登陆注册
5244000000011

第11章 Book I(10)

The more unfortunate each nation felt itself in being degraded into a province of a foreign kingdom, the stronger desire did they feel to obey a monarch chosen from amongst themselves, and thus it was always easy for an enterprising noble to obtain their support. The nearest Turkish pasha was always ready to bestow the Hungarian sceptre and crown on a rebel against Austria; just as ready was Austria to confirm to any adventurer the possession of provinces which he had wrested from the Porte, satisfied with preserving thereby the shadow of authority, and with erecting at the same time a barrier against the Turks.

In this way several of these magnates, Batbori, Boschkai, Ragoczi, and Bethlen succeeded in establishing themselves, one after another, as tributary sovereigns in Transylvania and Hungary;and they maintained their ground by no deeper policy than that of occasionally joining the enemy, in order to render themselves more formidable to their own prince.

Ferdinand, Maximilian, and Rodolph, who were all sovereigns of Hungary and Transylvania, exhausted their other territories in endeavouring to defend these from the hostile inroads of the Turks, and to put down intestine rebellion. In this quarter destructive wars were succeeded but by brief truces, which were scarcely less hurtful: far and wide the land lay waste, while the injured serf had to complain equally of his enemy and his protector.

Into these countries also the Reformation had penetrated;and protected by the freedom of the States, and under the cover of the internal disorders, had made a noticeable progress.

Here too it was incautiously attacked, and party spirit thus became yet more dangerous from religious enthusiasm. Headed by a bold rebel, Boschkai, the nobles of Hungary and Transylvania raised the standard of rebellion. The Hungarian insurgents were upon the point of making common cause with the discontented Protestants in Austria, Moravia, and Bohemia, and uniting all those countries in one fearful revolt.

The downfall of popery in these lands would then have been inevitable.

Long had the Austrian archdukes, the brothers of the Emperor, beheld with silent indignation the impending ruin of their house;this last event hastened their decision. The Archduke Matthias, Maximilian's second son, Viceroy in Hungary, and Rodolph's presumptive heir, now came forward as the stay of the falling house of Hapsburg. In his youth, misled by a false ambition, this prince, disregarding the interests of his family, had listened to the overtures of the Flemish insurgents, who invited him into the Netherlands to conduct the defence of their liberties against the oppression of his own relative, Philip the Second.

Mistaking the voice of an insulated faction for that of the entire nation, Matthias obeyed the call. But the event answered the expectations of the men of Brabant as little as his own, and from this imprudent enterprise he retired with little credit.

Far more honourable was his second appearance in the political world.

Perceiving that his repeated remonstrances with the Emperor were unavailing, he assembled the archdukes, his brothers and cousins, at Presburg, and consulted with them on the growing perils of their house, when they unanimously assigned to him, as the oldest, the duty of defending that patrimony which a feeble brother was endangering.

In his hands they placed all their powers and rights, and vested him with sovereign authority, to act at his discretion for the common good. Matthias immediately opened a communication with the Porte and the Hungarian rebels, and through his skilful management succeeded in saving, by a peace with the Turks, the remainder of Hungary, and by a treaty with the rebels, preserved the claims of Austria to the lost provinces. But Rodolph, as jealous as he had hitherto been careless of his sovereign authority, refused to ratify this treaty, which he regarded as a criminal encroachment on his sovereign rights.

He accused the Archduke of keeping up a secret understanding with the enemy, and of cherishing treasonable designs on the crown of Hungary.

The activity of Matthias was, in truth, anything but disinterested;the conduct of the Emperor only accelerated the execution of his ambitious views. Secure, from motives of gratitude, of the devotion of the Hungarians, for whom he had so lately obtained the blessings of peace; assured by his agents of the favourable disposition of the nobles, and certain of the support of a large party, even in Austria, he now ventured to assume a bolder attitude, and, sword in hand, to discuss his grievances with the Emperor. The Protestants in Austria and Moravia, long ripe for revolt, and now won over to the Archduke by his promises of toleration, loudly and openly espoused his cause, and their long-menaced alliance with the Hungarian rebels was actually effected. Almost at once a formidable conspiracy was planned and matured against the Emperor. Too late did he resolve to amend his past errors; in vain did he attempt to break up this fatal alliance. Already the whole empire was in arms;Hungary, Austria, and Moravia had done homage to Matthias, who was already on his march to Bohemia to seize the Emperor in his palace, and to cut at once the sinews of his power.

Bohemia was not a more peaceable possession for Austria than Hungary;with this difference only, that, in the latter, political considerations, in the former, religious dissensions, fomented disorders.

In Bohemia, a century before the days of Luther, the first spark of the religious war had been kindled; a century after Luther, the first flames of the thirty years' war burst out in Bohemia.

同类推荐
  • Leaves From Australian Forests

    Leaves From Australian Forests

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 赠刘景擢第

    赠刘景擢第

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 华严原人论合解

    华严原人论合解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 唐才子传

    唐才子传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 居易录

    居易录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 超级无双神路系统

    超级无双神路系统

    少年凌风无意得到无双神路系统,进入仙国大陆,终将在此崛起,成就天上人间,第一至尊!“美女们,我的征途是高山日月,星辰大海,你们可否愿意和我一起去?我们白天杀敌,晚上做点爱做的娱乐如何?”“天帝,你那样老了,该让我来坐你的位置了,至于你的那些美貌如花的妃子,这个这个,杀了你之后,我想想看如何处置她们啊!”求收藏,求推荐票,谢谢大家!
  • 天作之合,总裁疼妻入骨

    天作之合,总裁疼妻入骨

    酒是个好东西,可酒有时候特别的坏。比如,一觉醒来失身了,比如,睡的人还是未婚夫的叔叔。婚礼上,她依旧是沈太太,只是这个沈太太却已经不是她想要的那个沈太太。沈钰悲痛欲绝的问她:顾云兮这就你拒绝我的理由吗?顾云兮你宁愿嫁给他都不愿意和我在一起吗?沈默笑着将不知所措的小妻子搂入怀中:年轻人要懂礼貌,你婶婶的名字,只能我叫。
  • 人脉课:人脉就是命脉 人脉就是财富

    人脉课:人脉就是命脉 人脉就是财富

    渴望财富是人类的一种正常心理。假如你希望变为有钱人,想成为一名成功人士,那么你千万不要错过这堂“人脉课”。本书将告诉你如何去积累财富,创造财富,找到属于自己的人脉财富圈!
  • 宝行王正论

    宝行王正论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 乐园东区16栋303室

    乐园东区16栋303室

    陆大壮向管教标准地鞠了一个躬,转身迈出灰色的铁门,咣啷一声,铁门在他的身后发出一声闷响,陆大壮六年的刑期就算结束了。陆大壮是坐公共汽车回的家。本来,他也想打车,可在这么个荒郊野岭,在监狱附近,他又穿着一身牢服,哪有出租车肯为他停下来。陆大壮是被减刑提前释放的,他的家人并不知情,又因为被关进来的那一年是冬天,现在是盛夏,所以陆大壮没有衣服可换,他只能背着冬天的棉衣,穿着灰色的牢服。他不怕路人的眼光,他想好了,到了市里,找一家商店把这身行头换下来,他就是要突然出现在家人面前,给他们一个惊喜。陆大壮一路打听,倒了三次车才到了传说中的新家——乐园东区。
  • 广告销售老鸟成长记

    广告销售老鸟成长记

    优秀的广告销售人员与一般的广告销售人员的关键区别在于前者善于提问和聆听,后者习惯喋喋不休地推荐广告投放方案。所以,要想成为广告销售高手(老鸟),不只要学习销售技巧和谈判技巧,更要学习提问与聆听的技巧,即是否善于闭上我们的“鸟嘴”。作者研究了几千个案例,涉及电视、广播、报纸、杂志、户外、直邮、电梯、网络等各种媒体,结合切身实践及有关专家的研究成果,总结出提问与聆听的三个套路和六个技巧,对广大广告销售从业人员有重要的参考借鉴作用。本次修订根据广告销售发展形势进行了一些更新,使之更适合现在的实际情况。
  • 战魔梦

    战魔梦

    几位耄耋之年的大学老友五十年后的聚会,蕴藏着一个巨大的阴谋,开启了一场游戏世界的腥风血雨。这几位大学老友被一个精心策划的骗局“流放”到了魔兽世界,如果找不到破解之路,他们将永远坠入这个虚拟世界不能脱身。既然无法后退,只能大步向前。几位大学同学一起走上了斩妖屠魔之路,这一路既有友情、爱情交织,还有猜忌、仇恨相伴。这个虚拟世界里,有道德的沦丧,更有真情的闪光。正直的游戏侠客与卑鄙的阴谋家共同为我们上演了一出荒诞、惊奇但却不失温情和正能量的悲喜剧。
  • 校草的恋爱手册

    校草的恋爱手册

    “你惹火我了,今晚独守空房!”她嚣张的冲着他吼……他是曾经的王者,可是,只有在她面前,分分秒秒怂成了狗。——化身小奶狗的时候:“嗯~~老婆我错了,我再也不敢了,原谅我吧~~”——化身小狼狗的时候:“抱歉好像没有什么用,还是抱着你好了,我知道错了。”——小狼狗转换成老狗哔:“来,坐过来,我们好好谈谈,到底是谁错了!”她忍无可忍,美目怒瞪他:“信不信我让你变单身狗!”他立马不要脸的凑上去偷吻她:“老婆我错了,真的知道错了,检讨书也写了,嘴巴你也抽了……”她:!!!!!【超级甜宠,1V1身心干净,相信我,恶魔真的能把甜心宠到无法无天。】
  • 三国奇公子

    三国奇公子

    这是一个波澜壮阔的时代…拨开眼前的云雾,你会发现,你所看到的,是你所想不到的。这是一个三国,一个与众不同的三国……(本文构思比较缓慢,前期发力较晚,望各位拭目以待,读一本你不曾读到的三国。)
  • 至尊帝凰

    至尊帝凰

    “来,把药给我灌下去,让她生不下那个孽种,慢慢的体验极致之痛,我就不信,她能忍住不说出那宝物的藏匿之处”,男子一脸阴狠的看着红账内的女子。她,欢欢喜喜的披着红嫁衣,等待着嫁给一直倾心的皇子哥哥。却没想到婚礼变丧礼,几条人命,不如一个小小手镯。再次重生她已经不是那个懦弱的废物,偶尔的扮猪吃老虎,偶尔的疯癫不将任何放在眼里。渣男在见,断其前程,毁其声誉,再免费赠送姐姐一个。却没想到,张狂到极致,招惹到了一个素不问世事的神秘美男。