HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 77 



breast as many of the enemy's lances as he could embrace, thus making an 

 opening in their line through which his brethren poured in, and scattering 

 the Austrian forces, gained the battle. 



Henry VII., Count of Luxemburg, who obtained the German crown, 

 1308, died of poison, 1313, in Italy, where he had gone to re-establish the 

 German claim of empire. On his death, Frederic of Austria and Louis 

 of Bavaria appeared as rival candidates for the vacant throne. After a 

 contest of more than seven years, Louis secured his own election, and 

 received the purple, 1322. Pope John XXII. had officiated as arbiter 

 during the existence of the quarrel, intending to secure the crown to the 

 French king. Greatly displeased at the accession of Louis, the pope de- 

 manded of him to deposit his crown till the papal decision had been made. 

 The king of course declined the suggestion, and even gave efficient aid to 

 John's enemies in Italy. The pope, at this time, resided at Avignon in 

 France. He at once thundered forth his ban and interdict against Louis, 

 1321:. The latter, in turn, appealed to a general council, which deposed 

 John and replaced him by Nicholas Y. Louis then had himself proclaimed 

 emperor in Rome, by excommunicated bishops, 1328. The decease of John 

 did not disperse the adversaries of Louis, who now found himself opposed 

 by Charles, Margrave of Moravia, who had been nominated to the throne of 

 Germany by the party of Clement YI. He was too timorous to carry out 

 his scheme, when, fortunately for him, Louis died, 1347. He then ascended 

 the German throne under the name of Charles lY. He aimed chieflv at 

 his personal advantage, and the elevation of his allodial country, Bohemia. 

 With this latter design in view, he transferred the royal residence 

 to Prague, where he also founded the first German university, 1349. 

 He effected an important change in the German constitution. The Golden 

 Seal confirmed the new fundamental law, proclaiming the seven princes 

 who were to elect the German king and Roman emperor, and the place and 

 manner of the election. This w^as the most prominent w^ork of Charles lY., 

 w^ho died, 1378. 



Wenceslaus III., surnamed the drunkard, succeeded his father in the 

 same year, chosen by electors who had been bribed while his father w^as 

 yet alive. 



Rival kings were set up against Wenceslaus, first in the person of Palatine 

 Rupert, and after his death, 1410, in Sigismund of Hungary (1410-1437), 

 his own brother, and finally in Jodocus of Moravia. At the same time, 

 three popes were disputing about the pontifical see. 



The anarchy necessarily arising, in consequence of so many different 

 claims to supremacy, renewed the times when the w^ill of the strongest w^as 

 the only law. Wenceslaus was rough, seldom left Bohemia, and even there 

 terrified his subjects so much, that history has given him the title of the 

 second Nero. Prague having become hardly an eligible place for the cul- 

 tivation of sciences, the university was removed to Leipsic, 1409. 



The confusion of all church afiairs, arising from the disgraceful rivalry 

 of the three popes, was finally arrested by the Council of Constance, 1415, 

 convened by Sigismund, when two popes had already been deposed, and a 



249 



