486 GERMANY. 
by his emprefs Eliz;ibeth ; and his remains were fo- 
leiunly interred at Heidelberg, where he had founded 
an academy. 
After tlie death of Robert, Joffe marquis of Moravia 
was regularly eledled at Frankfort: but his promotion 
was vigoroufly oppofed by Sigifmund, brother to Win- 
ceflaus ; many of tlie imperial cities refufed to take the 
cuftomary oaths of allegiance ; and death put a period 
to his authority, after he had worn the diadem about 
three months. 
Sigifmund afcended the imperial throne in 1411, and 
employed his fird attention in remedying tlie grievances 
which had long prevailed in the provinces, and the 
Ichifm wliich had, forthirty years, diltradled the church. 
Accordingly, after effecting an accommodation between 
fome hodile noblemen, and concluding a treaty with 
the king of Poland againd the Teutonic Order, he con¬ 
curred v/ith pope Jolm XXII. for convoking a council 
at Condance, and deliberating upon meafures for ter¬ 
minating tlte fchifm and herefy of the Pluflites. 
The reign of this prince was very little didurbed by 
the devadations of war; and without difficulty he got 
the fucceilion fettled in favour of his fon-in-law, Albert 
duke of Audria. This was one of his lad actions ; and 
he died in tlie feventieth year of his age, having reigned 
fifty years in Hungary ; twenty-feven in quality of em¬ 
peror of Germany, and feventeen as king of Bohemia. 
Sigifmund was equally remarkable for his comelinefs 
and majedic deportment: lie was a liberal rewarder of li¬ 
terary merit; and his own learning was fo extenfive as to 
have gained him the epithet of “ Light of the World.” 
Albert II. furnamed the Grave and the Magnani¬ 
mous, Was honoured with the crowns of Hungary, Bo¬ 
hemia, and Germany, A.D. 1438. Caiimir of Poland, 
who had oppofed his election, was compelled to bow 
before his refidlefs arms ; and Itis general conduct, both 
in the field and the cabinet, was, in all refpedts, worthy 
of applaufc. But tvhile hisnumeroiis fubjeits rejoiced 
in the contemplation of his actomplilhments. and while 
his vigorous conditution promifed many years of feli¬ 
city, he died of an indigedion, caufed by an over quan¬ 
tity of fruit, and his remains were folemnly interred at 
Weilfenberg. Adbert was of a tall dature, and extra¬ 
ordinary drength ; he podeded the virtues of jiidice 
and munificence in a very eminent degree; and his me¬ 
mory is revered on account of his zeal for religion and 
the true intereds of his people. 
After the demife of Albert, in 1440, the electors 
placed Frederic of Audria upon the imperial throne ; 
and lie made- fome laudable exertions, in the com¬ 
mencement of his reign, for the regulation of the 
poliqe, and an impartial adminidration of judice. He 
a!fo drove to extinguidi the fchifm which dill con¬ 
tinued to didradl the church, and, at the council of 
Bafil, he propofed terms of conciliation between the 
popes Felix and Eugenius ; but as his propodtions vvere 
totally difregarded, he left them to accommodate their 
did'erences themfelves. A rupture between the Swifs 
and Andrian;, involved the emperor in greater difficul¬ 
ties, and induced him to folicit the aid of Charles VII. 
of France, after he had unfuccefsfully applied to all 
the princes of the empire. Charles readily granted his 
requed, and lent the dauphin with forty thoufand men 
into Germany, wiiere he defeated the Swifs with pro¬ 
digious daughter : but the victorious troops committed 
Inch outrages in Alface, that the dates began to be fe- 
rioufly alarmed, and even threatened to take up arms 
againd France. However, this meafure was prevented 
by negociation, and the dauphin retired to his father’s 
dominions. 
^ Frederic now returned to Audria-, w'here he found 
himfelf involved in very ferious difficulties, by a dil- 
pute witii the Hungarians, whom he had irritated by 
detaining their young king, Ladidaus, at his court, and 
4 
delaying to redore their crown and regalia, which were 
in his podellion. The princes of the empire expreffed 
their difapprobation of his conduCl in drong terms, 
and a number of Bohemians expodulated with him 
upon the fame fubjeCl : but he continued to amufe 
them with evafions, till he was, in 1453, compelled by 
hodililies to fign an accommodation. 
Frederic now received intelligence that Charles duke 
of Burgundy had augmented his paternal inheritance, 
by the addition of Zutphen and Guelderland ; and that 
his ambition had prompted liim to tamper with fome of 
the eleCIors, in hopes of being cliofen king of the Ro. 
mans. But, Ihortly after this difeovery, Charlesaltered 
his fclieme, and refolved to cultivate the frienddiip of 
ti>e emperor, who, he fuppofed, miglit be eafily per- 
luaded to ereCt his duchy into a kingdom, and confer 
upon h.im the title of vicar of the empire in thofe parts. 
Having made tliis determination, he invited Frederic to 
an interview at Triers, in 1471, and even prepared a 
throne, canopy, and regalia, for the expefted ceremony ; 
but when the emperor had received the homage which 
was to be the price of his confent, he departed, under 
pretence of urgent bulinefs, on the very day appointed 
for tlie coronation. Having tiius converted the duke’s 
toi’Dle to his ovvn advantage, Frederic contented himfelf 
with keeping an obfervant eye upon his motions : he 
faw him exhauft his llrength in a war againd his fub- 
jects, come to an open rupture with France, and perifli 
in a combat witli the Swii's, leaving an only daughter, 
Mary of Burgundy, vvho was reputed the richefi heirefs 
in Europe. This conjundhire was exactly fuited to the 
wiflies of the emperor, who gained over tlie Flemings, 
and perfuaded’them to bellow tlie hand of their dtichefs 
on Ills fon Maximilian, whom he had procured to be 
eleclcd king of the Romans. From this period he re- 
pofed upon Maximilian tlie chief weight of the govern¬ 
ment, tiiough, from a review of his condudl, it does 
not appear to have been a very heavy burthen upon his 
ovvn Ihoiilders. At the age of leventy-nine years he 
lubmitted to the amputation of an ulcerated leg ; but 
the fever which followed that operation conducted him 
to the grave. 
Frederic III. was a prince of an agreeabie air and 
majellic countenance. He was plain in his apparel, 
moderate in his pallions, and fo remarkably abftemious 
that his lite is laid to have refembled a continual fall. 
From Ills natural averfion to war he was furnamed the 
Pacific, yet the incoiillancy of his temper often prompted 
him to embark in a quarrel. He was endowed with a 
fund of low cunning, and a tenacious memory, but-he 
appears to have been equally deflitute of courage, re- 
folution, and generofity. It mull, however, be re¬ 
marked, that he greatly aggrandifed the wealth and 
power of the houfe of Aullria. 
His fon Maximilian I. was invelled with the fiipreme 
autliority, by the unanimous confent of the eledlors, 
A. D. 1493. Shortly after his coronation, he entered a 
fecond time into the conjugal Hate, and efpoufed 
Blanche Maria, filler to the duke of Milan, famed for 
lier perfonal cliarms and amiable qualities. Fie then 
appointed his fon Pliilip governor of the Low=coun- 
tries; and convoked a diet at Worms, where he caufed 
a colillitution to be enatted for the prefervation of tlie 
public tranquillity, and decreed tliat the imperial 
chamber, which had hitherto travelled about with the 
court, Ihould be llationary. 
Upon the redudlion of Naples by Charles VIII. the 
emperor and the princes of Italy engaged in a league 
againll that monarch, and their confederacy was joined 
by Ferdinand and Habella of Spain. Maximilian em¬ 
braced this favourable opportunity to propole a match, 
which afterwards took place, between his fon Philip 
and the infanta Joanna, and wliich proved no lefs ad- 
vaiUagcoiis to the Aullrian family tnan that of the em. 
peror 
