standing in fear of Charles de Duraz did adopt Lewis Duke of Anjou declaring him Heir of that Kingdom The Duke willingly accepting of her Offer raised in her behalf an Army of 30000 Horse having employed thereunto the Treasure left by Charles V. which he had got clandestinely into his possession With this Army be made himself Master of Provence which then belong'd to Joan. And tho' in the mean time Charles de Duraz having kill'd Joan had made himself Master of the Kingdom the Duke of Anjou nevertheless pursued his intended Expedition but was by continual Marches and the Cunning of Charles led about and tir'd to that degree that he died in great Misery very few of so great an Army having had the good fortune to return into France The People also were generally much dissatisfy'd at the beginning because those who had the Tuition of the King to curry-favour with the People had promised an abatement of the heavy Taxes But the same being not long after again introduc'd augmented and devoured by the Courtiers great Troubles and Insurrections arose both in Paris and other places In the mean while the Flemings had carried themselves insolently towards their Lord who calling to his Assistance the French they killed 40000 Flemings together with their General Arteville The general Dissatisfaction of the People was much increased afterward when a great Summ of Money was employed upon an Expedition against England which proving fruitless both the Money and Men were lost Lewis Duke of Orleans Brother of this King Charles married Valentina the Daughter of John Gaâ—â—acius Viscount of Milan with this Condition That he should receive immediately as a Dowry not only a great Treasure of Money and Jewels but also the County of Ast and in case her Father should die without Issue the whole Country should be devolved on Valentina and her Children Which Contract has not only furnished France with a Pretension to Milan but also has been the occasion of great Calamities After this another Misfortune happened to France for the King whose Brains were mightily weakened by Debaucheries in his younger Years as he was travelling in Britainy fell upon a sudden Distraction caused partly by the great Heat which was then in the Month of August partly because as 't is reported a tall black Man appear'd to him who stopping his Horse by the Bridle said Stop King whither will you go you are betray'd Soon after a Page being faln asleep let the point of his Lance drop upon the Headpiece of him who rid just before the King which the King being extreamly surpriz'd at interpreted it as directed against him And tho' this Madness did cease afterwards yet was his Understanding much impair'd and the Fits would return by intervals This unhappy Accident was the occasion of that fatal Contest concerning the Administration of the Kingdom which the King was incapable of betwixt Lewis Duke of Orleans the King's Brother and Philip Duke of Burgundy his Uncle The first claim'd it on the account of proximity of Blood the latter on account of his Age and Experience The latter was most approv'd of by the Estates who declar'd him Regent yet the Duke of Orleans by making new Intrigues still endeavour'd to make himself the Head of the Kingdam which caused pernicious Factions in the Court. And tho' the Duke of Burgundy died his Son John pursuing his Father's Pretensions the Hatred so increased betwixt both Parties that notwithstanding the Reconciliation made betwixt them the Duke of Burgundy caus'd the Duke of Orleans to be murther'd by some Ruffians at Night in the Streets of Paris And tho' the Duke of Burgundy after having made away his Rival and forc'd a Pardon from the King was now the only Man in the Court yet were the Animosities betwixt the Duke of Burgundy and the Sons of the murther'd Duke of Orleans not extinguish'd thereby which divided the whole Kingdom into two Factions one siding with the Burgundian the other with the Family of Orleans and occasion'd barbarous Murthers Devastations and such other Calamities which are the common products of Civil Commotions At last the Burgundian Faction was brought very low by the King and his Party But the English having observ'd the intestine Divisions in France landed in Normandy with a great Army and took Harfleur But being extreamly weaken'd both in the Siege and by Sickness they resolv'd to retreat towards Calais In the mean while the French had got together an Army which was four times stronger than the English which met them near Agincourt a Village in the County of St. Poll where a Battel being fought betwixt them 6000 French were kill'd upon the Spot and a great number taken Prisoners among whom were a great many persons of Quality The English Historians make this Defeat much greater it being rarely to be observ'd that the Historians of two Nations who are at Enmity agree in their Relations Yet the English being extreamly tir'd could not pursue the Victory In the mean time the Invasion made by a Foreign Enemy did in no ways diminish the intestine Divisions but rather augmented them For the Duke of Burgundy perceiving his Party in France to decline began to favour the English who in the Year next following landed again in Normandy and had great Success At last the Queen who had hitherto had a share in the Government added Fuel to the Fire For the Constable d' Armagnac having now the sole Administration of Affairs and being only balanc'd by the Authority of the Queen took an opportunity by the free Conversation of the Queen to put such a Jealousie in the King's Head that with the Consent of Charles the Dauphin she was banish'd the Court.
John Galeas the true Heir of this Dukedom but a weak Prince had under that Pretence made himself Master of the same This Duke fearing that he might be put out of possession by Ferdinand King of Naples whose Son Alfonsus's Daughter Isabella was married to John Galeas endeavour'd to give Ferdinand his Hands full of Work that he might not be at leisure to think of him knowing also that Ferdinand and his Son Alfonsus were much hated by their Subjects for their Tyranny and Impiety An Expedition was therefore undertaken against Naples which proved the occasion of continual Miseries to Italy for the space of forty Years for so long it was the Cock-pit for the French Germans and Spaniards and at last lost a great part of its ancient Liberty It seem'd to be fatal to Italy that the wise Italians either could or would not prevent this Expedition which was design'd two Years before Charles had at the beginning all the Success imaginable for the Italian Troops were in a very ill condition and there being no body who durst oppose him Florence and the Pope sided with him the latter declaring Charles King of Naples King Alfonsus stirr'd up by his own Conscience abdicated himself transferring all his Right and Title upon his Son Ferdinand But his Forces being soon beaten and dispers'd Charles made his solemn Entry into Naples with loud Acclamations Immediately the whole Kingdom submitted to him except the Isle of Iseria and the Cities of Brundisi and Gallipoli The Conquest of so fair a Kingdom and that within five Months time struck a Terrour into the Turkish Emperour himself being in fear at constantinople and Greece being ready to rebell as soon as the French should land on that side But the Face of Affairs was quickly changed for the French by their ill behaviour quickly lost the Favour of the Neapolitans the King minded nothing but Gaming and the rest following his Example were careless in maintaining their Conquest Besides this it was look'd upon as a thing of such Consequence by the rest of the Princes of Europe that the Emperour the Pope King Ferdinand of Arragon Venice and Milan enter'd into a Confederacy to drive the French out of Italy Charles therefore fearing lest his Retreat might be cut off took his Way by Land into France having left things but in an indifferent state of Defence in Naples In his March he was met by the Confederate Army near the River of Taro where a Battel was fought in which tho' there were more kill'd on the Confederate side than of the French yet he marched forward with such Precipitation as if he had lost the Battel Charles was no sooner returned into France but Ferdinand soon retook without great trouble the Kingdom of Naples to the great Dishonour of the French who were not able to maintain themselves there a whole Year of whom very few return'd alive into France Not long after Charles died without Issue § 16. Him succeeded Lewis XII formerly Duke of Orleans who not to lose Britainy married Anna Widow of the late King He made War soon after on Milan pretending a Right to that Dukedom by his Grandmother's side and having conquer'd the same within 21 days Lewis the Black was forc'd to fly with his Children and all his Treasure into Germany But the Inhabitants of Milan grew quickly weary of the French their free Conversation with the Women being especially intolerable to them and therefore recall'd their Duke who having got together an Army of Swiss was joyfully receiv'd and regain'd the whole Country except the Castle of Milan and the City of Novara But Lewis sending timely Relief the Duke ' s Swiss Souldiers refused to fight against the French so that the Duke endeavouring to save himself by flight in a common Souldiers Habit was taken Prisoner and kept ten Years in Prison at Loches where he died Thus the French got Milan and the City of Genoua again After so great Success Lewis began to think of the Kingdom of Naples To obtain which he made a League with Ferdinand the Catholick wherein it was agreed that they should divide the Kingdom betwixt them so that the French should have for their share Naples Terre de Labour and Abruzze and the Spaniards Poville and Calabria Each of them got his share without any great trouble Frederick King of Naples surrendring himself to King Lewis who allowed him a yearly Pension of 30000 Crowns But soon after new Differences arose betwixt these two haughty Nations concerning the Limits for the French pretended that the Country of Capitanate which is very considerable for its Taxes paid for Sheep which are there in great numbers did belong to Abruzze whereas the Spaniards would have it belong to Poville and from Words they came to Blows The French at first had somewhat the better but as soon as Gonsalvus de Cordoua that cunning Spaniard had broke their first Fury and Lewis did not send sufficient Relief they were as shamefully beaten again out of the Kingdom as they had been before Lewis endeavoured to revenge himself upon the Spaniards in the Year next following but tho' he attack'd them with four several Armies yet could he not gain any thing upon them Wherefore he made a Peace with Ferdinand and enter'd into an Alliance with him against Philip Son-in-law to Ferdinand who having after the death of Isabella taken from him the Kingdom of Castile was upheld by his Father Maximilian and back'd by Henry King of England whose Son had married his Wife's Sister In the Year 1507 the City of Genoua rebell'd against Lewis but was soon reduced to her former Obedience Then the War began afresh in Italy with the Venetians who being too much addicted to self-interest had drawn upon themselves the hatred of all their Neighbours having encroached upon every one of them and Lewis especially attributed to them his loss of the Kingdom of Naples To humble this proud State a League was concluded at Cambray betwixt the Emperour the Pope the Kings of France and Spain Lewis by entring into a Confederacy with his mortal Enemies had more regard to his Passion than his Interest it being certain that he might upon all occasions have trusted to the Friendship of the Venetians But now he was the first that fell upon them and defeated them in a great Battel near Giera d' Addua which caused such a Terror among them that they left all what they had on the Continent within twenty days and if Lewis had pursued his Victory whilst they were under this first Consternation he might doubtless have put a period to their Greatness But in the mean time that he marched back towards Milan not making the best of his Victory they got leisure to recover themselves especially since the Emperour Maximilian was not in earnest against them and Pope Julius II. was reconciled to them Nay in
After his death there was an Interregnum in Denmark during the space of seven years In the mean time the Holsteiners had brought the greatest part of Denmark under their Subjection till the Danes making an Insurrection against them endeavour'd to chase them out of Denmark and for this purpose call'd Waldemar the Son of Christopher II. who had been Educated at the Court of the Emperour Lewis the Bavarian into the Kingdom § 4. Waldemar III. did somwhat restore the decay'd State of the Kingdom having partly forc'd and partly bought the Holsteiners out of Denmark He sold Hisponia and Reval to the Knights of the Cross for 28000 Marks fine silver which sum he bestow'd most upon a Journey which he undertook into the Holy Land But he got Schonen again from Magnus Sameck the then King of Sweden by fair promises and by an agreement made betwixt him and Albert King of Swedeland Gotland was also surrendred to him and some other places belonging at that time to Sweden He was frequently at Wars with the Hanse Towns and died in the year 1375. After him Reign'd his Grandson Olaus VI. born of his Daughter Margaret and Hacquin King of Norway During his Minority the Mother had the supreme Administration of Affairs Having after his Fathers death obtained the Crown of Norway he laid also claim to the Kingdom of Sweden because his Father was Son of Magnus Sameck King of Sweden but he died young In his stead the Danes and Norwegians received for their Queen Margaret his Mother and she having declar'd Erick Pomeran her Sisters Daughters Son her Associate in the Government enter'd into a War against Albert King of Sweden But the Swedes being in general dissatisfied with their King deserted him acknowledging Margaret for their Queen Albert fought a Battel against Margaret but was defeated and taken Prisoner with his Son whom Margaret did not release till after seven years Imprisonment under condition that he should either pay 60000 Marks fine silver for his Ransom or else resign his Pretensions to the Kingdom of Sweden and he having perform'd the last Margaret caused Eric Pomeran to be Crowned King of Sweden In the year next following the Estates of all the three Northern Kingdoms assembled at Calmar where Erick having been declared their King an agreement was made among them that these three Kingdoms for the future should be Rul'd by one King Margaret who had been an extraordinary good Queen to Denmark died in the year 1412. After whose death Erick was sole King over these three Kingdoms but he was in continual broils with the Holsteiners who were assisted by the Hanse Towns concerning the Dutchy of Sleswick which differences were at last composed He surrendred to his Cousins the Dukes of Pomerania the Island of Rugen which had been a considerable time under Danish Subjection In the mean time the Swedes were grown very discontented because Erick did not Govern them according to his Coronation Oath and oppress'd them by his Foreign Officers which oblig'd them to stand up for the Defence of their Liberty The Danes also seeing that he was very careless of the Affairs of the Kingdom and did always live in Gotland did withdraw themselves from his Obedience alledging among other matters that because he had been endeavouring to Establish his Cousin Bogislaus Duke of Pomerania in his Throne in his life time he had thereby violated their Right of a Free Election And having chosen in his stead Christopher Duke of Bavaria Erick's Sisters Son he was Deposed and retired into Pomerania where he ended his life Christopher Reigned till the year 1448. with whose Reign the Danes were very well satisfied § 5. After his Death the Danes made an offer of that Crown to Adolf Duke of Sleswick and Earl of Holstein But he being very antient and infirm refused to accept of it and recommended to them Christian Earl of Oldenburgh his Sisters Son whom both the Danes and Norwegians declared their King and in this Family these two Crowns have remained ever since by a continual succession This King soon after began a War with the Swedes who had made one Charles Cnutson their King because they would have driven the deposed King Erick out of Gotland but King Christian coming to his assistance made himself Master of that Island Besides this some of the Swedish Nobility who were dissatisfied with Charles Cnutson having sided with Christian the War began to be carried on very vigorously betwixt these two Nations In this War the Archbishop of Vpsal did attack Charles with such Success that he obliged him to retire into Prussia and Christian was crowned King of Sweden But the Swedes being again dissatisfied with Christian recalled Charles Cnutson when the War began afresh and notwithstanding Charles Cnutson died in the year 1470 and Christian came with a great Army into Swedeland yet could he not maintain himself in the Throne his Forces having been defeated near Stockholm In the year 1471 the Emperor Frederick III. gave to him in Fief Ditmarsen as also to the Country of Holstein the Title of a Dukedom He married his Daughter Margaret to James III. King of Scotland giving her for a Dowry the Orkney Islands and Hetland which had hitherto been dependent on the Kingdom of Norway He died in the year 1481. In whose stead the Danes and Norwegians chose his Son John their King who divided the Dukedom of Holstein with his Brother Frederick This King John after he had reigned in peace for a conâ—iderable time did at last enter into a War against Sweden and having defeated the Dalekarls forced Steenure the Governour to surrender himself and the City of Stockholm and was crowned King of Sweden But in the year 1501 he was miserably and shamefully beaten by the Ditmarsians whom he would have brought under his Subjection and afterwards Steen Sture also drove him out of Sweden He was in continual broils with him and his Successor Suant Sture who were assisted by the Lubeckers till these Differences were at last composed soon after which he died § 6. Him succeeded his Son Christian II who drew upon him the Hatred of the Danes partly because he entertained a Woman of mean birth in the Netherlands whose name was Duivecke to be his Mistress and was strangely led by the Nose by her Mother Sigibirta a crafty old Woman partly because he had caused Torber Oxe the Governour of the Castle of Copenhagen to be as 't is thought unjustly executed In the mean time great Differences were arisen in Sweden betwixt Steen Sture the younger and Gustave Trolle the Archbishop of Vpsal the first having destroyed the Castle of Steka which belonged to the latter King Christian coming to the Assistance of the Archbishop took him along with him into Denmark where they laid the Design against Swedeland A Decree therefore was obtained from the Pope wherein he having condemned the Swedes to
themselves also sit at the Helm of the Common-wealth On the contrary if the meaner sort had been employed as Priests they might easily out of Ambition have with the assistance of the People raised a Faction contrary to the Governours since the Multitude commonly depends on those of whose Sanctity they have an Opinion or else out of ignorance of the publick Affairs and the present Exigencies they might chance to influence the People in another manner than was consistent with the present state of Affairs They prevented also by this way that the Priests could not form a particular Estate in the Common-wealth and thereby either cause a mischievous Division or else strive to get the Power into their own hands § 15. After Rome had been governed for Two hundred forty and two Years by Kings another Form of Government was introduced Sextus Tarquin having at that time ravish'd Lucretia Whether Junius Brutus had sufficient reason upon this account to expell the King may very well admit of Dispute For on one side the Fact was most abominable and of such a nature that a brave Man would rather venture at any thing than bear such an affront And there are a great many Examples that Princes who to satisfie their brutish Lusts have Violated the Chastity of their Subject's Wives and Daughters and thereby lost both their Lives and Crowns But on the other hand it is to be considered that a Fact though never so Criminal committed by a Son without the Knowledge and Consent of his Father ought not to be prejudicial to the Father and Family much less could it be a pretence to depose a King from a Throne which he lawfully possessed Especially since to take Vengeance of Criminals does belong only to the King and not the Subjects And Brutus and Collatinus would have had reason to complain after the King had denied them just satisfaction for the Fact committed by his Son or if he had in any ways approved of the same But it is commonly observed that in Revolutions things are seldom carried according to the New form of the Rules of Justice And as there is commonly some injustice committed at the first Settlement of a new Form of Government so Ambition and Envy covered with Pretences of the Faults and Male-Administration of the Prince are the true Motives of Dethroning the same But not to insist further upon this it is certain that Kingly Government could not be durable at Rome For such States as are comprehended in one great City are more fit for an Aristocratical or Democratical Form of Government whereas a Monarchy is fittest to be erected in Kingdoms where the Subjects are dispersed in a considerable Tract and Extent of Land The true Reason of this is That Mankind in general politically considered is like wild unruly Creatures ready upon all occasions to shake off the Bridle of Civil Obedience as often as Matters do not suit with its humours Besides this Man cannot be kept in Obedience without the assistance of Men. From whence it may rationally be concluded why a King who Commands only over one great populous City is immediately in danger of losing all as soon as his Subjects are disgusted at him or another can insinuate himself into their favour except he is fortified with a strong Guard of Foreigners and a considerable Fort though these Remedies are very odious and oftentimes very uncertain For when in such a Government the Prince comes to be odious the Hatred is quickly communicated to all his Subjects as living close together and having consequently an opportunity of uniting themselves easily against him But where the Subjects of a Prince live at a distance from one another it is easie for him to keep so many of them inclined to his side as are sufficient to suppress the mutinous Party Wherefore also they are not so much to be feared as being not able to meet so soon and to unite themselves in one Body But it is more especially very dangerous to Command over Subjects living in one place of a fiery Temper and exercised in Arms. For Common sense tells us that he who will controul another ought to have more force than him In the mean while this is most certain that this Alteration of the Government mainly contributed towards the Encrease of Rome it being not credible that under the Monarchical Government it could have arrived to that Greatness partly because the Kings would have been obliged for their own security to suppress in some measure the Martial Spirit of their Citizens partly because the Negligence or Unskilfulness of some Kings must needs have proved disadvantageous to the Common-wealth § 16. Above all it is worth our Consideration by what means the Roman Empire which extended it self over so considerable a part of the World was destroyed and became a prey to the Northern Nations after it had been broken by its own Intestine Troubles The Causes of which we will enquire into from their first beginning The People of Rome then being naturally of a fierce and martial Spirit and enclosed together within the Walls of one City their Kings had no way left to secure their Obedience but by gaining their Affections with the gentleness and moderation of their Government since they had not sufficient Power to balance the Forces of so vast a City Wherefore the six first Kings kept the People in Obedience rather by their good Inclinations than Fear But as soon as Tarquin the Proud began to oppress the People with new Impositions whereby he had so alienated the Hearts of his Subjects from him it was easie for Brutus under pretext of the Fact committed upon Lucretia to stir up the discontented People and to shut the City-gates against the King But as all sudden Changes of Government that are carried on before things have been maturely considered and all Emergencies provided against are commonly accompanied with great Defects So also was this at Rome where some things were admitted and others left undone not so much because they conduced to the advantage and safety of the State but because the present Juncture of Affairs would not suffer them to be otherwise There were also many Over-sights committed in the beginning which left a Gap open for future Evils and Troubles It seems to be evident that Brutus and his Associates after they had expell'd Tarquin did intend to introduce an Aristocratical Form of Government For it is scarce credible that they being Noble-men with the peril of their Lives should have expelled Tarquin on purpose to subject themselves to the Government of the Common people but because no Wise man is willing to exchange his present condition with another without hopes of amending the same Therefore the chief Authors of this Revolution were obliged not only to render the Kingly Government odious to the People but also by Mildness and Concessions to make the People in love with the New Government For if the Common people had
and Aznar Son of Eudo Duke of Aquitain having taken several Places from the Moors took upon himself with consent of the before-mentioned Garsias the Title of Earl of Arragon Lewis also Son of Charles the Great taking Barcelona constituted a Governour there whose Name was Bernard a Frenchman from whom descended the Earls of Barcelona About the time also of the above-mentioned Kings there were several Earls or Governours of Old Castile who acknowledged the foresaid Kings for their Soveraigns These Earls being once suspected by King Ordonius he call'd them together who appearing were all kill'd by his Order Wherefore the Old Castilians under the Reign of his Son Favila a cruel Tyrant with-drawing themselves from the Kingdom of Leon chose two Governours under the Name of Judges who were to administer all Civil and Military Affairs But this Form of Government did not last long among them § 4. After Favila Alphonso the IVth obtained the Kingdom under whose Reign Ferdinand Gonsalvo Earl of Castile perform'd great things both against the Moors and Sanctius Abareus and his Son Garsias Kings of Navarre whom he vanquish'd But Alfonso himself being unfit to Govern the Kingdom surrendred it to his Brother Ramirus who with the assistance of the before-mentioned Ferdinand beat the Moors in several Places He died in the Year 950 and was succeeded by his Son Ordonius a Valiant Prince but did not Reign long leaving the Kingdom to his Brother Sanctius Crassus He was Banish'd by Ordonius Sir-named the Wicked but soon restored by the help of the Moors It is said that by certain Articles made betwixt Sanctius and Ferdinand Earl of Castile it was agreed that Castile after that time should not be obliged to acknowledge any dependance on the Kings of Leon. He was succeeded by Ramirus who in his Minority was under Womens tuition and when grown up proved very useless to the Publick For under his Reign partly by civil Commotions partly by the In-roads made by the Moors the Kingdom was considerably weakened and in great danger of losing more several Places being taken from the Christians Under Veremund II. also the Moors did considerable mischief in those Parts taking and plundering besides a great many others the City of Leon to which Misfortunes the civil Commotions did greatly contribute But at last Veremund entring into a Confederacy with the King of Navarre and Garsias Earl of Castile forced the Moors out of his Kingdom Him succeeded his Son Alfonso V. under whose Reign there were great Intestine Commotions in Castile whereby the Moors were encouraged to attack it with such vigour that they over-threw Garsias and took him Prisoner whose Son Sanctius revenged himself afterwards upon the Moors After this great Dissentions being arisen among the Moors their Empire was divided into several Parts each Governour of its Province assuming the Name of King Alfonso succeeded his Son Veremund III. under whose Reign there happened a great Revolution in Spain For Garsias Earl of Castile being upon the point of being married to the King's Sister at Leon was there barbarously murthered by some of his Vassals Castile therefore falling to Sanctius King of Navarre who had married the Sister of Garsias he took upon him the Title of King of Castile This Sanctius Sir-named Major also waged War against Veremund who had no Children taking from him by force of Arms a considerable part of the Kingdom Whereupon a Peace was concluded whereby it was agreed that Sanctius should keep what he had taken before but that his Son Ferdinand should Marry Sanctia the Sister of Veremund she being Heiress to her Brother and to succeed him in the Kingdom of Leon. In this manner was Leon Navarre and Castile United in one House But in the mean while that Sanctius Major was in the Field against the Moors a great Misfortune happened at Home He had particularly recommended to the Care of his Queen a very fine Horse which Garsias her Eldest Son had a mind to have and would have obtained it from the Mother if the Master of the Horse had not opposed it telling them that his Father would be greatly displeased at it This denial wrought so upon the Son that he accused his Mother of committing Adultery with the Master of the Horse The Matter being examined the King 's Natural Son Ramirus profered to justifie the Innocency of the Queen in a Duel with Garsias and the King being uncertain what to do a Priest did at last enforce the Confession of the Calumny cast upon the Queen from Garsias whereupon Garsias being declared incapable of succeeding his Father in Castile which did belong to him by his Mother's side and Ramirus obtained the Succession in the Kingdom of Arragon as a recompence of his Fidelity This Sanctius Major died in the Year 1035. § 5. Thus all the Provinces of Spain which were possess'd by the Christians being joined in one House it seem'd an easie matter to root out the Moors divided among themselves and to restore Spain to its former state if the same had remained under one Head But the division made by Sanctius Major occasion'd most bloody and pernicious Wars This before-mentioned Sanctius had four Sons To the Eldest Garsias he left Navarre and Biscay to Ferdinand Castile to Gonsalvo Suprarbe and Ripagorsa and to Ramirus his Natural Son Arragon giving to each of them the Title of King These being all ambitious to be equal in Power and Greatness to their Father and thinking their Bounds too narrow fell quickly together by the Ears For whilest Garsias was gone in Pilgrimage to Rome Ramirus endeavoured to make himself Master of Navarre but the other returning home â—hased him out of Arragon There arose also a War betwixt Ferdinand of Castile and his Brother-in-law Veremund King of Leon wherein the latter being slain in Battle Ferdinand became Master of Leon which did by Right of Succession belong to him He also took from the Moors a great part of Portugal After the Death of Gonsalvo the Third Son of Sanctius Major Ramirus made himself Master of his Territories and endeavoured also to recover by force of Arms Arragon from the King of Navarre Not long after Ferdinand of Castile and Garsias of Navarre waged War together about a certain Tract of Ground wherein Garsias was slain in a Battle By his Death Ramirus got an opportunity of recovering Arragon Ferdinand Sir-named the Great died in the Year 1065 dividing the Empire to the great detriment of Spain among his three Sons The Eldest Sanctius had Castile Alfonso Leon Garsias Gallicia and a part of Portugal with the Titles of Kings Sanctius waged War with Ramirus of Arragon whom he slew in a Battle but was beaten back again by Sanctius Son of Ramirus and the King of Navarre Afterward having driven Alfonso out of his Territories and taken Garsias Prisoner he took
people not being willing to sell at his rates He was by some of the Electors chosen Roman Emperour but because his Children were then very young and great Divisions arose among his Nobles he delay'd for a great many Years to go thither and to receive the Imperial Crown till in the Year 1275 a fancy took him all on a sudden to go and take possession of the Empire though Rudolf of Habsburgh was already got into the Imperial Throne But his Journey was ended in Provence he returning from thence home by the persuasion of the Pope who afterwards excommunicated him and obliged him also to renounce the Title of Emperour After the death of Ferdinand his eldest Son Sanctius the younger Brother did aim at the Succession tho Ferdinand had left Children behind him This rais'd a Jealousie betwixt the Father and Son who rose in open Rebellion against his Father being assisted by the major part of the States which Commotion however ceas'd with the death of Alfonso Under the Reign of this King many Battels were fought against the Moors with various success In the Year also 1282 happened the Sicilian Vespers by which means Peter King of Arragon obtain'd the Kingdom of Sicily he having before a pretence to it as having married Constantia the Daughter of Manfred Against this Sanctius the Son of Ferdinand his elder Brother rais'd several disturbances which he overcame all by his Wisdom he dyed in the Year 1295. During the time of the Minority of his Son Ferdinand IV. the Kingdom of Castile was overwhelm'd with trouble After he came to Age he undertook an Expedition against the Moors taking from them Gibraltar and died in the flower of his Age. Under the Reign of this King James King of Arragon was presented with the Kingdom of Sardinia by the Pope who pretended to have a right of disposing of it and those of Pisa being then in possession of the same were afterwards beaten out by the Arragonians The Minority also of Alfonso XI was full of troubles At that time the Moors had again received a great Reinforcement out of Africa the Castilians nevertheless obtain'd a most signal Victory over them in the Year 1340 in which Battel 't is said 200000 were slain on the side of the Moors and but only 25000 Spaniards At that time Alzira was taken and a Peace concluded with the King of Granada under condition that he should be tributary to Castile This King died in the Siege of Gibraltar which he had lost before His Son Pieter sirnamed The Cruel reigned very tyrannically He drew the hatred of most of his Subjects upon himself by parting from his Queen Blanch whom he afterwards tho Innocent for the sake of a Concubine caus'd to be murther'd This occasion'd a Plot against him which he suppress'd with a great deal of Bloudshed In the mean while a War arose betwixt him and Pieter IV. King of Arragon who assisted the Rebels in Castile who had set up for their King Henry the King's Brother begotten on a Concubine call'd Eleonora Gusman With him also join'd a great many French Voluntiers so that falling upon Pieter of Castile he forc'd him to flee into Aquitain But he having rais'd there a considerable Army return'd into Spain defeated Henry and obliged him to flee into France but did not desist from his Tyranny whereby he quite lost the Affection of his Subjects And Henry having gather'd another Army in France return'd into Castile where being assisted by the Castilians he vanquish'd Pieter and in the flight kill'd him with his own Hands § 8. Out of the Race of this Henry II. sirnam'd The Bastard sprang afterwards Princes who prov'd very mischievous to Spain Henry himself did at first labour under great difficulties the neighbouring Nations attacking him every where yet he surmounted them and at last made Peace with them all But the Favour of his Nobles he bought with Money He died in the year 1379. His Son John endeavour'd to obtain the Crown of Portugal of Ferdinand its King whose Daughter he had married But the Portugueses out of a hatred against the Castilians set up for their King John natural Son to Pieter King of Portugal who maintained himself against the Castilians routing them near to Aliunbaret which Victory the Portugueses mightily boast of in their Histories Castile was at that time in great danger the English siding with the Portugueses under the Duke of Lancaster who having married Constantia the Daughter of Pieter sirnamed The Cruel pretended to the right of that Crown bearing also the Title and Arms But the business was at last compos'd by marrying the Daughter of the English Duke to the Prince of Castile after which also a Peace was concluded with Portugal John died by a fall from his Horse His Son Henry III. was a sickly Prince under whose Minority great Divisions arose in the Kingdom During the time of his Reign he did nothing remarkable except that he restor'd the Revenues which the Nobles had alienated from the Crown He died in the Year 1407 leaving behind him John II. a Child of two Months old The tuition of this Prince was besides his Mother committed to Ferdinand his Uncle to whom the States did offer the Kingdom which he generously refusing to accept of he obtain'd afterwards the Crown of Arragon This King being under the tuition of his Mother grown very Effeminate only addicted to Voluptuousness having no Genius nor inclination for publick Business committed the whole management to his Favourite Alvarez de Luna an ambitious Man which occasion'd great Jealousies in his Nobles against him This King taking his Favourite's part against the Nobility an open War ensu'd betwixt them the Rebels being headed by his own Son and the City of Toledo declar'd against the King At last the King being tir'd with the many Inconveniencies cut this Favourite's Head off but died himself in the Year next following Under the Reign of this King a War broke out betwixt the Spaniards and those of Granada wherein the first signaliz'd themselves to their advantage In the Year 1420 King Alfonso of Arragon was adopted by Joan Queen of Naples but a difference arising betwixt Joan and Alfonso she declar'd the said Adoption void and null receiving in his stead Lewis Duke of Anjou which afterwards occasion'd bloody Wars betwixt France and Spain Yet Alfonso at last kept the upper hand making himself Master of Naples and leaving the same to his natural Son Ferdinand In the Kingdom of Castile succeeded John his Son Henry IV. the scandal to the Spanish Nation He being incapable of begetting Children to take away this suspicion hired one Bertrand Corva who for this service was made Earl of Ledesma to lie with the Queen who having brought forth a Daughter call'd Joan Henry caus'd her to be proclaim'd Heiress to the Crown What confirm'd this the more was that
provided with all Necessaries was lost by the unskilfulness and Cowardice of the Governour so that the whole Kingdom of Tunis to the great prejudice of the Christians fell into the Hands of the Turks At home Philip had a War with the Marans of Granada who rebelling against him were supported by the Algerines and could not be subdu'd but with great difficulty and if the Turks had been quick enough in giving them timely assistance it might have prov'd very dangerous to Spain This Rebellion did not end till the Year 1570 after it had continued for three years There were also some Commotions among the Arragonians who pretended to take part with Anthony Perez who standing upon his privilege against the Process that was made him for having upon the King's Orders murther'd Escovedo an intimate Friend of Don John of Austria Philip by this intended to purge himself of the Infamy of the fact and at once to revenge himself upon Perez who had been unfaithfull to him in some Love Intrigue aiming at that himself which he had undertaken to procure for the King And tho this did not much redound to the honour of Philip yet by this he took an opportunity to retrench the Privileges of the Arragonians In the Year 1568 Philip caus'd his Son Charles to be kill'd under pretence that he had endeavour'd to kill his Father and not long after the Queen Isabella also Charles's Step-mother died not without suspicion of having been poison'd But a great many are of opinion that some Love Intrigues were the occasion of their death which is the more probable because the said Isabella being intended for the Bride of Charles had been taken by the Father in spite of his Son Henry King of Portugal dying there were several pretenders to that Crown among whom was Philip as being born of Isabella Emanuel King of Portugal's Daughter who maintain'd his Right by the Sword and under the Conduct of the Duke of Alva conquer'd the Kingdom forcing Anthony the Bastard who had caus'd himself to be proclaim'd King to fly into England and from thence into France where he died an Exile in Paris Only the Island of Tercera held out for some time longer which the French intending to relieve were totally routed by the Spaniards And thus Philip became Master both of the East and West Indies the two greatest Mines of Riches in the World Nevertheless the French English and Hollanders had found out a way to ease him of these prodigious Revenues For Philip just before his death did confess That the War with the Netherlands only had cost him 564 Millions of Ducats And truly it is very probable that trusting to his vast Riches he was thereby prompted to his ambitious Designs and to undertake more than prov'd beneficial to him He died in the Year 1598. § 12. Philip the IIId's Father had left him the Kingdom in Peace with France but the Dutch War grew every day the heavier upon the Spaniards The Spaniards did hope that after Philip II. in his latter days had married his Daughter Clara Eugenia to Albert Archduke of Austria giving her the Netherlands for a Dowry the Dutch would become more pliable and reunite themselves with the rest of the Provinces in the Netherlands as having now a Prince of their own and not liable to the Spanish Government But because the Hollanders did by no means like this bait and at the Siege of Ostend gave a tast to the Spaniards both of their Strength and firm Resolution that they were resolv'd to stand it out with them the Spaniards resolv'd to make Peace with them especially since the Hollanders had found out the way to the East Indies where they made great progress France also enjoying a peaceable Government under Henry IV. and encreasing in Power it was fear'd That if the French should fall upon Spain with fresh Forces which had been tir'd out by this tedious War it might prove fatal to Spain They were also in hopes that the fear of a foreign Enemy ceasing the Hollanders in time of Peace might fall into Divisions among themselves or at least that Peace and Plenty might abate their Courage The Spaniards did sufficiently shew their eagerness for a Peace with Holland by setting the Treaty on foot in the Hague by sending Ambrosius Spinola himself among others thither as Ambassadour and by granting and allowing them the East India Trade Whereas the Hollanders carried it very high and would not abate an ace of their Proposals At last a Truce for twelve Years was concluded with Holland In the Year next following Philip banish'd 900000 Marans the Off-spring of the ancient Moors who had profess'd themselves Christians only for a shew out of Spain because they intended to raise a Rebellion and had underhand crav'd Assistance from Henry IV. In the same Year the Spaniards took the Fortress of Arache situated on the Coast of Africa as they had likewise possess'd themselves before of the Harbour of Final near Genoua in the Year 1619. Those of the Valtelins did withdraw themselves from the Grisons The Spaniards sided with the former in hopes to unite them with the Dukedom of Milan But France taking part with the Grisons the business was protracted for a great many years till at last matters were restor'd to their former state This difference did rouse up all Italy and the Pope himself took part with the Grisons tho Protestants assisting them in the recovery of the Valtelins The War being broken out in Germany the Spaniards sent Ambrose Spinola out of the Netherlands into the Palatinate part of which was subdu'd by them Philip III. died in the Year 1621. § 13. His Son Philip IV. at the very beginning of his Reign made great alterations in the Court sending away the Creatures of the Duke de Lerma the Favourite of his Father He himself foreseeing what was likely to befall him did timely obtain a Cardinal's Cap fearing the King should aim at his Head With the beginning of the Reign of this King the Truce with Holland being expir'd the War was rekindled in which Spinola was forc'd to raise the Siege of Bergen op Zoom because Christian Duke of Brunswick and General Mansfeld having before routed the Spaniards near Fleury came to the assistance of the Hollanders Pieter Heyn surpris'd the Spanish Silver Fleet with a Booty of 12 Millions of Gilders At the same time the Hollanders did settle themselves in Brasile taking the City of Olinda In the Year 1629 the Spaniards being in hopes to make a considerable Diversion and to put the Dutch hard to it made an Inrode into the Velaw and took Amersfort whilst the Hollanders were busied in the Siege of Hertogenbusk Bois le Duc but the Hollanders taking Wesel by surprise they were oblig'd to retreat with all speed over the River Yssel for fear that their retreat should be cut off by the Dutch In the Year 1639
gainer by it since the English have a vast Trade with the Spanish Sea-ports and their Trade in the Levant would suffer extreamly from the Spanish Privateers but also Holland could not look with a good Eye upon these Conquests of the English Portugal by it self cannot much hurt Spain but in conjunction with another Enemy it is capable of making a considerable Diversion at home But the Portugueses could not propose any considerable Advantages to themselves thereby and it might easily happen that Holland siding with Spain might take from hence an opportunity to drive the Portugueses quite out of the East Indies The King of France therefore is the capital and most formidable Enemy to Spain who wanting not Power not only longs to devour the rest of the Netherlands but also aims at the Conquest of other parts of Spain But if the old Maxims of Policy are not grown quite out of date it is to be hoped that all who have any Interest in the preservation of Spain will with all their power endeavour to prevent that the ruin of Spain the Liberty and Possessions of all the States in Europe may not depend on the Pleasure and Will of one single person But what Revolution may happen in Spain if the present Royal Family which has no Heirs yet should fail is beyond Human Understanding to determine or foresee because it is to be feared that upon such an occasion not only France would do its utmost to obtain it but also because several States which were annexed to Spain by the Royal Family might take an opportunity to withdraw themselves from the same CHAP. III. Of Portugal § 1. POrtugal which comprehends the greatest part of that Province which the Romans called Lusitania fell with the rest of Spain under the last Gothick King Roderick into the Hands of the Moors who were in possession of it for a long time but in the Year 1093 Alfonsus VI. King of Castile and Leâ—n arming himself with all his Power to attack the Moors and craving also the Assistance of Foreign Princes among others also came one Henry to signalize himself in this War whose Pedigree is variously related by the Historians For some will have him descended out of the House of Burgundy and have made him a younger Son of Robert Duke of Burgundy whose Father was Robert King of France Son of Hugh Capet Others derive his Pedigree from the House of Loraine alledging That the reason of his being called a Burgundian was because he was born at Besanson To this Henry King Alfonsus VI. gave in marriage his natural Daughter Theresia as a reward of his Valour giving unto him for a Dowry under the Title of an Earldom all that part of Portugal which was then in the possession of the Christians which comprehended that part of the Country where are the Cities of Braga Coimbria Visco Lamego and Porto as also that tract of Ground which is now called Tralos Montes granting to him also a power to conquer the rest of that Country as far as to the River of Guadiana and to keep it under his Jurisdiction yet with these conditions That he should be a Vassal of Spain repair to the Dyets of that Kingdom and in case of a War be obliged to serve with 300 Horse Henry died in the Year 1112 leaving a Son whose name was Alfonsus being then very young His Inheritance was during his Minority usurp'd by Ferdinand Potz Count of Trastamara his Father-in-law he having married his Mother But as soon as he was grown up he took up Arms against his Father-in-law beat him out of Portugal but his Mother he put in Prison who calling to her aid Alfonsus VII he promised to dis-inherit her Son and to give him all Portugal But Alfonsus of Portugal defeated the Castilians in a Battel by which Victory he pretended to have freed himself from the Spanish Subjection This Alfonsus undertook an Expedition against King Ismar who had his Kingdom on the other side of the River Tajo who being joined by the Forces of four other petty Moorish Kings drew out against him Alfonsus was then in his Camp near Cabebas des Reyes proclaimed King thereby to animate his Souldiers and get a most signal Victory taking the five Standards of those Kings whence he put five Shields in the Arms of Portugal and retained ever after the Title of King He took afterwards a great many Cities from the Moors and among the rest with the assistance of the Netherland Fleet the City of Lisbon in the Year 1147. This Alfonsus was taken Prisoner near Badajoz by Ferdinand King of Egypt who gave him his Freedom without any other Ransom than that he was to restore to him some Cities which he had taken from him in Gallicia After he had reigned very gloriously and greatly enlarged the Limits of his Kingdom he died in the 91st Year of his Age. § 2. Him succeeded his Son Sanctius who built a great many Cities and fill'd them with Inhabitants He took from the Moors the City of Selva being assisted in that Expedition by a Fleet sent out of the Netherlands to the Holy Land He was during his whole Reign always in action with the Moors and died in the Year 1212. After him reigned his Son Alfonsus sirnamed Crassus who did nothing worth mentioning but that with the help of the Netherlanders who went to the Holy Land he took from the Moors the City of Alcassar He died in the Year 1223. His Son Sanctius sirnamed Capellus succeeded him who being very careless and ruled by his Wife was excluded from the Administration of the Government by the Portugueses who conferr'd it on Alfonsus his Brother Sanctius died an Exile in Toledo The Portugueses have made this observation concerning him that he was the only Portuguese King who died without leaving either Legitimate Children or Bastards behind him Alfonsus the Brother of Sanctius parted from his Lady Mathildis Countess of Boulogne she being somewhat Ancient and Barren and married Beatrice Daughter to Alfonsus X. King of Castile with whom he had for a Dowry the County of Algarbia but the Pope being dissatisfy'd with this Divorce excommunicated both him and the whole Kingdom He reigned very laudably and united a great many Cities to his Kingdom and died in the Year 1279. The extraordinary Virtues of his Son Dionysius especially Justice Liberality and Constancy are highly extoll'd by the Portugueses He having also adorn'd the Kingdom with a great many publick Buildings among which is the Academy of Conimbria first founded by him There is an old Proverb concerning him used among the Portugueses El Rey D. Denys qui fiz quanto quin King Dionysius who did whatsoever he pleased He died in the Year 1325 his Son Alfonsus IV. sirnamed the Brave was very glorious for his Atchievements both in Peace and War but he banished his Bastard Brother who was
pretending that the Spencers had diverted the King's Love from her retir'd first into France and from thence into Hainault and returning with an Army took the King Prisoner and caused the Spencers to be executed The King was carried from place to place and greatly abused during his Imprisonment having been forced before by the Parliament to resign the Kingdom to his Son Edward At last about six Months after his Deposition he was miserably murther'd § 11. Edward III. was very young when the Crown was conferr'd upon him wherefore the Administration of the Government was during his Minority committed to his Mother and managed under her chiefly by her Favourite Roger Mortimer She immediately at the beginning made a dishonourable Peace with Scotland whereby Edward renounced the Sovereignty and all other Pretensions upon that Kingdom and the Scots renounced their Title to Cumberland and Northumberland This and some other matters laid to their charge was the reason why some Years after the Queen was condemned to a perpetual Imprisonment and Mortimer was hanged Afterwards a most cruel War broke out betwixt England and France for Lewis Philip and Charles all three Sons of Philip sirnamed the Handsom dying without Issue Edward did pretend a right to the French Crown as being the late King 's Sister's Son alledging That if his Mother as being a Woman might be thought incapable of governing the Realm the same ought not to be prejudicial to him as being a Man But Philip de Valois notwithstanding he was a degree farther of as being the late King's Father 's Brother's Son yet prevailed with the States who under pretence of the Salick Law and the hatred they bore to a Foreign Sovereign being besides this encouraged thereunto by the Earl of Artois set him upon the Throne Edward being afterwards summon'd by Philip to come in person and to do Homage for the Dukedom of Aquitain went thither in person he being then but young and England full of intestine Commotions notwithstanding this seemed to be very prejudicial to his Pretensions And King Edward appearing in the Church at Amiens with the Crown upon his Head his Sword and Spurs on was ordered to lay them aside and to take the Oath upon his Knees which so exasperated Edward that France afterwards felt the effects of it Not long after Edward Baliol Son of John Baliol made pretensions to the Crown of Scotland against the young King being assisted by King Edward notwithstanding King David of Scotland had married his Sister During which Commotions the English recovered Barwick upon Tweed and in one Battel killed 30000 Scots whereupon Edward Baliol did do Homage to the King of England for the Crown of Scotland By this time King Edward being come to his riper years upon the instigation of Robert Earl of Artois undertook an Expedition into France and taking upon him the Title and Arms of France renewed his Pretensions to that Crown In this Expedition he entirely routed the French Fleet near Sluys which was sent to hinder his landing and defeated 30000 Men. and after he had besieged Tournay he made a Truce with them for twelve Months In the mean while the English were engaged in a War with the Scots who under the Conduct of their former King David had driven out Edward Baliol. The time of the Truce being expir'd the War began afresh in France where among other places the English took Angoulesme King Edward himself came with a great Army into Normandy and took both there and in Picardy a great many places from the French At last a bloody Battel was fought betwixt them near Crecy in Picardy wherein the English tho' but 30000 strong fought against 60000 French killing 30000 upon the spot among whom were 1500 persons of Quality The next day after 7000 French were cut to pieces by the English who not knowing what had happened the day before were upon their march to the French Camp In this Battel no Quarter was given on either side Much about the same time King David of Scotland enter'd England with an Army of 60000 Men to make a Diversion in behalf of France but he was defeated in a great Battel and himself taken Prisoner The English had no less success the same Year in Britainy and Guienne In the Year next following King Edward took the City of Calais which he fill'd with English Inhabitants Prince Edward Son to Edward III. whom his Father had sent with an Army into Guienne behaved himself very valiantly making great havock where-ever he came John King of France drew out an Army against him of 60000 Men tho' the Prince was not above 8000 strong upon this the King thinking he had catch'd the Bird in the Net would not accept of any Conditions tho' never so advantageous But Prince Edward having posted his Men betwixt the Bushes and Vineyards from thence so gall'd the French Horse with his long Bows that they being repulsed put all the rest in confusion King John himself was taken Prisoner as also his youngest Son and above 1700 persons of Quality were slain This Battel was fought about two Leagues from Poictiers At last after King Edward had with three Armies over-run the greatest part of France a Peace was concluded by the Mediation of the Pope at Bretaigny not far from Chartres The Conditions of this Peace were That England besides what it had before in France should be put in possession of Poictou Zaintogne Rochelle Pais d' Aulnis Angoumois Perigord Limoisin Quercy Agenois and Bigorre with an absolute Sovereignty over the same besides this the City of Calais the Counties of Oye Guisnes and Ponthieu and three Millions of Crowns were to be given as a Ransom for the King and that King John should give his three younger Sons his Brother and thirty other persons of Quality as Hostages for the payment of the said Summs But that on the other side the English should restore all the other places which they had taken from the French and renounce their Right and Title to the Crown of France The Peace being thus concluded Prince Edward to whom his Father had given the Dukedom of Aquitain restored Peter King of Castile to his Kingdom But in his Journey the Souldiers being very mutinous for want of Pay he levyed an extraordinary Tax upon his Subjects which they complaining of to the King of France he summon'd the Prince to appear before him who answer'd He would suddenly appear with an Army of 60000 Men therefore Charles V. King of France denounced War against the English pretending that the promised Sovereignty at the last Peace was void because the Prince had not fulfilled the Articles of the same and had committed Hostilities against France But whilst Prince Edward was busie in making great Preparations against France he died suddenly and with him the English good Fortune for the French took from them all the Dukedom of
two Sons Charles and Carolomannus who divided the Kingdom betwixt them But Carolomannus dying quickly after the whole Kingdom fell to Charles This Charles was justly sirnam'd the Great he having carried the French Monarchy to the highest pitch of its Greatness none of his Successours having been able to attain to the like tho' some of 'em have aim'd at it For having routed Desiderius the last King of the Lombards who endeavour'd to recover what was formerly taken from Aistulphus he conquer'd the Kingdom and brought it under his Subjection He also subdu'd Germany having routed Tassilo who had taken upon him the Title of King of Bavaria He also waged War against the Saxons for the space of 32 Years whom he at last brought under his Obedience obliging them to embrace the Christian Faith For which purpose he erected several Episcopal Sees and Monasteries by the help of the Priests to reform the baâ—barous Manners of this Savage People He also beat the Sclavonians Danes and Huns and took from the Saracens a part of Spain as far as to the River Iberus tho' his Forces in their return home were overthrown near Ronceval where was also slain the famous Rowland This Charles was in the Year 800 at Christmas being then at Rome proclaim'd Emperour by the People by the Instigation of the Pope in St. Peter's Church Tho' he gain'd nothing by this Title except it was the Sovereignty or Protection of the Roman Church and the Patrimony of St. Peter if both did not belong to him before for all the rest he enjoy'd before under other Titles He died in the Year 814. § 5. After the death of Charles the Great the French Monarchy began to decline again because his Son Lewis sirnamed the Pious was more fit to be a Priest than a Souldier And it is certain that so vast a Kingdom where the new Conquests were not yet well settled did require a Prince of a Military Spirit And notwithstanding he had the good Fortune to force some of the Rebellious Nations to return to their Duty yet he committed afterwards two fatal Oversights when in his life time he gave to his Sons the Titles of Kings and divided the Kingdom betwixt them The first of which proved pernicious to himself the second to the Monarchy For these impious and ungratefull Sons were not for staying for their Father's Death but Rebelling against him and made him after he was deserted by every body their Prisoner The Bishops who were by him kept under strict Discipline after they had condemn'd him forc'd him to resign the Government But the great Men of the Kingdom quickly repenting restor'd him to his Throne and he also pardon'd his Sons He died in the Year 840 having before his Death made a new Division of the Kingdom betwixt his Sons the Effects of which appear'd soon after to the World when Lotharius the elder Brother who also had the Title of Emperour undertook to take from his Brothers their Portion against whom the two other Brothers Lewis and Charles entring into a Confederacy forced him to divide the Monarchy with them having first obtain'd a bloody Victory near Fountenay unfar Auxerre in which Battel were slain above 100000 Men and among them the Flower of the French Nation In this Division Germany fell to Lewis's share which ever since has continued separate from France and has made a distinct Empire But the younger Brother Charles sirnamed the Bald got for his Portion the greatest part of France viz. all that part which lies betwixt the Western Ocean and the Meuse but the eldest Brother obtain'd Italy Provence and all those Counties which are situated betwixt the Meuse Rhine and the Some Under the Reign of this Charles the Bald the Normans so they call'd the Danes and Norwegians fell with a considerable Force into France making great Havock where-ever they came And the Kingdom was weakned to that degree by the last bloody Battel and its being divided into so many Principalities for the Sons of Lotharius had also shared their Father's Provinces among themselves that it was not strong enough to chase out of its Dominions these Robbers but was oblig'd under Charles sirnamed the Simple to give into their possession the Province of Neustria which they called after their Name Normandy The Sons of Lotharius dying without Issue Charles the Bald and the Sons of Lewis shared their Part betwixt them out of which Charles got Provence At last Charles obtain'd the Title of Emperour and died in the Year 877. His Son Lewis sirnamed Balbus succeeded him who dying soon after left the Kingdom to his two Sons who were very young viz. to Lewis III. and Carolomannus from whom Lewis King of Germany took Lorrain Lewis dying in the Year 882 as did Carolomannus in the Year 884 none was left but a Brother of theirs by the Father's side viz. the Son of Lewis sirnamed Balbus who being then a Child of five Years of Age was afterwards called Charles the Simple For at that time the Authority of the Kings of France was decay'd to that degree that it was a common custom to give them Sirnames according to the several defects of Body or Mind as were obvious in them He was during his Minority committed to the Tuition of his Cousin Carolus Crassus who also had the Title of Emperours who not long after because he was very infirm both in Body and Mind was deposed and died in the Year 888. The Royal Authority being thus decay'd and nothing but Divisions found in the Kingdom the great Men of the Kingdom mightily increased their own Power so that whereas they used formerly to be Governours of their Provinces under the King's Command they now began to claim them as a Propriety belonging to themselves independent of the King It is related by some That the Kings at that time had nothing left but Rheims and Laon which they could really call their own which Evil could not be totally suppress'd by the following Kings till several hundred Years after After the Death of Carolus Crassus Eudo Count of Paris got himself to be crowned King and waged War with Charles the Simple but died in the Year 898 Yet Charles the Simple quickly found another Rival for the Crown For Rudolf King of Burgundy got himself to be crowned King of France making Charles the Simple his Prisoner who died during his Imprisonment After the Death of Rudolf which happen'd in the Year 936 reign'd Lewis IV. sirnam'd Outremer because he had during the Imprisonment of his Father shelter'd himself in England This King's Reign was full of intestine Commotions he died in the Year 954 leaving for his Successour his Son Lotharius who likewise reign'd in continual troubles till the Year 985 leaving behind him his Son Lewis sirnamed the Faint-hearted of whom the French Historians only say this that
Aquitain and Poictou was immediately after married to Henry Duke of Normandy afterwards King of England the second of that Name who by this Match annexed these fair Countries to the Crown of England In fine having been kept in a continual alarm by his petty Vassals but especially by Henry II. King of England He died in the Year 1180. § 7. His Son Philip II. sirnamed Augustus or the Conquerour was at first engaged in a War against Henry II. King of England from whom he took several considerable places which however he restored afterwards to his Son Richard with whom he enter'd into a League to retake Jerusalem from the Saracens pursuant to which both the Kings went thither in Person with a considerable Force But a Jealousie arising betwixt these two Kings nothing was done worth mentioning for Richard accused Philip that he had an ill design against him in Sicily in their Voyage besides that he had refused to consummate the before intended Match betwixt his Sister and Richard Wherefore as soon as Ptolemais had been taken by their joint Forces Philip under pretence of Sickness returned into France leaving only with Richard Hugh III. Duke of Burgundy with some Troops who envying Richard hinder'd the taking of the City of Jerusalem After his return from that unfortunate Expedition to the Holy Land he undertook a War against Richard which he also carried on against his Brother John wherein Philip had much the better of the English for he took from them Normandy the Counties of Anjou Maine Touraine Berry and Poictou He was very instrumental in deposing the Earl of Tholouse who because he had taken into his Protection the Albigenses was excommunicated by the Pope Philip also obtained a great Victory near Bouvines betwixt Lisle and Tournay against the Emperour Otho IV. who being joined with the Earl of Flanders attack'd him with an Army of 150000 Men whilst the King of England was to fall into France on the side of Aquitain This King was so successfull in his Wars against England that his Son Lewis was very near obtaining the Crown of England And tho' he was chased again out of England yet did he after his Father's Death pursue his Victories against the English in France taking from them among others the City of Rochelle But this Lewis VIII did not reign long for he died in the Year 1226 leaving for Successour his Son Lewis IX sirnamed the Holy during whose Minority his Mother Blanch of Castile had the Supream Administration of Affairs and tho' some of the Nobility raised great Troubles against her she subdued them all by her singular Prudence In the Year 1244 the City of Jerusalem was ransack'd by some Persians who called themselves Chorasmii Lewis being about the same time dangerously ill made a Vow That if he recovered he would undertake an Expedition against those Infidels which he afterwards perform'd But before his departure he issued out his Proclamation throughout the Kingdom intimating that whoever had received any damage by his Souldiers should have Restitution made him which was performed accordingly In this Expedition he took the strong City of Damiata but the overflowing of the River Nile hindered him from taking Grand Cairo After the River was returned to its usual Bounds he vanquish'd the Enemy in two Battels but they having receiv'd new Reinforcements cut off the Provisions from the French who were also extreamly pester'd with the Scurvy The King then resolv'd to retreat towards Damiata but in his March thither they attack'd him gave him a terrible overthrow and took him Prisoner yet released him again for a Ransom of 400000 Livres he being obliged to restore also to them the City of Damiata Thus he marched with the Remainders of his Army which from 30000 Men was moulder'd away to 6000 to Ptolemais where after he had given what Assistance he could to the Christians he at last returned home Under the Reign of this King France got first an Opportunity to intermeddle in the Affairs of Italy from whence yet this Kingdom never reapt any great Benefit Manfred natural Son of the Emperour Frederick II. having first kill'd King Conrad his Brother made himself King of Naples and Sicily But the Pope on whom this Kingdom depended as a Fief being dissatisfy'd with Manfred offer'd the same to Charles Earl of Anjou Brother of Lewis IV. King of France which he having accepted of was crowned at Rome with Conditon that he should pay to the Pope 8000 Ounces of Gold make a yearly Present of a White Horse as an acknowledgment and if he was chosen Emperour that he should not unite that Kingdom with the Empire the Pope being unwilling to have any one more powerfull than himself in Italy Charles thereupon vanquish'd Manfred and having murthered him and his Children took possession of the Kingdom The young Conradin Duke of Swabia came with an Army to recover the Kingdom which was his Inheritance from his Grandfather but having been overthrown in a Battel near the Lake of Celano was made a Prisoner and in the Year next following had his Head cut off at Naples upon the Instigation of the Pope who being ask'd by Charles What he had best to do with his Prisoner answer'd Vita Conradini mors Caroli Mors Conradini vita Caroli i. e. The Life of Conradin is the Death of Charles The Death of Conradin the Life of Charles And as by the Death of this young Prince was extinguish'd the Noble Race of the Dukes of Swabia so this Charles laid the first Pretensions of France to the Kingdom of Naples In the mean while King Lewis being not satisfy'd with his former unfortunate Expedition against the Infidels resolved to try again his Fortune against Tunis either because he found that this place lay very convenient for his Brother's Kingdom of Sicily or because he hoped thereby to open a way for the Conquest of Egypt without which all the Expeditions into the Holy Land were likely to prove ineffectual But in this Siege he lost a great part of his Army by Sickness and he died himself there in the Year 1270. From a younger Son of this Lewis IV. viz. from Robert Earl of Clairmont sprang the Bourbon Family which now sways the Scepter of France § 8. His Son Philip sirnamed the Hardy succeeded him under whose Reign that considerable Earldom of Tholouse was united to the Crown of France Alfonsus Son of Lewis IX who had married the only Heiress of this Country happening to die without Issue in an Expedition into Africa Under the Reign also of this King fell out the so much celebrated Sicilian Vespers whereby all the French were at one blow extirpated out of Sicily The Business was thus Some Frenchmen had ravish'd the Wife of John of Porchyta born at Salerno who enflam'd with Revenge did seek for Aid of Pieter King of Arragon hoping by his Assistance to drive Charles
Years and the Church Benefices having been rather bestowed upon Favourites or such as payed well for them than such as deserved them furnished the Pope with a specious Pretence to make a Decree that it was not the Emperour 's right to bestow Bishopricks or other Church Benefices upon any Body but that it did belong to the Pope The Emperour was also summoned to appear at Rome and to give an Account concerning his Mis-behaviour and in case of failure he was threatened with an Excommunication On the other Hand the Emperour having declared the Pope unworthy of his Office would have deposed him So the Pope excommunicated the Emperour discharging all his Subjects from their Allegiance due to him which proved of such Consequence in those Times that all his Authority fell to the Ground at once among most of his Subjects whereby he was reduced to the greatest Extremity For most Princes assembled at Trebes where they deposed Henry which Sentence however was so far mitigated afterwards that the same should be left to the Pope's decision Henry therefore accompanied by a few was obliged to undertake a Journey in the midst of the Winter into Italy and being arrived at Canuâ—io was fain to stay three Days barefooted in a coarse Woollen Habit in the outward Court and in an humble posture to beg the Pope's Absolution which he at last granted him But the Emperour received no great Advantage by it for the Italians were quite disgusted at this Demeanour of his which obliged the Emperour to make use of his former Authority to reduce them to Obedience In the mean while the Princes of Germany by instigation of the Pope did elect Radolph Duke of Swabia their King but the Bavarians Franconians and the Countries next adjacent to the Rhine did remain in obedience of the Emperour Henry Thus a bloody War ensued wherein Radolph and the Saxons were vanquish'd in two battels and in the third he lost his right hand and life Then Henry call'd together an Assembly of the Bishops and having deposed Hildebrand he caused another to be chosen in his room He also return'd home himself and banish'd Hildebrand But the Saxons persisted in their Rebellion against the Emperour who was again Excommunicated by the Pope and having first set up Herman Duke of Luxenburgh and after his death Ecbert Marquess of Saxony for their Kings but to no purpose they at last stirr'd up the Emperors Son against the Father Against him the Emperour raised a great Army whom the Son met and in a deceitful manner begg'd his pardon Upon his perswasions the Father having abandon'd his Forces and being upon his Journey to the Dyet at Mayence accompanied by a few this antient Prince was made a Prisoner and Deposed He died soon after in great misery who in sixty two battels which he had fought in his life time generally obtained the Victory § 5. As soon as Henry V. was made Emperour he followed his Fathers example in maintaining the Imperial Dignity For as soon as he had settled the Affairs of Germany he marched with an Army towards Rome to renew the antient Right of the Emperours in nominating of Bishops and to be Crowned there The Pope Paschal II. having got notice of the Emperours design raised a great Tumult at Rome where the Emperour was so close beset that he was fain to fight in Person for his safety But the Emperour having got the upper hand made the Pope a Prisoner and forced him to give his consent to his demands And this their Agreement was confirmed by solemn Oaths and Execrations yet no sooner had the Emperour turn'd his back but the Pope having declared the Agreement void stirr'd up the Saxons and the Bishops in Germany against the Emperour With these Henry was engag'd in a very tedious War and perceiving at last that there was no other way left to compose these differences he granted the Popes demands by renouncing his Right to nominate Bishops at the Dyet held at Worms which resignation as it greatly diminish'd the Emperour's Authority so on the other hand it strengthened the power of the Pope This Emperour died without Issue Him succeeded Lotharius Duke of Saxony who had for a Rival in the Empire Cunrad Duke of Franconia whom he quickly oblig'd to beg fair Quarters This Emperour having twice undertaken an Expedition into Italy did with great Glory restore Tranquility to that Country and because he used to flatter the Pope he was in great esteem among the Clergy He died in the year 1138. After his death Cunrad III. obtained the Imperial Dignity who was opposed by Henry Duke of Saxony and Bavaria and his Brother Wulff which occasioned bloody Wars against him But peace being restored among them he undertook an Expedition into the Holy Land where he underwent great Calamities for tho he fought his way through the Saracens and arriv'd safely at Jerusalem yet after he had lost the greatest part of his Army without doing any thing of moment he was fain to return home But whilst he was busie in making preparations for another Expedition into Italy he died in the year 1252. § 6. Frederick I. succeeded him who by the Italians was Surnamed Barbarossa Duke of Swabia who immediately at the beginning of his Reign having setled the affairs of Germany did afterwards reduce Italy under his obedience which however was not of long continuance for the Milaneses quickly Rebell'd but were severely chastis'd their City having been laid level with the ground He was also in continual broils with the Pope against whom and his Associates he obtained several Victories yet being at last tired out with so many wars he made peace with him especially since his Son Otto had been taken Prisoner by the Venetians At the concluding of this Peace 't is said that Pope Alexander III. did set his foot upon the Emperours neck which by a great many is taken for a fable This Emperour was the last who maintained the Authority of the German Emperours in Italy Last of all he undertook an Expedition into the Holy Land against Saladin the Sultan of Egypt who had taken the City of Jerusalem He beat the Saracens several times but endeavouring to pass over a River in Cilicia on Horseback or as some will have it intending to wash himself in the River he was drowned And tho his Son Frederic after his Fathers death did take a great many Cities in Syria yet the whole Expedition had a very bad end the greatest part of the Army together with the Duke Frederick having been consumed by the Plague or Famin. Frederick was succeeded by his Son Henry VI. in the Empire who with his Lady Constantia got the Kingdoms of Sicily Calabria and Apuiia This Emperour went to Rome to receive the Crown from Pope Celestin when the Pope sitting in his Chair and the Emperour on his knees put first the Crown upon his head but immediatly struck the
Exercise of the Christian Religion throughout his Kingdom His Son Harald was attack'd by the Emperour Otto I. from whom the Sea betwixt Jutland and Holland has got the Name of Otten Sound because the Emperour there threw in his Lance to mark the utmost Limits of his Expedition His Son Suen Otto came to the Crown in the year 980. who being taken Prisoner by the Jutins was redeem'd by the Women who gave their Gold and Silver Ornaments for his Ransom In recompence of which he granted them this Privilege that whereas they used only to have a small Portion in Mony out of their Fathers Inheritance they for the future should have an equal share with the Males He also Conquer'd a part of England and died in the year 1012. His Son Canut or Cnut II. surnamed the Great was King of Denmaâ—k Norway and England having Conquer'd the latter of these three by force of Arms tho England did not remain long under the subjection of the Danes for after his death Harald and only Hardiknut Reign'd in England after whose death the Danes were again chased out of England Besides this Magnus Son of S. Olaus King of Norway made himself Master of Denmark which Kingdom however after his death Sueno II. obtain'd but he was forc'd to fight for it against Harald Hardrode then King of Norway He died in the year 1074. Him succeeded his Sons Harald VII who Reign'd but two years and Canute IV. This King did give great Power to the Bishops in Denmark and granted the Tenths of all the Revenues of the Country to the Clergy At which the Jutes being exasperated slew him at Oden Sea but the Clergy as an acknowledgement of his Favours bestowed upon them placed him in the number of Saints and his memory was afterwards celebrated with full Cups at their Feasts by those who call'd themselves the Knutgylden from him His Brother Olaus IV. succeeded him who died in the year 1095. and after him Reigned his Brother Erick II. who took Jutin at that time a great City in Pomerania He died in the Ille of Cyprus in his Pilgrimage to Jerusalem § 2. After his death the whole Kingdom was in great Confusion especially when three at once fought for the Crown viz. Sueno III Canute VI and Waldemar I. These after they had waged wars together for many years did at last agree to divide the Kingdom into three parts but Canute having been assassinated by Sueno and Sueno again having been slain in a Battel against Waldâ—mar he got the whole Kingdom into his possession He subdued the Rugians and Vandals who had hitherto proved very mischievous to Denmark he also destroyed the City of Julin 'T is related that he laid the first Foundation of the City of Dantzwick and under the Reign of this King Absalom Bishop of Roshild first began to build the City of Copenhagen Waldemar died in the year 1182. Him succeeded his Son Canute VI. who waged great Wars against the Vandals and at last forced their Princes to be his Vassals taking upon himself the Title of King of the Vandals or Slaves He took from Adolf Earl of Holstein among other places the City of Hamburgh which however twenty seven years after did shake off the Danish Yoke He having also conquered Esthonia and Livonia the Christian Faith was established in these Countries by his means He died in the Year 1202. After him reigned his Brother Waldemar II. who at the beginning was a very fortunate and potent Prince and had under his Subjection besides Denmark the Countries of Esthonia Livonia Curland Prussia Pomerania Rugen Meckâ—enburgh Holstein Stormar Ditmarsen and Wagern as also the Cities of Lubeck and Lauenburgh But he lost a great part of them again by the following occasion Henry Earl of Swerin having undertaken a journey to the Holy Land had committed during his absence his Lady and Country to the care of Waldemar but having been informed after his return that the King had lived in Adultery with his Lady he to revenge this Affront took him Prisoner by stratagem and after he had kept him three years in prison dismist him making him pay for his ransom the sum of 45000 marks of fine Silver The Countries of Mecklenburgh and Pomerania and the Cities of Lubeck and Duntzwick taking hold of this opportunity revolted from Waldemar Adolf Earl of Shauenburgh took from him Holstein and Stormar the Knights of the Cross took Esthonia and Livonia And endeavouring to recover these Countries he was vanquished in a Battel fought near Bornhove by the Earl of Shauenburgh Yet he recovered Reval and Esthonia and died in the year 1241. § 13. His Son Erick V. succeeded him in the Kingdom tho he had also given some parts of it to his other Sons viz. to Abel Sleswick to Canute Bleckingâ—n and to Christopher Laland and Falster These were each of them for being Sovereigns in these Countries but Erick pretending that they ought to be his Vassals there were great Commotions in Denmark till Erick was miserably murthered by his Brother Abel and Abel after he had reigned two years was slain by the Friselanders and Ditmarsians Whom succeeded his Brother Christopher I. Aganist this King the Archbishop of Lunden raised abundance of Troubles and the King having imprisoned him he was by the rest of the Bishops and Clergy excommunicated and with him the whole Kingdom And at last the King was by them poisoned as 't is thought with the Host After him reigned his Son Erick VI. who was at Variance with the Bishops and engaged in Wars against Sweden and Norway at last he was taken Prisoner in a Battel by Erick Duke of Holstein and was barbarously murthered by some of the great Men of the Kingdom He left the Crown to his Son Erick VII who immediately in the first year of his Reign had great contests with the King of Norway who had given protection to to the Murtherers of his Father He also had some other Differences with some of the neighbouring States and died in the year 1319. Him succeeded his Brother Christopher II who got his Son crowned in his Life time This King was banished the Kingdom by his Subjects who under pretence of being oppressed with Taxes elected in his stead Waldemar Duke of Sleswick their King But they grew also quickly weary of him and recalled Christopher who afterwards in a battel fought against this Waldemar lost his Son Erick Under the Reign of this King Schonen being sorely oppressed by the Holsteiners who were in Possession of it surrendred itself to Magnus King of Sweden And John Duke of Holstein perceiving that he could not maintain it by force sold all his Right and Title to it for 70000 Marks fine silver Under the Reign of this King Denmark was torn into so many pieces that very few places were left to the King He died in the year 1333.
own Name which he made his place of residence Whose youngest Son Lechus II. to obtain the Principality murthered his elder Brother but as soon as the Fact was discovered he was banished the Country After him ruled a Virgin whose Name was Venda the only Daughter left of the Children of Cracus who having vanquished one Ritiger a German Prince that pretended Mariage to her out of a blind Superstition drowned herself in the River of Weixel After her death the administration of the Government returned again to the Governours or Vayvods which continued for some time till the Poles elected again for their Prince a Goldsmith called Premislus who is also called Lescus I. because he had by a Stratagem defeated the Moravians who had made an Irruption into Poland But he leaving no Issue behind him a Horse Race was instituted with condition that the Victor should succeed in the Government One of the Competitours had laid Iron Hooks in the Ground by which means the others Horses having been â—amed he was the first that came to the Goal but the Fraud being discovered he was killed upon the spot In the mean while a certain poor Fellow on foot had run the Race and was the next to the Impostor whom the Poles declared their Prince His name was Lescus II. and as some say was slain in the Wars against Charles the Great Him succeeded his Son Lescus III. who having appeased Charles the Great with Presents made Peace with him either as an unequal Allie or else by acknowledging himself his Vassal He left Poland to his Son Popiel whom he had begot in Wedlock but to his natural Sons he gave the neighbouring Countries of Pomerania Mack Caâ—â—ubia with some others Him succeeded his Son Popiel II. an ill man who upon the perswasion of his Lady murthered his Father's Brothers 't is reported that out of their dead Bodies came forth Mice which devoured Popiel with his Wife and Children § 3. After his Death there was an Interregnum full of troubles till the Poles declared Piastus a Country-fellow born at Crusswitz their Prince from whom ever since such of the Natives as obtained the Royal Dignity were called Piasti His Posterity has reigned for a long time in Poland from whom also descended the race of the Dukes of Lignitz and Brieg in Silesia which is but lately extinguished 'T is said that he was 120 Years old before he died His Son Zicmovitus began his Reign in the Year 895. a Warlike and brave Prince whom succeeded his Son Lescus IV. a good and peaceable Prince Much of the same temper was his Son Zicmovistus who began to Reign in the Year 921. This Prince had but one Son who being blind was in the seventh Year of his Age in which Year according to the Custom of those times his Head was to be shaved and he to receive his Name restored to his Sight which was then taken for an Omen that he should be enlightened with the Christian Faith His Name was Micislaus I. and began his Reign in the Year 962. He having a great many Wives and no Children occasioned in him a desire to turn Christian for some Germans representing to him that if he left the Heathenish Superstitions he would certainly beget Children he was perswaded by them to remove his Heathenish Wives which he did and married Dambrateca the Daughter of Bogislaus Duke of Bohemia Before he married her he was baptized himself and first introduced the Christian Religion into Poland as also that custom which has obtained since there that at the time when the Gospel is read in the Mass the Men half draw their Cymetars to signify that they were ready to fight for the Christian Faith § 4. Him succeeded his Son Boleslaus Chrobry who was by the Emperour Otto III. dignified with the Title of King who also remitted unto him all the Pretensions which the former Emperours had upon Poland and this in consideration for the kind entertainment which he had received from Boleslaus in his Pilgrimage to the Grave of Albart Bishop of Gnicsen which being then very famous for some Miracles was visited by the Emperour to fulfil his Vow which he had made during a precedent Sickness This first King of Poland behaved himself very bravely in his Wars against the Red Russians the Bohemians Saxons and Prussians He also instituted twelve Senators as his Assistants in the administration of the Government But his Son Miccislaus lost for the most part his Father's Conquests Moravia having among the rest been taken from him by the Bohemians He began his Reign in the Year 1025. and died in the Year 1034. leaving but one Son behind him whose Name was Casimir who being an Infant his Mother Rixa administred the Government for a while But the Poles being dissatisfied with her she fled with her Son into Germany who in his Journey in France assumed the Order and Habit of a Monk During his absence there were great Disturbances in Poland Maslaus having about that time made himself Master of Masuria which for a long time after remained independent of the Kingdom of Poland At last the Poles prevailed upon Casimir to leave his Monastery and accept the Crown And to perswade the Pope to absolve him from his Vow they promised that for each Head except those of the Nobility and Clergy they would contribute yearly a Farthing towards the maintaining of a perpetual burning Lamp in the Church of St. Peter in Rome and cause their Heads to be shaved above their Ears like Monks After he came to the Crown he beat Maslaus and the Prussians and restored the Kingdom to its former tranquility His Son Boleslaus Surnamed the Hardy did at first wage War against his Neighbours the Prussians Bohemians and Russians with great Success but afterwards giving himself over to all manner of Debauchery and having been checked for that reason by Stanislaus the Bishop of Cracau who also at last excommunicated him he cut him to pieces before the Altar Then he was excommunicated by the Pope and perceiving himself to be hated by every body left the Kingdom and at last murthered himself § 5. Him succeeded his Brother Vladislaus who standing in fear of the Pope would not at first take upon him the Title of King He met with great Troubles both at home and abroad which however he overcame at last Him succeeded his Son Boleslaus III. a brave Souldier who obtained a signal Victory over the Emperour Henry V. in a Battle fought in the Dogsfield near Breslau There was never a Prince in Poland more Famous for Military Atchievements than himself it being related of him that he fought forty five Battles all with good Success except the last of all fought against the Red Russians which was lost by the Cowardise of the Vayvod of Cracovia unto whom the King for a
three-several ways First Whether this Necessity arises from the Nature of each Religion in general Or Secondly Whether it arises from the Genius of the Christian Religion in particular Or Thirdly Whether the same is imposed upon us by Divine Institution or the particular Command of God That it should proceed from the natural Constitution of Religion in general I am in no ways able to find out For Reason does not tell me that if I intend to serve God I must of necessity make a division in the State and thereby introduce two different Powers independent of one another The dismembring of the supreme Power or such a double-headed Sovereignty in a State administers continual Fuel which at last breaks out into Jealousies Divisions and intestine Commotions On the other hand it is in no ways contrary to Reason to serve God and at the same time leave the supreme Direction of the outward Matters belonging to Divine Service to such as have the supreme Power in the State if we suppose that those who have the supreme Power in their Hands will not impose any thing upon their Subjects which is false or erroneous It cannot be denied that as every one is bound by the Law of Nature to serve God also is it at the same time in his Power to perform the outward Ceremonies in such a manner as he believes they are most pleasing to God But after Civil Societies were instituted that same Power is thereby devolved to those who have the supreme Administration of Affairs in a Civil Society And the most antient Fathers who did not live under any regulated Government exercised this Power in their Families which used to be transferred to the Eldest Son as haereditas eximia or a hereditary Prerogative if the Brothers after the Father's death did resolve to live together in one Community But when afterwards Civil Societies were instituted the same Power was transferred to the Heads of these Societies and that out of a weighty Consideration For if every one had been left to his free Choice in this Point the various and different Ceremonies in the Divine Service must needs have introduced Confusions Divisions and intestine Commotions And tho' by the Jews the publick Ministry was hereditary to one particular Family yet the inspection and supreme Direction was among them reserved to those who had the supreme Civil Power in their Hands as the same is practised among most other Nations § 7. Neither can any Reason be given why the Christian Religion is particularly so qualified as to imply a necessity that the abovementioned Direction should be committed to any other than the supreme Magistrates tho' it contains something more than is taught us by the Light of Nature since we suppose that by vertue of this directive Power they ought not to impose any thing upon us contrary to the Word of God nor be a hinderance to the Priests in performing the Ministry according to the Ordinances of God in the Holy Scriptures Neither can I find out any Reason why the supreme Magistrates should want means duly to qualify themselves for this Administration or Direction At least they may let this Direction be exercised under their Authority by such as have acquired sufficient abilities for the same In like manner as Sovereigns exercise their Power by others in Civil Affairs so the Power of making Laws was never denied to appertain to Sovereigns tho' it is certain that a Doctor or Professor of the Law ought to be better instructed in them than is required from a King For both in these and other Matters Sovereigns ought to act with the Advice of such as have applied themselves throughly to such Affairs And as it is against the Interest of a Good and Wise King if this Power be not well exercised so it is both his Duty and Interest to see the administration of Religious Matters well performed For the more zealous and earnest he is in maintaining the Christian Religion the more obedient and better qualified his Subjects are likely to be and he may the better hope for the Blessing of God Almighty Neither can any thing be alledged why God Almighty should not as well afford his Assistance to a Christian and Orthodox Sovereign as to any other to perform this Government praise-worthily Lastly because the Christian Religion does not in any other way derogate from Civil Ordinances and Laws or from the Power of Civil Magistrates as far as they are founded upon the Law of Nature so it is not to be supposed that it disagrees from this in this one Point except a positive Command of God can be alledged for the proof of this Assertion Whether there be such a Command in the Holy Scriptures which expresly forbids Sovereigns to intermeddle with this Direction and allows the same to others in the highest degree of Sovereignty without any dependency at all those are obliged to prove who endeavour to maintain this Assertion In the mean while we will inquire into the first Occasion and by what degrees this Ecclesiastical Monarchy was established in the Western Churches § 8. The Apostles therefore having after the Ascension of our Saviour according to the Instructions received from his own Mouth begun to spread the Doctrine of the Christian Religion in far distant Countries met with great approbation in a short time both among the Jews and other Nations but more especially among the Common People which having hitherto lived in gross Ignorance and in a miserable Estate very joyfully received this Doctrine which enlightened and comforted them in the miseries of this Life The Apostles also themselves who were of mean Extraction and of no great Authority used to converse most among this sort of People as having the most easie access to them as their equals But Men of Quality and Learning did scare at first think it worth their while to apply themselves diligently to search into the bottom of this Religion and very few of them would profess it If we may inquire into the Reasons why it was the pleasure of the Wise God to choose this way of planting the Christian Religion it seems very probable that God was not pleased to introduce the Christian Religion by the Power and Authority of Civil Magistrates nor by the Assistance of Learned Men because it might not be deemed hereafter a State Trick or a Philosophical Speculation but that whenever a due comparison might be made betwixt the slender beginnings and prodigious encrease of this Religion the World might from thence conclude that the whole was something above humane Power And because the Learned had proved unsuccessful with all their subtilties in their Discoveries concerning Divine Matters and that Socrates and some others who were sensible of the vanity of the commonly received Superstitions and had condemned them as such had not been able to abolish those and in lieu thereof to introduce a better Religion God Almighty was willing to convince the
expose to publick view the Secrets of these Fathers Since from hence an opportunity was taken to make use of the Assistance of the Councils to bridle the Popes and from the Popes to appeal to these which were now made use of to terrify the Popes withal whenever they pretended to transgress their bounds The Popes could the less refuse to acknowledge the Power of the Councils at that time because Gregory VII himself after the quarrel betwixt him and the Emperour was renewed had proposed to call a Council to be held in a place of Security where both Friends and Foes both the Clergy and Laiety might meet to judge whether he or the Emperour had broke the Peace and to concert Measures how to re-establish the same Gelasius II. who had Differences with Henry V. made the same Declaration adding withal that he would rest satisfied with what Judgment his Brothers the Bishops should give who were constituted Judges in the Church by God Almighty and without whom he could not decide a Business of this nature So Innocent III. had writ that he would not undertake to decide the Marriage Controversie betwixt Philip Augustus and Engebourgh of Denmark without consulting a general Council for if he should attempt any such thing he might thereby forfeit his Office and Dignity Which words seemed intimate that a Pope for mismanagement might be deposed And when afterwards these and the like words were made use of against the Popes it was then too late to endeavour to make them pass for Compliments since it proves often dangerous to be too modest in matters of such consequence Wherefore the Council of Pisa in the year 1409. did depose the two Anti-Popes Benedict XII and Gregory XII in whose stead they chose another viz. Alexander V. In the same manner the Council of Constance did not only confirm the deposition of these two Popes but also turned out John XXIV who was made Pope after the death of Alexander V. In the same manner the Council of Basil did with Eugenius IV. and besides this made a Decree that neither at the Court of Rome neither in other places any mony should be taken for the dispatches of Ecclesiastical Affairs All which as it shook the very Foundation of the Papal Chair so it was not to be admired that the Popes were very averse afterwards to call the Council of Trent and were forced to make use of all their cunning that nothing might pass there to the prejudice of their Grandeur and that since that time they have bid farewel to Councils for ever § 24. Among other divisions this has proved very prejudicial as it seems to the Authority of the Popes that Clement V. did transfer the Papal Chair from Rome to Avignon as I suppose upon instigation of Philip Surnamed the Handsom King of France who having had great differences with Boniface VIII was Excommunicated by him To render this ineffectual he thought it the most proper way if the Pope resided in France and that thereby the like would be prevented for the future since it was very probable that the greatest part of the Cardinals hereafter would be taken out of the French Nation The Popes made this City their constant place of Residence for seventy years together not to mention that some of the Anti-Popes also did Reside there This changing of the Seat carry'd along with it several inconveniencies which proved very prejudicial to the Ecclesiastical Monarchy For the Pope's Authority was among other things also founded upon this belief that S. Peter had been at Rome and by his presence had Communicated a particular Prerogative and Holiness to that Chair and whether the same could be transferred to Avignon seemed somewhat doubtful to a great many besides this the Pope was then for the most part obliged to comply with France and to live as it were at the Discretion of the French Kings Tho also the French who then thought they had a great Catch have since complained that they got little else by the presence of the Roman Court than Simony and another abominable Vice not fit to be named Besides this the Court of Rome being then kept among Strangers as it were out of its Natural Element its Faults were the sooner discovered and the whole the more despised This removal also of the Court of Rome proved very prejudicial to the Revenue of the Church in Italy For after the Authority of the Emperors in Italy came to decay each State was for living free and being Sovereign itself and the Factions of the Guelfs and Gibellines caused most horrid distractions And the Authority of the Pope being vanish'd by his absence they made bold with the Church Possessions Most Cities of the Ecclesiastical State upon the persuasions of the Florentines had sent away the Popes Legats and acknowledged no Sovereign The Emperor Lewis Surnamed the Bavarian who was at Enmity with the Pope but in great esteem among the Inhabitants of the Ecclesiastical State did pretend to the Sovereignty over the same as being a Fief of the Empire which he granted to such as upheld his Party against the Pope The Patrimony of the Church was then but very slender and tho the Popes recovered part of it afterwards they were obliged to leave most in Possession of what they had got But the City of Rome was nevertheless at last forced to submit to the Popes power which it had resisted so long when Boniface IX in the year 1393. put on the Bridle by building the Castle of S. Angelo And Alexander VI. was the chief cause that the Ecclesiastical State was reduced under the Obedience of the Popes This Pope had a Natural Son whose name was Caesar Borgia but who commonly is called Duke of Valence from the Dukedom of Valence which he got with his Lady Charlotte d' Albret The Pope being very ambitious to make this his Son a great Prince in Italy proposed this expedient to him that he must drive out these petty Lords which were then in Possession of the Ecclesiastical State and when he had made himself Master of these places he would confirm him in the Possession of them for ever He succeeded very well in this Enterprise having made away with most of these petty Lords some by Force some by Treachery for he used to stick at nothing alledging that whatever he did could not be done amiss since he had received his Commission from his Father who was endowed with the Holy Ghost And being reduced to the utmost want of mony wherewith to pay his Soldiers he and his Father agreed to Poison the richest Cardinals at a Feast intended for that purpose some of whom they also knew to be averse to their Designs But the Servant who had the management of the business having out of carelesness fill'd the Pope and his Son a Cup out of the Poisoned Flasks the Father died immediately the Son narrowly escaping by the help of some Sudorificks And not being
abused and half naked loaden with Irons thrown into a strong Tower their Servants having been all either killed or taken Prisoners The King marched directly for Stockholm in hopes to surprise the City but the News of this barbarous act having been already carried to Stockholm they not only repulsed him but also pursued him to Nycoping The King perceiving that they intended to besiege Nycoping retired to Stockeburgh but before his departure having caused the Doors of the Prison to be barricado'd up he threw the Keys into the River and commanded upon pain of death not to open the Doors till his return Soon after Nycoping was besieged but before it could be forced both the Brothers died by Famine King Birger having by this Treacherous fact animated the whole Kingdom against him sought for Aid in Denmark and having obtained some Forces shifted with them from place to place till some of them were suprized at Sudercoping and the Danish Horse having also left Nycoping the King destitute of all retired with the Queen into Gethland leaving his Son Magnus in the Castle of Stegeburgh The Swedes having immediately after invested the Place forced it to surrender by Famine and sent Magnus a Prisoner to Stockholm The Senate of the Kingdom made there Matthew 〈◊〉 Regent of Sweden who vigorously prosecuted the Remnants of the King's Party which obliged King Birger to seek for shelter to Christopher King of Denmark § 7. After K. Birger had left Gothland the Estates assembled at Vpsal chose for their King Magnus the Son of D. Erick being then but 3 years old The Year next following Magnus the Son of K. Birger notwithstanding that the Senate and Estates of the Kingdom had sworn Fealty to him as to their future King was villainously sentenced to death and beheaded accordingly and King Birger and his Queen died soon after for Grief But the Swedes who had conceived great hopes of their new King found themselves extreamly deceived in their Expectation after the death of of Ketelmundson who at first managed affairs with great Prudence For the King being now of age married Blanch the Daughter of an Earl of Namur and laying aside the old Counsellors made use of the Advice of his young Favourites among whom one Benedict born in West-Gothland had the chief place The Inhabitants of Schonen being sorely oppressed by the Holsteiners put themselves under his protection which was afterwards confirmed by Waldemar King of Denmark and the Sound by common consent made the common Borders of these two Kingdoms on that side After he had ruled twelve years in peace he undertook an Expedition against the Russians which succeeded very ill being obliged to redeem the peace by the surrender of a part of Carelia His Treasury having by this War been mightily exhausted he not only imposed new and heavy Taxes upon the people but also pawned a great many of the Crown Lands Pope Clement VI. also had excommunicated him because he had applied the Revenues of S. Peter given to the Roman Chair by Olaus Skotkonung to the use of the Russian War The People being extreamly discontented at these Proceedings the Senaâ—e perswaded the King that he should cause his two Sons to be declared Kings viz. Brick of Sweden and Haquin of Norway which was done accordingly The Nobility being now headed by a new King began to withdraw from their obedience to the old King and killed his Favourite Benedict The King who now began to see his Errors sought for Aid from the King of Denmark which so exasperated the Nobility that they obliged the young King to take up Arms against his Father which occasioned a bloody War till at last the Kingdom was divided betwixt them the Father having got Vpland Gothland Wermeland Dabt North-Halland West-Gothland and Ocland But Shâ—â—â—n Bleckingen South-Halland East-Gothland Smaland and Finland fell to the Son's share But notwithstanding this agreement the jealousie continued betwixt the Father and Son and not long after the Father having sent for his Son under pretence of some Business of great moment he was there poysoned by his Mother By his death King Magnus being put again into the possession of the whole Kingdom studied nothing but revenge against the Nobility The better to encompass his design he made an under-hand Alliance with the King of Denmark unto whom he surrendred Shonen again who not only took possession of it but also by connivance of King Magnus fell into Gothland and Oeland where he killed a great many Boors plundered the whole Country and demolished Borgholm The Swedes being thus put to a nonplus submit themselves to the protection of Haquin King of Denmark who made his Father Magnus a Prisoner in the Castle of Calmar The Senate of the Kingdom then perswaded King Haquin to marry the Daughter of Henry Earl of Holstein which he seemingly consented to at that time But the Bride in her Voyage into Sweden having been driven on the Coast of Denmark was detained by Waldemar King of Denamark who intended to marry his Daughter to King Haquin Albert Duke of Meâ—klenburgh and the Earls of Holstein did denounce War against the King of Denmark if he did not release the Bride but King Waldemar had in the mean while so well managed the Affairs with Haquin that he resolved to marry Margaret his Daughter The Bride was then set at Liberty but being arrived in Sweden was so slightly received by King Magnus who in the mean time had obtained his Liberty that she retired into a Nunnery and those Senators who urged the King to perform his Marriage Contract were by Magnus banished the Kingdom who soon after married his Son to Margaret that was then but eleven years old At this Wedding which was held at Copenhagen Waldemar caused the Parents of Haquin to be poysoned which worked so violently upon Blenha that she died immediately but King Magnus was preserved by the skill of his Physicians § 8. Those Swedish Lords that were banished by King Magnus having for some time lived in Gothland did at last agree among themselves to elect Henry Earl of Holstein King of Sweden But he being a Man in years and not willing to entangle himself in those troublesome Affairs recommended to them Albert Duke of Mecklenburgh King Magnus's Sisters Son The banished Lords therefore having chosen his second Son whose name also was Albert their King carried him into Gothland and from thence to Stockholm which they easily took being assisted by a strong party within the City Having then called together such of the Nobility as they knew to be Enemies to King Magnus they proclaimed Albert King in the City of Stockholm Magnus and his Son having thereupon got together considerable Forces both in Sweden and Denmark marched against King Albert into Vpland and were met him near by Encoping where a bloody Battle ensued the Victory inclined to Albert's side King Magnus was taken Prisoner Haquin wounded but escaped the
Hands of his Enemies During the imprisonment of King Magus Sweden was reduced to a most miserable estate by the Wars that were carried on betwixt King Albert and Haquin and Waldemar the two last sending continual Supplies into Sweden to uphold their Party and Haquin was grown so strong that he defeated King Albert in a Battel and besieged Stockholm At last it was agreed that King Magnus should have his Liberty paying a Ransom of 12000 Marks of sine Silver and resign the Crown of Sweden and Shonen to King Albert which was performed accordingly King Magnus retiring into Norway where he was drowned by accident King Haquin did not long survive his Father and his Son Olaus dying very young Queen Margaret after his decease was sole Queen of Norway By the Death of this Olaus the antient Race of the Swedish Kings was extinguished which ever since the time of St. Erick viz. for the space of 220 Years had ruled in Sweden Not long after Waldemar King of Denmark died without leaving any Male Heirs behind him In whose stead the Danes to unite Norway with Denmark declared his Daughter Margaret their Queen King Albert by the Death of his Enemies being now established in the Throne of Sweden began to slight the Swedish Nobility and to employ the Germans in his Service who grew very Rich and Potent and his Treasury being exhausted by the war which was carried on against Denmark he demanded from the States that part of the Revenues of the Clergy and some of the Lands which belonged to the Nobility should be incorporated with the Crown which they refusing to consent to he nevertheless pursued his Intentions by open Violence Whilest therefore some that were no loosers by it and hoped to partake of the Booty sided with the King the rest were consulting how to deliver themselves from these oppressions and having renounced their obedience to King Albert sought for Protection by Margaret Queen of Denmark which she granted them upon condition that if she should deliver them from King Albert she was to be Queen of Sweden Which the Swedes being forced to accept of she was proclaimed Queen of Sweden This proved the occasion of unspeakable miseries both Parties committing great Outrages in the Country which was quite exhausted before by King Albert who also at last was forced to pawn the Isle of Gothland for 20000 Nobles to the Prussian Knights of the Cross notwithstanding which being not able to defray at length the Charges of the War he challenged Queen Margaret to a Battel to be fought in the Plains of Talkoping in West-Gothland The appointed day being come a bloody Battel was fought in the before-mentioned Plain where the Queen's Forces at last obtained the Victory King Albert and his Son being taken Prisoners But this Victory rather encreased than diminished the miseries under which the Kingdom had groaned before because the Dukes of Mocklenburgh Earls of Holstein and the Hanse Towns sided with King Albert's Party who sent constant Supplies from Rostock and Wismar by Sea to Stockholm Calmar and other strong-holds in their possession from whence the German Garrisons made miserable havock all round the Country and the Sea Coasts were extreamly infested by Privateers which had quite ruined the Trade of the Kingdom This pernicious War having thus lasted seven Years a Treaty of Peace was set on foot at Helsingburgh which proving fruitless another meeting was appointed at Aleholm where it was agreed that the King his Son and the rest of the Prisoners of note should be set at Liberty under condition that he within the space of three Years resign all his pretensions to the Kingdom unto Queen Margaret or else return to Prison and that in case of failure the Cities of Lubeck Hamburgh Dantzick Thorn Elbingen Saralsund Stetin and Campen should oblige themselves to pay 60000 Marks of fine Silver to the Queen Thus King Albert returned into Mecklenburgh after he had reigned 23 Years in Sweden He had notwithstanding this agreement not laid aside his hope of recovering his Kingdom for which he had made great preparations if his Son had not died two Years after when he at the appointed time resigned his pretensions and the places as yet in his possession to the Queen and at last ended his days in his native Country of Mecklenburgh Thus Margaret became Queen over all the three Northern Kingdoms which she governed with extraordinary Wisdom yet so that the Danes were much better satisfied with her Government than the Swedes § 9. Queen Margaret having restored Peace to the Northren Kingdoms her next care was to unite these three Crowns for ever on one Head For which purpose she had sent for Henry a young Duke of Pomerania her Sister's Son whose name to please the Swedes she changed into that of Erick This Prince tho' very young was in the second Year after the releasing of King Albert proclaimed King In the Year next following the Senators and Nobility of all the three Kingdoms being assembled at Calmar where also the young Erick was crowned the Union of the three Kingdoms was proposed which at last was perfected and confirmed by Oath and by the Hands and Seals of the States of the three Kingdoms which might have tended to the great Advantage of these three Nations if the Danes had not afterwards broke this Union and endeavoured to make themselves Masters of Sweden which proved the occasion of bloody Wars betwixt these two Kingdoms But because King Erick was but very young Queen Margaret had the administration of Affairs during his Minority when the Swedes and Norwegians soon perceived that the Articles of this Union were likely to be but ill observed since the Queen preferred the Daâ—es and other Strangers much before them and what Taxes she levied in Sweedland were for the most part spent in Denmark where she generally resided In the eighth Year after King Erick was crowned Queen Margates attempted to re-gain the Isle of Gothland from the Prussian Knights without paying the Ransom but having not succeeded in her Enterpise she redeemed it for 10000 Nobles King Erick being by this time come to his riper Years married Philippa the Daughter of Henry IV. King of England and having after his Aunt 's Death which happened not long after taken upon him the sole management of Affairs he was intangled in a tedious War with Henry Earl of Holstein the Hanse Towns and the Dukes of Mecklenburgh and Saxony about the Dutchy of Sleswick which at last cost him his three Kingdoms For his Subjects being over charged with Taxes which were employed towards the War that could at the best only prove beneficial to Denmark and their Commerce being interrupted with the Hanse Towns it occasioned great discontents among them besides this the King's Officers had used the Swedes very tyrannically and the King had upon several occasions receded from the Articles of Union
England thereby to strengthen his Interest against his Brothers sent the said Dionysius into England who having writ to his Master that nothing was wanting to make up the Match but his presence the Prince would have gone forthwith into England if his Father had not opposed it who sent in his stead his second Son John and Steen Sture These being very civilly entertained by Queen Elizabeth at their return Home told the Prince that they believed nothing to be wanting to compleat the Marriage but his presence which was very joyfully received by the Prince But the old and wise King who soon perceived that they had mistaken Complements for Realities thought it advisable to Communicate the business with the Estates Assembled at Stockholm who after having confirmed the former Hereditary Union and the King's Testament at last gave their consent to this Marriage granting a considerable Supply towards the defraying of the charges of this Marriage But whilst the Prince was preparing for his Voyage part of his Baggage having been sent before he being near ready to follow in person King Gustave dyed at Stockholm and King Erick not thinking it advisable to trust his Brother with the Kingdom was forced to put by his Journey into England § 10. King Erick was twenty seven years of age when he succeeded his Father in the Kingdom His first business was to prescribe certain new Articles to his Brothers thereby to maintain the Royal Authority against them which though sorely against their will they were forced to subscribe at the Dyet held at Arboga At his Coronation he first introduced the Titles of Earls and Barons into Sweden alledging that in an Hereditary Kingdom there ought to be also Hereditary Dignities among the Nobility At his very first Accession to the Crown he was engaged in the Troubles which then sorely afflicted the Liâ—landers For some of them having put themselves under the Protection of Denmark some under the Crown of Poland those of Reval and the Nobility of Esthenland that were nearest to Sweden sought for Protection to King Erick Whereupon the King having sent an Army under the Command of Claes Horn who was joyfully received at Reval took them into his Protection and confirmed to the City and Nobility their former Privileges As soon as the Poles heard of the arrival of the Swedish Army at Reval they sent an Ambassadour to demand Reval from the Swedes who having received no other answer but that the Swedes had at least as good a Title to Reval as the Poles returned Home again and the Swedish Garrison that was besieged by the â—olish Forces in Reval forced them to quit that Enterprise Soon after the King being fully resolved to pursue his intentions concerning the Marriage with Queen Elizabeth of England Embarked at Elshorgth to go thither in person but was by a violent Tempest forced to return As he was very inconstant in his Temper and very Superstitious being much addicted to Astrology so after this misfortune he laid aside the thoughts of this Marriage for a while making his Addresses by his Ambassadours and with great Presents to Mary Queen Scotland and the Princess of Lorain both at one time and not long after to Katharine the Daughter of the Landgrave of Hessen but succeeded in neither In the mean while his Borther John had married Katharine Daughter of Sigismund King of Poland which having been done without Ring Erick's good liking who was both mistrustful of the Poles and his Brother put him into such a rage that he besieged his Brother in the Castle of Aboa which having been taken by Strategem he caused him to be sentenced to death which Sentence he however changed into a perpetual Imprisonment for that time but seemed to repent of it afterwards when the Russians demanded the said Katharine his Brother's Wife in Marriage for their Great Duke The Poles to revenge this Affront stirred up the Danes and Lubeckers against the Swedes and the Danes having affronted the Swedish Ambassadours at Copenhagen preparations were made on all sides which soon broke out into a War wherein the Swedes routed the Danes and Lubeckers in several Sea Engagements but also lost their Admiral which Ship carried two hundred Brass Guns and by Land there was great havock made on both sides with almost equal Fortune except that the Swedes had pretty good success in Livonia But whilst King Erick was engaged in War with all his Neighbours round about him the inward discontents began to increase more and more among his Subjects by the ill management which he had shown both in his Affairs and Amours being surrounded with a Seraglio of Mistrisses among whom one Katharine an ordinary Country Wench had the greatest sway over him whom he also married afterwards whereby he lost his Authority among the Nobility Besides this he was guided in most concerns of moment by one Joran â—erson his Favourite and his former Tutor Dionysius Beuraeus who fomented a continual jealousie betwixt him and the Family of the Stures which at last broke out into a fatal revenge For there having been Witnesses suborned against Suarte Sture and his Son Erick they were with several others of that Family not only committed to Prison and miserably murthered there by the King's command but he also with his own hands stab'd Nils Sture and repenting soon after of so barbarous a Fact caused his former Tutor Dionysius who advised it to be slain by his Guards A great part of the Kingdom having been put into confusion by these enormous cruelties of which the King feared the consequences he thought it his best way to prevent further inconveniencies to set his Brother John at Liberty under certain conditions and to lay the blame of these barbarities upon Joran Peerson his Favourite who having been committed to Prison the Intestine Commotions seem'd to be appeased for the present But the King having not long after been very succesful in several Engagements against the Danes whom he beat quite out of Denmark he soon after released his Favourite and not only declared him free from any imputation but also justified the death of those Lords formerly murthered at Vpsal By his advise also he would have taken from his Brothers those Provinces which were allotted them by their Father's Testament in exchange of which he proffered them some Possessions in Livonia But the Brothers having refused this proffer he again resolved to make away his Brother John at the Nuptials which were to be celebrated at Stockholm betwixt his Mistress Catharine and himself and to give his Widow in Marriage to the Grand Duke of Russia But the Brothers having been advertised of the King 's sinister intentions did not appear at the Wedding and having made an Association with several of the Nobility that were Kindred of the Lords murthered at Vpsal they resolved to dethrone King Erick The better to execute their intentions they had by the intercession of the King of Poland
Minister of France who was more intent to maintain his private Interest and Greatness against the Dauphin than to make Head against the English A Congress was proposed to be held betwixt the two Kings but this Design was frustrated by the cunning of the Dauphin who gave the Duke hopes of an entire Reconciliation to be made betwixt them both And Monterau being named for the place where they should meet the Duke of Burgundy was there questionless by instigation of the Dauphin miserably murther'd For this reason his Son Duke Philip being resolved to revenge his Father's death declared openly for the English and by his Mediation obtain'd That King Henry should marry the Princess Catharine and during the life of his Wife's Father administer the Government in his name but after his death should succeed him in the Throne The Nuptials were afterwards celebrated at Troyes in Champaigne After the Treaty had been confirmed by solemn Oaths on both sides which was also ratify'd by the three Estates assembled in Paris where the Dauphin was summon'd to appear to answer concerning the death of the Duke of Burgundy But he not appearing Sentence was given against him That he should for ever be banish'd out of France There were also some who design'd to make him away and he was forced to go from place to place but his common place of Residence was Bourges wherefore they used to call him by way of ridiculing The King of Bourges In the mean time the English took one place after another from him At last King Henry being upon his March to raise the Siege of the City of Cosne on the Loire which was besieged by the Dauphin he fell sick in his Journey thither and being carried to Bois de Vicennes there died in the flower of his Age and Felicity leaving the Administration of France to his Brother the Duke of Bedford and the Administration of England to his second Brother the Duke of Gloucester § 15. Him succeeded his Son Henry VI. a Child of eight Months old who after he was grown up degenerated from his Father's Martial Valour and by his ill management lost what his Father had got eclipsing thereby the English Glory He was after the death of Charles VI. who died not long after Henry V. proclaimed King of France in Paris In opposition to him the Dauphin Charles VII also declared himself King of France with whom sided the Bravest among the French and a great many Scots were sent to his assistance But Philip Duke of Burgundy and John Duke of Britainy held to the Confederacy with the English which was renewed at that time And then they began to fall upon one another with great fury For the French received a great Defeat near Crevant in Burgundy and were soundly beaten near Verneuil In the Year 1425 the French had besieged St. Jaques de Beuveron with Forty thousand Men the Garrison being reduc'd to great extremity prayed with a loud voice to St. George of Salisbury The Besiegers hearing the name of Salisbury very frequently among the Besieged supposed that the Earl of Salisbury was coming to raise the Siege whereat the French were so terrify'd that they run away for fear of his Name This is certain that the English for a while were Masters where-ever they came but before Orleans the carreer of their Fortune was first stopt For tho during that Siege they beat the French who came to cut off their Provisions which Battel is commonly called the Battel of the Flemmings and the City would have surrender'd it self to the Duke of Burgundy which the English would not accept of yet did they not only lose in that Siege the brave Earl of Salisbury but also the French being encouraged by a Maid called Joan that was born in Lorraine beat the English from before Orleans This Maid did several great exploits against the English and led her self in person King Charles to his Coronation in Rheims At last she was taken Prisoner by the English in an Encounter who carried her to Roan where they burnt her for a Witch But because the English perceived that after the Coronation of Charles a great many Cities sided with him they also called over their King Henry out of England and crowned him King of France in Paris About the same time a Truce was concluded by Mediation of the Pope for six Years but it lasted not long for the French during the time of the Truce possess'd themselves of several places which they had brought over to their side by cunning Insinuations pretending That any thing gained without open violence did not violate the Truce And King Charles's Maxim was Not to fight with the English but to strive to get Advantages over them rather by Policy than open force But that which gave a great blow to the English was That the Duke of Burgundy having taken a distaste at the English upon some slight occasion was reconciled to King Charles There were some small Differences arisen betwixt the Duke of Bedford and the Duke of Burgundy to compose which a meeting was appointed at St. Omer But the time being near at hand a Dispute arose which of them should appear there first it being supposed that he who should come first did thereby yield the Precedency to the other wherefore the Duke of Bedford refused to come first alledging That he being Regent of France ought not in that Quality to give preference to a Vassal of France But the Duke of Burgundy stood upon his right of being Sovereign of the place where they were to meet so that the meeting being set aside the Duke of Burgundy broke quite off with the English and afterwards assisted King Charles against them The death of the Duke of Bedford proved another Misfortune to the English For the Duke of Somerset and the Duke of York both pretended to his place and tho' the latter did obtain it yet did the first always oppose his Designs so that before the new Regent arrived Paris which had been seventeen Years in the possession of the English and a great many other Cities did surrender themselves to King Charles Yet did the Duke of Gloucester beat the Duke of Burgundy before Calais making great havock in Flanders Artois and Hainault and the brave Talbot did considerable mischief to the French But when afterwards by a Truce made with France the fury of the War ceased for a little time there was a Foundation laid in England for intestine Commotions The King had promised marriage to the Daughter of the Earl of Armagnac to prevent which the French King had made both the Earl and his Daughter Prisoners The Earl of Suffolk who was then Ambassadour in France did propose thereupon without having received any Instructions to that purpose from the King a Match betwixt the King and Margaret Daughter of Renè Duke of Anjou and King of Naples and Sicily
and afterwards persuaded the King to ratifie the same This Match was mightily opposed by the Duke of Gloucester the King's Uncle who alledged That her Father had only the bare Titles of King and Duke and that besides this great Injury was done thereby to the first Bride viz. to the Daughter of the Count of Armagnac Notwithstanding this the Match went forward and to obtain the Bride of the French Anjou and Maine were given them as a Recompence The King being thus led away by the Queen and his Favourites her first design was to revenge her self upon the Duke of Gloucester whom she accused of Male Administration and after she had got him committed to Prison caused him privately to be murther'd The death of so innocent a Man did afterwards fall heavy upon the King For the French not long after took from them all Normandy the English by reason of a Rebellion in Ireland not being in a capacity to send thither speedy and sufficient Relief They were also beaten out of Aquitain so that they had nothing left them in France but Calais and some neighbouring places neither could they afterwards ever get footing again in France This sudden loss was occasioned by the carelessness of the English Garrisons that were not provided with able Governours as also by the Pride of the English whereby they were become hatefull to the French Subjects But the chief cause was Richard Duke of York who had underhand raised intestine Commotions in England For he being sensible of the King's Weakness and how ill satisfy'd the People were with the Queen's management of Affairs hoped by fomenting and raising Troubles in the Kingdom to make way for himself to obtain the Crown and this he did principally because he pretended to have the best right to the Crown being descended by his Mother's side from Lionel Duke of Clarence third Son of King Edward III. whereas Henry was descended from John of Gaunt fourth Son of the said Edward III. but publickly he profess'd That his Intention was only to remove from the King's Person his pernicious Favourites and especially the Duke of Somerset Having therefore got an Army on foot he fought with the King's Forces in which Battel the Duke of Somerset was slain and the Duke of York thereupon declared Protector of the King's Person and the Kingdom But this Agreement did not last long and things came quickly again to an open War wherein the Duke of York being worsted was forced to fly into Ireland But not long after the Earl of Warwick did beat the King's Army and taking him Prisoner the Duke of York was again declared Protector of the King and Kingdom and lawfull Heir of the Crown under condition that Henry should retain the Title of King during his life But Matters did not remain long in this condition for the Queen who was fled into Scotland marched with a great Army against the Duke of York who was kill'd in the Battel and all the Prisoners were executed But his Son in conjunction with the Earl of Warwick raised another Army and marching up to London the young Duke of York was there proclaimed King by the Name of Edward IV. § 16. Thus Edward IV. came to the Crown but could not maintain it without great difficulty For Henry had got together a very powerfull Army in the North against whom Edward fought the most bloody Battel that was ever fought in England there being 36796 Men killed upon the spot because Edward knowing his Enemies to be superiour in number had ordered not to give Quarter to any of them After which Battel Henry retired into Scotland from whence he returned with another Army and being again defeated with much adoe got safely into Scotland But returning again incognito into England he was taken Prisoner and committed to the Tower This Prince would have made a better Priest than a King of such a Nation that was distracted by the Animosities of several Factions But the Tragedy did not end here The King had sent the Earl of Warwick into France to conclude a Match betwixt him and Bona the Daughter of Lewis Duke of Savoy But the King having in the mean time suddenly married Elizabeth the Widow of John Gray the Earl was so dissatisfy'd at it that he declared for King Henry and having brought over to his Party the Duke of Clarence the Brother of King Edward he fell upon a sudden upon Edward and took him Prisoner but by the carelessness of his Keepers he escaped not long after And tho' an Agreement was then made betwixt them yet was it of no long continuance for the Earl of Warwick's Forces were routed and he forced to fly into France As soon as he had recover'd himself a little he returned into England where he was so well received that he forced King Edward to fly into the Netherlands to Charles Duke of Burgundy And King Henry after he had been nine Years a Prisoner in the Tower was again set upon the Throne But Edward having received some Assistance from the Duke of Burgundy returned again into England but perceiving that but few came in to him he made an Agreement with King Henry which he confirm'd with a solemn Oath That he would not undertake any thing against him but be contented with his own Estate Yet notwithstanding his Oath he underhand gathered what Forces he could The Earl of Warwick therefore marched towards him when the Duke of Clarence being reconcil'd to his Brother King Edward went over with all his Forces to him This gave a signal blow to the Earl of Warwick who being now not strong enough to oppose him was forced to let him march up to London where he was joyfully received by the Londoners to whom as 't is said he owed much Money and was very acceptable to their Wives but King Henry was committed again to the Tower Then King Edward attack'd the Earl of Warwick where a bloody Battel was fought the Victory seeming at first to incline on the Earl's side But some of his Troops by reason of a thick Fogg charged one upon another which lost him the Battel he remaining with a great many other persons of Quality slain in the Field There happened also this misfortune That King Henry's Lady and his Son Edward having got together very considerable Forces in France could not come time enough to his assistance having been detained by contrary Winds and coming afterwards into England she was taken Prisoner and her Son kill'd and King Henry also was murthered by the Hand of the bloody Duke of Gloucester England being thus restor'd to its Tranquility at home Charles Duke of Burgundy who was in hopes of getting an advantage by a War betwixt England and France stirr'd up King Edward against Lewis XI King of France But King Lewis who was not ignorant how mischievous the Confederacy of England and Burgundy might prove to him did endeavour to detain