48j 
GERMANY. 
of public tranquillity. The mlldners of his adminif- 
tratiou, United with his ftridl adherence to juftice, ef- 
feftually conciliated the efleem of his fubjedts; his 
court became numerous, fplendid, and polite ; and al- 
inoft all tlie princes who had formerly thwarted his 
meafures now began to folicit his friendthip and pro- 
tedlion. In tliis profperous (late of his affairs he was 
unfortunately killed by a fall from his horfe, A. D. 13431 
in the thirty-fecond year of his reign. 
Cliarles IV. of Luxemburg, was grandfon of Henry 
VIII. and king of Bohemia in his mother’s right. He 
received an excellent education at the court of Charles 
tlie Fair, king of France ; and gave fo many proofs of 
his valour upon fubfequent occafions, that he was uni- 
verfally beloved by the Bohemians; who, upon his fa¬ 
ther’s deceafe, declared him their lawful fovereign. 
Alter Charles liad fpent about feven years in arranging 
the aliairs of the empire, he took a journey to Milan, 
i'j *3 55) where he was crowned king of Lombardy. On 
his return to Germany, he convoked a diet at Nurem- 
burg, in order to regulate the future eleftion of the 
emperors, and the number of eledtors. It was accord- 
ingly refolved, that the form and ceremonies to be ob- 
lerved on thole occafions, together with the number, 
rights, and privileges, of the eledtors, fliould be written 
and publifhed in the form of an edidt. This edidl re¬ 
ceived the name of the Golden Bull, from a golden feal 
called bulla ; which decreed, that the territories by 
which the great offices of the (late were held, fhould 
defcend to their heirs male for ever, in perpetual entail, 
entire and indivifible : and the emperor prepared a mag¬ 
nificent entertainment on the occafion. The city of 
Mentz was honoured with the firft exhibition of this 
new ceremonial, Charles and his emprefs repaired, in 
their royal robes, to a magnificent platform which rofe 
from the centre of the market place, and was covered 
with a fumptuous banquet. The archbifhops of Mentz, 
Triers, and Cologne, as high-chancellors of Germany, 
Gaul, and Italy, prefented themfelves on horl'eback, 
each having a leal depending from his neck, and a letter 
in his hand. From the farthelt part of the market¬ 
place came up, at full gallop, the duke of Saxony, as 
chief marflial, bearing a filver meafure of oats in his 
hand ; and, as it was his province to regulate the pre¬ 
cedency of his colleagues, he alighted, and affigned to 
each liis proper ftation. The marquis of Brandenburg, 
grand-mafler of the palace, then poured out water for 
tlie emperor and emprefs to wafh ; the count palatine 
ferved up the repafl in a fervice of gold ; and the duke 
of Luxemburg, reprel'entative of the king of Bohemia 
in the office of chief butler, poured out wine for their 
majellies to drink. The marquis of Mifnia and the 
count of Schwartzenburg, as chief huntfmen, exhibited 
the fpedlacle of the death of a fiag and a bear ; and the 
entertainment was concluded with a liberal dillribution 
of prefents'. 
After this folemnity, Charles applied himfelf fedu- 
JoLilIy to the encouragement of the liberal arts, the re¬ 
formation of his clergy, and the impartial adminiftra- 
tion of juftice; but he gradually funk into a ftate of 
defpondency, and paid little attention to the affairs of 
his dominions. Yet, notwithflandiiig his fupine con- 
dudf, he fucceeded in procuring the eledlion of his fon 
Winceflaus as king of the Romans, He then undertook 
a journey to France, for the hole pleafure of revifiting 
a country for whicli he had ever entertained an affedlion ; 
and, fdon after his return to Prague, he was feized 
with a fever, which terminated his life, in the thirty- 
fecond year of his reign, A. D. 1378. Befides tlie 
Golden Bull, diaries enadted feveral lalutary laws and 
conflitutions ; and ordered tlie feall of Charlemagne to 
be annually celebrated in the church of Aix-la-Chapelle. 
Winceflaus fucceeded his father in the empire, when 
fcarcely feventeen years of age : and his firft public adl 
Vql. VIII. No. 519. 
was defigned to heal a fchifm of the church, which had 
been occafioned by the competition of the two pontifl's 
who had affumed the names of Urban VI. and Cle¬ 
ment VII. But, notwithflaiiding his feeming attention 
to the interefts of religion, he foon exhibited the mofi 
vicious inclinations, and ahandoned himfelf to all kinds 
of licentioufnefs; ^hile the provinces became an cafy 
prey to banditti, and many cities were obliged to engage 
in affociations for their mutual defence. Two attempts 
were made to take him off by poifon, but both failed 
in their effedt. Winceflaus, as fome fay from the dele¬ 
terious eftect of the poifon, acquired an habit of drunk- 
ennefs, which augmented his natural tyranny, and en- 
flamed him to fuch a. degree of fury, that it was dan¬ 
gerous to be near him. Among other a6ts of cruelty, 
he is faid to have ordered his confort’s confeffor to be 
drowned, becaufe he would not reveal the particulars 
of her confeflion; caufed his cook to be roafled alive, 
for having ill prepared a difh of meat; (truck off the 
head of a common executioner, with whom he had 
contradted a difgraceful intimacy ; and fentenced all 
the magiftrates of the chief tribunal at Prague to be 
decapitated in a fingle day, without the formality of a 
trial. This was afterwards imputed to infanity ; and 
the princes of the empire folemnly depofed him, and 
eledled Frederic duke of Brunfwic to the fupreme dig¬ 
nity. The violence of his temper, however, remained 
unabated, and finally occafioned his death : for being 
fuddenly alarmed by a tumult in the city of Prague, 
and one of his domeflics imprudently faying that he 
had been apprifed of this diflurbance, Winceflaus flew 
upon him, pullqd him to the ground by die hair of his 
head, and abandoned himfelf to fuch ungovernable 
fury, that he fell down in an apoplectic fit, and expired, 
in the fifty-feventh year of his age. 
Frederic of Brunfwic being all'aflinated, A.D, 1400, 
the electors conferred the fovereignty upon Robert 
count palatine, and caufed him to be folemnly confe- 
crated in the church of Cologne. At the earneft feli¬ 
citation of the electors, he undertook an expedition 
into Italy, in order to reitore the affairs of that country 
to their former fituation : but John Galeazzo, duke ot 
Milan, haraffed him in fuch a manner, that, notwith- 
ftanding fome confiderable reinforcements which he re« 
ceived from Aultria, he found it impoffible to achieve 
any advantage, and was compelled to return into Ger¬ 
many. Tlie fubfequent death of Galeazzo offered a 
more favourable opportunity of retrieving the imperial 
authority ; but the eleCtors of Mentz, Triers, and Co¬ 
logne, refilled to grant any liibfidies for a fecond expe¬ 
dition, and Robert was confequently obliged to remain 
at home. 
After chaftifing Bernard marquis of Baden, for hav¬ 
ing effabliflied tolls in his dominions, contrary to the 
regulations of the public peace, and witneffing the 
happy termination of a war between the city of Baill 
and the houfe of Auftria, Robert folaced himfelf with 
the idea of having extinguifhed all the faCtions in Ger¬ 
many. But the elector of Mentz (till contrived to vex 
and alarm him, by forming affociations againft the im¬ 
perial authority, and erecting a ftrong fortrefs atflorhll 
in open defiance of his orders. The emperor was highlj'' 
incenfed at thefe proceedings; and, after fome time, 
determined to curb his enemy’s infolence by force of 
arms: but this defign was fruftrated by a fever, whicli 
put a period to his life, in the ninth year of his reign, 
A. D. 1411. 
This prince acquired the furname of Short, on ac= 
count of his flature ; but he was remarkably active and 
vigorous, pofTeffed great penetration, and had mada 
fome progrefs in the ftudy of literature. His reign 
was more diflinguifhed by juftice and clemency, than 
confpicuous for martial exploits ; and the only blemifh 
in his character was avarice. Flc left three daughters 
d H by 
