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The History of the Reign of Emperor Charles V. With a View of the Progress of Society in Europe, From the Subversion of the Roman Empire, to
The History of the Reign of Emperor Charles V With a View of the Progress of Society in Europe From the Subversion of the Roman Empire to Author:William Robertson Title: The History of the Reign of Emperor Charles V. With a View of the Progress of Society in Europe, From the Subversion of the Roman Empire, to the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1782 Original Publisher: Printed for A. Strahan Subjects: History / General History / Eur... more »ope / General History / Europe / Germany History / Military / World War II History / Medieval Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: Sect. ih. to be the fucceffbr of the emperors of ancient Rome, and claimed a right to the fame power and prerogative. But while the emperors, by means of thefe "ty acquire new titles and new dominions, gradually acquired 'and'fove-""1 "additional authority and fplendour, the nobility re. gnmiho- Germany went on at the fame time extending their privileges and jurifdiction. The fituation of affairs was favourable to their attempts. The vigour which Charlemagne had given to government quickly relaxed. The inability of fome of his fuccefibrs was fuch, as would have encouraged vaffals lefs enterprizing than the nobles of that age, to have claimed new rights, and to have . affumed new powers. The civil wars in which other emperors were engaged, obliged them to pay perpetual court to their fubjefts on whofe fup- port they depended, and not only to connive at their ufurpations, but to permit, and even to authorize them. Fiefs gradually became hereditary. They were traniinitted not only in the direft, but in the collateral line. The inveftiture of them was demanded not only by male but by female heirs. Every baron began to exercife fovereign jurifdiction within his own domains; . and the dukes and counts of Germany took wide fteps towards rendering ...« less