Electoral Palatinate

He, however, fared better than might have been expected, for though the government which he represented was held in abhorrence, his liberal housekeeping and exact payments had made him personally popular.

moreover he had taken the precaution of asking for a guard of soldiers and as several men of rank who hewed near him had done the same a considerable force was collected in the square the rioters therefore when they were assured that no arms or priests were concealed under his roof left him unmolested the venetian envoy was protected by a detachment of troops but the mansions occupied by the ministers of the Elector Palatine and of the Grand Duke of Tuscany were destroyed.

One precious box the Tuscan minister was able to save from the marauders.

It contained nine volumes of memoirs, written in the hand of James himself.

These latter ought to have represented the four great nations of which Germany was composed, Franks, Schwabians, Saxons, and Bavarians.

But the duchies of Franconia and Schwabia no longer existed, and the right was exercised by the Count Palatine of the Rhine and the Margrave of Brandenburg, in company with the dukes of Saxony and Bavaria.

In 1256 the votes of this electoral college had been divided between Richard of Cornwall, brother of Henry III of England, and Alfonso the Wise of Castile.

The former was crowned at Aachen and paid an occasional visit to Germany, but never really took up his office.

When a messenger from the king of Bohemia began to explain his embassy in Latin, he was interrupted by the emperor with the words, Lord bishop, when you have only concern with priests, use your Latin, but amongst us speak German.

Rudolf's first act was to gain friends by the marriages of his numerous family.

On the day of his coronation, one daughter was wedded to Louis of the Palatine, another to Albert of Saxony.

Next he turned his attention to the pope.

In 1619, his difficulties became still more distracting.

His son-in-law Frederick ruled as Elector Palatine over the pleasant lands which stretched in a straggling course from the Moselle to the frontier of Bohemia.

Frederick, though incapacitated by his weakness of character from taking a leading part in a great political struggle, was marked out by his high dignity as the natural leader of those German princes who believed a struggle with the Roman Catholic powers to be unavoidable.

He was now chosen King of Bohemia by the Bohemian revolutionists in opposition to the Archduke Ferdinand, who was already legally in possession of that crown.

At Edge Hill the way was barred against him by Essex.

On October 23rd the first battle was fought with no decisive results.

Prince Rupert, the dashing horseman, the son of Elizabeth and the Elector Palatine, drove all resistance before him with his cavalry.

But the royalist infantry could not stand against the foot of the parliament and Rupert returned from headlong pursuit too late to secure a victory.

They began with an attempt to get rid of Cromwell by a vote directing that with the single exception of Fairfax, no officer above the rank of colonel should be employed in the army.

To this Cromwell bowed his head, even offering to take service in Germany under the Elector Palatine.

Then came the question of inducing a considerable part of the army to transfer itself to Ireland, and of bringing about the disbandment of a great part of the remainder.

The one chance the Presbyterians had of accomplishing this double object was to raise a loan in order that they might have money in hand to pay off the soldiers they dismissed.

It was on the banks of the Rhine.

Frederick's title, as ruler of this country, was Elector Palatine.

there are a great many independent states in germany whose sovereigns have various titles and are possessed of various prerogatives and powers now it happened that at this time very fierce civil wars were raging between the catholics and the protestants in germany frederick got drawn into these wars on the protestant side his motive was not any desire to promote the progress of what he considered the true faith but only a wish to extend his own dominions and add to his own power for he had been promised a kingdom in addition to his palatinate if he would assist the people of the kingdom to gain the victory over their catholic foes he embarked in this enterprise without consulting with james his father-in-law knowing that he would probably disapprove of such dangerous ambition james was in fact very sorry afterward to hear of frederick having engaged in such a contest The result was quite as disastrous as James feared.

Frederick not only failed of getting his new kingdom, but he provoked the rage of the Catholic powers against whom he had undertaken to contend, and they poured a great army into his own original territory, and made an easy conquest of it.

They heard the next day that he had been wounded in the shoulder.

Inflammation and fever ensued, and he died a few days afterward in great agony.

the prince rupert was a very famous character in all these wars he was young and ardent and full of courage and enthusiasm he was always foremost and ready to embark in the most daring undertakings he was the son of the king's sister elizabeth who married the elector palatine as narrated in a preceding chapter He was famous not only for his military skill and attainments, but for his knowledge of science and for his ingenuity in many philosophical arts.

There is a mode of engraving called mesotinto, which is somewhat easier of execution than the common mode, and produces a peculiar effect.

They began with an attempt to get rid of Cromwell by a vote directing that with the single exception of Fairfax, no officer above the rank of colonel should be employed in the army.

To this Cromwell bowed his head, even offering to take service in Germany under the Elector Palatine.

Then came the question of inducing a considerable part of the army to transfer itself to Ireland, and of bringing about the disbandment of a great part of the remainder.

The one chance the Presbyterians had of accomplishing this double object was to raise a loan in order that they might have money in hand to pay off the soldiers they dismissed.