Somany s disguise of a harper he visited their camp, where his musical skill obtained for him a welcome reception, and an introduction to the tent of the Danish prince, Guthrum. Here he spent three days, wit nessed the supine security of the enemy, thoroughly examined the camp and its approaches, and then went to meet his countrymen, for whom he had appointed a gathering in Selwood forest.a 58. The Saxons, inspired with new life and courage at the sight of their beloved prince, whom they had supposed dead, fell upon the unsuspecting Danes, and cut nearly all of them to pieces. (A. D. 878.) Guthrum, and the small band of followers who escaped, were soon besieged in a fortress, where they accepted the terms of peace that were offered them. Guthrum embraced Christianity; the greater part of the Danes settled peaceably on the lands that were assigned them, where they soon intermingled with the Saxons; while the more turbulent spirits went to join new swarms of their countrymen in their ravages upon the French and German coasts. The shores of England were unvisited, during several years, by the enemy, and Alfred employed the interval of repose in organizing the future defence of his kingdom. In early life he had visited Italy, and seer the Greek and Roman galleys, which were greatly superior to the Danish unarmed vessels, that were fitted only for transport. Alfred now formed a navy; and his vessels never met those of the Danes without the certain destruction of the latter. 59. The Danes, however, who had settled in England, still occu pied the greater part of the country, so that the acknowledged sov. ereignty of Alfred did not extend over any of the countries north ward of the city of London,-and fifteen years after the defeat of Guthrum, Hastings, another celebrated Danish chief, threatened to deprive the English king of the limited possessions which he still re tained. After having plundered all the northern provinces of France, Hastings appeared on the coast of Kent with three hundred and thirty sail, and spreading his forces over the country, committed the most dreadful ravages. (A. D. 893.) The Danes in the northern parts of England joined him; but they were everywhere defeated, and eventually Hastings withdrew to his own country, taking back with him the most warlike portion of the Danish population, from the English channel to the frontiers of Scotland, after which the whole of England no longer hesitated to acknowledge the authority of Al fred, although his power over the Danish population in the northern a. At Brixton, on the borders of the forest, in Wiltshire. Wiltshire is east of Somerset. part of the kingdom was still little more than nominal. He died after a reign of twenty-nine years and a-half, having deservedly at tained the appellation of Alfred the GREAT, and the title of founder of the English monarchy. (A. D. 901.) 60. To Alfred the English ascribe the origin of many of those in stitutions which lie at the foundation of their nation's prosperity and renown." As the founder of the English navy, he planted the seeds of the maritime power of England: with him arose the grandeur and prosperity of London, the place of the assembling of the national parliament or body of prelates, earls, barons, and burghers, or deputies from the English burghs, or associations of freemen: he made a collection of the Saxon laws, to which he added others framed or sanctioned by himself; he reformed the Saxon division of the country into counties and shires; divided the citizens into corporations of tens and hundreds, with a regular system of inspection and police, in which equals exercised a supervision over equals; and in the mode which he adopted of settling controversies, we trace the first indications of the glory of the English judiciary-the trial by jury. The cultivation of letters, which had been interrupted at the first invasion of the then barbarous Saxons, was revived by Alfred, who was, himself, the most learned man in the kingdom: he founded schools at Oxford-the germ of the celebrated university of that name; and he set aside a considerable portion of his revenues for the pay ment of the salaries of teachers. The character of Alfred is almost unrivalled in the annals of any age or nation; and in the details of his private life we cannot discover a vice, or even a fault, to stain o sully the spotlessness of his reputation. SECTION II. GENERAL HISTORY DURING THE TENTH, ELEVENTH, TWELFTH, AND THIS· 1. COMPLETE DISSOLUTION OF THE BONDS OF SOCIETY. ANALYSIS. 1. Causes of the CONFUSION OF HISTORIC MATERIALS at this period.-2. STATE OF THE SARACEN WORLD. [Bagdad. Cor' dova. Khorassan'.]-3. THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE. Turkish invasions and conquests. [Georgia.]-4. The divisions of the Carlovingian empire. CONDITION OF ITALY. Berenger duke of Friuli. Prince of Burgundy. Hugh count of Provence. Surrender of the kingdom to Otho. [Friuli. Switzerland. Provence.]-5. Italy undet the German emperors Guelfs and Ghibellines. Dukes, marquises, counts, and prelatus Petty Italian republics.-6. Cond! TION OF GERMANY. Its six dukedoms. [Saxony. Thurin' gia. Francónia. Bavária. Suabia. Lorraine.] Encroachments of the dukes. Reign of Conrad Henry I. of Saxony. Powers of the Saxon rulers.-7. CONDITION OF FRANCE. Charles the Simple. Other princes. Deposition of Charles. [Transjurane Burgundy. Provence. Brit tany.]-8. Settlement of the Northmen in France. [Normandy.] Importance of this event.— 9. The counts of Paris. Hugh Capet. [Rheims.] Situation of France for two hundred and forty years after the accession of Hugh Capet. II. THE FEUDAL SYSTEM; CHIVALRY; AND THE CRUSADES. 1. Europe in the central period of the Middle Ages. Origin of the FEUDAL SYSTEM. le duration and importance.-2. Partition of lands by the barbarians who overthrew he Roman empire. Conditions of the allotment. Gradations of the system.-3. Nature of the estates thus obtained. Crown lands-how disposed of. The word feud.-4. The feuda system in France. Charlemagne's efforts to check its progress. Effects upon the nobility. Growth of the power of the nobles after the overthrow of royal authority. Their petty sovereigntics.-3. Condition of the allodial proprietors. They are forced to become feudal tenants.--6. Legal qualities and results that grew out of the feudal system. Reliefs, fines, escheats, aids, wardship and marriage.-7. The feudal government in its best state. Its influence on the characte of society. General ignorance at this period. Sentiments of independence in the nobility. 8. Rise of CHIVALRY. Our first notices of it. Its origin.-9. Its rapid spread, and its good effects.-10. Its spirit hased on noble impulses. Extract from Hallam: From James. Customs and peculiarities of chivalry. Who were members of the institution.-11. The profession of arms among the Germans. Education of a knight. The practice of knight-errant 7.-12 Extent of chivalry in the 11th century. Its spirit led to the crusades. ORIGIN OF THE CRUSADES.-13. Pilgrimages to Jerusalem. General expectation of the ap proaching end of the world.-14. Extortion and outrage practiced upon the pilgrims. Horrer and indignation excited thereby in Europe. The preaching of Peter the Hermit. [Amie s.}. 15. The councils of Placentia and Clermont. [Placentia and Clermont.] Gathering o' the crusaders for the FIRST CRUSADE.-16. Conduct and fate of the foremost bands of the crusaders. The genuine army of the crusade. [Bouillon.]-17. Conduct of Alexius, emper r of Constantinople. His proposals spurned by the crusaders.-18. Number of the crusaders collected in Asia Minor. First encounter with the Turks. [Nice. Bithyn'ia. Róum.] he march to Syria. [Dorilæum.]-19. The siege and capture of Antioch. The Persian & m Turkish hosts defeated before the town.-20. Civil wars among the Turks. The caliph of Egyp takes Jerusalem. Proposal to unite his forces with the Christians rejected.-21. March of the crusaders to Jerusalem. [Mt. Lib' anus. Trip' oli. Tyre. Acre. Cæsaréa.] Transports ct the Christians on the first view of the city. Attack, and repulse.-22. Capture of Jerusalen. Acts of veneration and worship. Reception given to Peter the Hermit. His ultimate fate. 23. The new government of Jerusalem. Minor Christian States. Defenceless state of Jerusa len under Godfrey. Continued pilgrimages. Orders of knighthood established at Jerusalem The noted valor of the knights. 24. Continued yearly emigration of pilgrim warriors to the Holy Land. Six principal cru sades. Their general character.-25. The SECOND CRUSADE. The leading army under Conrad. The army of French and Germans.-26. Jerusalem taken by Saladin. The THIRD CRUSADY Fate of the German emperor. Successes of the French and English. Return of Philip Richard concludes a truce with Saladin. [Ascalon.]-27. The FOURTH CRUSADE, 'ed by Boni Lace. The crusaders take Zara, and conquer Constantinople. No benefit to Pales ine. [Mont serrat. Zara.-23. The FIFTH CRUSADE. Partial successes, and final ruin, of the expedition. [Damietta.] Expedition of the German emperor, Frederic II. Treaty with the sultan, by which Jerusalem is yielded to the Christians. Jerusalem again taken by the sultan, but re stored. 29. Cotemporary events in northern Asia. TARTAR CONQUESTS in Asia and in Europe. [China. Russia. Kiev. Moscow.] Alarm of the Christian nations of Europe. Recall of the conquering hordes.-30. The Corasmins. They overrun Syria and take Jerusalem, but are finally expelled by the united Turks and Christians.-31. The SIXTH CRUSADE, led by Louis IX., who attacks Egypt. The second crusade of Louis. Attack upon Carthage. Result of the expedition.-32. Acre, the last stronghold of the Christians in Syria, taken by the Turks, 1991 Besults of the Crusades. III. ENGLISH HISTORY. 1. Our last reference to the history of England. The present continuation -2. Condition of ENGLAND AFTER THE DEATH OF ALFRED. England during the reign of Ethelred II. Massacre of the Danes. Effects of this impolitic measure. Canute. Recall of Ethelred. Edmund Ironside. Canute sole monarch.-3. His conciliatory policy. His vast possessions. Characte of his administration of the government.-4. Harold and Hardicanute. The reign of Edward the Confessor. Events that disturbed his reign. Accession of Harold. The NORMAN CONQUEST. [Sussex. Hastings.]—5. Gradual conquest of al: England. William's treatment of his conquered subjects.-6. The feudal system in England. The Doomsday Book. Saxon and Normans.-7. Reigns of William Rufus, and Henry I.-8. Usurpation and reign of Stephen, Henry II. [Plantagenet.]-9. Henry's extensive possessions. REDUCTION OF IRELAND. [lis tory of Ireland.] The troubles of Henry's reign. -10. Reign of Richard, the Lion Hearted.-11. Reign of John, surnamed Lackland. Loss of his continental possessions. Quarrels with the pope-with the barons. Magna Charta. Civil war, and death of John.-12. The long reign of Henry III. His difficulties with the barons. First germs of popular representation. 13. The reign of Edward I. SUBJUGATION OF WALES. [History of Wales.]-14. Relations between England and Scotland. The princess Margaret.-15. Baliol and Bruce. Beginning of the SCOTTISH WARS. Submission of Baliol, [Dunbar.]-16. William Wallace recovers Scot land, but is defeated at Falkirk. [Stirling. Falkirk.] Fate of Wallace.-17. Robert Bruce crowned king of Scotland. Edward II. defeated by him. [Scone. Bannockburn.] 18. Northern nations of Europe during this period. Wars between the Moors and Christians in the Spanish peninsula. Final overthrow of the Saracen power in the peninsula. I. CONFUSION MATERIALS. 1. COMPLETE DISSOLUTION OF THE BONDS OF SOCIETY.-The tenth century brings us to the central period of what has been denominated the Middle Ages. The history of the known world presents a greater confusion and discordance of materials at this OF HISTORIC than at any preceding epoch; for at this time we have neither a great empire, like the Grecian, the Persian, or the Roman; nor any great simultaneous movement, like the mighty tide of the barbarian invasions, to serve as the starting and the returning point for our researches, and to give, by its prominence, a sort of unity to cotemporaneous history; but on every side we see States falling into dissolution; the masses breaking into fragments; dukes, counts, and lords, renouncing their allegiance to kings and emperors; cities, towns, and castles, declaring their independence, and, amid a general dissolution of the bonds of society, we find almost universal anarchy prevailing. 2. In the East, the empire of the caliphs, the mighty colossus of Mussulman dominion, was broken; the Saracens were no longer objects of terror to all their neighbors, and the frequent revolutions of the throne of Bagdad,' the cerral seat of the religion of the prophet, had ceased to have any II. THE SARACEN WORLD. 1. Bagdad, a famous city of Asiatic Turkey,-long the chief seat of Moslem power in Asia, -the capital of the Eastern caliphate, and of the scientific world during the “Dark Ages,” is tuated on the river Tigris, sixty-eight miles north of the ruins of Babylon. Baglad was founded by the caliph Al-Mansour, A. D. 763, and is said to have been princi influence on the rest of the world. About the middle of the eightk century, the Moors of Spain had separated themselves from their Eastern brethren, and made Cor' dova' the seat of their dominion, and little more than two centuries and a half later, (A. D. 1031) the division of the Western Caliphate into a great number of small principalities, which were weakened by civil dissensions, contributed to the enlargement of the Christian kingdoms in the northern part of the peninsula. Soon after the defection of the Moors of Spain, an independent Saracen monarchy had arisen in Africa proper: this was followed by the establishment of new dynasties in Egypt, Khorassan',' and Persia; and eventually, in the tenth century, we find the Caliphate divided into a great number of petty States, whose annals, gathered from oriental writers, furnish, amid a labyrinth of almost unknown names and countries, little more than the chronology of princes, with the civil wars, parricides, and fratricides of each reign. Such was the condition of that vast population, comprising many nations and languages, which still adhered, although under dif ferent forms, and with many departures from the originals, to the general principles of the moslem faith. 3. The Byzantine empire still continued to exist, but in weakness and corruption. "From the age of Justin' ian," says Gibbon, "it pally formed out of the ruins of Ctes' iphon. It was greatly enlarged and adorned by the grandson of its founder, the famous Haroun-al-Raschid. It continued to flourish, and to be the principal seat of learning and the arts till 1258, when Hoolaku, grandson of Gengis Khan. reduced the city after a siege of two months, and gave it up to plunder and massacre. It is said that the number of the slain in the city alone amounted to eight hundred thousand. Since that event Bagdad has witnessed various other sieges and revolutions. It was burnt and plundered by the ferocious Timour A. D. 1401, who erected a pyramid of human heads on its ruins. In 1637 it incurred the vengeance of Amurath IV., the Turkish sultan, who barbarously massacred a large portion of the inhabitants. Since that period the once illustrious city now numbering less than a hundred thousand inhabitants, has been degraded to the seat of a Turk Ish pashalic. The rich merchants and the beautiful princesses of the Arabian Tales have all disappeared; but it retains the tomb of the charming Zobeide, the most beloved of the wives of Haroun-al-Raschid, and can still boast of its numerous gardens and well stocked bazaars. 1. Cor' dova, a city of Andalusia in Spain, is situated on the Guadalquiver, one hundred and eighty-five miles south-west from Madrid. It is supposed to have been founded by the Romans, under whom it attained to great distinction as a rich and populous city, and a seat of learning. In 572 it was taken by the Goths, and in 711 by the Moors, under whom it after wards became the splendid capital of the "Caliphate of the West;" but with the extinction of the Western caliphate, A. 1. 1031, the power and the glory of Cor' dova passed away. Cor' dova continued to be a separate Moorish kingdom until the year A. D. 1236, when taken and almost wholly destroyed by the impolitic zeal of Ferdinand III. of Castile. It has never since recovered its previous prosperity; and its population has diminished since the 11th century, from five hundred thousand to less than forty thousand. (Map No. XIII.) was 2. Khorassan', (the "region of the sun,") is a province of Modern Persi, at the south-easter xtremity of the Caspian Sea, inhabited by Persians proper, Turkmans and Kurds. The re Igion is still Moham' medan |