(1912) heroes of the middle ages: aleric to columbus

8/9/2019 (1912) Heroes of the Middle Ages: Aleric to Columbus

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REFERENCg

MYPOBUCUBHAHY THE


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CBTTKAL CHILESDCNNELL LIBBAKY CENTER


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' TOLDTHROUGHTHEAGES"

HEROES OF THE MIDDLE AGES


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PETER THE HERMIT PREACHING THE FIRST CRUSADE


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HEROES OFTHE MIDDLE AGES

(ALARIC TO COLUMBUS)

BYEVA MARCH TAPPAN Pn.D.AUTHOR OF

'THE STORY OF THE GREEK PEOPLE''THE STORY OF THE ROMAN PEOPLK*' IN FEUDAL TIMES ' ETC.

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< . - I > . .

GEORGE G. HARRAP 6- COMPANY LTD.LONDON BOMBAY SYDNEY


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First publishedJuly ignby GEORGE G. HARRAP Co.

39-41 Parker Street, Kingsway, London, W.C.2Reprinted March 1913

Reprinted in the present series: April 1912 ; May 1914;July 79/7: October 1919; April 1922; June 1924;

October 1926; May 1928

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I I '"Io e **

Printed in Great Britain by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh


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PrefaceHAVE sometimes wondered if every one realizeshow startlingly independent and isolated a historicalfact is to the young reader. It has happenedhis remembrance, and that alone is enough to put

into another world. It is outside of his own experience.has appeared to him by no familiar road, but fromregions of space.The object of this book is to bring together storiesthe most

important movements in the history ofduring the Middle Ages, ?,nd to make familiarnames of the most important ngures in those scenes.have endeavoured tc weave a tapestry in which, withcolour, may be traced the nistory of the rise and fall

the various nationalities and the circumstances andof life of each in short, to give the young reader

approximation to the background for the study of hishistory which a wide reading gives to a man.EVA MARCH TAPPAN


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ContentsTHE FIRST PERIOD

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONCHAP. PAGE

I. ALARIC THE VISIGOTH BESIEGES ROME . A.D. 408 17II. ATTILA THE HUN is DEFEATED AT CHALONS 451 27

III. GENSERIC THE VANDAL SACKS ROME 455 32

THE SECOND PERIODTHE FORMING OF THE GERMANIC NATIONS

IV. THE TEUTONS AND THEIR MYTHS 35V. THE STORY OF THE NIBELUNGS . 41VI. CLOVIS BECOMES FIRST KING OF THE FRANKS 486 46VII. THEODORIC THE OSTROGOTH BECOMES RULER

OF ITALY 493 53VIII. CHARLES MARTEL REPELS THE MOHAM-

MEDANS AT TOURS ..... 732 56IX. CHARLEMAGNE is CROWNED EMPEROR OF THE

ROMANS . ..... 800 68


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8 Heroes of the Middle AgesTHE THIRD PERIOD

THE TEUTONIC INVASIONSCHAP. PAGEX. THE COMING OF THE TEUTONS TO ENGLAND A.D. 449 73

XI. THE STORY OF BEOWULF . . . .... 81XII. SAINT PATRICK PREACHES IN IRELAND

Fifth Century 85XIII. THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR

Fifth or Sixth Century 91XIV. KING ALFRED THE GREAT RULES ENG-

LAND 871-901 95XV. RURIK THE NORSEMAN BECOMES RULER IN

RUSSIA About 862 100XVI. ROLLO THE VIKING MAKES PERMANENT

SETTLEMENTS IN FRANCE . .About 911 105XVII. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR CONQUERS ENG-

LAND 1066 110XVIII. LEIF ERICSSON VISITS THE COAST OF NEW

ENGLAND 1001 123

THE FOURTH PERIODTHE RISE OF NATIONALITIES

XIX. HENRY THE FOWLER FOUNDS THE GERMANMONARCHY . 919 128

XX. HUGH CAPET BECOMES THE FIRST KING OFTHE FRENCH . 987 132


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Contents 9CHAP. PAGEXXI. THE CID CAPTURES VALENCIA . . . 1094 135XXII. MAGNA CHARTA SIGNED BY KING JOHN A.D. 1215 140XXIII. THE LIFE or THE KNIGHT . . .... 146XXIV. COUNTRY LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES . ... 153XXV. TOWN LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES. . ... 159

THE FIFTH PERIODTHE CRUSADES

XXVI. PETER THE HERMIT LEADS THE FIRSTCRUSADE 1096 164

XXVII. RICHARD THE LION-HEARTED LEADS THETHIRD CRUSADE .... 1189 174

XXVIII. THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE . . . 1212 182

THE SIXTH PERIODTHE TIME OF PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY

XXIX. ROGER BACON, A PIONEER IN SCIENCE ANDPHILOSOPHY . . . . .... 187

XXX. MARCO POLO VISITS THE GREAT KHAN OFCHINA .... About 1270 190

XXXI. FRANCESCO PETRARCH, " FATHER OF THEREVIVAL OF LEARNING" . . 1304-1374 195

XXXII. THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE . . 1453 200XXXIII. JOHN GUTENBERG INVENTS PRINTING

About 1450 204XXXIV. COLUMBUS DISCOVERS AMERICA . . 1492 209


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lo Heroes of the Middle AgesCHAP. PAGEXXXV. VASCO DA GAMA REACHES INDIA BY

ROUNDING AFRICA . . . A.D. 1498 219XXXVI. FERDINAND MAGELLAN LEADS THE FIRSTVOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD 1519-1522 222

THE SEVENTH PERIODTHE STRUGGLES OF THE NATIONS

XXXVII. ROBERT BRUCE WINS AT BANNOCKBURNAND FREES SCOTLAND . . . 1314 227

XXXVIII. THE STORIES OF WILLIAM TELL ANDARNOLD VON WINKELRIED, SwissPATRIOTS . . Fourteenth Century 233

XXXIX. THE BLACK PRINCE THE HERO OFCRCY 1346 239XL. JOAN OF ARC THE GIRL COMMANDER

3411?-1431 244-INDEX * 249


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Countries and Topics referred toin the Text

CHINACHAP. PAGEXXX. MARCO POLO VISITS CHINA .... 190

FRANCE AND GERMANYII. ATTILA THE HUN ..... 27V. THE STORY OF THE NIBELUNGS ... 41

VI. CLOVIS. ....... 46VIII. CHARLES MARTKL .... 56IX. CHARLEMAGNE ...... 68XVI. ROLLO ,105XIX. HENRY THE FOWLER . , . . . 128XX. HUGH CAPET 132

XXVI. PETER THE HERMIT ..... 164XXXII. JOHN GUTENBERG ..... 204XL. JOAN OF ARC ...,,. 244

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELANDX. THE COMING OF THE TEUTONS TO ENGLAND. 73XI. THE STORY OF BEOWULF . . . . 81

XII. SAINT PATRICK ...... 8511


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1 2 Heroes of the Middle AgesCHAP. PAGEXIII. THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR . . . 91XIV. KING ALFRED THE GREAT ... 95XVII. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR . . . . 110XXII. MAGNA CHARTA . . . . . . 140

XXVII. RICHARD THE LION-HEARTED . . . 174XXIX. ROGER BACON 187

XXXVII. ROBERT BRUCE ...... 227XXXIX. THE BLACK PRINCE 239

ITALYI. ALARIC THE VISIGOTH . . . . . 17

III. GENSERIC THE VANDAL . 32VII. THEODORIC THE OSTROGOTH. . 53

XXXI. FRANCESCO PETRARCH ..... 195RUSSIAXV. RURIK THE NORSEMAN BECOMES RULER IN

RUSSIA ....... 100SPAIN

XXI. THE CID 135

SWITZERLANDXXXVIII. WILLIAM TELL AND ARNOLD VON WINKELRIED 233

TURKEYXXXII. THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE . . 200


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Countries and Topics referred to 13EARLY VOYAGES

CHAP. PAGEXVIII. LEIF ERICSSON 123XXXIV. COLUMBUS 209XXXV. VASCO DA GAMA . 219XXXVI. FERDINAND MAGELLAN 222

THE MOHAMMEDANSVIII. MOHAMMED..... 56XXI. THE MOORS IN SPAIN . . . . 135XXVII. SALADIN 174

XXXII. THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE . . 200

GENERAL TOPICSIV. THE TEUTONS AND THEIR MYTHS 35

XXIII. THE LIFE OF THE KNIGHT . . . 146XXIV. COUNTRY LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES . 153XXV. TOWN LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES . 159

XXVI.-XXVIII. THE CRUSADFS . ... 164-186XXXIII. THE INVENTION OF PRINTING 204


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Full-Page IllustrationsPAGE

PETER THE HERMIT PREACHING THE FIRST CRUSADE . FrontispieceMAP OF EUROPE ........ 14-THE HUNS 23PROCESSION OF A KINO AND CLERGY .... 49THE VISION OF MOHAMMED ...... 6lCHARLES MARTEL IN THE BATTLE OF TOURS... 65SAINT GREGORY AND THE ENGLISH SLAVE CHILDREN . 77SAINT PATRICK BAPTIZING TWO IRISH MAIDENS . . 87MAP SHEWING ROUTES OF THE VIKING EXPEDITIONS . 107DEATH OF EDWARD THE CONFESSOR . . . . IllWILLIAM ENTERING LONDON 115CORONATION OF WILLIAM I . . . . . . 119KING JOHN 141MAP OF THE CRUSADES 167THE STORMING OF JERUSALEM 171RICHARD AND PHILIP AT THE SIEGE OF ACRE . . 177THE CHILDREN CROSSING THE ALPS . . . . 183COLUMBUS LANDS IN AMERICA . . . . . 211SHIPS OF COLUMBUS 215CORONATION OF BRUCE 229GESSLER AND TELL 235" SHE HEARD MYSTERIOUS VOICES " . . . . . 247

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Heroes ofThe Middle Ages

Chapter IAlaric the Visigoth

But thou, imperial City! thou hast stoodIn greatness once, in sackcloth now and tears,A mighty name, for evil orfor good,Even in the loneness of thy widowed years;Thou that hast gazed, as the ivorld hurried by,Upon its headlong course with sad prophetic eye.MATTHEW ARNOLD.

IFan Italian country boy had been taken to visitRome fifteen hundred years ago, he would havefound much to see. There were temples and

theatres and baths. There were aqueducts, some-times with arches one hundred feet high, stretching farout into the country to bring pure water to the city.There was an open space known as the Forum, wherethe people came together for public meetings, and inthis space were beautiful pillars and arches and statuesof famous Romans. Around the Forum were palacesand temples and the Senate House ; and directly infront of the Senate House was a platform on whichspeakers stood when they wished to address the people.

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1 8 Heroes of the Middle AgesThe platform was called the rostrum, which is a Latinword, meaning the beak of a warship, because it wasadorned with the beaks of ships which the Romans hadcaptured. Another open space was the great race-course, the Circus Maximus, in which 250,000 peoplecould sit and watch leaping, wrestling, boxing, foot-races, and especially the famous four-horse chariot races.There was the Coliseum, too, where gladiators, generallycaptives or slaves, fought with one another or with wildbeasts.The Roman streets were narrow, and they seemed stillnarrower because many houses were built with their

upper stories projecting over the lower ; but in thosenarrow streets there was always something of interest.Sometimes it was a wedding procession with torches andsongs and the music of the flute. Sometimes it was afuneral train with not only the friends of the dead man,but also trumpeters and pipers. In the long line walkedhired actors wearing waxen masks made to imitate thefaces of the dead person's ancestors. Early in themorning, one could see crowds of clients, each onehastening to the home of his patron, some wealthy man,who was expected to give him either food or money.Rome was built upon seven hills, and most of these menof wealth lived either on the Palatine or the Esquiline

Hill. After a patron had received his clients, he atea light meal and then attended to his business, if he hadany. About noon he ate another meal and had a nap.When he awoke, he played ball or took some otherexercise. Then came his bath ; and this was quite alengthy affair, for there was not only hot and cold bath-ing, but there was rubbing and scraping and anointing.At the public baths were hot rooms and cold rooms and


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Alaric the Visigoth 19rooms where friends might sit and talk together, or lieon couches and rest. Dinner, the principal meal of theday, came at two or three o'clock. Oysters were oftenserved first, together with radishes, lettuce, sorrel, andpickled cabbage. These were to increase the keennessof the appetite. Then came fish, flesh, and fowl, courseafter course. Next came cakes and fruits, and last,wine followed, mixed with water and spices. Theformal banquets were much more elaborate than this,for a good host must load his table with as many kindsof expensive food as possible ; and a guest who wishedto show his appreciation must eat as much as he could.The whole business of a feast was eating, and there wasseldom any witty conversation. No one sung any songsor told any merry stories.Such was the life of the wealthy Romans. Moreover,they kept hosts of slaves to save themselves from everyexertion. Their ancestors had been brave patriotic folk,who loved their country and thought it was an honourto fight for it ; but these idle, luxurious people were notwilling to give up their comfort and leisure and to enterthe army. Hired soldiers could defend their fatherland,they thought.The time had come when Rome needed to be defended.In the early days, it had been only a tiny settlement, but

it had grown in power till the Romans ruled all Europesouth of the Rhine and the Danube, also Asia Minor,Northern Africa, and Britain. Nearly all the people ofEurope are thought to have come from Central Asia.One tribe after another moved to the westward fromtheir early home into Europe, and when the huntingand fishing became poor in their new settlements, theywent on still farther west. The Celts came first, pushing


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20 Heroes of the Middle Agestheir way through Central Europe, and finally intoFrance, Spain, and the British Isles. Later, the Latinsand Greeks took possession of Southern Europe. Mean-while the Celts had to move faster than they wished intoFrance, Spain, and Britain, because another race, theTeutons, had followed close behind them, and takenpossession of Central Europe. These Teutons, wholived a wild, restless, half-savage life, roamed backand forth between the Danube and the shores of the BalticSea. They consisted of many different tribes, but theRomans called them all Germans. For many years theGermans had tried to cross the Danube and the Rhine,and break into the Roman Empire, but the Romanarmies had driven them back, and had destroyed theirrude villages again and again. Sometimes, however,the Germans were so stubborn in their efforts to getinto the

empire that the Roman emperors found itconvenient to admit certain tribes as allies.As time went on, a tribe of Teutons called Gothsbecame the most troublesome of all to the Romans. Part

of them lived on the shores of the Black Sea, and werecalled Ostrogoths, or Eastern Goths ; while those wholived near the shores of the Danube were called Visigoths,or Western Goths. Toward the end of the fourthcentury, the Visigoths found themselves between twofires, for another people, the Huns, were driving theminto the Roman Empire, and the Romans were drivingthem back. The Visigoths could not fight both nations,and in despair they sent ambassadors to the Romans." Let us live on your side of the river," they pleaded." Give us food, and we will defend the frontier for you."The bargain was made, but it was broken by both parties.It had been agreed that the Goths should give up their


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Alaric the Visigoth 2 1arms, but they bribed the Roman officers and kept them.The Romans had promised to furnish food, but they didnot keep their word. Hungry warriors with weaponsin their hands make fierce enemies. The Goths revolted,and the Roman Emperor was slain.

ALARIC AT ATHENSAs the years passed, the Goths grew stronger and theRomans weaker. By and by, a man named Alaricbecame leader of the Visigoths. He and his followershad fought under Roman commanders. He had been

in Italy twice, and he began to wonder whether it wouldnot be possible for him and his brave warriors to fight


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22 Heroes of the Middle Agestheir way into the heart of the Roman Empire. Onenight he dreamed that he was driving a golden chariotthrough the streets of Rome and that the Roman citizenswere thronging about him and shouting, " Hail, OEmperor, hail ! ' Another time, when he was passingby a sacred grove, he heard, or thought he heard, a voicecry, " You will make your way to the city." " Thecity ' meant Rome, of course ; and now Alaric calledhis chief men together and laid his plans before them.First, they would go to Greece, he said. The warlikeGoths shouted for joy, for in the cities of Greece weretreasures of gold and silver, and these would fall into thehands of the victors. They went on boldly, and beforelong Alaric and his followers were feasting in Athens,while great masses of treasure were waiting to bedistributed among the soldiers. The Greeks had for-gotten how brave their ancestors had been, and Alarichad no trouble in sweeping the country. At last, how-ever, the general Stilicho was sent with troops fromRome ; and now Alaric would have been captured orslain if he had not succeeded in slipping away. Beforethis, the Roman Empire had been divided into two parts,the western and the eastern. The capital of the westernpart was Rome ; that of the eastern was Constantinople.The young man of eighteen who was emperor in theeastern part of the empire became jealous of Stilicho."If he wins more victories, he will surely try to makehimself emperor," thought the foolish boy ; and he con-cluded that it would be an exceedingly wise move tomake Alaric governor of Eastern Illyricum. This was likesetting a hungry cat to watch a particularly temptinglittle mouse ; for Illyricum stretched along the AdriaticSea, and just across the narrow water lay Italy. Of


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THE HUNSW. Diez

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Alaric the Visigoth 25course, after a few years, Alaric set out for Italy. Theboy emperor in the western part of the empire ran awayas fast as he could go. He would have been capturedhad not Stilicho

appeared.Then Alaric and his warriors

held a council. " Shall we withdraw and make sure ofthe treasure that we have taken, or shall we push on toRome ? ' questioned the warriors. " I will find in Italyeither a kingdom or a grave," declared the chief ; butStilicho was upon them, and they were obliged toretreat. Then the boy emperor returned to Rome tocelebrate the victory and declare that he had neverthought of such a thing as being afraid. Nevertheless,he hurried away to a safe fortress again, and left Rometo take care of itself.

Alaric waited for six years, but meanwhile he watchedeverything that went on in Italy. The boy emperorhad become a man of twenty-five, but he was as foolishas ever ; and now, like the Emperor in the East, he con-cluded that Stilicho meant to become ruler of the empire,and he murdered the only man who could have pro-tected it.

This was Alaric's opportunity, and he marchedstraight up to the walls of Rome, shut off food from thecity, and commanded it to surrender. The luxuriousRomans were indignant that a mere barbarian shouldthink of conquering their city. Even after they wereweakened by famine and pestilence, they told Alaricthat if he would give them generous terms of surrender,they might yield ; " but if not," they said, " sound yourtrumpets and make ready to meet a countless multitude."Alaric laughed and retorted, " The thicker the hay, theeasier it is mowed." He would leave Rome, he declared,if they would bring him all the gold and silver of the


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26 Heroes of the Middle Agescity. Finally, however, he agreed to accept 5000 poundsof gold, 30,000 pounds of silver, 4000 robes of silk,3000 pieces of scarlet cloth, and 3000 pounds of pepper.Only two years later Alaric came again, and theproud Romans were ready to do whatever he com-manded. This time he put the prefect of the city upon

the throne ; but a little later he came a third time andencamped before the walls of Rome. The trumpets blewblast after blast, and the invaders poured into the city.Alaric bade his men spare both churches and people ;but the Goths killed all who opposed them, or whomthey suspected of concealing their wealth. Then theywent away, loaded with gold and silver and silk andjewels. They were in no haste to leave Italy with itswine and oil and cattle and corn ; and, moreover, Alaricwas not satisfied with sacking Rome ; he meant to getpossession of Sicily

and then make an expedition toAfrica. Suddenly all these plans came to an end, forhe was taken ill and died. His followers turned asidea little river from its channel, wrapped the body of theirdead leader in the richest of the Roman robes, and madehis grave in the river bed. They heaped around it themost splendid of their treasures, and then turned backthe waters of the stream to flow over it for ever. Finally,lest the grave should become known and be robbed ortreated with dishonour, they put to death the multitudeof captives whom they had forced to do this work.


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Chapter IIAttila the Hun

WHILE Alaric was winning his victories, theHuns had built on the banks of the Danubewhat they looked upon as their capital.The homes of the poorer folk were huts of mud or straw ;but the king, Attila, and his chief men lived in housesof wood with columns finely carved and polished. Therewas plenty of some kinds of luxury in this strangecapital, for the tables of the chiefs were loaded withgolden dishes ; and swords, shoes, and even the trap-pings of the horses gleamed with gold and sparkled withjewels. King Attila, however, would have no suchelegance. " I live as did my ancestors," he declared ;and in his wooden palace he wore only the plainest ofclothes. He ate nothing but flesh, and he was servedfrom rough wooden bowls and plates. Nevertheless,he was proud of his wealth because it had been takenfrom enemies, and so was a proof of the bravery anddaring of his people.This king of a barbarous tribe meant to become thegreatest of conquerors. Even in the early years of hisreign he had hoped to do this. It is said that one of hisshepherds noticed one day that the foot of an ox was wetwith blood. He searched for the cause, and discovereda sharp point of steel sticking up from the ground. He

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28 Heroes of the Middle Agesbegan to dig around it, and soon saw that it was a sword." That must go to the king," he said to himself, andhe set out for the palace. King Attila examined theweapon closely and declared,

"This is the sword of Tyr.I will wear it as long as I live, for no one who wears thesword of the war-god can ever know defeat."When Attila had made his preparations, he set outwith his followers to conquer the world. Before long,

Constantinople was in his power. The Emperor in theEast called himself the Invincible Augustus, but hecould not meet Attila, and to save his city and his lifehe had to give the barbarians 6000 pounds of gold anda large tract of land on the Roman side of the Danube.Wherever Attila went, he was successful. Hisferocious warriors rode like the wind. They would dashdown upon some village, kill the inhabitants, snatch upwhatever there was of booty, and level the homes of thepeople so completely that it was said a horse couldgallop over the ruins without danger of stumbling. Inthe far East, he was thought to be a magician. " TheHuns have a wonder-stone," declared the folk of thatregion, " and whenever they choose they can raisestorms of wind or rain." It is no wonder that mentrembled at the sound of Attila's name and shudderedat the thought of the Scourge of God, as he called himself,when they heard any strange sound in the night." Attila and his Huns are the children of demons,"they whispered ; and those who had seen them wereready to believe that this was true. They were of adifferent family from the Goths and Celts and Romans.They were short and thick-set, with big heads and dark,swarthy complexions. Their eyes wrere small and bright,and so deep-set that they seemed to be far back in their


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Attila the Hun 29skulls. Their turned-up noses were so short and broadthat it was commonly said they had no noses, but onlytwo holes in their faces.Although Attila had made peace with the Emperorin the East, before long he found an excuse for invading

his empire. With the sword of Tyr in his hand, heswept across what is now Germany and France, killingand burning wherever he went. When he came toOrleans, he expected that city to yield as the others haddone ; but the people had just made their fortificationsstronger, and they had no idea of surrendering even tothe terrible Huns. But before long, Attila had gotpossession of the suburbs, he had weakened the walls withhis battering-rams, and the people of Orleans began totremble with fear. Those who could not bear armswere at the altars praying, and their bishop was tryingto encourage them by declaring that God would neverabandon those who put their trust in Him. " Go to therampart," he bade a faithful attendant, " and tell me ifaid is not at hand." " What did you see ? ' he askedwhen the messenger returned. " Nothing," was thereply. A little later the man was sent again, but he hadnothing of comfort to report. A third time he climbedthe rampart, and now he ran back to the bishop, crying," A cloud ! there is a cloud on the horizon as if madeby an army marching ! ' " It is the aid of God," thebishop exclaimed. " It is the aid of God," repeated thepeople, and they fought with fresh courage. The cloudgrew larger and larger. Now and then there was a flashof steel or the gleam of a war banner. The bishop wasright ; it was the brave Roman general Actius with hisarmy, and Orleans was saved.

Attila withdrew to the plain of Chalons. The Romans


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30 Heroes of the Middle Agesand their former foes, the Goths, had united againsthim, and on this plain was fought one of the most bloodybattles ever known. It raged from the middle of theafternoon until night, and some of the people of thecountry believed that in the darkness the spirits of thosewho had fallen arose and kept up the fight in mid-air.Attila retreated across the Rhine. If he had won the

day the heathen Huns instead of theChristian Germans would have becomethe most powerful people of Europe.That is why this conflict at Chalons iscounted as one of the decisive battlesof the world.

After a winter's rest, Attila startedto invade Italy. He meant to gostraight to Rome, but the strong cityof Aquileia was in his way. After along siege, however, it yielded. Someof the inhabitants of that and other

AKTIUS conquered cities fled to a group of(Relief on ivory tablet marshy islands, where Venice nowfound at Monza, in , " /~v. r, i iNorthern Italy) stands. City after city he capturedand burned. But this wild Hun wasnot without a sense of humour. While he was stroll-ing through the royal palace in Milan, he came across apicture showing Roman emperors on their thrones withScythian chiefs kneeling before them and paying themtribute of bags of gold. Attila did not draw the swordof Tyr and cut the picture to fragments ; he simplysent for a painter and said, " Put those kneeling menupon the thrones, and paint the emperors kneeling topay tribute."The Romans were thoroughly frightened, for now


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Attila the Hun 3 1Attila was near their city. Aetius was calm and brave,but he was without troops. Then Pope Leo I., courageousas the Bishop of Orleans, went forth to meet the Huns,and begged Attila to spare the city. Attila yielded, butno one knows why. A legend arose, that the apostlesPeter and Paul appeared to him and declared that heshould die at once if he did not grant the prayers of Leo.It is certain that before he started for Rome his friendshad said to him, " Beware ! Remember that Alaricconquered Rome and died." He had no fear of a sword,but he may have been afraid of such warnings as this.Whatever was the reason, he agreed to spare Romeif the Romans would pay him a large ransom.The gold was paid, and Attila returned to his woodenpalace on the Danube. Soon after this he suddenly died.His followers cut off their hair and gashed their faces,so that blood rather than tears might flow for him. Hisbody was enclosed in three coffins, one of gold, one ofsilver, and one of iron. It was buried at night with avast amount of treasure. Then, as in the case of Alaric,the captives who had dug the grave were put to death.His followers belonged to different races. Severalchieftains tried to become king, but no one of them wasstrong enough to hold the tribes together, and they weresoon scattered, and the power of the Huns declined forever.


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Chapter IIIGenseric the Vandal

A FEW years after the death of Attila, Rome wasonce more in the hands of an invader, Gensericthe Vandal. The Vandals were great wan-derers. They slowly made their way from the shoresof the Baltic Sea to the Danube, passed through what isnow France, and went south into Spain. Only eight ornine miles from Spain, just across what is now the Straitof Gibraltar, lay Africa.Northern Africa belonged to Rome. It was one of hermost valued provinces because, while Italy could notraise enough grain to feed her people, Africa could supplyall that was needed. Genseric longed to add Africa tohis domain, and he was more fortunate than most menwho wish to invade a country, for after a little while hereceived a cordial invitation to come to Africa and bringhis soldiers with him. The invitation was given by noless a man than the brave general Boniface, who hadbeen appointed governor of the province. This is theway it came about. Aetius was jealous of the successof Boniface, and he persuaded the mother of the childemperor to send the governor a letter recalling him.Then he himself wrote a letter to his " friend " Bonifacewith the warning that the empress was angry with him,and he would lose his head if he risked it in Rome.

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Genseric the Vandal 33Boniface was in a hard position. He concluded that thesafest thing for him to do was to remain where he was,and ask Genseric to help him to hold Africa.

Genseric did not wait to be urged. He hurried acrossthe Strait of Gibraltar and began his career of violence.A Vandal conquest was more severe than that of anyother tribe, for the Vandals seemed to delight in ruiningeverything that came into their power. They killedmen, women, and children ; they burned houses andchurches ; and they destroyed whatever treasures theycould not carry away with them. Some said that when-ever they conquered a country, they cut down everyfruit tree within its limits. This is why people whoseem to enjoy spoiling things are sometimes calledvandals.

After a while Boniface discovered that he had beentricked by Aetius, and he begged Genseric to leave thecountry ; but the barbarian refused, and Boniface couldnot drive him away. Genseric and his followers settledin Africa, making the city of Carthage the capital of theirkingdom, and they became a nation of pirates. Theybuilt light swift vessels and ravaged the shore of anycountry where they expected to find plunder.

All this time Genseric had his eyes fixed upon Italy,and again he was fortunate enough to be invited to aland which he was longing to invade. This time thewidow of a murdered emperor begged him to come andavenge her wrongs. He wasted no time, but crossedthe narrow sea and marched up to the walls of Rome.Behold, the gates were flung open, and once more Leo,now a hoary-headed man, came forth \vith his clergy,all in their priestly robes, to beg the Vandals to havemercy. Genseric made some promises, but they were


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34 Heroes of the Middle Agessoon broken. For fourteen days the Vandals did whatthey would. They were in no hurry ; they had plentyof ships to carry away whatever they chose ; and afterthey had chosen, there was little but the walls remaining.They snatched at gold and silver and jewels, of course,but they took also brass, copper, and bronze, silken robes,and even furniture. Works of art were nothing to themunless they were of precious metal and could be melted ;and what they did not care to take with them, theybroke or burned. The widowed empress had expectedto be treated with the greatest honour, but the Vandalsstripped off her jewels and threw her and her twodaughters on board their ships to be carried to Africaas prisoners.

Genseric kept his people together as long as he lived ;and indeed, though the Romans made many expeditionsagainst the Vandals, it was nearly eighty years beforethey were conquered.


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Chapter IVThe Teutons and their Myths

FOR a long while, as we have seen, the RomanEmpire had been growing weaker and theTeutons, or Ger-mans, had been growingstronger. These Teutonswere a most interestingpeople. They were talland strong, with blue eyesand light hair. They weresplendid fighters, and no-thing made them so happyas the sound of a battle-cry. They cared nothingfor wounds, and they feltit a disgrace for any oneto meet death quietly athome. A man should dieon the field of battle,thought the Teutons ; andthen one of the Valkyrs,the beautiful war-maidensof Odin, would come andcarry him on her swifthorse straight to Valhalla,c

VTODEN


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36 Heroes of the Middle Agesher armour gleaming as she rode through the airwith the flashing glow which men call the northernlights. Valhalla, they believed, was a great hall withshields and spears hanging on its walls. The bravestwarriors who had ever fought on the earth were to befound there. Every morning they went out to someglorious battle. At night they came back, their woundswere healed, and they drank great cups of mead andlistened to songs of deeds of valour. Odin, or Woden,

THOR

king of the gods, ruled in this hall. He had a son Thor,who was sometimes called the thunder-god. Thor rodeabout in a chariot drawn by goats. He carried withhim a mighty hammer, and this he threw at any one whodispleased him. Tyr, another son of Odin, whose swordAttila thought he had found, was the god of war.Not all the gods were thunderers and fighters. Therewas Odin's wife, Freya, who ruled the sunshine and therain, and who loved fairies and flowers and all thingsdainty and pretty. Then there was Freya's son, Baldur,


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The Teutons and their Myths 37whom every one loved, and Loki, whom every one fearedand hated. Loki was always getting the gods intotrouble, and it was he who brought about the death ofBaldur. Freya had once made beasts and birds andtrees and everything on the earth that had life promisenever to hurt her son ; but the mistletoe was so smalland harmless that she forgot it. There was a chance forwicked Loki. It was a favouritegame of the gods to shoot arrowsat Baldur, for they knew thatnothing would harm him ? Oneof the gods was blind, and Lokioffered to guide his hand, sayingthat all ought to do honour toso good a god as Baldur. Inall innocence, the blind one threwthe twig of mistletoe that Lokigave him. Baldur fell downdead, and had to go forever tothe land of gloom and darkness.The Teutonic story of thecreation of the earth was this :Long ago there was far to thenorthward a gulf of mist. In themist was a fountain, and fromthe fountain there flowed twelve rivers. By and by, thewaters of the river froze, and then in the north there wasnothing but a great mass of ice. Far to the southwardwas a world of warmth and light. From this a warmwind blew upon the ice and melted it. Clouds wereformed, and from them came forth the giant Ymir andhis children and his cow. The cow was one day lickingthe hoar frost and salt from the ice, when she saw the

FREYA


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3 8 Heroes of the Middle Ageshair of a man. The next day she licked still deeper,and then she saw a man's head. On the third day aliving being, strong and beautiful, had taken his placein this strange world. He was a god, and one of hischildren was Odin. Together the children slew Ymir.Of his body they made the earth, of his blood the seas,of his bones the mountains, of his eyebrows they madeMidgard, the mid earth. Odin arranged the seasons,and when the world was covered with green thingsgrowing, the gods made man of an ash tree and womanof an alder. An immense ash tree, which grew from thebody of Ymir, supported the whole universe. One of itsroots extended to Asgard, the home of the gods ; oneto Jotunheim, the abode of the giants ; and one toNiflheim, the region of cold and darkness beneath theearth. It was believed that some day all created thingswould be destroyed. After this a new heaven and a newearth would be formed in which there would be nowickedness or trouble, and gods and men would livetogether in peace and happiness. All these fancies hadsome meaning ; for instance, Baldur the beautiful, atsight of whose face all things rejoiced, represented thesunshine.

Poetical as the Germans were in some of their fancies,they were by no means poetical when any fighting wasto be done. They had a custom of choosing some manas leader and following him wherever he led ; but themoment that he showed himself a poor commanderor failed to give them a fair share of whatever spoilsthey had captured, they left him and sought anotherchief. When the time had come that the Romans wereno longer willing to defend themselves, it seemed tothem a most comfortable arrangement to send a mes-


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The Teutons and their Myths 39senger to some of the Teuton chiefs to say, " If you willhelp us in this war, we will give you so much gold."Unluckily for themselves, the Romans looked uponbarbarians as nothing more than convenient weapons,and did not stop to think that they were men who kepttheir eyes open, and who sooner or later would be sureto feel that there was no reason whythey, as well as the Romans, shouldnot take what they wanted if theycould get it.The Goths, especially, were alwaysready to give up their old ways ifthey found something better ; and bythe time Alaric invaded Italy, thosewho lived nearest the Roman terri-tories had learned something of Chris-tianity, and Ulfilas, a Greek whomthey had captured in war, had trans-lated nearly all of the Bible into theirlanguage. They had learned to enjoysome of the comforts and conveniencesof the Romans. They had discoveredthat there were better ways of govern-ing a nation than their haphazardfashion of following any one whohad won a victory ; and they had begun to see thatit was a good thing to have established cities. But ifthey gave up their roving life and made their home inone place, they could no longer live by fishing andhunting, for the rivers and forests would soon beexhausted ; they must cultivate the ground. We haveseen how the Goths had become the most powerful ofall the Teutonic tribes. To so warlike a people, it

A BARBATUAN ALLY OPT11E KOMANS

ofHis

weapons are a club anda sword)


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40 Heroes of the Middle Agesseemed much easier to take the cultivated ground of theRomans than to make the wild forest land into fieldsand gardens. These were reasons why the Goths, amongall the Germans, were so persistent in their invasions ofthe Roman Empire. There was one more reason,however, quite as strong as these. It was that othertribes even more barbarous than they were coming fromAsia, and pressing upon them in order to get their land.The Romans might have found some way to save theircountry ; but they were too busy enjoying themselvesto be troubled about such matters. Their only careseemed to be to find the easiest way out of a difficulty,and when a nation is faced by powerful and determinedenemies whose hearts are not set upon a life of ease andluxury, they are sure, sooner or later, to be destroyed,


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Chapter VThe Story of the Nibelungs

MANY of the Goths had learned about Chris-tianity, as has been said before ; but for along while most of the Teutons believed, orhalf believed, in the old fables of gods and heroes.One of these, the story of the Nibelungs, was a specialfavourite. It was told by father to son for centuries ;then some unknown poet put it into poetry. This poemwas called the Nibelungen-Lied, or song of the Nibelungs.It began with one of the evil pranks of Loki by whichthe gallant Siegfried became owner of a vast hoard ofgold once belonging to a nation of dwarfs called Nibe-lungs. Siegfried was rich and handsome and brave,and he rode forth into the world, not knowing that thegold was accursed and would bring trouble to whoevermight own it.His first adventure was in Isenland, or Iceland,where he broke through a magic ring of fire that for manyyears had burned around a lofty castle on the summit ofa mountain. In this castle lay Brunhild, a disobedientValkyr whom Odin had punished by putting her andthe king and court who had received her into a sleep.This was to last till some hero should pass the ring offire. Siegfried broke through, found the beautifulmaiden, and became betrothed to her. But after a

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42 Heroes of the Middle Agesbrief period of happiness Odin bade the hero leaveIsenland and go elsewhere in search of adventures.

Siegfried went next to the land of Burgundy, andthere he found a new exploit awaiting him. KingGtinther had heard of the beautiful Brunhild, and waseager to marry her. Many a man had lost his lifebecause of this same wish ; for whoever would win hermust outdo her in the games, and if he failed, both he

SIEGFRIED FIGHTING THB DRAGON

and his attendant knights were put to death. The kingand Siegfried set off for Isenland, and the games began.First, Brunhild threw her heavy javelin against theking's shield ; but Giinther cast it back at her so power-fully that she fell to the ground. When she rose, shecaught up a stone, so heavy that twelve knights couldhardly lift it, and hurled it an amazing distance. Thenat one leap she sprang to where the stone had fallen ;but Gunther threw the stone farther and leaped farther.Then the Valkyr yielded and became his wife. Shedid not guess that it was not Gunther who had beaten


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The Story of the Nibelungs 43her, but Siegfried. Siegfried had a magic cap of dark-ness, and when he put it on, he became invisible ; sowhile Giinther went through the motions, it was reallySiegfried who threw the javelin and hurled the stone andeven carried Giinther in his arms far beyond the leap ofthe Valkyr. So it was that Brunhild became thewife of Gunther. As for Siegfried, an enchantment hadbeen thrown about him, and he had entirely forgottenthat he had ever ridden through the ring of fire or seenBrunhild before. The hand of the king's sister, thegentle, lovely Kriemhild, was to be his reward for hisservice to King Gunther ; and now both weddings werecelebrated. Gunther and Brunhild remained in Bur-gundy, and Siegfried carried Kriemhild to his kingdomin Jutland.Even if Siegfried had forgotten Brunhild, she had not

forgotten him, and she meant to have her revenge. Shepersuaded Gunther to invite Siegfried and Kriemhildto Burgundy. It was easy for a quarrel to arise betweenthe two queens, and Hagen, uncle of Kriemhild, tookthe part of Brunhild. He pretended that war had arisenagainst Gunther, and Siegfried agreed to fight for hishost. Kriemhild begged her uncle to help Siegfriedwhenever he was in peril ; and the treacherous Hagenreplied, " Surely ; but first tell me where his chief perillies. Is there some one way by which he may mosteasily lose his life ? ' " Yes," answered Kriemhild," he once slew a dragon and bathed himself in its blood.Therefore no weapon can harm him save in one tinyplace between his shoulders which was not touched bythe blood because it was covered by a linden leaf."" Then do you sew a mark upon his garment directlyover that place," said the false Hagen, " that I may


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44 Heroes of the Middle Agesguard it well." One day Siegfried went out huntingwith Giinther and Hagen, and it was not long before hisbody was brought back to the sorrowing Kriemhild.The treachery of Hagen, however, was not to be hidden,for during the funeral rites Siegfried's wounds began to

HAQEN THROWS THE NIBELUNGEN TREASURE INTOTHE RHINE(From a fresco in the Royal Palace, Munich)

bleed afresh as Hagen passed the bier ; and from thisKriemhild knew that he was the murderer of her husband.Siegfried's father lovingly begged Kriemhild to returnto Jutland with him ; but she would not leave Bur-

gundy, for she hoped some day to avenge her murderedhusband. She sent for the Nibelung treasure and gave


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The Story of the Nibelungs 45generously to all around her. Then wicked Hagenbegan to fear that the hearts of the people would turntowards her. Therefore he stole the treasure and sankit deep in the river Rhine ; but he meant to recover itsome day for himself.

It came about that King Etzel of Hungary sent a nobleenvoy to beg for the hand of the widowed queen. Sheanswered him kindly, for she said to herself, 4 Etzel isbrave and powerful, and if I wed him, I may be able someday to avenge my Siegfried." So it was that Kriemhildbecame the wife of Etzel, and was true and faithful tohim for thirteen years. At the end of that time sheasked him to invite the king and court of Burgundyto visit them. The Burgundians accepted the invitation,though the murderer Hagen urged them to remain athome. In Hungary they were treated with all courtesy ;but Kriemhild had told her wrongs to her Hungarianfriends, and as the guests sat at a magnificent feastgiven in their honour, the Hungarians dashed into thehall of feasting, and slew almost every one. Guntherand Hagen yet lived, and Kriemhild bade Hagen revealwhere he had hidden her stolen treasure. "Never, solong as

Gunther lives," was his reply. Kriemhild orderedGunther to be put to death and his head taken to Hagen,but Hagen still refused to tell what had become of thetreasure. In her anger Kriemhild caught up the magicsword of Siegfried and struck off Hagen's head at ablow. Then one of the Burgundians cried, " Whatevermay become of me, she shall gain nothing by thismurderous deed " ; and in a moment he had run herthrough with his sword. So ended the story of thetreasure of the Nibelungs, which brought ill to every onewho possessed it.


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Chapter VIClovis

OF all the Teutons who came to live on Romanterritory, the most important were the Franks,or free men. They had no wish to wanderover the world when they had once found a countrythat pleased them, and so, since they liked the landabout the mouth of the Rhine, they settled there andheld on to it, adding more and more wherever a littlefighting would win it for them. Each tribe had itschief ; but Clovis, one of these

chiefs, came at last to rule themall. The country west of theRhine, then called Gaul, was stillpartly held by the Romans, butClovis meant to drive them awayand keep the land for the Franks.When he was only twenty-one, heled his men against the Romangovernor at Soissons and took the

place. From here he sent out expeditions to conquerone bit of land after another and to bring back rich booty.The most valuable treasures were usually kept in thechurches, and the heathen Franks took great delight inseizing these. Among the church treasures capturedat Rheims was a marvellously beautiful vase. Now

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BRONZE HELMET OF AFRANKISH WARRIOR(Found near thf. river Seinein France. Now in theLouvre, Paris)


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Clovis 47the bishop of Rheims was on good terms with Clovis, andhe sent a messenger to the young chief to beg that, evenif the soldiers would not return all the holy vessels ofthe church, this one at least might be given back.Clovis bade the messenger follow on to Soissons, wherethe booty would be divided. At Soissons, when all thewarriors were assembled, the king pointed to the vaseand said, " I ask you, most valiantwarriors, not to refuse to me the vasein addition to my rightful part." Mostof the soldiers were wise enough not toobject to the wishes of so powerful achief ; but one foolish, envious manswung his battle-axe and crushed thevase, crying, " Thou shalt receive nothingof this unless a just lot gives it to thee."It is no wonder that the whole armywere amazed at such audacity. Clovissaid nothing, but quietly handed thecrushed vase to the bishop's messenger. raANKISH COSTUMEHe did not forget the insult, however, OF TUB TIME OFj 1 j. i 1 CLOVISand a year later, when he was reviewing (From an ttonhis troops, he delared that this man's p^)M Bible atweapons were not in fit condition, andwith one blow of his axe he struck the soldier dead,saying, " Thus thou didst to the vase at Soissons."

Clovis showed himself so much stronger than the otherchiefs of the Franks that at length they all accepted himas their king. Soon after this, he began to think abouttaking a wife. The story of his wooing is almost likea fairy tale. In the land of Burgundy lived a fair younggirl named Clotilda, whose wicked uncle had slain herfather, mother, and brothers that he might get the


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48 Heroes of the Middle Ageskingdom. Clovis had heard how beautiful and good shewas, and he sent an envoy to ask for her hand in marriage.The wicked uncle was afraid to have her marry so power-ful a ruler, lest she should avenge the slaughter of herfamily ; but he did not dare to refuse Clovis or to murderthe girl after Clovis had asked that she might becomehis queen. There was nothing to do but to send her tothe king of the Franks. Clovis was delighted with her,and they were married with all festivities.

Clotilda was a Christian, and she was much grievedthat her husband should remain a heathen. She toldhim many times about her God, but nothing moved him.When their first child was born, Clotilda had the babybaptized. Not long afterwards, the little boy grew ill anddied. " That is because he was baptized in the name ofyour God," declared Clovis bitterly. " If he had been con-secrated in the name of my gods, he would be alive still/'Nevertheless, when a second son was born, Clotilda hadhim baptized. He, too, fell ill, and the king said, " Hewas baptized in the name of Christ, and he will soon die."But the mother prayed to God, and by God's will theboy recovered. Still Clovis would not give up the godsof his fathers. It came to pass, however, that he wasengaged in a fierce battle near where Cologne nowstands. His enemies were fast getting the better of him,and he was almost in despair, when suddenly he thoughtof the God of his queen, and he cried, " Jesus Christ,whom Clotilda declares to be the Son of the living God,if Thou wilt grant me victory over these enemies, I willbelieve in Thee and be baptized in Thy name." Soonthe enemy fled, and Clovis did not doubt that his prayerhad been answered.When he told Clotilda of this, she was delighted. She


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PROCESSION OF A KING AND CLERGYWilly Pogany


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Clovis 51sent for the bishop and asked him to teach her husbandthe true religion. After a little, Clovis said to him," I am glad to listen to you, but my people will not leavetheir gods." He thought a while and then he declared," I will go forth and tell them what you have told me."He went out among his people, and, as the legend says,even before he had spoken a word, the people cried outall together, " We are ready to follow the immortalGod." Then the bishop ordered the font to be preparedfor the baptism of the king. The procession set outfrom the palace and passed through streets madegorgeous with embroidered hangings. First came theclergy, chanting hymns as they marched, and bearingthe Gospels and a golden cross. After them walkedthe bishop, leading the king by the hand. Behind themcame the queen, and after her the people. They passedthrough the door and into the church. The candlesgleamed, the house was hung with tapestries of thepurest white and was fragrant with incense ; and therethe king of the Franks, his sisters, and more than threethousand of his warriors, besides a throng of womenand children, were baptized and marked with the signof the cross.The times were harsh and rude, and even a king whowas looked upon as a Christian ruler never dreamed of

hesitating to do many cruel deeds. Clovis wished toenlarge his kingdom, and he could always find someexcuse for attacking any tribe living on land next hisown. He cared nothing for his word, and to get what hewanted, he was ready to lie or steal or murder.

Clovis died in 511, but before that time all the landsbetween the lower Rhine and the Pyrenees had beenobliged to acknowledge his rule. He made Paris his


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52 Heroes of the Middle Agescapital, and went there to live. This was the beginningof France. The descendants of Clovis held the thronefor nearly two centuries and a half. They werecalled Merovingians after Merovseus, the grandfatherof Clovis.


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Chapter VIITheodoric the Ostrogoth

IN 476,one year before the death of Genseric the

Vandal, a Goth named Odoacer became ruler ofItaly. He had taken the throne from the handsome

boy who had been ruling as Emperor, permitting himto escape and allowing him six thousand gold pieces ayear. The Roman Senate, which had once been acourageous and patriotic body of men, decided thatthere was no longer any Western Empire, and thatits rule belonged to the Emperor in the East, whosecapital was Constantinople. The Emperor acceptedthis view, and left Odoacer in Italy to representhim. This event is called the fall of the WesternEmpire.In this same year, 476, Theodoric became king of theOstrogoths, or Goths of the East. The Emperor in theEast had hired this nation to defend the lower Danube,and Theodoric, a little boy of the royal family, had beensent to Constantinople as a hostage, or pledge that hispeople would keep their promises. When Theodoricgrew up and became king, the Emperor permitted himto go and drive Odoacer out of Italy. Theodoric startedwith his army, and with all the rest of his tribe, for theymeant not only to drive out Odoacer, but to make theirhomes in Italy.D &3


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54 Heroes of the Middle AgesThere were three fierce battles. Finally it was agreed

that Odoacer and Theodoric should rule with equalpowers. Before long, however, Theodoric treacherouslymurdered Odoacer and became sole ruler of Italy. Hemeant to rule like the Romans, but more wisely. Hechose from the old Roman laws those which he thoughtjust. He broke up the vast estates of the very wealthyand made many small farms, so

that much more grain was raised.He built many handsome build-ings, and he encouraged his subjectsto read and study. The emperorsin the East were doing their bestto keep back the hordes of Hunsand other barbarians, and it beganto seem as if Italy would grow intoa powerful, well-governed countrywith Goths for its rulers.

That might have come to passif a brilliant man named Justinianhad not become ruler in theEastern Empire after the death ofTheodoric. His great wish was to

g back Italy and Africa to theREMAINS OP THE PALACEOF THEODORIC AT HA-

dour under the rule of Empire. Fortunately for him, heTheodoric) * Jhad an officer named Belisarms,who was not only a skilful general, but who hadthe power of making his soldiers eager to follow him.Under his lead, Italy and Africa were regained, theVandals in Africa were scattered, and the Gothsin Italy were hopelessly beaten. Justinian broughttogether all that was known of the Roman law, andit is upon his Code of Laws that the governments


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Theodoric the Ostrogoth 55of the chief countries of Europe are founded. Whilehe lived, there seemed some hope that the Empirewould be mighty again ; but as soon as he died, it lapsedinto the same weak, tottering state as just before hisday.


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Chapter VIIICharles Martel

WHEN King Clovis died, his four sons dividedthe kingdom among them much as if it hadbeen a farm. Then they quarrelled, and aquarrel in those days usually led to savage fighting.Each ruler intended to get as much as he could, and ifany one stood in the way the first thought was, " Killhim." For instance, one of Clovis's sons died, leavingthree boys. Queen Clotilda tried to protect the rightsof her grandchildren, but two of her sons sent her asword and a pair of scissors. That meant, " Should yourather have the boys slain or have them lose their longhair ? ' To lose their long hair would shut them outof the royal family, and Clotilda replied that she wouldrather see them dead than disgraced. Two of the boyswere at once murdered by their uncle.For more than a century, the Frankish kingdom wasrent by quarrels and fighting. During the followingcentury, a king was always on the throne, but he neverruled ; and these sovereigns have been nicknamed the" do-nothing kings." The real rulers were officers calledmayors of the palace. The " mayor " was at first onlya sort of royal attendant, but several of the kings werechildren when they came to the throne, and the mayorsacted as their guardians with all but regal powers.

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Charles Martel 57Some of the kings were stupid, and some cared only foramusement, and hardly any of them were strong andmanly enough to govern. The mayors of the palace wererulers in peace, and as the " do-nothing kings " were ofcourse unable to lead armies, the mayors became alsocommanders in war. This arrangement suited thePrankish nobles. They were always afraid that theirkings would get too much power over them ; but as amayor was chosen from among themselves, they werenot jealous of his power.One of these mayors was named Pepin. He treatedthe king with the utmost respect, permitted him to liveon one of the royal estates, and sent servants to wait onhim. When some national festival was to be held, theking was brought to court dressed in most elegant robesand with his long hair floating over his shoulders. Herode in a heavy wagon drawn by oxen and driven by acowherd. This was according to the ancient custom,and the people would have been displeased to have italtered. He was escorted into the palace and seatedupon the throne, and the nobles came to do him honour.He recited a little speech, composed for him beforehand,urging the army to be valiant and to be always ready forservice. If ambassadors were to be received, he met themgraciously, and said what Mayor Pepin told him to say.Then with all deference he was led to the cart and drivenback to the estate upon which he lived. He was freeto go on hunting or raising doves or combing his longhair until a figurehead was needed again.When Pepin died, his son Charles became mayor.It was fortunate that he was a good fighter, for there wasa great deal of fighting to be done. There were hostile

tribes on the north and east to be subdued. Then, too,


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58 Heroes of the Middle Agesthere were rumours of trouble coming from anotherpeople, the Mohammedans. It was essential that Charlesshould have an army ready to set out at a moment'snotice. But he could not keep an army without thehelp of the nobles, and for such help he must pay, andpay well. The churches owned a vast amount of landand money ; and when Charles needed either to rewardthe nobles, he took it. It is probable that he did notgive away the land, but only lent it to the nobles by whatis called a feudal tenure ; that is, so long as a noble pro-vided a certain number of men for the mayor's army,he might hold his land and get as much gain from itas he could. This was all very well for the nobles, butit is no wonder that the bishops were not pleased. Andyet the army so maintained was to be used to defendthem against the Mohammedans.The history of these people is interesting. Aboutone hundred and sixty years before that time, a mannamed Mohammed was born in Mecca in Arabia, and hebecame so famous when a man that the people whoknew him as a child fancied that many wonderful thingshad happened to him when he was small. It was said

that the sheep bowed to him as he passed by, and thateven the moon stooped from her place in the heavensto do him honour. While he was in the house of hisnurse, so the legend says, her well never dried and herpastures were always fresh and green.The little boy soon lost both father and mother, andwas brought up in the house of his uncle. He must havebeen a most lovable boy, for every one seems to havebeen kind to him. This uncle held an office of greathonour, he was guardian of a certain black stone which,it was said, the angel Gabriel had given to Abraham.


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Charles Martel 59The stone was built into the outer wall of the Kaaba,a little square temple which the Arabians looked uponas especially holy. Most of them were worshippers ofidols, and the Kaaba was the home of enough idols toprovide a different one for every day in the year.Throngs of pilgrims journeyed to Mecca to kiss the stoneand worship in the Kaaba ; and the boy must have heardmarvellous tales of the strange places from which theycame. His uncle was a merchant and used to go withcaravans to Syria and elsewhere to buy and sell goods.When Mohammed was twelve years old, he beggedearnestly to be allowed to go with him. The uncle said" No." Then the boy pleaded, " But, my uncle, whowill take care of me when you are gone ? ' The tender-hearted man could not refuse any longer, and Mohammedwent on his first journey.

After this, he always travelled with his uncle, andwhen the uncle went out to help his tribe fight another,be became the uncle's armour-bearer. He learned aboutlife in a caravan, and about buying and selling goods,and while he was hardly more than a boy, he was oftenemployed by merchants to go on such journeys as theiragent. At length he was engaged by a wealthy widownamed Kadijah to manage the large business which thedeath of her husband had left in her charge. Shebecame more and more pleased with the young man,and after a while she sent a trusty slave to offer him herhand. He was surprised, but not at all unwilling, andsoon there was a generous wedding feast with musicand dancing. The house was open to all who chose tocome, and a camel was killed that its flesh might begiven to the poor.Mohammed thought much about religious questions,


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60 Heroes of the Middle AgesHe came to believe that his people were wrong in wor-shipping idols, and that there was only one true God.He used to go to a cavern a few miles from Mecca to prayand meditate. One month in every year he gave upentirely to this. After a while, he began to have strangedreams and visions. In one of these he thought theangel Gabriel held before him a silken cloth on whichthere was golden writing and bade him read it. " ButI do not know how to read," replied Mohammed. " Read,in the name of the Most High," said the angel ; andsuddenly the power to read the letters came to him,and he found the writings were commands of God.Then the angel declared, " Thou art the prophet ofGod."Mohammed told Kadijah of his vision, and she believedthat the angel had really come to him. After a little,he began to preach wherever people would listen. Afew believed in him, but most people only laughed athis story. Still he kept on preaching, and after a while,although he had but few followers in Mecca, there weremany in Medina who had come to believe that he wasthe prophet of God. He decided that it was best forhim to go to them, and in the year 622 he and a fewfriends escaped from their enemies in Mecca and wentto Medina. This is called the Hegira, or flight. Tothis day Mohammedans do not count the years from thebirth of Christ, but from the Hegira.As soon as the prophet was in Medina, his followersbegan to build a mosque, or place for prayer, in whichhe might preach. They made the walls of earth andbrick. The pillars were the trunks of palm trees, andthe roof was formed of their branches with a thatch ofleaves. He decided that his disciples should be called


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Charles Martel 63prayer five times a day, and after all these centuriescall, or muezzin, is still heard in the East from some

of each mosque, " God is great. There is nobut God. Mohammed is the apostle of God.to prayers. Come to prayers." At dawn the

adds, " Prayer is better than sleep," Every trueas followers of Mohammed are called, is

to obey this rule of prayer, and as he prays, heturn his face toward Mecca. He is also commandedmake at least one pilgrimage to Mecca before he dies,to kiss the sacred black stone. It is still in the wallthe Kaaba, but the Kaaba itself is now within a

so large that it will hold 35,000 persons.It is probable that Mohammed never learned to readwrite, but his followers jotted down his words on bitspalm leaves or skins or even the shoulder-bladesanimals, and many of them they learned by heart.the death of the prophet, the caliphs as his successors

called, collected these sayings and arranged thema book called the Koran, which is the sacred volumethe Mussulmans.For a long while, Mohammed preached peace andand charity, and he won many followers.he came to believe that if people would not obeyteachings, it was right to make war upon them. He

against Mecca with a large army of his dis-iples, and soon captured it. After a time, either by

or by fighting, the Mohammedans, or Mussul-ans, became the rulers of all Arabia. After the deaththeir prophet, they continued their conquests. Theyvercame Syria, Persia, Egypt, northern Africa, and

Spain. A little later they swarmed over the Pyrenees,nd pushed on as far north as Tours, In 732, just one


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64 Heroes of the Middle Ageshundred years after the death of Mohammed, theMohammedans met the Prankish army of Charles on theplain of Tours, and after a terrible combat the Moham-medans were so completely overwhelmed that they

CAPTURE OF MECCA BY MOHAMMEDretreated toward Spain and never again tried to conquerthe land of the Franks.

It was fortunate for all Europe that the Prankishtroops were led by so valiant a warrior as Charles. lienot only led, but he fought with his own hands ; and heswung his mighty battle-axe with such crushing blows


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CHARLES MARTEL IN THE BATTLE OF TOURS65


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Charles Martel 67that after this battle he was known as Charles theHammer, or Charles Martel. It was no wonder thatwhen the long-haired Merovingian died who was thencalled king of the Franks, none saw need of puttinganother on the throne while Charles lived.When Charles Martel died, his son Pepin becamemayor. He is known as Pepin the Short. By thistime the Pope had become so powerful, that kingsliked to have his sanction to whatever they proposedto do. Before long, Pepin sent an embassy to him tosay, " Who ought to be king, the man who has the nameor the man who has the power ? ' The Pope thoughtit reasonable that the man who was really king shouldalso be king in name ; and so it came to pass that nomore Merovingians drove up from their farms once ayear to sit on the throne for a day. Pepin was madeking, and soon the Pope travelled all the way fromRome to St Denis, near Paris, to crown the new sove-reign and anoint him with the sacred oil. He was thefirst king of the Carolingian Line.


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Chapter IXCharlemagne

PEPINTHE SHORT had done a great deal to unite

the kingdom ; but when he died, he left it to histwo sons, and so divided it again. The olderson died in a few years ; and now the kingdom of theFranks was in the hands of Charlemagne, if he couldhold it. First came trouble with the Saxons, wrho livedabout the lower Rhine and the Elbe. They and theFranks were both Germans, but the Franks had hadmuch to do with the Romans, and had learned many oftheir ways. Missionaries, too, had dwelt among themand had taught them Christianity, while the Saxonswere still heathen. It was fully thirty years before theSaxons were subdued. During those years Charlemagnewatched them closely. He fought, to be sure, when-ever they rebelled,

and he made some severe laws, andsaw to it that these were obeyed. More than this, how-ever, he sent missionaries to them, and he built churches.He carried away many Saxon boys as hostages. Theseboys were carefully brought up, and were taught Chris-tianity. They learned to like the Frankish ways ofliving, and when they had grown up and were sent home,they urged their friends to yield and become peacefulsubjects of the great king ; and finally the land of theSaxons became a part of the Frankish kingdom.

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Charlemagne had only begun the Sa^p^lfaErwhen thePope asked for help agajjist Jke ^Lombards, a tribe ofTeutons who had settledin ^Northern Italy. The kingwas quite ready to give it, for he, too, had a quarrel withthem ; and in a year or two their ruler had been shutup in a monastery and Charlemagne had been crownedwith the old iron crown of Lombardy.This war had hardly come to an end before the kingled his troops into Spain against the Mohammedans.There, too, he was successful ; but at Roncesvalles helost a favourite follower, Count Roland. Roland andthe warriors who perished with him were so young andbrave, that the Franks never wearied of recounting theirnoble deeds. Later the story was put into a fine poem,called the " Song of Roland," which long afterwardmen sang as they dashed into battle.

In the year 800 a great honour was shown to Charle-magne, for as he was kneeling at the altar in Rome onChristmas Day, the Pope set a crown upon his head, andthe people cried, " Long life and victory to the mightyCharles, the great and pacific Emperor of the Romans,crowned of God ! ' Charlemagne was now not onlyking of the Franks, but Roman Emperor. This empire,however, was smaller than it had been in the earlierdays, for it included now only France, part of Germanyand of Italy, and a little strip at the north of Spain.

Charlemagne had become a great ruler, and other rulerswere anxious to win his friendship. Haroun-al-Raschid,or Harun the Just, the Caliph of Bagdad, the hero of TheArabian Nights, was one of his special friends. Thiscaliph was a poet and learned man. He founded schoolsthroughout his kingdom, in which medicine, geometry,and astronomy might be studied. Charlemagne did

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jo Heroes of the Middle Agesnot write poetry, but he was a close student, and hedesired the boys of his kingdom to be educated. Oneof his orders reads, " Let every monastery and everyabbey have its school, where boys may be taught thePsalms, the system of musical notation, singing, arith-

CORONATION OF CHARLEJIAGXE

metic, and grammar, and let the books which are giventhem be free from faults, and let care be taken that theboys do not spoil them either when reading or writing."When he returned from one of his campaigns, he sentfor a group of schoolboys and bade them show him theirwork. The boys from the poorer families had done theirbest, and he thanked them heartily. " Try now to


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Charlemagne 7 1reach perfection," he said, " and you shall be highlyhonoured in my sight." The sons of the nobles hadthought that as their fathers were rich and of high rankthere was no need of their working, and they had nothinggood to show their king. He burst out upon them inanger, " You pretty and dainty little gentlemen whocount upon your birth and your wealth, you have dis-regarded my orders and your own reputations andneglected your studies. Let me promise you this :If you do not make haste to make good your formernegligence, never think to get any favours from Karl."As there were few learned men in the Prankish king-odom, the king sent to scholars in other parts of Europeand offered them generous rewards to come to the Franksas their teachers. He collected a library and estab-lished a school at his own court ; and there the mightyEmperor, his family, and his courtiers, gathered aroundsome wise man and learned of him. The Emperor wasinterested in everything. He often got up in the nightto study the stars. Once when the planet Mars couldnot be seen, he wrote to his teacher, " What do you thinkof this Mars ? Is it the influence of the sun ? Is it amiracle ? Could he have been two years about perform-ing the course of a single one ? 'Charlemagne was a tall, large, dignified man. On

state occasions he dressed most splendidly, but at othertimes he wore simple clothes, and liked best those thatwere ornamented with the work of his wife and daughters.He was an expert horseman and swimmer, and he taughthis sons to ride and to use the sword and the spear. Hetook charge of his own farms, he built churches andbridges, and he began a canal to connect the Rhine withthe Danube. He encouraged trade, making the taxes


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7 2 Heroes of the Middle Agesupon merchants as light as possible. He collected theancient German songs, he had a grammar of the languagewritten, he improved the singing in the churches, and heeven had the coinage of the kingdom manufactured in hisown palace. All this was in addition to the fifty or morecampaigns that he was obliged to make. Surely he wasthe busiest of monarchs and the busiest of Germans ;for, although the land of the Franks is now France, yetit must not be forgotten that the Franks were German,and that the German

"Karl der Grosse

'

would be amore appropriate name for the great ruler than theFrench " Charlemagne."When the mighty Emperor died, his empire fell to hisson, a gentle, kindly man, but not strong enough to meetthe lawless chiefs who opposed him. He was followedby his three sons ; and again the vast empire wasdivided. The sons were not satisfied, and they went towar. After much fighting, a treaty was made at Verdunin 843. The eldest son, Lothair, received the title ofEmperor. His part of the domain was Northern Italyand a broad strip of land extending to the North Sea.The kingdom of the youngest lay to the east of this, andthat of the second son, Charles the Bald, to the west.Charles the Bald held more than half of what is nowcalled France, and it is from this treaty and the reignof Charles that the French count the beginning of thekingdom of France.


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Chapter XThe Coming of the Teutons to England

THE Celts, as has been said before, left their oldhome in Asia in very early times and movedslowly across Europe. At length they cameto the ocean. The tribes behind were pressing uponthem, and the Celts were not to be stopped by so narrowa body of water as the English Channel. Many of themcrossed to Britain. There they lived in small huts madeof poles fastened together at the top. They knew howto make boats with planks and nails, but oftener theymade them by covering wicker frameworks with skins.Their priests were called Druids, and it is thought thatthe great stones at Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain, arethe remains of rude temples in which sacrifices wereoffered. These Celts, or Britons, painted their bodiesblue, for they thought this would make them seem moreterrible to their enemies. Rough as they were, they werefond of pretty things, and they made themselves braceletsand necklaces of gold. Those who lived inland weresavage, but those who dwelt nearest to the Continentwere somewhat civilized. They raised wheat and barleyand kept many cattle. They had no towns, but gatheredin little villages.This is the way the Britons lived when the Romanscame upon them. The Romans were always ready to

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74 Heroes of the Middle Agesconquer a new country ; and they meant to subdueBritain, or Albion, as it was then called. They obligedthe Britons in the greater part of England to obey them ;but they were unable to subdue the savage tribes of thenorthern part of the island ; and finally, to keep themfrom raiding the land which they ruled, they built twogreat walls with watchtowers and strongholds across the

/mMMfo/ywmmmtw mtMti

ISTONEHEXGE

(In the middle is a slab called the altnr. This was originally surrounded by circlesof stone posts connected by slabs resting on their tops)

country. Some of the Teutons on the Continent werealso troublesome, and therefore the Romans erected aline of forts around the south-eastern shore of England.These Romans were famous road-makers, and they builtexcellent highways, some of which exist to this day.They made settlements ; they erected handsome townhouses and country houses, with statues and vases andpavements of many-coloured marble, and they builtmany of their famous baths. The Romans were therulers, and the Britons had to obey. It is probable


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Coming of the Teutons to England 75that many of the Britons were obliged to enter the Romanarmy, and that many of those who did not becomesoldiers were treated as slaves.The Romans could have conquered the troublesomenorthern tribes, but, as we have seen, the Goths were

LANDING OF THE ROMANS IN BEITAIN

pressing upon the boundaries of their empire, and Alarichad invaded Italy and plundered Rome itself. Everysoldier in the Roman army was now needed to helpprotect the empire, and so officers and men sailed awayfrom the British shores and left the people to take careof themselves.The Britons were better able to do this before the


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76 Heroes of the Middle Agescoming of the Romans. They were excellent fighters,but had become so used to being led by Roman officersthat when left alone they were helpless. The savageswere coming down

upon them fromthe north, and thethree tribes of Teu-tons, the Saxons,Angles, and Jutes,were threateningthem from theregion between theBaltic and theNorth Sea. The

ROMAN BATHB(At Bath, an English watering-place noted for Its hotsprings. Its Roman name was " Batha of the Sun ")

Britons could notprotect themselves,and they sent a

pitiful appeal to the Roman commander Aetius to comeand help them. " The barbarians," it said, " drive usto the sea, and the sea drives us back to the bar-barians ; and betweenthem we are either slainor drowned." Aetius,however, was too busytrying to keep other bar-barians from Rome tohelp people so far awayas England, and he coulddo nothing for them.The Britons believed thatof all their enemies the Teutons were the strongest ;and they decided to ask them to come to Britainand help drive away the others. They might have

ANCIENT JUTISH BOAT(It was found some years ago buried in a peatbog in Soulh Jutland, so perfectly preservedthat the parts could be put together)


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SAINT GREGORY AND THE ENGLISH SLAVE CHILDREN77


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Coming of the Teutons to England 79the island of Thanet for their home, the Britonspromised.The Jutes came first, under the two brothers, Hengistand Horsa, it is said ; and they were followed by theAngles and Saxons. These Teutons helped to driveaway the other tribes, according to the bargain ; butsoon they found Thanet too small for them, and so, justas one tribe had been driving another to the westwardfor centuries, they drove the Britons to the westward.Some were killed, some became slaves, and some hidaway in the mountains of Western England. TheTeutons called these Wealh, or Welsh, that is, strangersor foreigners ; and it is from this that the country ofWales takes its name.The Britons were not conquered all at once by any

means, for they fought most courageously, and it wasmany years before the Teutons became masters of theentire country. The Angles scattered so widely through-out the land that it took its name from them, and becameknown as the land of the Angles, or Angle-land, andfinally England. The Saxons, however, were strongestof the three peoples, and therefore their name is generallygiven to all the invaders. Their descendants take bothnames, and are known as Anglo-Saxons.The Britons had become Christians long before thecoming of the Saxons, but the Saxons were heathen.After these savage invaders had been in England abouta century, some young people of their race were sold inRome as slaves. They had golden hair and blue eyes,and to a saintly monk named Gregory, who was passingthrough the market-place, they seemed exceedinglybeautiful. " Who are they ? ' he asked. The answerwas, " Angli," that is, Angles. He declared that they


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80 Heroes of the Middle Ageswould be not Angles but angels, if they were Christians.Gregory never lost his interest in the Angles, and if hehad been permitted, he would gladly have gone toEngland as a missionary. After some years he becamePope Gregory the Great, and then, although he himselfcould not go, he sent Saint Augustine to preach to them.The king of Kent had a Christian wife, and thereforeSaint Augustine went first to him and asked if he mighttell him about the religion of Christ. The king waswilling to hear him, but not in a house, for if there wasany magic about this new faith, he thought the evilspirits would have far less power in the open air. Helistened closely, and then he went home to think overwhat he had heard. After a while he told Saint Augustinethat he believed the Christian faith was true. Thisteaching spread over England, and soon the countrywas no longer heathen.


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Chapter XIThe Story of Beowulf

THE Saxons were fond of singing at their feastsold songs about a hero named Beowulf. Thoseof them who left their earlier home and cameto England did not forget these songs. More incidentswere added, and by and by, just as in the case of the taleof the Nibelungs and that of King Arthur, some onewove them together into one long story. The followingis the story of " Beowulf."The old king Hrothgar, who ruled in the land of the

Danes, built a mighty hall in which his heroes mightfeast when they returned from their hard-fought battles.Every one who saw it admired it, but a \vicked monstercalled Grendel, who prowled about in the darkness, wasangry. He could not bear to hear the merry sounds ofmusic and feasting ; and one night, while the men layasleep, he crept up to the hall and slew thirty of thewarriors, dragging their bodies away with him to devour.

Night after night this same slaughter went on, andthe old king was almost broken-hearted at the loss of hisbeloved heroes. But help was coming. The youngchampion Beowulf, of the land of Gotland, had heard ofthe trouble, and he determined to free the king and hismen. So, with some brave comrades, he sailed away

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82 Heroes of the Middle Agesfrom his home, and soon reached the land of the Danes.The young warriors had hardly stepped on shore whenthe warden of the land, who had been watching themfrom the cliffs, demanded sharply who they were, for hefeared they might be enemies. Upon learning Beowulf'sname and the purpose for which he had come, he con-ducted the strangers to the hall of Hrothgar. Then theking was glad at heart, for he had heard of the amazing

prowess of Beowulf.That night, while the war-riors lay asleep, Grendel stole

up through the mists asusual. His eyes shone likefire as he stretched out hisarm to seize the newcomer.But Beowulf caught his handand held it in such a gripas the monster had neverknown. He was afraid andtried to flee, but he couldnot. The heroes awoke anddrew their swords, but noweapon could pierce the skinof Grendel ; he must be over-come by strength alone. At length he escaped, but

his arm was torn from its socket and left in the irongrasp of Beowulf.In the morning there was great rejoicing. The kingloaded the hero with lavish gifts. The queen broughthim handsome garments and hung about his neck a fairgolden collar ; and all were glad and happy.

Alas, on the following night GrendeFs mother, anothermonster as terrible as he, came up from h

(1912) heroes of the middle ages: aleric to columbus

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