riches 1370 Lodowick King of Hungary and Nephew of Casimir the Great Hitherto the Crown of Poland was successive except when the King dyed without issue In the third Class it began to be elective Vladislaus Jagello being obliged to swear as Hartknoch acquaints us that he received it by election and not succession This Class contains the Kings of the Jagellonian family in the following order 1386 Vladislaus Jagello chosen Husband to Heduiges second daughter to Lodowic and therewith King of Poland upon condition that he should unite to the Crown his dominions of Litvania Samogitia and part of Prussia become Christian himself and endeavour the conversion of those Nations and lastly pay two hundred thousand Florens to William Duke of Austria forfeited by Heduiges who was before contracted to the said Duke He was a pious Prince and founder of the University at Cracow 1434 Vladislaus III. 1447 Casimirus IV. 'T is very memorable what Loccenius reports of this King how that meeting with Charles King of Swedeland at Dantzick he was forced to get a Monk to talk Latin with the said King who understood no Polish but talked Latin accurately Hereupon Casimir being ashamed of the ignorance of himself and his followers returning home caused publick proclamations to be made That from thence-forward no man should be advanced to any dignity except he were able to speak Latin Whence saith the same Author it came to pass that the Polanders have ever since excelled in the Latin tongue 1492 Johannes Albertus In whose reign the Tartars laid waste Rusia Podolia and several other parts of the Kingdom 1501 Alexander This King is reported to have been such a prodigal that had he ruled long he would have begger'd the Nation His Queen Helena was not suffer'd to be crowned because being a Greek she refused to conform to the Roman Church 1507 Sigismund I. Reckon'd by Paulus Jovius one of the three Worthies Charles V. Emperor and Francis I. King of France being the other who had they not been contemporary Princes deserv'd singly to have ruled the whole world Besides the large endowments of his mind he was a person of such vast strength of body that 't was ordinary for him in his youth to break asunder horse-shoes and strong ropes 1548 Sigismundus Augustus In his time the Lutheran Religion began first to take footing in Poland The fourth and last Class contains a Register of Kings elected out of divers families which occasioned several Interregna The order of these Princes is as follows 1574 Henry Valois Duke of Anjou He fled from Poland into France upon news of his brother Charles's death and was thereupon deposed by the Estates He reigned five months 1576 Stephen Bathor Palatine of Transylvania 1587 Sigismund III. Prince of Sweden who after the death of his father John III. was crown'd also King of Sweden but deposed again by his subjects chiefly for attempting to introduce the Roman Religion amongst them in which he had been educated by his mother His Uncle Charles IX Duke of Sudermannia was chose in his place 1632 Vladislaus IV. Famous for his many conquests over the Turks and subduing Muscovy of which he was elected Tzar in his Fathers life-time 1648 John Casimir designed for a Religious and had lived two years of probation amongst the Jesuits but as Hartknoch writes nominated Cardinal by Innocent X. before he took the vow of that order Being elected King he married his brother Sigismund's widow He laid down his Diadem and retired into France 1669 Michael Koributh Duke of Wisniowiec An unfortunate Prince who lost Caminiec to the Turks 1674 John Sobieski formerly General against the Turks now reigning A. D. 1679. The Queen of Poland except she be a Roman Catholick is never crown'd nor then unless the King himself request it who is always present at her Coronation During his life the charges of her Court are defrayed out of his Exchequer but after his death she maintains her self out of the revenues of such lands as the King with the consent of the Estates made over to her upon marriage The Senate of Poland is famous as well for the Nobility as number of persons Among whom he that precedes all the rest both in dignity and place is The Archbishop of Gnesna who always sits next the King upon his right hand He has belonging to his Court a Marshal who is also a Senator of the Kingdom in the rank of the Castellanes This Marshal rides before the Archbishops Coach and when he goes to Court carries a staff before him upright till he comes into the Kings Chamber where he turns it downwards His authority is so great that in the absence of other Marshals he bears the staff of authority before the King when he goes to the General Assemblies The Archbishop has also a Cross born before him which the bearer holds upright behind his chair whilst he sits in the Senate Next to the Marshal is the Chancellor for the dispatch of publick affairs both in Church and State The other Officers of the Archbishops Court are the Chamberlain Master of Requests Steward of his Table Treasurer Chaplain Library-keeper Master of the Horse and Clerk of the Kitchin As he is a Prince while his meat is going up to table whether at home or abroad the drums beat When he comes to Court he goes directly to the King never waiting his Majesties leisure or any prefixt time And upon notice of his coming he is met at the bottom of the stairs by the sub-Chamberlain at the top by the Marshal of the Court. When he approaches the Royal presence the King himself goes some paces to meet him The title which the King gives him is To the most Reverend Father in Christ By others he is styled Most High and most Reverend Lord Lord N. by the grace of God and the Apostolick See Archbishop of Gnesna Legate born Primate and chief Prince of the Polonian Nobility His prerogatives are so great that he gives not place to any Cardinal for which reason no Cardinal is ambitious of being sent into Poland Next to him the Archbishop of Leopol takes place After these two Archbishops the Bishops are seated in the Senate according to their dignity in the following order 1. Cracow 2. Cujavia who is also Bishop of Vladislow and Pomerania 3. Vilna and 4. Posnania by turns 5. Polockzo 6. Varmia and 7. Luceorea by turns 8. Praemislia 9. Samogitia or Mednic 10. Culmo 11. Chelmo 12. Kiovia and Zernichovia 13. Kamienieck 14. Smolensko These Bishops sit on the right and left hand of the King next the two Archbishops Concerning the revenues and splendor of the Bishops of Poland see Cromer l. 2. descript Pol. pag. 177. and Stanislaus Lubienski in vita Angelotti fol. 310. Bishops by the Law are forbidden to hold Abbeys in commendam with their Bishopricks only the Bishops of Kiovia and Kamienieck having lost their revenues are now permitted that liberty for their subsistence Next to the Bishops sit
lust and ambition 1002. Upon Otto's death Henry Duke of Bavaria was chosen Emperor by the Electors His piety got him the Title of Holy and a mischance in his Childhood surnam'd him the Lame Willegise Archbishop of Mentz a Wagoner's Son whence that City got a Wheel for its Arms Crown'd him He fought many great Battels and from most of them came off Conqueror The Saracens were by him driven out of Apulia and Calabria and the Wendish Armies which had over-run a great part of Germany he utterly vanquish'd He is by some Historians stiled the Apostle of Hungary because he was the first that thorowly converted that Nation Upon his death-bed after he had reigned twenty and three years he is said to have return'd his Empress Cunigunda to her friends for a pure Virgin in which state by mutual consent they both had continued from the first day of their marriage Tho we read that once he so far question'd his Wife's chastity and the performance of her Vow as to make her purge her self by a fiery Ordeal Which she perform'd by going barefoot over a red-hot iron grate without the least shrink or sense of pain 1024. Conrad a Prince descended from Charles the Great succeeded Henry and was Crown'd Emperor at Aix la Chappel by the Archbishop of Colen Amongst Historians we find this high character of him that he was Acer consilio manuque strenuus charus Principibus Populo acceptior Reipublicae salutaris i. e. Quick at Council-board and valiant in the field one on whom the Princes of the Empire doted the People's Darling the strength of the Empire One of the good Laws which he established was That it should be death for any Prince to offer to disturb the peace of the Empire by making an offensive war upon any particular Province in it He died suddenly in his return from an expedition against the Hungarians and was buried at Spire after he had reigned fifteen years 1039. Henry surnam'd the Black Conrad's Son succeeded his Father in the Empire He reign'd seventeen years and seven months The first war he engag'd himself in was against the Bohemians upon their refusal to pay tribute to the Emperor Afterwards he turn'd his Forces against the Hungarians and restored their King Peter who had been deposed by his own Subjects for Tyranny In the year 1046 he march'd into Italy to compose differences among the three Popes who were set up by contrary factions But he depos'd them all and made a fourth viz. Clement II. renewing the old Law wherein it was enacted That no Pope should be created without the consent of the Emperor 1056. Henry IV. succeeded his Father at six years of age He is said during his reign which lasted fifty years to have fought sixty-two great battels which are more then either Marcus Marcellus Julius Caesar or any other Roman General could ever brag of Pope Hildebrand who went under the name of Gregory VII cast off this Emperors yoke and after some skirmishes got Rudolph Duke of Schwaben proclaim'd Emperor in his stead to whom the Pope presented an Imperial Crown with this Inscription Petra dedit Petro Petrus diadema Rudolpho But this Emperor of the Pope's making was soon vanquish'd and slain However within a while the Empire was taken from him in good earnest and that by his own Subjects who deposed him and elected his Son into his room This Emperor is reported to have been brought to those extremities before his death as to be forc'd to beg a Prebendary of the Bishop of Spire some say Wormes in the Church which he himself had built which was nevertheless denied him 1106. Henry V. was admitted into his Father's Throne by his rebellious Subjects and crown'd Emperor at Goslar At his Coronation part of his Sword was melted with Lightning but the Scabbard was untouch'd and himself escap'd without harm He was forc'd to acknowledg the Pope's Supremacy and to quit all pretensions to the power of Investiture which his Ancestors challeng'd as their right He reigned nineteen years dyed without issue and was buried at Spire 1125. Lotharius Duke of Saxony was elected to succeed Henry V. and receiv'd his Crown from the Pope at Rome in the year 1133. The greatest thing this Emperor did was the reviving the practice of the Civil Law in the German Empire after it had been banish'd thence for the space of five hundred years 1138. Conrad Duke of Schwaben and Lotharius's Sister's Son succeeded his Uncle carrying the Empire against Henry Duke of Bavaria who for some time opposed him In his days a Body of the Canon Laws was first set forth by Gratian a Benedictine Monk and publicly taught in the Universities of Germany He reign'd fourteen years 1152. Frideric Duke of Schwaben surnam'd Barbarossa from his red beard was elected Emperor upon the death of Conrad and was Crown'd at Rome by Pope Adrian IV. He was a wise valiant and pious Prince and commonly fortunate in all his undertakings Pope Alexander the third excommunicated him for his obstinacy but afterwards was reconciled when the Emperor threw himself at the Pope's feet and suffer'd him to tread on his neck In the year 1187 accompanied with our King Richard I. and Philip II. King of France he went to fight against the Saracens in the Holy Land Here he was drown'd in a river wherein he intended only to have bathed himself and was buried at Tyre after he had reign'd thirty-eight years 1190. Henry Frideric Barbarossa's Son tho short of his Father in deserts was-elected into his place He took Tancred prisoner in Sicily who thought to have supplanted him in that Kingdom and having put out his eyes sent him bound into Germany Pope Celestine who Crown'd him Emperor perswaded him to engage himself in the Holy-war but he never reach'd Palestine dying upon his journey thither when he had reigned almost eight years 1198. Upon the death of the Emperor Henry his Brother Philip was at first elected But because he refused to submit himself to the Pope as his Ancestors had done he was shortly after excommunicated and Otto Duke of Brunswic by the Electors and the Pope's authority declared Emperor Whereupon the two Emperors engaged the whole Empire in a long and bloody war each asserting a legal title and refusing to quit his pretensions to the Crown At last Philip was treacherously slain in his bed after he had ruled the Empire at least the greatest part of it ten years 1208. Otto Son of Henry surnam'd the Lion Duke of Brunswic got possession of the Empire as soon as Philip was taken of He had not reign'd four years e're he met with his Predecessor's fate having the Imperial Crown taken from his head by the Pope of Rome and the Electors and given to Frideric King of Sicily Otto got some succours from the Kings of England and Poland but was never able to make any considerable resistance One battel decided the controversie establishing Frideric in the Imperial Throne
march not beyond its limits above five leagues wherefore when they have occasion to lead an Army further it is decreed in the Senate which is convoked before every war to levy stipendiary Souldiers and as they are composed principally of the Nobles they frequently signalize themselves by their valour and successes against the much greater numbers of their enemies Thus Zamoschius in the time of Sigismund the third with 3000 men worsted Carigereius the Scythian who with 70000 was making an inroad into Poland and forced him with the loss of many thousands of his Tartars to return into his own countrey Taurica Chersonesus And Zolkievi with 3000 horse setting upon 80000 Muscovites unawares put themselves all to flight and brought away prisoners three German Regiments that served amongst them The Polish foot is of little esteem and therefore although each City is bound to set forth a certain number yet the King rather chuses such a sum of money as may be equal to the charges and so makes provision of Foreigners taken chiefly out of Hungary and Germany The Zeporensian Cossacks formerly served the Polish Kings in their wars either as Volontiers or for very small pay They came in sometimes 30000 strong arm'd with Lances or Scimiters and long Guns each had his Horse and as occasion required fought either mounted or on foot They used their own discipline and chose all their Officers out of their body even their cheif Commander whom they would depose without any fault if he were not successful Now although the strength of the Polanders may be said to equal both in number and quality most of the Kingdoms of Europe yet it often falls out that they are unsuccesful in their undertakings partly because of the slowness as well of their councils which consisting of all the principal Officers in the Kingdom are not readily convened nor without much ado kept together as of their Nobles in their rendezvousing who seldome come in before the last summons partly also because the generality of the Souldiers depending more upon their particular Patrons then the King are apt to follow their inclinations tho to the prejudice of the publick Besides it being a difficult thing to furnish necessaries for so many persons any long time having no publick Magazins provided towards the Seat of the war they are inclined to mutiny and disband before they have done their work Fortified Towns they have but few as we said before believing their own courage fortification enough to defend their countrey and unwilling by means of Garrisons to give their Kings opportunity of assuming an absolute power and arbitrary rule over them The government of Poland partakes more of Aristocracy then Monarchy 〈…〉 and is shared amongst the King the Senate and Nobility Some would reckon in the Citizens and Kmetones for so in old Charters are the Husbandmen called who live dispersed in Villages but they being never admitted to publick offices and employments ought not to be numbred among the orders and estates of the Kingdom At first the Kings of Poland were successive 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 as appears from the testimony of all their Historians and it was the custom that the reigning Prince appointed his successour So Lescus the Third appointed Popielus so also Boleslaus the Chast did Lescus the Black Nay oftentimes the Kings of Poland divided the Kingdom amongst their sons which is not usual in elective governments This is evident from the example of Boleslaus Crivoustus and is further confirm'd in the Polonian Histories by the precedent of Boleslaus the Curld But in the reign of Sigismund Augustus a Law was made that no King of Poland should presume to nominate or impose on the Kingdom a successor which law was not only renew'd in the interregnum after his death but several times afterwards the custom of Elections having encroached upon the Scepter for some while before for want of issue of the true Polish Royal Family From this Electiveness it now comes to pass that from the death of one till the Election of another King there are frequently too long Interregna during which the Arch-Bishop of Gnesna performs all Kingly offices acting in all things like their Soveraign without any distinction save that he is not crown'd with the Royal Diadem And such an Interregnum may happen not only by the death but by the Deposition or Resignation of the King Deposition of Kings was formerly more frequent in Poland then now Henry Valois is the last precedent in that kind who being elected King of Poland when he heard of the death of his Brother Charles the Ninth withdrew himself privately out of Poland by night that he might not loose his right in France Whereupon the Poles after they had often besought his return finding him not in the least inclin'd to forsake a successive for an elective Kingdom in a general assembly of the Estates discharg'd him from being King of Poland and renounced their allegiance The most memorable example of Resignation is that of John Casimir in the year 1669 of which a large narrative is given by Nicolas Chwalkowski in his Treatise de Jure Publico Polonico who was an eye witness of the whole Ceremony The Interrex or person who performs the Regal offices during the Interregnum as was said is the Arch-Bishop of Gnesna a Legate born the Primate and first Prince of the Kingdom not suspected as being a spiritual person of affecting the Crown Which dignity is not conferr'd upon him by Election but is annexed to his Archbishoprick least any delay in his nomination should endammage the publick This office he takes upon him not only upon the death but also in the Kings absence or residence in another Countrey as when Henry withdrew into France and Sigismund the Third went into Swedeland If there be no Archbishop of Gnesna then this dignity belongs to the Bishop of Cujavia or in his absence also or vacancy of the See to the Bishop of Posnania At the beginning of the Interregnum the Archbishop betakes himself to Warsaw whither all the neigbouring Nobility repair to him by whose advice Proclamations are issued forth out of the Archbishops Chancery under his hand with all his Titles annexed whereby the Interregnum is proclamed by the publick Ministers in all the Palatinates and Districts of the Kingdom and in the mean while all necessary orders are taken for the security of the people The Interrex also receives opens and answers all the letters from Foreign Princes gives audience to all foreign Ambassadours and indeed all the publick affairs of the Kingdom pass through his hands As for the Candidates this is certainly agreed that no Piasti or Native is excluded from the hopes of Election The Electors in the first place are the prime Senators of the Kingdom as well Ecclesiastick as Secular next to them the Nobility who have liberty to act either in their proper persons or by Deputies and lastly the Deputies of Cracow Posnania Leopolis
October they have a general rendezvous of men women and children who bring with them to the place appointed loaves of bread and vessels full of beer These they set on a table spread with hay That done they bring out a young heifer a boar and a sow a cock and hen with other such cattle and poultry as the house affords in pairs male and female When things are thus in readiness out comes an old Priest or Wizard who mumbling over a few hard words gives the sacrifice a blow with a stick which stroke is seconded by the whole company till the heifer be dead and beat to pieces Whilst this ceremony lasts they cry This oblation of thanksgiving we make thee O Ziemiennik so they call the feigned god for that it hath pleased thee to preserve us from all the evils of the year past and we beseech thee to protect and defend us for the future from fire sword pestilence and all our enemies After this they take a little of every dish they have provided and put it in four corners of the house and in the ground crying aloud Accept O Ziemiennik our offerings eat with us and be merry The solemnity thus over they spend the rest of that day in feasting and drunkenness There is no City or great Town in Samogitia of any consequence Mzdniki is a poor and despicable City all the rest scarce merit the name of villages Lithvania and this Province have all along been sharers in the same fortune and change They were both at once subject to the Russians at once overrun by the Teutonic Order and at once converted from Idolatry and subjected to the Crown of Poland by Vladislaus Jagello Livonia LIvonia or Liefland is bounded on the East with Russia on the West with the Baltic sea on the North with the Finland-bay on the south with Samogitia and some part of Lithvania The length of it is about 500 English miles and the breadth near 160. The country is generally plain and fruitful abounding with corn and hony some parts of it are fenny full of Lakes and rivers The many conquests this Land has suffered have made its inhabitants a medly of Moscovites Swedes Danes Polanders and Germans But the last have the greatest share in the country whence the generality speak High-Dutch The common people are used as hardly here as in Poland or Lithvania and the Nobility lord it as much Drunkenness and gluttony are vices the Lieflanders are generally addicted to from the greatest Lord to the meanest peasant The Bores would be hard put to 't to get a living considering the untolerable drudgery they undergo if they had not the priviledge of hunting hares of which they have great plenty in these parts white in winter and brown in summer foxes bears and other kinds of venison 'T is agreed upon by all Authors that Liefland was first annexed to the Crown of Poland by Sigismund Augustus though the story is told different ways Kojalowicz tells us That William Furstenburg Master of the Liefland Order of Knighthood upon his turning Lutheran had frequent quarrels with William Archbishop of Riga whom he accused at a session of the Nobility at Winden of a conspiracy of betraying Curland into the hands of Albert Duke of Prussia and the rest of Liefland to Sigismund King of Poland his kinsman Upon this pretence he immediately enters the Archbishop's territories with an army and takes him prisoner King Sigismund hearing this wages war with Liefland and A.D. 1557 conquers it But the reasons of this war seem to be grounded upon better pretensions then these For though it be true that there arose many skirmishes between the Archbishop and the Master of the Order touching points of religion yet during Furstenburg's government Ivan Duke of Moscovy and not Sigismund King of Poland overrun and lay wast the greatest part of Liefland Against whom Gothard Ketler Furstenburg's successour requested the aid of King Sigismund who quickly beat the Moscovian out of his holds and created Gothard Duke of Curland annexing the rest of Liefland to his own dominions But he found this country was easilier conquer'd then kept For the Revalians finding themselves unable to withstand the dayly incursions of the Moscovians committed their land to the protection of Eric King of Sweden Whereupon this King thought his title to Liefland was as good as the Polanders especially since Ferdinand the Emperour had given him the sole charge of defending it Upon these pretensions he presently routed the Poles out of Habsal Lehale Parnow and other places and put into them garrisons of his own Besides the Polish interest received at the same time another fatal blow upon this occasion John Duke of Finland married Katherine sister to the King of Poland to whom he lent 80000 some say 124000 dollars upon a mortgage of the castles of Wittenstein Karchise Frichate Helmult Ermise Ruja and Bortwic all in Liefland Returning into Sweden he was accused by King Eric his brother of high treason in offering to make a confederacy as he call'd it with Sigismund Augustus King of Poland without his consent In this rage the King robs his brother of all the castles and takes them into his own hand not without the pretence of being more able to defend them from the fury of the Moscovite Not long after upon the death of Eric King of Sweden and Sigismund King of Poland the Duke of Moscovy with irresistable force created the great Duke of Holstein King of Liefland When the Kings of Sweden and Poland perceived matters brought to this pass they thought it high time to lay aside all petit animosities between their two Kingdoms and to joyn forces against their common enemy the Moscovite fearing lest otherwise whilst they two stood quarrelling for each a shell he should snatch away the fish And indeed this confederacy prov'd very successful to the Swede who in the year 1580 retook many strong holds from the Moscovite as Lode Lehale Habsal Narwe the Province of Wicki Wittenstein Carelogrod c. Steven King of Poland fearing lest if the Swede went on with the same success and vigour he begun with he would bring all Liefland to his own beck claps up a peace with the Moscovite unknown to the King of Sweden upon these conditions That the Moscovite should restore all the places he had taken in Lithvania That on the other hand King Stephen should restore to the Duke of Moscovy Vielikoluk and some other forts he had taken in these wars After this when Sigismund son of John the third King of Sweden was upon the death of Stephen elected King of Poland the Poles admitted him upon this condition That he should annex all that part of Liefland which was under his goverment to the Crown of Poland But Sigismund the third coming to he Crown of Sweden could not by any means be perswaded to grant this request When he was deposed from his Kingdom there arose bloody wars between the King of Poland
Knights of the Teutonick Order had made their Master in the year 1525 it was agreed upon That the Teutonick Order should be wholly extirpated and that part of Prussia which to this day is called Ducal Prussia should be govern'd by the said Marquess with the title of Duke of Prussia and the rest or Regal Prussia remain still subject to the King of Poland But with this proviso That the Duke should always pay homage to the Crown of Poland and as a member of that Kingdom be President of the Kings Council Lastly John Casimir the late King of Poland granted first in the year 1657 and again 1663 full and absolute power and dominion over Ducal Prussia to the present Elector of Brandenburgh on this condition That the Dukedome upon defect of male issue should return to the Kings of Poland as supreme Landlords and be conferred on the Dukes of Onoldsbach and Culmbach as Feudataries Muscovy How affairs stand at present between the Great Duke of Muscovy and the King of Poland may appear by the Treaty of Peace signed by both parties A.D. 1667 spoken of before But formerly the Kings of Poland have laid claim and made good their title either by justice or the sword to several large Territories now in the hands of the Great Duke For first Jorislaus Duke of Russia was forced to pay tribute to Boleslaus Chrobri A.D. 1018. Afterwards A.D. 1069 Boleslaus II. possessed himself of Kiow and indeed the whole Dukedom of Russia over which he set Jesaslaus a tributary Duke After his death continual wars were between the two Nations till Casimir the Great in the year 1340 reduced the Southern Russia into the form of a Province But how little of that remains at this day in the hands of the present King of Poland we have shew'd before Several of the Kings of Poland have stiled themselves Kings of Sweden Sweden upon no other pretence then having made themselves masters of a great part of Liefland But this title ceased upon the death of John Casimir their late King as hath already been observed in the description of Liefland Of the Pretensions of Foreign Princes to the Kingdom of Poland WE have seen to what Kingdoms and Countries the Kings of Poland have in former ages claimed a right and title and we may perhaps find as many Kings and Princes of other Nations who have challenged the Crown of Poland upon as good grounds But to omit the many conquests obtain'd by the Russians Bohemians Hungarians and others over the Poles enough to entitle any potent Prince to their Kingdom the strongest pretensions to this Crown are those of the Emperor For the most of the Polish Historians tell us That Boleslaus I. was created King of Poland by the Emperor Otto III. before which time the Princes of that Nation were only Dukes This story is confirmed by besides the testimony of the most considerable writers of Poland an ancient Epitaph found in the Cathedral at Posen in which among other commendations of Boleslaus I. are the following rithmes Tu possedisti velut Athleta Christi Regnum Slavorum Gothorum seu Polonorum Caesar praecellens a te Ducalia pellens And again Ob famam bonam tibi contulit Otto Coronam Propter luctamen sit tibi salus Amen However tho the Historians of Poland grant that Boleslaus received the title of King at the hands of the Emperor yet they deny stubbornly that this Kingdom was ever subject or tributary to the Roman Empire But Conringius an ingenious and learned German Physitian in his book entituled De finibus Germanici Imperii c. 18. has demonstrated the contrary For not to take notice of Charles the Great who 't is more than probable conquer'd Poland as well as Silesia 't is certain that Miecislaus the first Christian Prince of Poland paid tribute to the Imperial Crown And the Polish writers are forced to confess That Otto III. remitted all homage due otherwise to Boleslaus Chrobri when he created him King After Boleslaus's death Miecislaus II. his successor was compelled to pay the usual tribute to the Emperor Conrad II. After this several of the Kings of Poland very willingly submitted themselves to the Emperors and others were forced out of their obstinate refusal At last in the long vacancy of the Imperial Throne soon after the middle of the thirteenth Century during which Richard Earl of Cornwal was one of the four elected Emperors whilst the Empire of Germany was in a confused distraction the Polanders took occasion to shake off the German yoke to which they could never since be reduced This is part of the relation which Conringius gives us of the ancient state of Poland in reference to the German Empire founded chiefly upon the testimonies of Dithmarus Mersburgensis and Helmoldus men of unquestionable veracity in their Histories Hartknoch endeavours to evade the force of his argument by saying That tho it be true that the Polanders have formerly paid some certain sum of money to the Emperors by whom it was demanded under the notion of a tribute yet this does not necessarily suppose any dependance of the Crown of Poland upon the Empire of Germany For 't is ordinary even with the Emperors themselves to buy peace with money And thus the English bought their peace of the Danes and made Lewis XI King of France pay for his But let him consider First whether the words of Helmoldus Chron. Slav. lib. 1. c. 1. num 9. can be properly understood of any such sum of money as is usually paid by any Nation upon the ratification of a Treaty of Peace when he says servit ipsa speaking of Poland sicut Bohemia sub tributo Imperatoriae Majestati Here the Historian tells us plainly the Kingdom of Poland was in his time as much tributary to the Emperor as Bohemia and how truly that was under his subjection every Historian will shew Again 't was not very considerately done to instance in the tribute paid by the English to the Danes or by Lewis XI to the King of England For both these were doubtless acknowledgements of subjection and homage The Danes all know were absolute Lords of our Land for 26 and made almost continual incursions into it for the space of 250 years Dane-gelt which perhaps Hartknoch as some of our own Historians have done mistakes for a tribute or composition-money paid the Danes upon any invasion was at first only a Subsidy gather'd for the maintenance of a standing army to oppose the Danish fury Afterwards indeed the word was used to denote a tribute sometimes amounting to 72000 pounds levyed yearly in England and paid to the King of Denmark upon the refusal of which payment the English were sure to feel the weight of that Kings displeasure This tribute was certainly a sign of a true and real subjection to the Crown of Denmark which might have lasted longer had not the Saxon and Danish lines been peaceably united in the pious King
fountain of the laws By these Governours and Deputies agreeeing together Tributes are exacted and Taxes levied According to an order of the Senate held at Lyncopen 1599 they were to keep Courts of Justice twice in every year all of them meeting in the Winter time about February at Vpsal at the publick Fair called Disting and in Summer at Lyncopen States or Orders of men in this Kingdom there are says Bureus six 1. Princes of the Blood Royal Nobility Clergy Souldiery Merchantry and Commonalty 1. Princes of the Blood The Princes of the Blood-Royal are disposed of by the King according to their age and capacity The eldest as was said is Heir apparent to the Crown The younger are commonly created Dukes and made Governours of Provinces of Vpsal first and the rest in order of dignity These after the death of their elder brother if he dye without issue have right to succeed in the Throne 2. Nobility The Nobility which is said to have descended from King Ingon or Harold of Norway and spred through Germany Suitzerland Spain c. when the Goths invaded the Roman Empire It is divided into three ranks or orders 1. Consists of Earls and Barons or Franck-Barons The Earls Jerl anciently were created only upon extraordinary accounts as were also their Dukes called Hertog neither of their titles being then hereditary A war happening between them and some of their Kings their Honour and Titles were for some ages quite laid aside till King Ericus XIV about the year 1560 first of all renewed these lost Titles and restored them to their owners which gracious favour of his was follow'd by his successors they not only conferring like honour during life but at present making it hereditary The second consists of those whose ancestors have been advanc't to the honour of Senators of the Kingdom The third sort is made up of those who are neither Counts nor Barons and whose ancestors have not been of the Senatorian Order of these Orders may be either their Knights for their valour created by the King whose Titles are not transmitted to their Heirs tho frequently upon equal desert confer'd on them or Gentlemen who are the lowest degree of the Nobility anciently called Affwappen either because they were expert in war or bore a Coat of Arms. All these Noblemen enjoy great priviledges and immunities All their estates are free from taxes and impositions so much only out of the Lands of Earls and Barons excepted as they at their creation receive of the King for which they pay some acknowledgment to the Crown only in time of war and all exigences whatever they are obliged to fit out horses and men for the Kings service proportionable to their estates Out of these are commonly elected the Senators Judges and chief Officers of the Kingdom men of low birth tho of considerable parts seldom advancing themselves into places of great trust and employment in Civil affairs in Ecclesiastical more frequently The estates of these Noblemen are inherited as well by their daughters as their sons the son if one having half and a daughter three parts of them which custom King Bergerus Jerl is said to have made and brought in about four ages ago 3. The Clergy Clergy concerning whom what we find is set down under Vpsal 4. The Souldiery 〈◊〉 which enjoys very great priviledges from the King as soon as any is listed Souldier he has over and above his ordinary pay all his Lands Tax-free if in time of war a Souldiers horse be killed under him the King provides him with another and if any be taken Captive by the Enemy the King redeems him at his own charges and such like which we shall mention when we speak of the Forces of the Kingdom 5. The Merchantry Merchantry in whose possession the most considerable part of the riches of the Kingdom is kept and by whose procurement forreign Commodities are imported For the good government and benefit of these every Maritime City and Mart-Town had anciently their particular Municipal Laws derived from Berca the ancient seat of their Kings and about 600 year ago a Town of the greatest trade in the Kingdom by these it was ordered how and in what manner the Maritime Cities might exercise Trade as well with Inland Towns as Forreigners what Commodities they might traffick with not hindring one anothers commerce c. These laws were by the Civil wars in the Kingdom quite neglected and for a long time out of use but by the care of some of the late Kings they or some equivalent to them begin to be restored and put in Execution 6 The last and lowest state Commonalty and as it were the Basis of the rest is the Commonalty called Bond or Beond of which there are two sorts 1. Named Scatbonder who have Hereditary Lands priviledges of fishing and fowling c. belonging to them these in time of war are bound to fit out one Horse and Man for the Kings service The second sort are those that labour in the Mines called Bergs-men no less profitable to the publick then the former and enjoy no less priviledges and immunities both possessing Estates and Fishery of their own and like the Commons of England having their Representatives in the publick Council of the Kingdom Of these some by reason of their freedom and advantage of Education which is denyed the Pesantry of other Countrys sometimes arrive at great honours in Church and State the famous King Ericus furnamed the Saint is said to have been a Country-mans son The Swedes as all other Nations were for a long time governed only by the laws of nature the confus'd edicts of their Kings Decrees of the States and Responses of the wise till about the year 1251 Bergerus Jerl compiled a body of Laws and Constitutions for the Kingdom collected out of the former These before the invention of Paper were engraven upon large wooden Posts thereby after the manner of the Romans and Athenians to be promulgated to the people They were commonly very short and general as designing the decision of particular cases to the publick Magistrates Besides these they had upon any emergent difficulties other ancient Laws which they called Recessus Regni and other ancient Statutes of the Kingdom by which only great controversies were decided At present the Courts of Justice are more regular and for the speedier execution of it there are in the whole Kingdom five supream Courts of Judicature 1. The Kings Chamber which is divided into three ranks or degrees 1. Supream in which all Cases twixt Senator and Senator brought thither by Appeal are decided 2. The Middle in which are determined actions of Treason and all others betwixt Noblemen Lagmen and publick Officers 3. The lowest where ordinary Trials are decided whether Civil or Criminal where it is judged whether the procedure in Inferiour Courts in actions brought thence by Appeal has been Legal or not From this Court there lies no
the Swedish Nation had made a law amongst his subjects that if any of them kill'd or injur'd a Swede he should pay only half the mulct which was to be pay'd if he had done the like to any other person whatsoever 33. Atislus a warlike and magnificent King 34. Hotherus who waged war with the Danes and Russes and died of a wound he received in battel 35. Rodericus King of Denmark and Swedland at the same time but either leaving or loosing the former he retir'd into the latter and there ended his days 36. Attilus who kill'd Wermundus King of Denmark in single Duel and was himself afterwards slain by Wermundus's two sons After this Kings time the succession for about 600 years was much interrupted who enjoy'd the Kingdom is uncertain Botvildus Charles II Ericus II and six more are mention'd but little more known of them then their names He whom Historians first pitch upon to have certainly succeeded was 46. Alricus who challenging Gestiblindus King of the Goths to Duel thereby lost both his life and Kingdom 47. Ericus III surnamed the Wise and by some the Eloquent a happy and peaceable Prince He reign'd according to Johannes Magnus's computation about four and thirty years before our Saviours Birth A Catalogue of the Gothish Kings who reigned shortly after their Transmigration out of Scandia while they dwelt about the Palus Maeotis near the time of the Trojan War collected out of Wolf Lazius upon whose credit you are to take them 1. Telephus well known for his exploits in the Trojan War 2. Bericus or Beger 3. Filimar 4. Frogradus 5. Aringis 6. Eurypilus 7. Tamyris 8. Antriregus After this succession of Kings in Scythia Europea the Goths either weary of that Country or driven out of it by some of their potent Neighbours are said by the same Author though I find not his opinion seconded by any Swedish writer to have returned into Gothia and particularly to have pitch'd upon the Isle Gotland as the fittest seat for their Kings a long series of whom might seem not very necessary to be set down being for the most part the same with the Swedish Kings before mention'd 48. Haldanus in whose reign the Hunns overrun Gothia and the greatest part of the Kings dominions built Hunnaberg an ancient City in Ostro-Gothia and after some continuance in the Country were by this King at last utterly expell'd 49. Sivardus or Sigvardus in whose time commotions arising in the Kingdom the Goths elected a separate King of their own nam'd Carolus whom some make to be 50. Charles III. 51. Ericus IV. slain by Haldanus King of Denmark 52. Haldanus who got the Kingdom by his valour Of this King are reported several prodigious Stories as of his Gigantick stature his pulling up Trees by the roots and such like not inferiour to those which Poets relate of Hercules and the Giants 53. Vngvinus who to his own Kingdom united Gothia for a long time govern'd by distinct Kings 54. Ragvaldus or Regnaldus 55. Amundus 56. Haquinus in whose reign the Goths elected one Sivardo King of Gothia 57. Ostenus I. who entertain'd an implacable hatred against the Norwegians sent a great Army against them subdued their Country made the Inhabitants Tributary to the Swedish Crown and as an opprobrium to the Nation set a Dog to be chief Governour over them to which they were to pay all subjection and swear allegiance under the penalty of losing one hand and one foot this is mention'd both in the Swedish and Norwegian Chronicles 58. Alverus or Alaricus elected says Krantzius out of the Nobles and in the midst of his happy Reign stabb'd by his Brother Ericus who was impatient to obtain the Crown which he thought he might procure after his death but vainly for the Government was conferr'd on 59. Ingo I. eldest son to Alverus He was the first that order'd the election of Kings to be held at Moresten near Vpsal of the manner of which see what was said in Suecia About this time the Kingdom was governed by Judges the next King is 60. Ingellus I. kill'd by his Brother 61. Germunder in a war against Denmark taken Prisoner and hung up upon a Gibbet 62. Haquinus 63. Egellus after whose time succeeded several Kings Johannes Magnus reckons twenty concerning whom nothing very remarkable is set down by Historians The next great Epocha is counted from the reign of 84. Bero or Biorno III. the first Christian King in Sweden converted to Christianity by one Herebretus at his request sent to him by Charles the Great Emperor of Germany 85. Brautamundus or Amundus in some civil commotions in his Kingdom kill'd by his brother and Successor 86. Sivardus II. who in his expeditions against Norway was with the greatest part of his Army overcome in battel the enemies Forces mostly consisting of Women 87. Herotus or Haraldus 'twixt whom and the King of Denmark a war broke out concerning the Province of Schonen which this King at last freely granted to the King of Denmark as a reward of his signal prudence and valour 89. Charles VI. 90. Biorno IV. 91. Ingellus II. in whose time Helsingia and several other Provinces in Suecia had their distinct Governours these he under colour of friendship invited to a Banquet and when he had made them drunk with strong Liquors he caus'd a fire to be set on the place where they were and so destroy'd them all and seiz'd on their possessions To revenge this cruelty Gramus Duke of Sudermannia and Hauno Duke of Ostro-Gothia rais'd Forces and came against him but with no good success at last for under pretence of a Parley they were taken Prisoners and at Ingellus's command burnt to death 92. Olaus from his commanding many thick woods to be cut down surnam'd Tratelia or Tree-Feller He is said by some to have embrac'd Christianity at the perswasion of Ansgarius a Learned Bishop sent into Sweden by Lewis II. Emperor of Germany But though he himself perhaps did favour Christian Religion it got small footing amongst his Subjects for Paganism is said for a long time to have prevail'd in the Reigns of the succeeding Princes 93. Ingo II. 94. Ericus VI. surnam'd Windy-Cap who is said to have had a Cap by holding up of which he could cause the wind to blow from what Point he pleas'd for which and such like magical exploits he by the consent of the people was elected King 95. Ericus VII surnam'd Victorious 96. Ericus VIII surnam'd Aarsel i.e. Rich in Corn. He is said to have countenanc'd Christianity which had been from the time of Bero 'till his reign very much suppress'd and endeavouring by Law to establish it in his Kingdom to have been by the fury of his Subjects torn in pieces and martyr'd for his good intentions toward them 97. Olaus surnam'd Scotkonung i.e. Infant-King because advanc'd to the Crown when young He embrac'd Christianity and sent to Ethelred King of England to furnish him with able Ministers
Forreign Princes and their manners modell'd by different Laws The second great Epocha in the Swedish Chronicles is from the reign of 108. Ericus IX surnam'd the Saint a virtuous and pious Prince He never lay'd any Taxes or Impositions upon his Subjects but was content with the Crown-Patrimony and when Money was offer'd him by his people he refus'd to accept it He built the Cathedral Church at Vpsal and propagated Christianity to the Finlanders This King new modell'd all the Swedish Laws and expung'd those that any way favour'd Paganism He was murther'd by a Party of Rebels and in the very place where they cut off his head there presently issued out says Loccen a spring of pure water famous for curing diseases 109. Charles VII a peaceable and religious King who founded several Monasteries and had an Arch-bishops see granted him in his own Dominions 110. Canutus son to Ericus 111. Suercherus II. 112. Ericus X a quiet and peaceable King 113. John I surnam'd the Meek He propagated the Christian Religion amongst the Leiflanders 114. Ericus XI surnamed the Stammerer He rooted out Paganism in Tavastia and brought over the Inhabitants to the Christian Faith 115. Waldemarus son to Bergerus Jerl who upon the death of Ericus in his Fathers absence was clected King which his Father being dissatisfied with at his return declaring his displeasure that an unexperienc'd youth his Son should be advanc'd to the Crown and himself disregarded he was thereupon desir'd to take upon him the management of all publick affairs After his death Waldemarus had absolute power in his Kingdom and ruled by his own unfortunate commands He was depos'd by his people and his Crown given to 116. Magnus I surnam'd Ladulaus i. e. the Lock to Granaries because he made such severe Laws against stealing Corn and breaking up Granaries that in his reign the people used neither Lock nor Key his Laws being sufficien to secure them from Thieves and Robber He built many Churches and made several wholsom Laws ordering that all Offenders instead of paying mulcts should be obliged to assist in building some Tower or Fort. 117. Birgerus son to Magnus in his time and by his means Carelia received the Gospel He manag'd affairs imprudently and thereupon was depos'd and banish'd by his Subjects and his Kingdom conferr'd on 118. Magnus II. surnam'd Smeek i. e. the flatter'd or cocker'd Prince In the former part of his reign he ruled peaceably and had the affections of his people but falling into sottishness and following strange women he lost the love of his Subjects and was in a Senate at Stockholm publickly arraign'd for his misdemeanors call'd for to answer for himself and not appearing in his own defence by them depos'd Ericus XII son to Magnus sometime during his Fathers reign manag'd all business of State and therefore he is by some reckon'd amongst the Kings of Sweden though without good reason for he was only an assistant to the King in Council not a Partner in the Government The fourth Swedish Epocha is reckon'd from the remarkable alteration of affairs under 119. Albertus of Mecklebourg elected by the Suffrages of the people For some time he rul'd well but preferring Germans to the chief places of trust in his Kingdom he thereupon lost the love of his Subjects and his Crown to boot After he was depos'd he retir'd into a Monastery The person who succeeded was 120. Margaretta Queen of Denmark and Norway She vex'd her Subjects with intolerable Taxes admitted Danes English-men and Italians into publick Offices and was thereupon assaulted by the Nobles of the Kingdom who had certainly slain her had she not given them fair promises and propos'd to them one to succeed her viz. 121. Ericus XIII her Nephew son to Wartislavus Duke of Pomeren He was King of Denmark Norway and Sweden at the same time He marryed Philippa Daughter to Henry IV. then King of England for some time he reigned happily but breaking the Laws of the Kingdom and not observing his Coronation-Oath he fell into great troubles and at last after he had enjoy'd three Crowns for five and forty years was dethron'd by his Subjects this King after he was depos'd is said to have turn'd Pirat and very much infested the Brittish Coasts his Kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden were given to 122. Christophorus Duke of Bavaria This King revis'd and corrected the municipal Laws of Sweden and caus'd them to be promulgated from him call'd Christopher's Laws He dyed suddenly at Helsinburg as he was going to consult with his Nobles at Jenecopia After this Kings death there was an Interregnum for some small time during which all publick business was manag'd by one Benedictus Bielke and Nicolaus Baner two Principal Officers of State in the time of King Christophorus The fifth Epocha is reckon'd from the ending of the Interregnum which was when the Government was undertaken by 123. Carolus VIII Canuti Marshal of the Kingdom who was descended from the Stock of the ancient Gothish Kings As soon as he was setled in the Throne he pretended Title to Gotlandia which the Danes then possess'd and thereupon made war with Christianus I King of Denmark but with small success He lay'd upon his Subjects heavy and grievous Taxes and attempting to take away Church Lands and pious Donations lost the favour of his Subjects and was by them expell'd or rather by the Danish forces driven out of his Dominions His friend whom he in his Banishment trusted himself with was Casimirus King of Poland who entertain'd him nobly for seven years during which time Sweden was govern'd by 124. Christiernus I. King of Denmark call'd hither by the prevailing Faction but seizing the publick Treasure of the Kingdom and committing many cruelties he was shortly after deposed from being King and 125. Carolus Canuti recall'd from Dantzick and restor'd to the Throne but being troubled with civil Commotions at home chiefly manag'd by the Arch-bishop of Vpsal and endanger'd by the Danish Forces from abroad commanded by the depos'd King Christiernus I. he voluntarily left the Government of the Kingdom and appointed for his Successor his Nephew 126. Steno Sture Senior who was receiv'd by the Senate at Stockholm rather as a Protector then an absolute Governour of the Kingdom he manag'd all publick affairs very happily and with great satisfaction to the people for a long time till in the year 1491 at which time he was accus'd by the Senate for acting in several matters without their knowledg and advice for making a League with the Inhabitants of Riga against the Teutonick Order of which the Russes taking advantage had made some inrodes into Livonia and Finland and such-like Crimes and thereupon by them turn'd out of all office the Kingdom was conferr'd on 127. John II. son to Christiern I. King of Denmark He took Steno Sture into favour and going as was then the custom to visit his dominions left him Vice-roy at Stockholm to manage all the affairs of
coming of the Asians into these parts says Odin or Woden the great Captain of the Asae spread his language over Saxony as well as Denmark Sweden and Norway Adding further That within awhile the Asian tongue was generally spoken in all the neighbouring Countries The strongest argument to prove a difference between this tongue and the old Teutonic may be had from a diligent enquiry into the various phrases and proprieties of speech used in both of them But when we consider how much the idioms of the High and Low Dutch differ and how vastly the Syntax of our English Language is alter'd from the Danish and German we shall have reason to confess before we pronounce these last two distinct primitive languages that time is able strangely to alter the physiognomy of tongues as well as men However the dispute is like shortly to have an end and the Danes will in a little while if they do not already speak good Dutch For the German tongue is now ordinarily spoken in Copenhagen and most of the chief trading Cities in Denmark To let pass the stories of King Dan Government whom some Historians make to reign in this Kingdom three hundred years before the birth of our Saviour it is manifest from the unquestionable testimonies of the best Roman writers that Denmark was a Monarchy in the Consulship of Catulus and Marius near an hundred years before Christ Afterwards we have a certain account of Gothric King of the Danes in the days of the Emperor Charles the Great from whom the present Kings of Denmark are descended in a lineal succession except what Pontanus seems not to allow of the line of the ancient Kings failed upon the death of King Christopher III. A. D. 1448 The power of the Danish Nobility in Council is exceeding great but not so large as to make the supreme Government Aristocratical Some would argue That the Nobles are above the King since 't is well known they denied to Crown Frederic II. in the year 1559 till he had sworn never to pretend to be able by his own authority to put any Nobleman to death From this and some other like instances Bodinus endeavours to prove the Kings of Denmark petty Princes rather then absolute Monarchs not remembring that even in France it self as well as all other Kingdoms of Europe it has always been thought requisite for the satisfaction of the people that every King at his Coronation should make some solemn Vow to maintain the ancient Laws and Priviledges of his Country and Subjects And if in the case mentioned the Nobility of Denmark required their King to lay a stricter obligation on himself then was usual the performance was arbitrary and not constrain'd The Subjects might possibly upon the Kings refusal to gratifie them have rebell'd against their lawful Sovereign but could not justly have compell'd him to a compliance Before the year 1660 King the Kingdom of Denmark was not as Norway Hereditary but Elective yet so that the Senators usually chose the eldest son of their King who thenceforward was styled the Prince The rest of the Kings sons had the Titles of Dukes and Heirs of Norway The Election in ancient times was commonly had in this solemn manner As many of the Nobles as were Senators and had power to give their voices agreed upon some convenient place in the fields where seating themselves in a circle upon so many great stones they gave their votes This done they placed their new elected Monarch in the middle upon a stone higher then the rest and saluted him King In Seland to this day there is such a company of stones which bear the name of Kongstolen or the Kings seat And Olaus Magnus tells us the same story of a great stone call'd by the Vicenage Morastaen near Vpsal in Sweden Near St. Buriens in Cornwall in a place which the Cornish-men call Biscow-Woune are to be seen nineteen stones set in a round circle distant every one about twelve foot from the other and in the very center one pitched far higher and greater then the rest This Cambden fancies to have been some Trophee erected by the Romans under the later Emperors or else by Athelstane the Saxon when he had subdued Cornwal and brought it under his dominion But Wormius more probably guesses that in this place some Danish or Saxon King was elected by his followers And I conceive the same may be said of Long Meg and her daughters near little Salkeld in Cumberland But to return to Denmark of later years the Danes in their elections have follow'd the customs of other Countries till Frederic III. in the year 1660 who was the first that ventur'd to exercise the authority of an absolute Prince and to shake off the dependance his Ancestors were wont to have upon the good will of their Subjects procuring with fair words and threats a Law to be established That for the future the Kingdom of Denmark should immediately upon the Kings death descend upon his lawful Heir Whereupon the present King Christian V. was the same night his Father dyed without any previous election or consent asked of the Nobility proclaimed King The Rites of Coronation are usually perform'd at Copenhagen where the King is anointed by the Bishop of Roschild The Chronicles of the Kings of Denmark which have hitherto been publish'd Catalogue of their Kings are so imperfect and contradictory one to another that 't is utterly impossible to give an exact Catalogue of their Kings Saxo Grammaticus who liv'd saith Stephanus in the twelfth Century has made a shift to collect a great many stories out of the scatter'd fragments of old Runic Inscriptions and ancient Ballads and to relate them in a better method and stile then could be well expected from the age he liv'd in But when we consider that the best he met with could not possibly be of more authority then such venerable scraps of Chronicles as are published by Wormius at the end of his Monumenta Danica and see how these two run counter it is hard to rest satisfied with the relation he gives us and yet as difficult to provide our selves of a better The first rational account given us of any of the Danish Kings which we may safely rely upon for truth is in our English Chronicles which as the Learned Sir Henry Spelman in an Epistle to Ol. Rosecrantz formerly Danish Ambassador in England treat more fully and clearly of the affairs of Denmark then any of the Danish Historians Wherefore omitting the relations given of Dan Humblus and the rest of their Heathen Kings as either false or frivolous we shall content our selves with a short Register of the Kings of Denmark since the first planting of Christianity in that Kingdom And 1. Harald being beaten out of his Kingdom by his brother Reinferd's accomplices fled to the Emperor Ludowic for help who assisted him in regaining of his Crown upon condition he would forsake his Idolatry and turn
CUCULLUM In which last word we have as many Numeral Letters as will give us the year 1315. 1318. Ludowic Duke of Bavaria after an Interregnum of some years was Elected and Crowned Emperor by a majority of the Electors but was oppos'd by Frideric Duke of Austria the Emperor Albert's Son who was set up by another faction and Crown'd at Bonna a small Town in the Territories of the Archbishop of Colen For some time the dispute was managed with equal success betwixt the two Emperors but at the last the victory went on Ludowic's side who having utterly routed Frideric's Army got the whole Empire into his own hands He was a great opposer of the Pope's authority insomuch that in a public Oration spoken by him at Francfurt he declared openly Quod nihil Juris Pontifici Romano sit in Imperium i. e. That the Bishop of Rome had no reason to pretend to any Jurisdiction over the Empire He deposed Pope John XXII and set up Nicolas V. in his stead He sleighted the Popes Excommunications which were daily denounc'd against him being encouraged thereto by Occam and some others who came in with him for a share in the Curse Occam's continual advice to him was O mi Imperator Tu me gladio defende ego Te verbis scriptis defendam i. e. Do you my Liege guard me with your Sword and I 'll protect you with words and writing 1346. Upon the death of Ludowic Charles IV. Son of John King of Bohemia was elected and proclaim'd Emperor by a Gang which he had corrupted with large sums of money He is blam'd by some Historians for taking much more care of the public affairs of France and Bohemia then those of the Empire for being more solicitous in promoting the interest of his own private Family then the good of the Commonwealth and lastly they represent him as a miserable penurious wretch that minded more the scraping together an Estate and great Portions for his Children rather then the administring of Justice and the grand concerns of his Empire and people However 't is commendation enough to say that he was the first contriver and establisher of the Aurea Bulla which contains a register of all the Rites and Ceremonies which for ever are to be observ'd by the German Princes in the Election of their Emperors of which more hereafter He was doubtless a prudent and learned Prince one that took great delight in the reading of Books and enjoying the company of Scholars There were three more Emperors elected against him at several times but none of them contended with him for the Crown The first of these was Edward III. King of England whose brave exploits in France had made him famous all Europe over But he finding employment enough in the management of his own Dominions at home very generously refus'd the Imperial Diadem when it was offer'd to him The second was Frideric Landtgrave of Thuringen who for a good sum of money very willingly quitted his pretensions Gunther Earl of Schwartzburgh was the third who was Crown'd at Aix la Chappelle and drew up his Forces near Francfurt intending to have given his Rival battel But Charles was loath to encounter so great a Soldier and hazard an Empire at one engagement which had cost him such large sums as he was obliged to pay to some of his Votaries He still fancied his Gold was the best weapon he had to trust to and so indeed it prov'd For therewith he hired a Physitian to poyson Gunther's body which made him unfit for government That done he compounded with his Children and a small piece of money bought off their Title He reign'd thirty-two years 1378. Wenceslaus Charles the Fourth's Son succeeded his Father upon his earnest entreaty for there was nothing in himself that could deserve a Crown In the beginning of his reign he gave himself up to all manner of vicious practices and towards the later end proved a cruel but unfortunate Tyrant He was twice taken prisoner but made his escape At last the Electors weary of so sordid an Emperor deposed him after he had reign'd twenty-two years Frideric Duke of Brunswic was elected into the room of Wenceslaus but never liv'd to enjoy the Imperial Crown For returning from the Election he was barbarously slain by Henry Count Waldeck who with a company of Ruffians lay in ambush for him near Fritzlar Whereupon the Electors immediately return'd to Francfurt and chose 1400. Rupert Elector Palatine of the Rhine A Prince of great valour tho never engag'd in any war but by constraint The greatest enterprize he ever set upon was the recovery of the Dukedom of Millain which his predecessor Wenceslaus had sold But John Galeazzes at that time Duke of Millain quickly routed his Army and forc'd him to retire back into Germany He dyed in peace after he had reign'd nine years and ten months and was buried at Spire 1410. Jodocus Barbatus Marquess of Moravia and the Emperor Charles the Fourth's Nephew succeeded Rupert He reign'd no longer then five months being no way qualified for an Emperor and having nothing remarkable in him but his beard which surnam'd him Barbatus 1411. Sigismund Wenceslaus's brother King of Hungary and Bohemia was chosen into Jodocus's place by an unanimous consent of all the Electors Historians represent this Emperor as a Prince of incomparable piety learning and valour who wanted nothing but success in his undertakings to make him compleatly happy He was a great promoter of the Council of Constance held in the year 1415 wherein John Huss and Jerom of Prague notwithstanding the Emperors Pass and promise that they should return safe to Bohemia were condemn'd to be burnt alive for Heretics This so incensed the Hussites that they immediately rebell'd against Sigismund under the command of their General Zysca who had been bred up in the Emperors Court This Zysca prov'd so fortunate in the field that he vanquish'd the Emperors Army fourteen several times He was a Captain of that courage that after his death his Soldiers cover'd a Drum with his skin imagining that the noise thereof would strike terror into the hearts of the stoutest of their enemies Sigismund having reign'd twenty-seven years most of which time was spent in a continual war with the Hussites dyed and left his Empire to his Son-in-law 1440. Frideric III. or IV. if we reckon the Duke of Brunswic who was slain at Fritzlar for one Duke of Austria was unanimously elected into the Imperial Throne upon the decease of the Emperor Albert and was Crown'd Emperor at Rome by Pope Nicolas V. He made it his whole business to procure and establish an universal peace in Christendom and to that end procured the calling of the Council of Basil He married Leonora daughter of Alphonsus King of Portugal whence the Houses of Spain and Austria were united into one Family He reign'd fifty and three years the longest of any of the German Emperors and dyed as some say of a Surfet by
made use of at such a solemnity was a wreath of white Scarffs wherewith they bound the heads of their Kings The Elector of Colen for a long time perform'd the Ceremony of Coronation but because the Archbishops of that See have not been Priests for many years the Archbishop of Mentz has executed the office for this last Century At the Coronation of the Emperor Ferdinand III. there arose a grand dispute betwixt the Elector of Colen who at that time was a Priest and the Archbishop of Mentz the former demanding a restitution of the Honour which did formerly belong to his See and the later asserting his right from the example of his Predecessors who had long enjoy'd it However the Archbishop of Colen was overthrown and the Archbishop of Mentz perform'd the office and in so doing some say only preserv'd a right which many ages before had belong'd to his predecessors At the Coronation the King of Bohemia carries the Crown the Elector of Bavaria bears the Globe the Duke of Saxony the Sword and the Marquess of Brandenburgh the Scepter Of the King of the ROMANS THat there may be a King of the Romans chosen while the Emperor is living is a matter of fact which none can be ignorant of who are conversant in the writings of the modern German Historians Thus Charles IV. Wenceslaus Maximilian I. II. Rodolph II. Ferdinand III. IV. were all elected in the life-time of their Predecessors However many of their Civilians question the lawfulness of the Election fancying that by this means the Electors may disturb the peace of the Empire by setting up two Princes at once who by Election have a just Title to the Imperial Crown The consequence indeed may be dangerous but there is no disputing the Authority of those who doubtless have as great power in appointing the Emperor a Successor when they please as they have in deposing him 'T is ordinary in some of the High Dutch writers to mean the Emperor when they speak of the King of the Romans and till of late years there was no difference between them But now there are many marks of distinction As 1. The King of the Romans bears for his Arms the Eagle with one head the Emperor with two 2. The former is only stiled Augustus but the later Semper Augustus 3. The Emperor in his Letters Patents directed to the King of the Romans begins his Compellation with Vnsern Liebten i. e. To our Beloved c. but the King in his Answers complements the Emperor with the Title of Ihre Majestaet i. e. Tour Majesty Lastly the King of the Romans always acknowledges the Emperor his Superior and has no authority of his own during the Emperors life When the Emperor is absent or employed in other affairs he usually takes upon him the administration of the Empire and after the Emperors death succeeds without any further Election The first occasion of Electing a King of the Romans proceeded from a politic contrivance of the Emperors who by this means got the Imperial Crown secured to their own Family For making use of their power and authority while themselves sat in the Throne they could easily obtain the favour of the Electors to chuse a Son Nephew or other Relation to be King of the Romans which at last being grown customary prov'd almost as considerable kindness to the House of Austria as if they had entail'd the Empire upon that Family For das Heilige Romische Reich or the Holy Roman Kingdom signifies the same thing in the German Tongue as the Sacred Empire and 't is all one to chuse any Prince King of the Romans as to Elect him Emperor Of Dukes Counts and other Orders of Nobility in the GERMAN Empire THo the ancient Germans had litle or no Magistracy amongst them in time of peace Dukes yet both Julius Cesar and Tacitus agree in this that whenever they were engag'd in war they had one supreme Governor who ruled the Armies and gave laws to the multitude This superintendant of their forces they call'd Heertog or Heerzog a name which their Dukes to this day retain which signifies as much as the Latin word Dux or our Duke i. e. A Leader or Commander of an Army He was usually chosen in a general Assembly of the whole Country by a majority of voices and as soon as he was elected they set him upon a Banner and bore him upon their shoulders Which ceremony as Cluverius proves was afterwards observ'd by later Germans in the Election of their Kings and by the Roman Soldiers at the Coronation of their Emperors Julius Cesar tells us that these Dukes had power of life and death but Tacitus who was better acquainted with the state of Germany assures us they had no such authority They could indeed give counsel and orders to the Soldiers but had no power to punish offenders or correct the obstinate For in all probability there was not any manner of Judges in the Land that had the power of sentencing any offender to death When any controversie arose amongst the Commonalty Counts or Graven they were wont to chuse a Judg out of the Nobility of the Village where the quarrel begun These kind of Judges they call'd Grafen or Graven and their office was to determine all trifling disputes in their neighbourhood Meibomius in his learned Tract of Irmensul tells us that all Germany was anciently divided into Villages call'd by the inhabitants Gouwen and that each of these had their peculiar Judges thence nam'd Gowgraven Ein Graff says the Author of the Glossary upon the Saxon Spiegel bedeut nach altem Sachsischen Deutschen ein Richter i. e. Graf signifies a Judg in the old Saxon language Die Graven signifies properly the grey headed or elders of the people whence our King Edward the Confessor in the thirty-fifth Chapter of his Laws afterwards confirm'd by William the Conqueror tells us that the Low Dutch Greve is in effect the same with the English Eoldenmen now Aldermen This was the ancient state of the Dukes and Earls in Germany before the Romans overran some parts of that Land but whatever came into their hands was immediately divided into Provinces and govern'd as they themselves pleased Whence Duces and Comites were created by them in several places but such as had another kind of power committed to them then the aforesaid Hertzogen and Graven could pretend to In Roman Historians we meet with a great many of this sort such as Dux Germaniae primae Dux Moguntiacensis Dux Sequanicae Dux Rhetiae primae secundae Dux Belgicae secundae c. And Ammianus Marcellinus speaks of one Carietto whom he calls Comes per utramque Germaniam These had authority to raise Taxes and were invested with many other priviledges in the administration of justice which the others wanted But the Romans having never got any considerable footing on the East-side of the Rhine could not fix any of their fashions of Government in the Northern
the Reader for the Terra Sigillata found here in great quantities Reichenbach Polckenhahn Landeshut Freyberg Friedberg Fridland Zobten Waldberg and Gottesberg 3. Brieg BRIEG or Brig has its name from the Polish word Berega which signifies an exceeding high bank of a River such as this City is seated on The streets here are uniform enough and the houses generally built of stone St. Nicholas's Church is an high and stately old Fabrick beautified with two Towers and built after the ancient Franckish mode This whole City excepting only some few publick buildings was laid in ashes by the Hussites who overran a great part of Bohemia and Silesia in the year 1428. In the Dukedom of Brieg are reckon'd the Towns of Strelen Olau Nimptsch Pitschen Creutzburg Loben Michelau and little Oelsse The two Mine-Towns of Reichenstein and Silberberg are jointly subject to the Dukes of Brieg and Lignitz who are both of the same Family and descended from the ancient Hereditary Kings of Poland 4. Monsterberg MONSTERBERG or Munsterberg so called from the Monastery built in this place by the Emperor Henry the first the Founder of this City is seated not far from the head of the River Ola in a pleasant and fruitful plain The Town is neither large nor strong and has nothing in it of note but the School an old Castle and a fair Town-Hall In this Dukedom are the Towns of Franckenstein and Warta to which some Historians and Geographers are pleased to add Hainrichau Tepliwoda and Kamentz 5. OPPELEN is seated in a sandy and dry Oppelen but fruitful Country 'T is subject to the King of Poland who prevail'd with the Emperor to withdraw all his Forces and Subjects hence in the year 1647. Since which time the Citizens of Oppelen and all the Rusticks in the Villages near it speak the Polish language If strong Gates and thick Walls were proof against modern sieges this Town were sufficiently provided against the assaults of an Enemy but otherwise its fortifications are very mean and inconsiderable Among the many Towns and Villages in this Dukedom the most remarkable are little Glogaw Neustat Kosel Beudten Gleibitz Tost Strehlitz Falckenberg Zultz Rosenberg Lublinitz and Schurgast IX The Cities and Dukedoms of GROTKAW JEGERNDORF TROPPAU RATIBOR and TESCHEN CROTKAW is a City of no great 〈◊〉 bulk as its name seems to intimate but so well seated that 't is a proverb in this Country 'T is as impossible as for a Grotkawer to starve or freeze The reason of which expression is grounded upon each Burger's having a plentiful share in the adjacent Corn-fields and neighbouring Woods Most of the Houses in the Town are Wood-buildings only the Church Bishop's Palace and the Town-Hall are of stone The Dukedom of Grotkaw is subject to the King of Bohemia tho sometimes its Lieutenant is a Polander and contains in it the Cities of Neisse a place of great traffick Otmachau Wansen Ziegenhals Freywald Hozenplotz Jawernick Kaltenstein Patschkau Oyest Weidau and Zackmantel The great trade of this Country especially the Citizens of Neisse is in making and selling to the Merchants of Bohemia and Poland a sort of strong and durable Linnen-Cloth for Beds and Bolsters 2. JAGERNDORF Jagerndorf Which signifies in the German language a Village inhabited by Huntsmen and had its name probably from the abundance of all manner of Game in the neighbouring Woods The Moravians call this Town Carnowf whence the Dukedom is ordinarily by Latin Authors nam'd Ducatus Carnoviensis and a Citizen of this place Carnowfsky from the ancient Arms of the City which are a pair of Horns between two great Stones This City with the small Dukedom which bears its name was given by Ludowic King of Hungary and Bohemia to George Marquise of Brandenburg who was at the charges of building the Castle and erecting the other little fortifications that defend the Town DUCATUS SILESIAE GROTGANUS cum Districtu Episcopali NISSENSI To John Nicholls Esq of Trewane in Cornwall this Mapp is Humbly Dedicated by Moses Pitt Notularum Explicatio Vrbs Arx Pagus cum Templo Pagus nobilis Pagus Episcopalis Commenda COMITATUS GLATZ Notae Vrbs Oppidum Pagus cum templo Vicus Arx Auri et argenti fordinae Mons Notabilis Kohloruben Holtz fluesse The inhabitants of these and all other Towns and Villages in the Dukedom observe the same Laws with the Moravians For which reason the greatest part of them have often endeavour'd to associate themselves to the Marquisate of Moravia and renounce all dependance upon the great Dukedom of Silesia but have always been opposed by the Citizens of Troppau who have still been zealous to continue members of their ancient Body 4. RATIBOR is seated in a pleasant plain about six German miles from Oppelen We have no account of it before the year of Christ 1164 so that most Geographers venture to say that 't was built about that time The private dwelling Houses of the Citizens are as in most parts of Silesia generally wooden buildings but the Duke's Palace Cathedral and some other publick buildings are of stone There is still in the City one Popish Monastery and formerly the Jesuits had a great footing in it but since the Reformation that sort of Cattel were driven out of their Harbors The Dukedom of Ratibor which contains the Towns of Oderberg Sora Ribenick Pilzowitz and Mieslowitz was formerly governed by a Duke of its own but upon the death of Duke Valentinus its last Prince who died without issue in the year 1516 it became more immediately subject to the King of Bohemia 5. 〈◊〉 TESCHEN or Tessin is one of the oldest Cities in Silesia said to have been built by Cessimir or Gessimir Son of Lescus III. Duke of Poland A. D. 810 and from him to have had its first name which has since been corrupted into Tessin It is seated on the confines of Silesia Moravia Poland and Hungary whence it comes to pass that its Citizens speak a medly of languages hardly intelligible to any but themselves They have here great store of all sorts of Venison and wild Fowl the Vistula and Elsa afford them plenty of Fish and the Hungarian Merchants bring them in daily vast quantities of Wine Fruit and other Commodities of that Country At one of their Churches they have weekly Divine Service and a Sermon in the Bohemian language and at another the like in High Dutch for of these two Nations the Burgers chiefly consist Here is brew'd Beer of two sorts the one with Wheat and the other with ordinary Barly Malt the latter of these they call Matznotz a sort of drink pleasant enough but mighty strong and heady which too often on their Market-days makes the poor Rusticks commit several outrages and disorders in the height of their jollity In this Dukedom there are several high mountains whereof two Rows are more especially remarkable and taken notice of by Geographers and Historians The first of these are those on the
East of the Dukedom dividing it from the Kingdoms of Hungary and Poland mention'd usually in Latin writers by the name of Montes Carpatii or Hungarici but by the Natives of this Country call'd commonly Jablunka Amongst these Hills the Silesians find the chief treasure of their Great Dukedom having here a great many Mines of Silver and Lead The Miners that inhabit these parts are call'd by their neighbours Die Walachen and are a sort of people much more rough and rustical then the rest of the Silesians A vast company of these Bores in the year 1643 revolted from the Imperialists and fled to the Swedish Army but were not long after reclaim'd The other row of mountains are on the South and divide the Dukedom of Teschen from the Marquisate of Moravia These Hills the Natives call Gesencke but Latin Authors make them a part of the Sudetes and name them Montes Moravici These latter do not afford that plenty of Ore which is found in the former but are tolerably well stock'd with Minerals and some Metals and supply what they fall short of the other in this kind with huge flocks of Sheep which are here pastur'd Other Towns of note in the Dukedom of Teschen are Bielitz Freystattlein Friedick Jablunke which has its name from the Eastern row of mountains abovemention'd Nistkow Strummen Skotschau and Schwartzwasser Some add Lassla with whom agrees J. Scultetus's Map of Silesia but this Town ought rather to be referr'd to the Dukedom of Troppau X. The County and City of GLATZ AMongst the Montes Sudetes lies the County of Glatz County being bounded on the South with Moravia on the West with Bohemia and on the East and North with the Great Dukedom of Silesia For which reason modern Geographers have been at a stand to determine which of the three Nations they should refer it to some of them making it a part of the Kingdom of Bohehemia others esteeming it a petty Province of the Marquisate of Moravia and a third sort who seem to have most probability on their side call it a Silesian County It s ancient inhabitants are thought to have been the Marsigni in whose days the City of Glatz was call'd Luca. After them the Hungarians got possession of this and the neighbouring Provinces and kept it till the Emperor Henry I. routed them and hang'd up their chief Commander in one of the Forests of this County From this great Hungarian Warriour whose name is said to have been Glozar the City of Glatz or Glotz was first named tho other Etymologists think its ancient name to be Klotz which signifies properly the root and trunk of a Tree but is sometimes taken for a large Forest or Copse of Shrubs such as they tell us once grew in the place where Glatz now stands The Nobility of this County have a tradition amongst them that before their Land was conquer'd by Henry the First and made Christian this County was immediately subject to the Emperors of Germany by whom 't was afterwards bestow'd on the Kings of Bohemia M. George Aelurius in his Chronicle of the City and County of Glatz printed in the year 1625 says that 't was as his Countrymen affirm subject at first to the Emperors but afterwards won and enjoy'd for some time by the Princes of Poland from whom the Bohemians took it and as appears from the Records of that Kingdom were Masters of it in the years 1074 and 1114. After this the Dukes of Silesia made themselves Lords of the County of Glatz which within a while return'd to the Kings of Bohemia and then back again to the foresaid Dukes In this state it continued till the days of the Emperor Charles the Fourth in whose reign it was once more subjected to the King of Bohemia And thus it continued till King George about the year 1460 bestow'd the Cities of Glatz Munsterberg and Franckenstein upon his own Sons who thereupon had the Titles of Dukes of Munsterberg and Earls of Glatz conferr'd on them by the Emperor Frideric IV. In the year 1500 the Dukes of Munsterberg sold this Country to Vlric Earl of Hardegg whose successors within less then forty years after sold it again to the Emperor Ferdinand I. who bestow'd it on the Lords of Bernstein From them it descended A. D. 1549 upon Ernest Duke of Bavaria after whose death it return'd again to the Kings of Bohemia in whose possession it continues to this day The Commodities of this Country are Iron Coal Silver-Ore Timber all sorts of Venison and tame Cattel Butter Cheese c. How rich the Country is may hence easily be gather'd that not many years ago the King of Bohemia's Stewards and Rent-gatherers have been known to bring into their Master's Coffers near forty thousand Ricxdollars yearly out of this one County The City of Glatz is a neat and compact Town 〈◊〉 seated in a pleasant plain on the banks of the Neisse but fortified with a strong Castle on the top of a neighbouring Hill which overlooks and commands the Town The great Church is said to have been formerly the Temple of an Idol worshipp'd by the ancient inhabitants of these parts in which as Aelurius tells us the young maids of the Country used to nail up their hair against the walls as was the custom amongst the ancient Romans and that not many years ago several of these kind of Tabulae Votivae were still to be seen The Charter of their City permits their Magistrates to coin money in their own names but they seldom make use of the priviledg any further then to give abroad a kind of small coin little better then the farthings and half-pence lately currant by the authority of no better man then an ordinary Grocer or Chandler in most of our Market-Towns in England Besides Glatz there are the following nine great Towns in this County Havelswerd Neurode Winschelburg Mitselwald Reinertz Lewin Landeck Beurath and Wilhelmsthal or Neustatl besides an hundred fair Villages and upwards MARCHIONATVS MORAVIAE Auct I. Comenio Excudebat Janssonio-Waesbergä Moses Pitt et Stephanus Swart Notularum explicatio Vrbs muris cincla Oppidum Pagus turritus Arx Zamek Castellum â—â—â—z Pagi innominati Monasterium Vinetorum colles Thermae seu aquae medicale Officinae â—â—â—â—aria Auri et Argenti fodinae Ferri fodinae THE MARQUISATE OF MORAVIA MORAVIA is commonly in the Bohemian writers preferr'd before Silesia altho this later be a Dukedom and the other no more then a Marquisate The reason of which preeminence must be ascrib'd either to this Marquisate's having been anciently a Kingdom or else to its being made subject to the Kings of Bohemia before ever the Silesians embraced their yoke The Germans call this Country Mahren and some of their writers would have it nam'd Mehrhenland or Equarum Regio imagining the true Etymology of the word to come from the multitude of Horses or Mares bred in this Marquisate But certainly the word Moravia which is undoubtedly of the same offspring with the
Rubbles per ann And for these and the like reasons many of them at first secretly favoured afterwards openly join'd themselves and their power to Demetri Particularly Peter Basmaneuf entrusted with an Army by Boris to fight against him went and carryed with him all his Army to Demetri and brought him to Moskow in a manner without any bloodshed At which time Boris first on April 13 1605 and shortly after his wife and son died either by poison as most say or murther'd by some sent from Demetri to that purpose and left the Throne void to that Impostor which he enjoyed not nine months before he was suspected as not sleeping after dinner nor using stoves and in divers other matters not conforming to the custom of the Muscovites And when the Russes saw moreover that he had engaged to marry the daughter of the Palatine of Sandomiria and to bring in the Roman Religion they formed a conspiracy against him chiefly by the practice of Vasilie Zuisky They chose for the execution of their design the seventeenth day of May 1606 nine days after his marriage when Zuisky with other Boiars and the people after dinner finding the Guards asleep forc'd their way into his chamber he affrighted with the noise leapt out of a window and broke his leg the Boiars follow'd and there slew him and hurried his carcass into the market-place where they also laid by him his great fautor Basmaneuf exposing them three days Afterwards they chose Vasilie Ivanowich Zuisky Grand Tzar in his stead who was crown'd June 1 1606. He had not reigned long before another Demetri appear'd in Poland and being by them assisted raised very great troubles in Muscovy After him also started up another Demetri in Moskow it self who also found followers and abettors people who in the times of trouble and licentiousness take even a sorry pretence to rob and plunder Mean-while divers of the Nobility bandied together against their Lord Zuisky pretending that he was unfortunate that victory seem'd to shun and troubles to follow him that as long as he govern'd there could be no hopes of peace c. Which silly stories prevail'd so much upon an amazed people that they seized upon Zuisky and shaving him put him into a Monastery Mean-while the Poles were not idle in defending and asserting their Demetri but came with their army before Moskow The Russes to heal all their wounds and soder up their differences chose Vladislaus son to the King of Poland to be their Grand Duke upon certain conditions whereof one was that Zuisky and his family should be put into the hands of the King of Poland which was accordingly done and he imprisoned till death and buried in the high-way The Polish army before Moskow understanding the election of their Prince behaved themselves very peaceably for a while and the General with part of his army was admitted into the Castle the rest of the army was quarter'd in the Villages without but they by little and little got into the City where they had not long continued e're there happen'd a quarrel which amongst men used to drunkenness is not hard to find of the Poles against the Russes whereupon they fell upon the City and in despight of their General plunder'd and burnt it They say that at that time perished two hundred thousand persons The treasury also was pillaged and all the wealth of the Emperor scatter'd amongst the Polish soldiers some of whom are said to have charg'd their pistols with pearl The Russes being in this almost desperate condition and upon the very brink of ruine at length a Butcher whose name seems to have been Zachary Listpenow began not to despair and to give out amongst the people that if there could be found an honest Treasurer there would not want good officers and soldiers of the Russ Nation to deliver them from their miseries and settle peace and glory again in their country The people destitute of other hopes catch'd hold upon this straw and bid him name whom he thought fit to be General which he did and proposed to them a very worthy but poor and neglected Gentleman called Pozarskey The people approved his choice took him for Commander and the Butcher they made Treasurer bringing readily unto him all the money they ow'd unto the Emperor and what they could spare of their own Wherewith he presently raised an army and joining it with a body of Cossacks then in service of the Muscovites They marched to Moskow besieged the Poles in the Castle and forc'd them to surrender and to march out of the Empire which they immediately performed Hereupon the Russ Nobility convened at Moskow and seeing their country free from strangers and an obedient army of their own they resolved upon electing of a new Emperor which they put in execution ann 1613 and made choice of a young man called Michael Federowitz and sware allegiance unto him His father had forsaken his wife for Gods sake as they say i. e. quitted her and betaken himself to his devotions in a Monastery he was of the house of Romanove and when his son was chosen Tzar he also was elected Patriarch and being a very wise and moderate person he put his son who was always obedient unto him upon secure and prudent counsels His name was changed to Philaretes Nikiditz and he died ann 1633. The first thing he did was to recover Smolensko and by the mediation of Christian Princes especially King James he made peace with the Poles He also made a peace with the Swedes who had been the sorest and heaviest enemy to the Russes And by the assistance also of King James an accord was made and all differences reconciled The Swede was to render Novogrod Stara Russa Porkow Lagda Aydow with all their Territories to the Muscovites And the Muscovites surrendred Ivanogrod Jama Coporia Noteburg with their precincts to the Swede and renounce all title to Livonia which was no small prejudice to the Russ who thereby lost the salt trade which had brought in no small revenue He died July 12 1645 in the forty-seventh year of his age and thirty-third of his reign He was a prudent pious and valiant person endeavouring by all means to banish the memory of former tyrannies and to make up the breaches of his own people which he did very successfully To him succeeded his son Alexes Michaelowitz a more martial but yet as mild a Governor whose actions are so fresh in all mens memories that I think it superfluous to write them but such have been these of the house Romanove that if their successors continue to tread in the steps of these their ancestors they need not doubt of both a lasting reign and glory to all posterity He died about the year 1676 and left his son a young Prince of about sixteen years of age to succeed him The Lakes and Rivers of Muscovy COncerning the Lakes and Rivers of Muscovy 't is to be observed 1. That almost all
the Palatines or Woiwodes and Castellanes The Palatines are Governors of Dutchies or Counties Commanders of their Militia in the general Expeditions of the Kingdom appoint Conventions of the Nobles within their own Palatinate and preside in them and in Courts of Judicature and have the patronage of the Jews who are very numerous in Poland They are the first order of the secular Senators The Castellanes are as it were the Lieutenants of the Palatines commanding in time of war the Nobility under them there are divers of them belonging to one Palatine each of them having his District or Castellanate and from hence his title and generally some revenue but no jurisdiction in time of peace only as he is a Senator The Castellane of Cracow was preferr'd before the Palatine upon the rebellion of Scarbimirus the Palatine against Boleslaus III. The Castellanes of Vilna and Troco together with the Captain of Samogitia the only Captain in the Senate had pre-eminence in consideration of their antiquity The Palatines are seated thus 1. The Castellane of Cracow The Palatines of 2. Cracow and 3. Posnania by turns 4. Vilna 5. Sandomiria 6. Castellane of Vilna The Palatines of 7. Calistia 8. Troco 9. Sirad 10. Castellane of Troco 11. Palatine of Lenschet 11. Captain of Samogitia Palatines of 13. Bressic 14. Kiovia 15. Inouladislow 16. Russia formerly of Leopol 17. Volhinia 18. Podolia formerly Caminiecz 19 Smolensko 20. Lublin 21. Plockzow 22. Belze 23. Novogrod 24. Ploco 25. Vitepz 26. Masovia formerly Culmo 27. Podlachia 28. Rava 29. Brzecienski 30. Culmo 31. Mscislauia 32. Mariaeburgh 33. Breslow 34. Pomerania 35. Minsco 36. Czernichow After these Palatines sit the Castellanes distinguished into Greater and Lesser The Greater are these 1. Posnania 2. Sendomir 3. Calissia 4. Voynicz 5. Gnesna 6. Sirad 7. Lenschet 8. Samogitia 9. Brestie 10. Kiovia 11. Inouladislow 12. Leopol 13. Volhinia 14. Camieniecz 15. Smolensko 16. Lublin 17. Belze 18. Novogrod 19. Ploco 20. Witepz 21. Czetne 22. Podlachia 23. Rava 24. Brzescia 25. Culmo 26. Mscilow 27. Elbing 28. Breslow 29. Dantzic 30. Mirisco 31. Czernichow The Lesser Castellanes are 1. Sandecia 2. Medirec 3. Wislick 4. Biecie 5. Rogosnow 6. Radan 7. Zawichost 8. Lenden 9. Srim 10. Tarnow 11. Malagost 12. Vielun 13. Praemissia 14. Halicie 15. Senoc 16. Chelmo 17. Dobrzin 18. Polaniecz 19. Premetenski 20. Krivin 21. Czechow 22. Nackle 23. Rospir 24. Biechow 25. Bidgost 26. Briesin 27. Kruswic 28. Oswiecz 29. Camienecz 30. Spicimiria 31. Inoulad 32. Kowale 33. Santoc 34. Sochaczow 35. Warsow 36. Gostinin 37. Visna 38. Raciecz 39. Sierpz 40. Wysogrogende 41. Ripin 42. Zacochim 43. Ciechanon 44. Live 45. Slonsco 46. Lubaczow 47. Konar in Sirad 48. Konar in Lenschot 49. Konar in Cujavia These are called the Lesser as being more lately admitted into the Senate To greater Castellanes they give the title of Wielmozni or Magnifici to the Lesser that of Vrodzeni or Generosi but by private persons all Castellanes are called Jasnie Wielmozni or Illustrissimi It is established by Law that none may be either Palatine or Castellane in that Province in which he hath no lands The lowest in degree among the Senators are the Officers of the Kingdom and Great Dukedom of Lithvania in the following order 1. The supreme Marshal of the Kingdom 2. The Marshal of the Great Dukedom of Lithvania 3. The high Chancellor of the Kingdom 4. The Chancellor of Lithvania 5. The Pro-Chancellor of the Kingdom 6. The Pro-Chancellor of Lithvania 7. The Treasurer of the Kingdom 8. The Treasurer of Lithvania 9. The Marshal of the Court for the Kingdom 10. The Marshal of the Court of the Great Duke of Lithvania The office of the supreme Marshal is to call the Senate upon command of the King or Interrex to command silence and give leave of speaking therein to promulgate their acts to the people and to pronounce and put in execution the Kings decrees in all causes of infamy and death He prepares the place of the Diets and hath the chief management of matters in those Assemblies receives foreign Princes and Ambassadors at their arrival providing them with lodgings performs also most of the functions belonging to the Lord Steward of the Kings Houshold In the publick assemblies or when he goes before the King he carries a staff upright While the King resides in Lithvania the Marshal of Lithvania has the same power there The Chancellors are both secular persons and the office of Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor is the same only the Chancellor keeps the great and the Pro-Chancellor the lesser Seal In short these two are the mouth and hands of the King in the dispatch of all business The Treasurers are the Stewards of the publick Treasury and masters of the Mint When the King bestows this office upon any one four Senators are appointed to deliver the Treasury to him by an inventory of which there are three copies one with the King another with the Treasurer and the third they keep themselves This by the way take notice of in reference to all the Senators that none of them are permitted to stir out of the Kingdom without particular licence of the Grand Estates and upon some pressing occasion The rest of the Officers about the Court which are not of the Senatorian Order as the Principal Secretary Master of Requests Captain General c. I spare to mention being much-what the same as in other Nations only it is to be observed that there are two of every sort one for the Kingdom of Poland the other for the Great Dukedom of Lithvania The Masters of Requests are always present when the King sits to determine controversies and differences among his Subjects at which time it is their duty to lay open the nature and grounds of the controversie to the King They stand fair upon a vacancy to be admitted Senators The Magistrates for the several Districts are of two sorts that is Land or Camp-Magistrates The Land Magistrates are 1. The Vice-Chamberlain or Judg of bounds and limits 2. The Standard-bearer 3. The Land-Judg 4. The Tribune 5. The Land-Register 6. The Keeper of the Treasury Besides some other inferior Officers The Camp or Military Officers are 1. The Captain with Jurisdiction who is Governor of some Town or Castle 2. The Captain without Jurisdiction 3. The Burggrave who is Governor of some Castle and takes care of the out-guards 4. The Vice-Captain 5. The Judg-Advocate 6. The Field-Register The Councils Councils or Parliaments of Poland are of two sorts 1. Civil to which the Counsellors come in their Gowns 2. Military to which they come in Military habit The latter are only held in the time of an Interregnum The former are frequently called and are 1. Ordinary which by the Laws are summon'd once in two years 2. Extraordinary which are assembled as the necessity of affairs requires When either Ordinary or Extraordinary Councils are to be convened the King by his Letters summons
the lesser Councils or Conventions in the several Palatinates larger Provinces and certain Districts These Conventions precede the general Assemblies of the Kingdom six weeks unless upon some extraordinary accident and are held in the proper Cities of the Palatinates and Provinces appointed for that purpose Here after they have chosen a Marshal who seems to be much like our Speaker as being the Director of the Convention they first consider of such things as are propounded to them by the Kings Deputies dispatched away to every Convention and of what other business is to be motioned at the General Session After that they choose the Land Deputies or provincial Delegates for the general Assembly Every Province sends so many almost in the same manner as our Shires save only that they are not chosen by the people till the whole number amount to about 300. These Deputies are generally elected out of such Magistrates as are not of the Senatorian order excluding all Judges and their Assistants Collectors and all Officers of the Exchequer unless they have exact and full acquittances from the Treasurer The Delegates like our Burgesses have a certain allowance from their respective Provinces during the sitting of the general Assembly The particular Conventions being broken up which by the Law are not to sit above four days three weeks before the Senators and Delegates repair to the Grand Session they meet at the general Committees for the several Provinces where they again read over the Kings commands the instructions given to the Delegates and what was thought needful to be propounded for the publick good The grand Assembly being met the Deputies repair to their Chamber and choose their Marshal or Director which done they are all conducted to kiss the Kings hand and after that ceremony perform'd the Chancellours of the Kingdom and Dukedome in order declare to them the substance of those affairs which are to be the subject of their Debates Before they depart they put the King in mind of supplying such employments as are vacant with deserving persons and desire an account of such Laws or Ordinances as have been made by the resident Senators since the sitting of the last grand Convention Having so done they return to their Chamber The power of these Nuncii or Deputies is very great for when they send any of their number to the King they are presently admitted let the King be never so busy and have an immediate dispatch If they clash in their debates the King is careful to send some of the Senators to reconcile them who then give them the Title of Mosci Panovoie Bracia or Gracious Lords Brothers They have also power to impeach any great Officer of Misdemeanours and to put the King himself in mind of his promises touching the Laws and priviledges of the Kingdom neither is any constitution valid that has not its Original from the Chamber of the Deputies And which is yet more if any one of the whole number of the Nuncii dissent nothing can be legally concluded So that upon the protestation and departure of one Deputy the whole Convention is ipso facto dissolv'd Whilst the Deputies are thus consulting the King and Senators have little to do but to hear certain criminal causes appointed before hand for the first week and some other civil controversies the second till the return of the Deputies embodies the whole Senate together Then every man has liberty to deliver his mind with the leave and direction of the Marshal The King suspends his own opinion till the Senators and Deputies or the major part of them agree Then he endeavours to reconcile their different votes or if he cannot prevail concurs with that party which has voted most conformably to the Laws and priviledges of the Realm These consultations by the Law ought not to be continued above fifteen days after the joyning of both Houses though sometimes urgency of affairs causes farther prolongation When the Session breaks up the Deputies returning home give notice of their return to the Captains with Jurisdiction and the Palatines or Vice-Palatines give the same notice of the return to the Deputies to the Nobility inviting them withal to the Post-Comitial Assemblies or Conventions of Relation the meeting whereof the King appoints In these Conventions the Deputies produce the constitutions made in the last general Assembly of Estates delivered to them under seal by the Chancellours and take care that they be fairly transcribed into the Land and military Registers not omitting after this to give a full account of what they have acted in discharge of their Trusts If the grand Session break up in confusion not having effected any thing to purpose then certain Post-Comitial Councils are called wherein the King prefixes a time for another grand Session Nor is it a wonder that much disturbance should rise in the General Assemblies considering the multitude of the Deputies and the liberty of each member for which reason Cardinal Johannes Franciscus Commendonus facetiously said That Morbus Comitialis was the Epidemical distemper of Poland Now that the King may not want a Council in the interval of general Conventions they before they break up appoint 24 Senators 8 Palatines 8 Major and as many Minor Castellanes and four Bishops to wait quarterly four at a time one Bishop and three Senators till other 28 are chosen And these are bound so close to their duty that they accompany the King to the Wars for which they have a Stipend allowed and payed out of the Treasury The Courts of Judicature in respect of their division are the same as in other countreys 〈…〉 that is either Ecclesiastic or Secular either for civil or criminal causes but in respect of the Judges and manner of proceeding therein not easily to be understood without a particular survey The Nobles have a Court peculiar to themselves called the Court of Land-judicature wherein all actions relating to estates in Land are tryed Where also the Captains and by their permission the Kings Tenants may sue the Nobles themselves for wast done upon the Lands belonging to the Kings table To this Court likewise belong all actions of debt upon Contract The Judges of this Court are a chief Judg a Judg and a Secondary Upon the death of any of these the Nobility propose four landed men whom they recommend to the King who chuses one out of them into the dead place All the Judges are bound to be resident at the Session of the Court which is twice thrice and sometimes four times a year The next remarkable Court is that of the several Captains jurisdiction called Sudy Grodskie or Courtmilitary The chief Judg of this Court is a Captain he sits alone takes cognisance of Rapes Burglary Setting Houses on fire Robberies upon the High-way c. Noblemen not Landed are here also tryed and forreign Merchants coming to Faires He has also power without any noise of Law to condemn and punish idle Vagabonds Thieves Proscribed persons
generis quam Meritis in Patriam Honoratiss o Viro D. o NICOLAO VON BODECK Consuli et Primario Iudici in celeberrion totius Maris Baltici Emporio Vrbe Gedanensi artium literarumque â—autori benevolentiss o D. D. D. Ioannes Ianssonius MASOVIA Masovia called by the Polanders Mazowsze by the Germans Die Masaw lies in the very middle of Poland bounded on the north with Prussia on the east with Lithuania and Polessia on the west with some part of the lesser Poland on the south with the Palatinate of Rava 'T is usually divided into these four parts The Palatinates of Podlachia Plockzo Masovia strictly so called and the territories of Dobrin which last ought rather to be reckoned a part of the Palatinate of Plockzo There are different conjectures touching the original of its name The most commonly received is That upon the death of Mieceslaus the second the Nobility of Poland not enduring the impotent and effeminate government of his surviving Queen Rixo layd hands upon what every man could catch Among these Masos or as others call him Maslaus formerly Cup-bearer to the deceased King siezed upon that large tract of land which he after his own name called Masovia This Masos was afterwards overcome by Casimir the first by whom he was taken and put to death By this means it was again restor'd to the Crown of Poland though it still retained the name of Masovia But Stanislaus Serictius rejecting in part this story derives more probably the Massovii from the Massagetes I know saith he what our Historians have written touching the original of the Massovians But it seems incredible to me that so famous and couragious a people should stoop to borrow their denomination from so mean a person In the year 1220 Lescus the white in the Parliament of Sandomir granted the Dukedomes of Masovia Cujavia and Dobrinia to his brother Conrade from which time it was governed by Dukes of its own doing homage however to the Kings of Poland till the the year 1495 but then the race of the Dukes of Masovia began to fail For that year John Duke of Masovia dyed a Batchelour upon which John Albert reunited Plockzo to the Crown leaving the rest of Masovia to his brother Conrade Which after his decease in the year 1503 was granted to his children upon condition that for default of male issue it should return to the Crown which was effected in the reign of Sigismund the first In the same manner the Palatinate of Podlachia formerly belonging to Masovia and joyned by Casimir Jagellon to Lithuania return'd to the Kingdom of Poland in the year 1567. There are no peculiar Bishops in Masovia but the whole Province is divided under the jurisdiction of Posnan Plockzo and Luceoria The Metropolis of Masovia is Warsaw by the Polanders called Warfrawa seated in the very centre of the Polish dominions upon the Vistula encompassed with a double wall and deep ditch distant 40 German or 160 English miles from Posen and Cracow Here the King of Poland keeps his Court in a large four squared Palace built by Sigismund the third but much beautifyed by his successours Over against this on the other side of the river which is passable by a stately wooden bridge sits the great Parliament of Poland in another of the Kings Palaces called Viasdow seated in the midst of many and delicate Groves and Gardens In the City are publique buildings of good note the most remarkable of which is St. John Baptists Church where divine service is performed by secular Canons Not far from Viasdow in the suburbs called Cracow stands as a trophie of the victory obtained by the Poles over the Moscovite a small Chappel built by the Kings command for the burial of Demetrius Suiscius great Duke of Moscovie who dyed a captive in the Castle of Gostenin The Nobility of Masovia which are more numerous then in any other part of Poland being reckoned to amount to near forty thousand whereof fifteen thousand appear'd in a body at the Coronation of Sigismund the third are all Roman-Catholicks never suffering any of other religions or opinions to reside among them Out of these are sent yearly to the general Assembly of the Estates one Palatine and six Castellanes The Palatinate of Plockzo lyes eastward from Masovia between the Vistula and Prussia Plockzo 'T is divided into the territories of Plockzo Zavera Mlava and Srensco and sends out to the great Parliament four Senators that is The Bishop The Palatine and Castellanes of Plockzo Radzyagas and Sieprez It has its name from Plockzo its chief City seated on a high bank of the Vistula whence you have a fair prospect of a pleasant and fruitful Countrey The City is an Episcopal See and very populous There are in it several religious houses and Churches besides the Cathedral very well endowed especially the Abby of Benedictines in the suburbs where among other reliques is kept the head of St. Sigismund to whom the Church is dedicated enchased in gold given by Sigismund the third The territory of Dobrizin is properly a part of the Palatinate of Plockzo though Mr. Blaeu Dobrzin and some others have made it a distinct part of Masovia It has its name from the City Dobrzin situate between Cujavia and Plockzo on a rock near the banks of the Vistula The houses in it are generally of wood and the whole City is environed with wooden fortifications The Countrey affords great store of fruit and fish PRVSSIA Whence Prussia or Borussia called by the Germans Preussen should fetch its name Prussia is not easily determined Certain it is That it is not to be met with amongst antient authors Cluverius thinks Helmoldus who flourished in the twelfth Century is the oldest writer that gives any account of the Countrey under this name But both Dithmarus who lived in the beginning of the eleventh Century in the days of the Emperour Henry the second and before him an Anonymous writer of the life of St. Adalbert the Apostle of the Prussians about the year 990 mentions it Marianus Scotus will have the word derided from Aprutis a City saith he in these parts where St. Adalbert suffered martyrdome in the year 995. But this conjecture is vain and precarious for where any City of this name formerly stood or its ruins can at this day be found only he himself can tell us Johannes Annius Viterbiensis tells us the Prussians were at first called Pruti and that from one Prutus a Scythian King grandchild to Noah That this nation is an offspring of the antient Scythians is indeed allowable but to the rest of the story we can say no more then That 't is well known how nimble this author and his feign'd Berosus are at counterfeiting of names in the Etymologies of Countries Others of the same authority with Viterbiensis bring the Prussians out of Asia under the command of Prussia a King of Bithynia Some will have the word Prussi or Prutheni corrupted
and Charles IX whom the Swedes had set up King in his place These Gustavus Adolphus continued and in them overrun almost all Liefland till in the year 1629 a truce was made for six years upon these terms That in the mean time the King of Sweden should enjoy all he had won This truce was again renewed for 26 years more A.D. 1635. by the mediation of Ambassadours from the Kings of England and France and the States of the Vnited Provinces In the year 1654 whilst a great part of Lithvania was laid wast by the Moscovite Charles Gustavus King of Sweden before the 26 years were expir'd proclaimed war against the King of Poland alledging among other things as a reason for his proceedings That the Polish Ambassadour at Stockholm had protested against his succession to the Crown of Sweden At the beginning the fortune of the war went much on his side but within a short while the Danes making incursions into Sweden forced him to quit Poland and be more concern'd to defend what he had at home then to seek for new conquests abroad However the war still continued till A.D. 1660. when upon the death of Charles Gustavus peace was established between the two Kingdoms at Oliva a Monastery near Dantzic of which these are some of the Articles That John Casimir King of Poland should for ever renounce all pretensions to the Kingdom of Sweden and Principality of Finland That he should only challenge the title of King of Sweden for his life but not make use of it in any of his letters to the Swedish King That he should deliver up to the Swedes all that part of Liefland which lyes beyond the river Duna and disclaim all right and title to Esten and Oesel and whatever on this side the Duna was in the hands of the Swedes during the truce That the King of Poland should still keep the southern Liefland in which are reckoned Duneburg Rositen Luzen Marienhusen c. This country was long subject to Paganism and Idolatry until about the year 1158 it begun to be frequented by Merchants from Lubeck who got leave of the inhabitants to build a small Chappel in an Island upon the Duna thence called Kircholm for the exercise of Christian worship Afterwards Menard a Monk of Segeberg was consecrated Bishop of Liefland by the Archbishop of Bremen and sent over by the Merchants to propagate Christianity in these parts His seat was at Vxkel a small village upon the Duna not far from Riga Bertholdus a Monk of Bremen of the order of St. Paul succeeded him in his Bishoprick He was the first founder of Riga whither he removed his See but lived not long to enjoy it there For endeavouring to promote Christianity more by the sword then spirit he was overcome and slain by the Pagans Albertus Bertholdus's immediate successour fortifyed Riga and made it a City That done he joyned himself to the order of the sword bearers an order of Knighthood confirmed by Pope Innocent the third about the year 1204 hoping thereby to be better able then his predecessor had been to oppose the rage of the Heathen Not long after when this order was changed into the Teutonic order the Bishop of Riga and the rest of his society subjected themselves to the Teutonic Order of Prussia The master of which had power given him to appoint a Provincial of Liefland On the other hand the Prussian Bishops of Culm Pomesen and Sambland did though not at the same time as some would have it advance the power of the Bishop of Riga making him an Archbishop and themselves his Suffragans Only the Bishop of Warme as having never been subject to the Teutonic Order would not yield to be reckoned a member of the Province of Riga In this state the Church of Liefland continued for a long time till in the year 1513 William Plettenberg the XLI Provincial of Liefland bought off all homage to the Teutonic Order in Prussia and was himself made absolute Prince of Liefland His successors lived and injoyed their dominions in peace till the days of Sigismund Augustus King of Poland but afterwards what with foreign and domestic wars and the continual incursions of the Moscovite Polander Swede and Dane the Country was brought to be a meer medly of men and religions At this day those parts that are subject to the Danes and Swedes do generally profess the Lutheran religion Most of the subjects of the King of Poland adhere to the Church of Rome though some are Lutherans In some parts of Esten the poor ignorant Rusticks are half Pagans Liefland was formerly divided into two parts only Letten and Esten to which the order of the sword bearers added Curland Some have divided the whole Country into six parts Curland Semigal Esten Letten Harland and Virland but Semigal is no more then a Province of Curland and Harland and Virland parts of Esten Of these Curland is immediately subject to its own Duke who nevertheless pays homage to the King of Poland Some parts also of Letten which go under the name of South Liefland are since the treaty at Oliva in that Kings possession The Curoni antient inhabitants of Curland and Semigal are thought by some to be the same with the Caryones mentioned by Ptolomey There is not far from Windaw a small village which still bears their memory in its name being by the inhabitants to this day called Curon The most notable places in it are 1. Mitaw the seat of the Dukes of Curland upon the bank of the river Mauss taken by Gustavus Adolphus in the year 1621 but restored A.D. 1629. The Town is but mean and inconsiderable but the Castle magnificently rebuilt by some of the late Dukes 2. Windaw or Winden as the Germans write it though the inhabitants call it Kies seated on the mouth of the river Windaw whence it has its name Here formerly was the residence of the Provincials of Liefland afterwards the general Parliament or great Council of Curland had their sessions in this City which made it exceeding populous At this day there is little appearance of its antient splendor nor is it frequented by any but a few Dutch Merchants who are here laden with Tar Pitch and Wax 'T is a mistake very ordinary among the historians that write of this Country to confound this City with Wenden in Letten telling us that this too is called by the Polanders Kies And the old Dutch sea-carts mention a kind of Castle with three towers upon the mouth of the Windaw but never take notice of of any sea-port-Town in this place 3. Pilten or Piltyn the seat of the Bishop of Curland built by Waldemar King of Denmark A.D. 1219. The southern or Polish Liefland contains only a few small Towns or villages among which there is nothing worth taking notice of but Duneburg a Castle as its name intimates seated on the river Duna Volhinia Podolia c. THough the Polish dominion reached formerly a considerable
still pay homage to the Princes of Poland From that time the Polanders begun to sleight and hate the Silesians seldom calling any of the Silesian Nobility to Councils of Parliament and balking the right succession if any of this Province had a just title to the Crown These jealousies and quarrels were fomented and increased by John King of Bohemia son to the Emperor Henry the seventh who by this means whedled the Dukes of Silesia into his yoke and afterwards forced Casimir the Great to resign the supreme government of that Province into his hands After this the Poles though they had frequent skirmishes with the Bohemians yet never regain'd any considerable footing in Silesia For excepting the small territory of Wschovia retaken by Casimir the Great A.D. 1343 and some other parcels of ground annexed to the estates of several Bishopricks and Abbeys in Poland Silesia is at present wholly subject to the King of Bohemia Lusatia was once conquer'd by Boleslaus Chrobri but soon after lost again Lusâ—â—â—â— For though when John King of Bohemia subdued Silesia Lusatia was reckoned a part of that Country and has ever since so continued yet the Polanders claim'd no more of it as Lords of Silesia then a few frontier Towns the rest was under the Marquesses of Misnia and Lusatia Princes of the Empire as Goldastus proves 'T is without all authority of Annals what some of the Polish writers have endeavoured to make out by Etymologies Neâ— Maâ—â—â— that the greatest part of the Marquisate of Brandenburgh was formerly subject to the Princes of Poland That New Marck indeed or at least a good share of it was theirs is beyond all controversy since as the best Historians witness Miecislaus or Miscio the first Christian Duke of Poland towards the latter end of the tenth Century first founded the Bishoprick of Lubuss This City was taken from the Polanders by the Emperour Henry the second but recovered by Boleslaus the first King of Poland His successours kept it till the year 1109 when it was again taken by the Emperour Henry V who gave it to Adelgot Archbishop of Magdeburg But soon after it return'd into the hands of the Poles When Silesia was as we have said divided among the sons of Vladislaus the second the territories of Lubuss devolved into the hands of the Silesian Dukes whence it happened within a short while after to be made a part of the Marquisate of Brandenburgh Cromer says 't was mortgaged by Boleslaus the bald and never redeemed But Dlugossus ad ann 1198. tells us 't was sold by Boleslaus son to Henry Duke of Vratislavia From that time the Kings of Poland have had very little to do in New Marck and at present have not one foot of land in it Vladislaus Jagello brought it wholly under his power but his son found it too hot service for him to keep it and was therefore fain to resign it up to the Marquess John Casimir their late King parted with the last stake by delivering up the Town and Castle of Drahim to the present Elector of Brandenburgh in the treaty at Bydgost in the year 1657. That the Slavonians were antient inhabitants of Pomeren is undeniably true Pom … Pomorska in the Slavonian language signifies near the sea whence Vincentius Kadlubko an antient and judicious Polish writer uses frequently the word Maritima for Pomeren and speaking of this Country these phrases are ordinary with him Maritimae Praeses Maritimae Dux Ingressus est Maritimam c. But whether or no the Polanders were masters of Pomeren immediately upon the entrance of the Slavoniaus is a grand question which the Poles affirm but the Pomeranians deny and 't is hard to decide the controversy between them Helmoldus agreeing as it should seem with the latter places Pomeren amongst the free Slavonian Provinces lying without the bounds of the Polish dominions And before his days Adam Bremensis gives us the same account Micraelius an Historian of good credit lib. 2. Chron. Pomer num 46. p. 191. is of opinion that the first entrance which the Polanders made upon Pomeren was in the tenth Century when the Emperor Otto III. authorized Boleslaus Chrobri King of Poland to make war upon and bring into his subjection the Prussians Pomeranians Wendi and Russians Which done the Emperor at a visit given King Boleslaus made the Bishop of Colberg a Suffragan to the Archbishop of Gnesna In the beginning of the eleventh Century Miecislaus II. spread his dominions all over Casubia and the Eastern Pomeren putting Garrisons into all the Forts and Castles between the Persandt and the Vistula and committed the government of them to Bela the King of Hungary's brother But upon Bela's return into Hungary Pomeren shook off the Polish yoke and only was subject to Dukes of its own till Svantibor surrendred it again to Boleslaus III. Duke of Poland upon condition he would free him from prison to which his own subjects had committed him After Svantibors death the Dukedom of Pomeren was divided amongst his four sons whereof two who were Dukes of the Western Pomeren from Colberg as far as the Marck and the Dukedom of Mecklenburgh were admitted Princes of the Empire by Frederick Barbarossa the other two were forced to yeild themselves subjects to the Crown of Poland But the Pomeranians soon weary of bondage revolted once more from the King of Poland and perhaps had for ever rejected his government had not Mestwin their Duke wanting issue endeavour'd to subject them to the Dukes of West Pomeren For looking upon the people of that Country as meer strangers being indeed three parts of them Germans they chose rather to give themselves up into the hands of their acquaintance then to be slaves to an upstart and foreign Nation Whereupon they unanimously swore fealty to Praemislaus II. King of Poland who took upon him the title of Duke of Pomeren and quarter'd his Coat with the Arms of Pomeren the Gryphins By this means the Kings of Poland became sole Lords of the Eastern Pomeren In the year 1460 Casimir Jagellonides straitned in the wars he was engaged in against the Teutonick Order in Prussia committed the Cities and Castles of Lavenburgh and Bouta to the trust of Eric II. Duke of West Pomeren whose successor George son of Bugislaus X. and Nephew to Sigismund I. King of Poland had these Cities confirmed to him and his posterity upon condition of paying some sleight acknowledgment to the Crown of Poland Upon these terms the present Elector of Brandenburgh renewed his title to these places after the usual fashion by his Ambassador in the year 1670. What right the Polanders have at this day in Prussia we have shew'd before but formerly their pretensions were much greater then now Sometimes the Duke of Masovia Lorded it over the Prussians and made the Master of the Teutonick Order his Vicegerent But in the treaty made between Sigismund I. King of Poland and Albert Marquess of Brandenburgh whom the
into one and then into the other and if it be strong enough to endure so sudden a change of heat and cold they think it will make a hardy Fellow and fit for their business whereupon they endeavour to have it baptiz'd as soon as they can possibly wrapping it in moss and so carrying it to Church though at a very great distance either upon their backs or in a Pannier upon their Rain-deer as they anciently us'd to do to their publick Fairs whither Priests were sent twice a year out of Sweden While their Children are young they use them to bow and arrows by which they are to get their future livelihood and to make them the more expert always place their victuals upon a post as their mark to shoot at which they hit down or fast The Manner of the Laplanders Liuing in Summer The Manner of the Laplanders Liuing in Winter F. H. Van. Houe Sculp R. t honble ANTONY EARLE of SHAFTSBVRY If any one be dangerously sick they either send for the Priest if near to prepare him for death or to the Magician to resolve them by his Drum if he shall recover parting their respects 'twixt Gods Ministers and the Devils Servants If he dye they imagine that his Soul is not at rest till the body be in the grave and for that reason use all haste possible to convey it to some Burying-place which is frequently the nearest Cave or Wood Church-yards by reason of their remoteness they seldom make use of The dead body they carry upon a sledd and when they come to the Cave cast it in and the sledd after it or else cover it with great Logs of Wood to secure it from wild Beasts always laying besides it a Flint and steel and sometimes a Hatchet which they suppose may be serviceable to them in the other world At their return they provide a Funeral Banquet or rather a sacrifice to the Ghost of the deceased person which is thus They take those Rain-deer that dragg'd the dead body to the grave and offer them in sacrifice to the Manes feasting upon their flesh and making merry with Brandy and Tobacco and the best chear they have at last they drink a health round to the person departed this done they carefully gather the bones of the Rain-deer put them into a box with a rude image of their friend and so bury them together These Ceremonies observ'd also in their Heathenism shew'd that even then as it were by the dictates of Nature they conceived themselves to consist of an Immortal part also and that they expected another life after this wherein they imagine every one to follow their former imployments and consequently to be again united to their bodies The Lives and Manners of the Laplanders as it is express'd in the Plate here annex'd The upper-part is their Summer-living The under-part their way of living in Winter In the Vpper-part you have 1 A Church for those who are converted to the Lutheran Religion At the entrance of which in lieu of a 2 Bason of Holy-water there stands one full of Brandy-wine with a spoon in it of which every one who comes to Church takes a sup to encourage and warm his zeal The first man you see represents the 3 Priest the next the best 4 man of the Parish Then follows a 5 Bride attended upon by two 6 Bride-maids after whom comes the 7 Bridegroom and other friends 8 Their manner of making Baskets which is their greatest trade 9 Their way of carrying and of rocking their children 10 The manner how the young children grown up suck the Rain-Deer 11 The man and wife's way of lying in bed 12 Their Houses for keeping their provisions themselves in the coldest part of Winter lying in Tents 13 Their manner of eating 14 The Priests way of Baptizing and the Clarks bringing water 15 Their way of Wire-drawing which is much used amongst them for adorning of their Boots and Coats 16 Amongst those who are not yet converted to the Christian Religion you have their way of sacrificing 17 Their three Gods standing uppermost and under each of them upon the Altars lye three pieces of the sacrificed Rain-deer 18 Their way of praying to them 19 Their way of Burial 20 Their way of praying to Death that it would be pleased to spare them awhile In the Vnder-part you have 1 Their manner of bringing their Taxes consisting of several sorts of Skins and dry'd Fish to the Kings Commissioners which being paid each one takes a large spoonful of Brandy-wine which stands at the end of the Table and so away Above which you see the 2 Commissioners Tent. 3 Their way of travelling in Sledds drawn by Rain-Deer which by the by do agree so well with those barren Countries that if you do but bring them into Sweden which yet is none of the most fertile they dye in a short time 4 Their way of carrying their goods 5 Their manner of ruling their Rain-Deer with a whip or line 6 Their way of shooting them 7 Their taking Tobacco which they prize above meat 8 Their speaking in the ear of the Rain-Deer telling them what they should do or whither they should go which as I am credibly inform'd they will observe exactly 9 Their manner of gelding them 10 Their way of laying their heads under a Drum which the Devil beats and from thence the man learns what success he shall have in his affairs 11 His giving the man the Hammer and letting him beat OF THE Provinces of Sweden Properly so taken NExt to be spoken to is Suecia or Sweden strictly so call'd of which because it has been honour'd always by the Residence of their Kings and been the chief Scene of Swedish Affairs we shall in the first place treat and afterwards speak of Gothia or Gothland with all its Provinces rather as an Accession to the Crown of Sweden then a distinct Kingdom from it though anciently Gothia and Suecia had their distinct successions of Kings Of Finland Ingria and Aesthonia with the late Conquests in Livonia Pomeren c. we shall in the last place discourse reserving the Laws and Government as also the manner and customs of the People till we come to Stockholm the present Metropolis of this great Empire Suecia then Suecia or Suetia call'd by the English Sweden or Swedland is bounded on the North with Lapland on the West with the Dofrine Hills on the East with the Bothnick and Finnick Bays and on the south with Gothland and Sconen A fruitful but in some parts mountainous and woody Country abounding with several rich Mines and affording very great conveniencies of water and fuel for working them It is divided into two General parts viz. Suecia strictly so taken and the Northlands or Northlandish Provinces I. The Northlands contain in them two distinct Countries or Provinces Helsingia and Gestricia parted one from the other by the great wood Oedemord 1. Gestricia Gestricia which affords some
Treasurer the Key and the King on horseback follows them to the Church where the Arch-Bishop receiving him demands of him an account of his faith then reverently approaching the high Altar he tenders to him an Oath to this effect That he will fear God and defend his Church promote love justice and truth amongst his Subjects that he will govern his Kingdom by Natives and not admit any Strangers into Council or places of great trust that he will not alienate any Forts Lands or Territories within his Dominions but preserve them whole and entire to his Successours that he will provide himself and his Court out of his constant Crown Revenues and never burthen his Subjects with Taxes but upon these accounts viz. Either upon an Invasion whether by Christians or Infidels a Domestick Insurrection upon the marriage of his Sons or Daughters for the building of some new Forts or upon diminution of the Exchequer and that he will introduce no laws or Constitutions without or against the consent of the people To Sigismund the third King of Poland who claim'd this Kingdom they propos'd that he would not alter any thing in the establish'd Religion which was the Lutheran which Oath he either refusing or presently breaking lost the favour of his people and the Kingdom it self before he was well setled in it This done the Arch-bishop puts on him his Crown and other Kingly Ornaments and one of the Heralds proclaims such one is crown'd King of Swedland and Gothland and none but he then all the people answer Let the King live After this the King calls before him the Governors or Legifers of every Province and chief Cities within his Dominions who for themselves and their respective Governments take an oath of Allegiance to the King this done the King gives to every one of them to the Legifer of Vpsal first and the rest in order an Escutcheon with the Arms of that Province or that City where they are to preside as Badges of their Offices and returning to his Pallace his Nobility are by him splendidly entertain'd and the Ceremony ends Henceforward he hath power in Ecclesiastical and civil matters and rules his people as an absolute Monarch The next heir to the Crown is the Kings eldest Son if he have any who sometimes is by publick declaration acknowledg'd to be so before his Fathers death as Charles eldest Son to Gustavus the first is said to have been and though in that Kings time the right of succession was by the States granted only to his Issue Male yet in the year 1627 Gustavus Adolphus procur'd that the Kings Daughters also might be admitted to the Throne by which procurement his Daughter Christina was made capable to succeed him Upon default of Issue Royal it is by the Vnio Haereditaria provided that the nearest in blood to the Kings Family shall suceed and upon failure of these the power of electing is to devolve upon the States The Kings younger sons he commonly makes Governours over some particular Provinces giving them Titles fitted to their Commands His Daughters are provided for at the expence of the whole Kingdom their Portions being not taken out of the Kings Exchequer but levied by publick Tax In the Interregnum absence sickness or minority of the King the Kingdom is govern'd by the Drotset or Vice-Roy the Marshal Admiral Chancellour and Treasurer of the Kingdom who at their admission to the publick management of affairs take an Oath not to diminish any thing of the Kings Rights but preserve them whole and entire and if it happen that any part of them be by these Trustees during the Kings Minority sold or alienated the King when he comes to full age may by law recover it Anciently the Kings of Sweden shortly after they were elected used to make a publick Progress through their Dominions the Legifer or Lievtenant of every Province being bound to provide for his Reception what the King did was to assure the people of the great care he had of them and that charge wherewith they had entrusted him and to receive of the people Oaths of Allegiance and Fidelity This custom being found somewhat expensive and the civil troubles of the Kingdom oftentimes not permitting it is now quite left of and the people rest content in the confidence they have of their Prince without thus seeing his Person The Court of the King of Sweden The Court of Sweden like that of England consists of Ecclesiastical Civil and Military persons and government 1. For the Ecclesiastical there is the Arch-bishop with as many Suffragans as are by the King thought convenient who attend the King both at Church and Council upon these several of the inferiour Clergy continually wait 2. For the Civil officers the Drotset or Vice-Roy is chief whose office was anciently to admonish and direct the King to inform him upon any default whatsoever and upon non-amendment to declare the same to the Governours of the Kingdom in whose power it was when they thought fit to dethrone their Prince 2. Next is the Chamberlain or Commissary General who presides over the chief Court of Judicature the Kings Chamber commonly held at Stockholme and discharges all expences and orders all the disbursements of the Kingdom He has under him one Questor who takes care of what money is brought into the Exchequer and gives account to him Under these are twelve Masters of accounts who keep Registers of the Kings Revenues take care lest any detriment happen to the Crown and once a year make up their accounts to the Commissary General in the presence of some of the Privy Counsellours Every one of these has one particular Province of the Kingdom given him in charge in which he employs divers Tax-Masters who collect the Tributes Tenths and other Crown Revenues and bring them to his hands 3. In the third place succeeds the Chancellour of the Kingdom whose Office is much-what the same as in other Kingdoms 4. The Treasurer of the whole Kingdom who has under him several Secretaries and other Officers his office is to keep the Crown Globe Scepter and Sword he is Master of the Royal Mint and Pay-master general of the whole Kingdom accountable to none but the King only 3. For the Military Officers the principal is the Grand Marshal or Generalissimo of the Kings Forces Next is the High Admiral of the Kingdom with the several other officers not different from those in other States Besides these chief Officers of State each Province of the Kingdom has its peculiar Governour called Landshere or Stathallar whose power is very great and office considerable under him there are in every Province as many Lands-men and Nemdaries or Nempmen as there are Districts or Praefectures in it all which have distinct and subordinate offices appeals lying from the lower to the next immediately above it and so to the supream Court of Judicature the Kings Chamber all actions acquiescing in the King as the source and
so well stored with inhabitants especially in Suecia and Gothia places so far removed from the Mount Ararat which is generally supposed to be Caucasus upon which as many Authors are of opinion Noah's Ark rested as to be forced by reason of the multitude of them to send out Colonies into other Countries yet as to the evincing an emigration into these western and southern parts very anciently to have been it is by Jornandes Crantzius and all Swedish writers unanimously approv'd to whom we refer the Reader for further satisfaction in so difficult and obscure a controversie This people tho at present united under the same Government and Laws with the Swedes The 〈…〉 and commonly passing under the same name with them was anciently different from them as well in their manners as their policy whereupon it may not be amiss to set down in this place what occurs amongst Authors as proper to this Nation in relation to their manners and customs which may probably seem to have been the same not only in Scandia but also in all the other parts of Europe and Asia which they subdued and whither they extended their dominion they always ruling by their own Laws and Constitutions which they suffer'd not to be translated into any other language but always published in their own not only making those they overcame their subjects but by instilling their customs and manners into them as much as possible the same Nation This piece of policy was practised by William the Conquerer here in England who caused all our Laws to be turned into the French language that thereby this Nation might in time forget its own tongue and be better disposed to endure his yoke That the Goths were always a warlike people their several swarmings into other neighbouring Countries and the great victories they obtain'd over them do fully manifest Mela does not only commend them for their courage but their honesty and plain-dealing who says Of all the Thracians it seems they had in his time advanc'd into and been considerable in the more Southern parts of the world the Goths or Getes are the most valiant and the most just And this their courage in war was from the belief they had of the immortality of their souls a doctrine they receiv'd from Zamolxes their great King and Prophet according to Lucan lib. 2. De bello Pharsal where speaking of the Goths he says certe populi quos despicit Arctos Faelices errore suo quos ille timorum Maximus haud urget Lethi metus inde ruendi In ferrum mens prona viris animaeque capaces Mortis ignavum rediturae parcere vitae Their education and usage whilst young was such as best fitted them for warlike enterprizes and couragious exploits for their children as soon as born were dipp'd over head and ears first in cold then in hot water and as the Spartan children used to be whipp'd at the Altars of their Gods these were constantly lash'd with scourges till the blood gushed out thereby to inure them to hardship nor when they were grown up were their exercises or employments any other then such as agreed best with men of a military constitution They practis'd Tilts and Turnaments as did also the Swedes riding the great Horse vaulting c. and for recreation Chess-play As any one exceeded another in rank and quality so more and more noble performances were expected from them their Kings sons being never admitted to sit at table with or scarce come into the presence of their fathers before they had received some signal testimony of their courage from the very chief of their enemies as is reported of the Longabards a people says Wolf Lazius anciently inhabiting Scandia who under the conduct of Alvinus son to their King Odvinus obtaining a great victory over the Gepidae requested that their General who with his own hand had slain the King of the Gepidae's son might be admitted to sit with him at the publick or triumphal Banquet but the King refused their address and told them that it was against the custom of theirs and the Gothick Nation in general that their Kings son should be permitted to eat with his father before he had commendations of his valour from another Prince This the son hearing took with him forty soldiers went to Jurismundus's Camp so was the King of the Gepidae named and telling him he was the man who slew his son in battel desired of him a testimonial of his courage the King admiring his boldness courteously received him placed him by him in his dead sons room and giving him the armour which he used to bear peaceably dismissed him Lovers they were tho no great practisers of Learning and according to the character Johannes Magnus gives of them easier drawn by perswasion then command as always hating and thinking it unworthy themselves to be inferior to any in knowledg or courage Towards their friends courteous towards their enemies if obstinate cruel and revengeful if submissive none more merciful and kind and no Nation readier then the Goths to accept a parley or any overture of peace Their wives of which they as also the Scythians were allow'd plurality were not less valorous considering their sex then their husbands they accompany'd them in all dangers and frequently taking up arms made a great and considerable part of their army as they are said to have done in Thracia and Maesia when they were set upon by Claudius the Roman Commander Yet did not the women always and upon every Colony and Detachment of Goths sent out of Scandia several of which are mentioned by Wolf Lazius follow their husbands for the Laws commanding the men to return into their own Country or to forfeit their Estates every one that presum'd to be absent after such a time being thereby adjudged dead in Law and his next heir to enter upon his inheritance were chiefly procured by the women whom the Goths at their departure had left in Suecia and Gothia The Virgins were taken in marriage without any other dowry then their own perfections to commend them to their husbands choice never having any portions given them Adultery amongst them was punished by death with many such-like customs which may be gather'd out of their Laws publish'd by Isidore Bishop of Sevil in Spain Their manner of Government was the best Their Government and according to Aristotle's opinion the most natural of any the Monarchical their King when distinct from the Swedish not being bound in any Covenant with his people nor holding his Estate at the Will of the Subject whereupon perhaps their Kingdom was more considerable in it self and more terrible to its enemies as being more expeditious in its determinations and united in its designs then a Democratical State is frequently found to be Their Kings did not only bear rule over the Goths their own Nation but after their uniting with the Swedes sometimes commanded that people also tho at present the King
of Sweden is and for many years has been absolute Monarch over both Kingdoms A Catalogue of their Kings is given by Jo. Magnus Grotius upon Procopius Crantzius Loccenius Their Kings Swedish and Gothish Wolf Lazius and other Authors whom we shall follow setting down what we find most remarkable and agreed upon concerning them They are commonly divided into foreign and domestic or internal and external Kings who exercised their authority sometimes in Gothland and Swedland sometimes in Scythia Italy Spain and other places which they subdued Wolfgang Lazius is of opinion that those Kings which were made in Forreign Countries as not only in Thracia Maesia c. but even in Scythia before the time of the Trojan war did not only rule over their own particular Colonies but had the whole Kingdom of Swedland subject to them which seems to be contrary to what we have alledged out of Locc and other approv'd Authors for if the Swedes were subject to them in Thracia c. upon what authority did they publish Laws for the recalling them thence and if those were Lords and Masters of Sweden upon what account could they be justly disinherited for not returning thither and it is further said that when Theodoricus was King of the Goths in Italy one Radolphus King of Swedland with many of his Subjects went to visit him which shews that even then when the Gothish Nation was most potent abroad the Swedes had a distinct King of their own and exempt from their Jurisdiction Johannes Magnus by what authority I know not Loccenius himself in a matter so obscure not venturing to be positive deduces the Original both of this Nation and Monarchy of the Swedes from 1. Magog Grand-child to Noah by Japhet whom he makes to be their first King and Founder 2. After him is said to have succeeded Swenno his eldest son who as the same Author says first of all gave name to the Swedes or Swenons 3. Gether or Gogus who founded the Getish or as afterward named the Gothish Nation 4. Vbbo brother to Swenno Anno a Dil. 246 who is said to have built Vpsal 5. Siggo who to defend his Territories against the Finlanders built the City Sigtuna near the Lake Meller 6. Ericus Anno a Dil. 357 he so prudently managed and so far extended his Kingdom that by many Historians amongst which Loccenius is one he is reckoned as the first King of the Swedes and Goths how descended is somewhat uncertain but by some said to have been a poor mans son and advanced to the Throne by the voices of the people In his Reign several men vagabonds such as would not conform to his Laws and Government were sent out into Schonen and the Cimbrick Islands He lived to a great age and died peaceably After the death of Ericus An. Mundi 2014 according to the Swedish Chronicles the state of this Kingdom was much disturb'd by civil commotions and the succession in the Throne for some time interrupted The next names are 7. Vddo 8. Alo. 9. Othenus 10. Charles I. 11. Biorno and Getharus All which ruled both in Gothia and their own Country Suecia 12. Gylfo who is said to be descended from one Ferinoto King of Finland 13. After Gulfo the Kingdom is said to have been govern'd by Judges for sometime till Othinus or Odinus who came out of Asia into the Northern parts and settling at Vpsal by his Magick and Sorceries gain'd so much favour amongst the people that they elected him King and after he was dead esteem'd him as one of their principal Gods He was as I may say the Numa Pompilius of the Swedes being the first that established any set worship and sacred solemnities amongst them that gave Laws and ordain'd Officers both to execute justice in his Kingdom and take care of all Religious matters the chief of which were twelve of a Senatorian order call'd Driar or Drotnar whence Drotset the name now in use to denote their Viceroy seems to come This he did as he pretended by the advice or at the command of the Gods with whom he kept great familiarity and correspondence 14. Niordus or Nearchus a famous Magician 15. Freius Froerus or Frotho surnam'd the Peaceable the first that took upon him the name of Drott or King He is said to have given the patrimony of Vpsal call'd Vpsala Oedom which belongs to the Crown and which the King takes an oath not to alienate or embezle 16. Odder and Freia or Frigga his wife who with her husband rul'd peaceably and was reputed a Goddess after her death 17. Fiolmus a sottish and negligent Prince who neither regarded his own nor the peoples welfare Being invited to banquet by Fretho King of Denmark and made drunk with strong Liquors he was accidently drown'd in a Vessel of Mead. 18. Sueigder of whom the Norwegian Chronicles mention many fabulous Stories and Diabolical Enchantments 19. Walander or Wanlander who made an inrode into Schonen and Hallandia and conquer'd them or rather regain'd them out of the hands of one Ostarus who had possess'd himself of those parts In his time the Russes are said to have imploy'd one Retho a famous Pirate to infest the Swedes who lay upon their coasts and did very much injury to them hence Retheran signifies in the Swedish Language to commit rapine Against this Pirat the King levied all the forces he could but withal distrusting their power desired assistance of the Devil promising him his body and soul upon condition he might obtain a victory over him which he is said to have done and the Devil shortly after according to compact to have come and fetch'd away his bargain 20. Wisbur 21. Domalder who with many of his Nobles was sacrific'd to their God Odinus or Woden 22. Domarus 23. Vignerus in the Norwegian Chronicles call'd Dygue the first that took upon him the name Konung or King 24. Ingemarus or Agnus as some report murther'd by his wife 25. Humelus or Humblus whose eldest son Dan was the first King of the Danes and gve name to that Nation 26. Sigtrugus who defeated Gramus King of Denmark in battel 27. Suibdagerus first of all King of Norway next of Denmark and afterwards of Sweden the first Forrainer after Odinus that obtain'd the Swedish Kingdom 28. Asmundus 29. Vffo Both which waged a long and bloody war with Hadingus King of Denmark 30. Hunningus or Hundingus who concluded a peace with Hadingus and lov'd him so entirely that hearing a false report of his death he made a funeral Banquet as was the custom in honour and remembrance of him invited his Nobles to it and as not willing to survive his friend before them all drown'd himself in a Vessel of Metheglin which Hadingus hearing and being resolv'd that affection should not seem cold on his part for very grief hang'd himself 31. Regnerus a good and peaceable King 32. Hothebrodus who took up arms against Helgo King of Denmark because he in disgrace of
to teach him and his Subjects in that Religion Ethelred accordingly order'd Sigfridus Arch-bishop of York and with him two Priests Eschillas and Davidus to go into Sweden where the King kindly receiv'd them was by them baptiz'd and at their intreaty built Christian Churches in most Provinces of his Dominions and as some say by reason of his great constancy and zeal in his Religion had the name of Christianissimus given him He among several good Laws and Constitutions order'd that the chief power of electing the Kings of Sweden should not belong to the Goths in any case but principally to the Swedes and that they before call'd Kings of Vpsal should be thenceforth stil'd Kings of Swedland and Gothland This King suppress'd Duelling and the Runick Characters introduc'd the trial by Fire Ordeal and dyed in a happy old age 98. Anundus nick-named Carbonarius because he order'd that whosoever offended against the Laws which he had promulgated should in proportion to the crime either have all his house or part of it burnt down He was educated in the Christian Religion by the care of his father Olaus which in his reign he defended and dyed peaceably 99. Enundus base-son to Olaus and brother to Anundus surnam'd Gammel i. e. base from his contempt of Religion or as some are of opinion because he yeilded up to the Crown of Denmark Schonen Blekingia and Hallandia which belong'd to him as being part of the Kingdom of Gothia 100. Haquinus III. surnam'd Rufus 101. Stenchillus II. bred up in the Christian Religion which he very much encouraged amongst his subjects making his Palace a sanctuary for any that were persecuted in any parts of his dominions for that profession 102. Ingo III. Not descended from the Blood-Royal but for his singular virtues elected King by the voices of the people He is said to have been so exact an observer of his own Laws that he never offended against any of them 103. Halstanus a just and peaceable Prince 104. Philippus 105. Ingo IV. in his progress through his dominions by some of his Courtiers poison'd at a small Village in Ostro-Gothia 106. Ragvaldus surnam'd Knaphofde i. e. cock-brain'd elected by the Swedes without the consent of the Goths which they not enduring as thinking it a breach of their priviledges rebell'd against him and in battel slew him For one to succeed him both Nations pitch'd upon 107. Suercherus II who as he was going to Church on Christmas day was by a Ruffian employ'd by one Scatelerus who hop'd to obtain the Crown after his death miserably assassinated Gothick Kings out of their own Country who reign'd over the Goths while they inhabited about the River Vistula or Weissel and also in Dacia and Thracia near that time when according to some Authors they divided themselves into Ostro and Westro-Goths 1. Anthinus 2. Antheas 3. Gothilas a Famous Queen whose Daughter Medumpa was married to Philip King of Macedonia 4. Sitalcus elected King An. ante Christum 300. He with an army of 150000 men lay'd wast all the Country of Greece 5. Dromgethes 6. Tanobonta 7. Boroista cotemporary with Sylla the Roman Dictator who lived An. ante nat Christ 76. 8. Commositus both King and Priest 9. Corillus under whose conduct the Goths says Lazius first of all invaded Dacia 10. Dorpaneus co-temporary with Domitian the Roman Emperor An. Christ 83. 11. Decebalus 12. Ostrogotha 13. Cinna or Omba 14. Cannabas or Canabandes 15. Hildericus surnam'd Ovida who liv'd in the time of Constantine the Great 16. Gebeticus 17. Armanaricus who was says Damasc suppl Eutrop. overcome by the Hunns and made Tributary to them 18. Vinnitarius 19. Hunimundus 20. Totismundus 21. Alaricus and Fridigernus who as Lazius mentions reign'd at the same time in Thracia they defeated the Roman Forces sent against them commanded by Valens the Emperor whom they put to flight and apprehending him in a small Cottage whither he had fled to hide himself burnt him to death 23. Theomarus who conquer'd Maesia 24. Radagaisus who to Maesia added a great part of Pannonia An. Christ 390. 25. Alvaricus a Potent King 26. Alaricus II. who subdued all Illyricum and extended his Arms as far as Italy Arcadius and Honorius sons to Theodosius the Emperor either for some private ends wishing the success or not being able to withstand the power of his Forces and thereupon not timely preventing his designs he sack'd Rome subdued Naples and overran the greatest part of that Country But at last the Goths were by Stilico General of the Roman Army driven out of Italy and after their departure thence they are said to have sate down in France The Ostro-Gothish Kings who ruled in Italy according to Wolf Lazius 1. Alaricus I. 2. Theodericus whom Leo or as Scalig. Zeno the Emperor made his adopted son he expell'd the Heruli out of Italy and wholly subjected it to the power of the Goths he had one daughter nam'd Amalasuentha 3. Theodatus or as Jornandes has it Eutharicus call'd out of France by the Italick Goths to be their King 4. Alaricus II though he was the first of that name who setled in Italy 5. Alaricus III. 6. Athalaricus who had one only Daughter whom he married to Vittigis who maintain'd a war against Justinian the Emperor for about fourteen years and defended himself bravely against the Roman Power 7. Illovadus he was kill'd in battel by Narses the Roman General 8. Alaricus IV. who reigned only five months 9. Totylas or Odilo 10. Teias the last Gothish King in Italy who himself was kill'd by the Romans and his people almost all rooted out and destroyed by them some few only remaining who mixing and incorporating with the Italians at present pass for the same Nation with them Westro or Wiso-Gothick Kings who reign'd in Gallia Lugdunensis and Aquitanica 1. Alaricus I. who as was said conducted the Gothick people into those parts An. Salut 411. 2. Austulphus son to Alaricus 3. Theodericus kill'd by Attyla King of the Hunns 4. Turismundus son to Theodericus who to revenge his fathers death waged war with the Hunns and overcame them 5. Dietmarus in whose time a great part of the Goths under the conduct of one Vallia went into Spain 6. Gundoccarus in the time of Theodosius junior After his reign the Goths in these parts grew inconsiderable as intermixing themselves with other people and not having a distinct King of their own but being subjected to many other Princes Besides these Gothish Kings which we have mentioned there were many other who ruled over the Wiso-Goths in Spain and the adjacent parts a Catalogue of whom we leave to be set down in Spain and Arragon and the Kingdoms where they reigned for the Goths in those parts blending with the Romani Alani Suevi Mauri Saraceni c. did not so much continue a distinct Nation of themselves as become a people incorporated with those of other Nations or these with the Goths so that they were ruled by
state during his absence Steno got into the Office endeavours nothing more then to lessen his Masters and to advance his own credit and interest with the people and thereupon calumniates him as a publick Enemy to the Nation seizes upon those Castles and Forts which the King had Officer'd with Danes besieges Stockholm gains the City presently the Castle in which the Queen had secur'd her self after two years siege and not long after the command of the whole Kingdom Upon these disorders in Sweden the King shelters himself in Denmark thence sends a Messenger to Steno Sture desiring him to send his Queen Christina to him whom he courteously attending to the Borders of Denmark dyed suddenly at Jenecopia a City in Smalandia being as was suppos'd poison'd by some of the Queens friends The Kingdom was dispos'd of by the Nobles and given to or rather as Johannes Magnus relates forcibly obtain'd by 128. Suanto Sture son to one Nicolaus Grand Marshal of Sweden He was Administrator or Protector of the Kingdom not absolute King He took Colmar then possess'd by the Danes and maintain'd a bloody war against John II. of Denmark the exil'd King of Sweden A Treaty of peace being agreed on to be held at Colmar he refus'd to be present and was thereupon by Maximilian the Emperor of Germany and John of Denmark declared an Enemy to the publick and a disturber of the peace and as such he and all his accomplices were by all good men to be deem'd and their possessions to be confiscated Suanto not valuing all their protestations against him declares against their proceedings and striking a League with the Lubechers which they afterwards broke puts himself in a posture of defence in the prosecution of the war he dyed at Arhusia after he had govern'd very happily for eight years the next who succeeded him was his son 129. Steno Sture Junior Protector of the Kingdom Upon some grievous quarrels and animosities breaking out 'twixt this King and Gustavus Trolle who afterwards enjoy'd the Crown the Kingdom was miserably shatter'd and opportunity given to Christiern II. son to John II. King of Denmark to make an Invasion into it Steno to defend himself raises an Army goes against him and near the Lake Wener loses his life in battel The Kingdom was by the Nobles under certain conditions as of having their Laws and Religion protected c. given to 130. Christiern II. King of Denmark who having obtain'd the Diadem meditated nothing more then revenge and cruelty and committed so many Massacres and Acts of hostility upon his Subjects that he may seem not much inferiour in tyranny to Nero himself He under pretence of friendship and deciding the troubles of the Kingdom invited all his Nobles to a royal banquet and after having treated them splendidly for two whole days at last pretending the disturb'd state of the Kingdom requir'd that they should be taken out of the way and that the Popes Bull which he caus'd publickly to be read before them gave him authority to do it murther'd them casting their dead bodies out into the streets where they lay for three days to be torn by Dogs and trod upon by the Souldiers The body of Steno Sture which had layn some time in the ground he caus'd to be dug up and given to the Dogs to devour with such-like unheard of Cruelties which made him hated amongst his Swedish Subjects and not secure while he liv'd among them Hereupon he retir'd or rather fled into Denmark and the whole management of Swedish affairs was undertaken by 131. Gustavus I. Nephew to Steno Sture by his brother Ericus whom Christiern had put to death He when young was taken by Christiern and carried prisoner into Denmark whence miraculously escaping he came into Sweden put himself in the head of the dissenting party manag'd several engagements against the Tyrant very successfully and was at last seemingly much against his will crown'd King This King was the first who made the Kingdom of Sweden Hereditary the Nobles and Commons in consideration of the great service he had done the Nation freely giving up their ancient right of electing and establishing the Crown upon him and his heirs for ever He was the first that encourag'd and propagated the Lutheran Confession in Sweden and made a League with the Reform'd Princes of Germany to defend it against all Opposers He protested against Christianus III. King of Denmark who alledg'd some pretentions to the Arms three Crowns Or of Sweden made a peace with the Russes and after he had reign'd happily for nine and thirty years dyed in a quiet and peaceable old-age his Diadem according to the right of inheritance was conferr'd on the head of 132. Ericus XIV his Eldest son As soon as or before he was well settled in the Throne the first thing he propos'd to the Senate was to consult about a marriage with Elizabeth Queen of England He concluded a peace with the Danes which they not observing on their part he made war against them invaded Norway and committing some cruelties upon the Norwegian Noblemen thereupon quite lost the favour of his own Subjects and was by them under the command of his rebellious Brothers notwithstanding their oath of Allegiance treacherously betrayed thrust from his Throne and shut up in Prison where after nine years confinement he died miserably During his imprisonment when he perceiv'd what way affairs would go and to whom the Kingdom after his death according to justice be transferr'd he is said to have writ under his Escutcheon these words Translatum est regnum factum est fratris mei a Domino constitutum est ei which so happen'd for the Diadem in right descended upon 133. John III. brother to Ericus He as soon as invested with his Royal Robes endeavours to lay a Foundation for a quiet reign and thereupon concludes a peace with the Muscovite the Pole and the Dane his three potent Neighbours This King is said to have endeavour'd to introduce the Religion of the church of Rome into his Dominions and labour'd to perswade his Brother Charles to embrace that Profession but with small success In the latter part of his Reign he was victorious in war and saw his son Sigismund crown'd King of Poland He died not without suspicion of being poison'd After his death his Brother Charles Duke of Sudermannia for some time manag'd all publick affairs 'till his Nephew to whom according to the right of succession the Crown did belong could conveniently come out of Poland to receive it 134. Sigismund son to John III. He was educated in the Religion of the church of Rome Hereupon the States of Sweden fearing lest he being admitted King might reestablish Popery amongst them before his Coronation propos'd to him an Oath not to alter any thing in their Religion reform'd according to Luther but to allow his Subjects the free exercise of that profession This Oath he endeavour'd at first to evade but being
advised by the Popes Legat and some Jesuits that an Oath taken by him with Heretics was not obligatory or if he scrupled that that a Dispensation for the breach of it was easily attainable from the Pope at last solemnly took it and promising the States faithfully to observe all the conditions of it he left Sweden and return'd into Poland During his absence all affairs of the Kingdom were managed by Duke Charles his Uncle who for some small time executed the Office of Vice-Roy very quietly and to the great satisfaction of the Kings subjects but some differences arising about Religion the Papists Jesuits especially to whom free exercise of their Worship had been granted growing powerful and thereupon behaving themselves insolently towards the Lutherans the businesses of State became troubled and the determination of controversies and removal of jealousies out of the peoples hearts a very difficult matter Hereupon Sigismund is sent for out of Poland but both delaying to come into Sweden and to send Orders to his Uncle An. Ch. that Popish Delinquents as they were represented to him should according to Law be proceeded against as enemies to the State and that other such-like grievances should be redress'd he so lost his interest with his Swedish Subjects that when at last he came amongst them they opposed him as a public enemy made war against him and overcame him in Battel After he was defeated he return'd to Poland and his Crown of Sweden was by the States set upon the head of his Uncle 135. Charles IX Duke of Sudermannia and brother to John III. He maintain'd the Augustan Confession during his whole Reign carryed on a bloody war against his Nephew Sigismund and Christianus IV. King of Denmark whom he challeng'd to a Duel and after he had reigned eleven years dyed at Nycopia in his return from opposing the Danes The Government after his death according to the right of Inheritance descended upon his eldest son 136. Gustavus Adolphus II. surnamed the Great This King in the beginning of his Reign prosecuted the war with Denmark which his father was engaged in at his death but intending to turn the whole forces of his Kingdom against his Cousin Sigismund K. of Poland he within a short time concluded a peace both with the Dane and Muscovite this done he invaded Livonia took several places of great importance in that and other Provinces which belong'd to the Pole and at last making a Truce with his Cousin for six years he return'd into Sweden During the war with Poland Ferdinand II. Emperor of Germany had done him as he alledged very many injuries as his sending assistance to the Pole into Borussia under the command of Arnhemius his not admitting the Swedish Delegates to a Treaty of Peace at Lubeck but charging them to depart the Empire c. whereupon he invaded the Imperial dominions took several strong Cities and after he had over-run a great part of the Empire was kill'd in battel near Leipsick He was succeeded by 137. Christina his only daughter who being then but seven years old the affairs of the Kingdom were order'd by her Guardians till she came to the eighteenth year of her age at which time she took the Government upon her self made a Peace with the Emperor and the King of Denmark and at last either weary of ruling so potent a Kingdom or thinking the care of it too great a burthen for her to undergo voluntarily laid down the Crown and commended it to 138. Charles Gustavus X. A Noble and Victorious Prince He maintain'd war against the Pole the Muscovite and the Dane As he was returning from Gottenburg upon the confines of Denmark to Stockholm he dyed of a Feaver and his Kingdom according to right of succession descended upon 139. Charles XI his son then four years of age During his Minority the Kingdom was govern'd by his Guardians but coming to full age he took upon himself the management of all publick affairs and is now reigning A. D. 1680. Aged twenty-four years A warlike and virtuous Prince Of the Great PRINCIPALITY OF FINLAND BEyond the Bothnic Bay lies the Great Principality of Finland Finland call'd by the Natives Somi or Soma from the great number of Lakes that are in it Soma signifying a Lake but by the Swedes first and after them by all strangers call'd Finland q. Fine-land from the pleasantness of the Country or as others say q. Fiende-land i.e. the Land of Fiends or Enemies the Finlanders using for a long time before they were under the Swedish power to make frequent incursions into that Kingdom and very much injure and molest its inhabitants It is bounded on the East with the Sinus Finnicus and the Lake Ladoga on the West with the Bothnic Bay on the North with part of Lapland and on the South with part of the Finnic and Baltic Seas It is divided into these seven Provinces Its Provinces 1. Southern-Finland 2. Northern-Finland 3. Cajania 4. Savolaxia 5. Tavastia 6. Nylandia And 7. Carelia 1. Southern Finland Southern Finland parted from the Northern by the River Aujaroki which waters the Episcopal City Abo. It extends it self all along the Finnic Bay Eastward having on the North and North-East the Provinces of Tavastia and Nylandia In it are besides several little Towns two remarkable Forts viz. Gusto in the Western and Raseberg to which belongs a Dynasty or Principality in the Eastern part of it 2. Northern Finland Northern Finland running along the East-side of the Bothnic Bay towards the North. It is indifferently large in circumference taking in both the Satagunda's with Viemo and Masco Water'd it is by one only River call'd Cumo-elff famous for its abundance of Salmon and other sorts of Fish which falls into the Sea near the City Biorneborgh Towns of note here are Raumo Nystadh and Nadhendal to these Sanson adds Castelholm in the Island Alandia 3. Cajania Cajania or Ost-Bothnia as some call it in opposition to West-Bothnia which lyes over against it on the West side of the Bothnic Bay In it are many large Rivers the chief of which are Kimi-elff which emptieth it self into the Bothnic Bay at the most Northern Cape of it and parts this Province from West-Bothnia Iio-elff and Vla-elff Cities here are 1. Vlam or Vlo 2. Vasa or Wassam Cal to which may be added the Forts Cajaneburg and Vlaburg 4. Savolaxia Savolaxia which is bounded on the East with the Lake Ladoga on the West with a a ridge of Mountains which part it from Carelia on the North with part of Muscovitic Lapland and on the South with Tavastia and Carelia This Province abounds much with Lakes and Rivers most of which disburthen themselves into the Lake Ladoga The Rivers afford Fish Pike especially in great abundance and the Lakes besides the great quantity of Fish they breed supply the inhabitants with Sea-Calfs not met with in any other Scandian Lakes Here is one remarkable Fort
Villages and Forts Of the late Accessions in Pomeren and the Empire HOw far the victorious Arms of Gustavus Adolphus spred themselves in the Empire of Germany passing over the Elb the Rhine and the Danow in one year and thereby becoming as well the terror as wonder of Europe is sufficiently known to all the world and how after his death the Swedish Conquests in those parts began to lessen and several places of importance to be either forcibly regain'd by the Emperor or by the succeeding Kings of Sweden freely yielded up to him is no less manifest What Cities Towns Forts Titles Territories c. were by a Ratification of Peace concluded between the Imperial Ministers and the Swedish Agents in lieu of those many and large Dominions which Gustavus Adolphus had possess'd himself of given up into the hands of the Swedes either absolutely and for ever or under some conditions to be by the Swedes observ'd we shall in this place only mention remitting the more large description of them to Pomeren Germany c. whereunto they did formerly belong and where an account of them may be expected By a Treaty of Peace between the Imperial Plenipotentiaries and Swedish Ministers held at Osnabrug and Munster A. D. 1649 it was concluded That because Christina Queen of Sweden had required of the Emperor and the Electoral Princes that satisfaction should be made her for delivering up to them several places which had been by her Father in the late Wars brought under the Swedish power and likewise upon account that she earnestly desired as much as in her lay to restore and promote the publick peace of the Empire which the Emperor and their Electoral Highnesses on the other part were very ready by all means to advance and take care of His Imperial Majesty with the consent of the Electoral Princes and States of the Empire should give up to the Queen of Sweden and to her Heirs and Successors these following Dominions to be held by them in full right of possession as a perpetual and immediate Feud of the Empire viz. 1. All Nether-Pomeren commonly call'd Nor-Pomern with the Isle of Rugen in the Baltic Sea in the same manner and extent as the late Dukes of Pomeren had possess'd and enjoy'd the same And also in Further-Pomeren Stetin Gartz Dam Golnau the Isle Wollin with part of the River Oder that encompasseth it the Sea commonly call'd das Frische Haff with its three Bays Peine Swine and Divenow and so much land on each side as shall be agreed on by the Commissioners to be appointed for assigning the just limits for both Parties Which said Kingdom of Pomeren and principality of Rugen with all Dominions belonging or places annex'd to either of them and also all Territories Prefectures Cities Forts Towns Villages Feuds Rivers Isles c. with all Tributes Revenues Titles Dignities Preeminences Immunities and Praerogatives Ecclesiastical or Civil with all other Rights and Priviledges should from that day 27 of July A. 1648 for ever belong to and be freely used and inviolably possess'd by the then Queen of Sweden her heirs and Successors in as full and ample manner as the former Dukes of Pomeren had had enjoy'd or govern'd the same Moreover That the King of Sweden and the Duke of Brandenburg should both of them use the Titles and Arms of Pomeren after the manner that the former Dukes of Pomeren used them The King of Sweden for ever and the Dukes of Brandenburgh so long as any of the Issue Male of that Family remain'd but that upon defect of the masculine Line of the house of Brandenburg none should lay claim to those Titles and Arms of Pomeren but the Kings of Sweden solely to retain them without any Competitor and not only so but then to have all Further Pomeren with the Bishoprick and Chapter of Camminen yielded up to them and their successors for ever 2. That the Emperor with the consent of the Electors should give up to the said Queen and her successors for ever the City and Port of Wismar with the Fort Walfisch and the Prefectures of Poel the Towns Sehedorff Wietendorff Brandenhusen and Wangern which belong to the Hospital of the Holy Ghost in Lubeck excepted and Newen Closter with all Rights and Priviledges belonging to them in as full and ample manner as the Dukes of Meklenburg had before enjoy'd and possess'd them 3. That the Emperor with c. should give up to the Queen of Sweden and her successors for ever the Arch-Bishoprick of Breme and the Bishoprick of Verden with the Town and Prefecture of Wilshausen and also all the Right the Arch-Bishops of Breme had to the Chapter and Dioeces of Hamburg provided that the house of Holsatia and the City and Chapter of Hamburg retain'd their respective liberties possessions c. with all and singular Rights Priviledges c. Ecclesiastical or Civil to the said Arch-Bishoprick Bishoprick and Prefecture in any-wise belonging yet to retain them for ever as an immediate Fee of the Empire using the ancient Arms which belong'd to them but changing the Ecclefiastical Title into a secular one viz. that of Arch-Bishop and Bishops into Duke of Breme and Verden And likewise the Kings of Sweden by vertue of this Grant to have priviledge to be present at all Diets of the Empire under the Titles of Dukes of Breme Verden and Pomeren Princes of Rugen and Lords of Wismar and to take place amongst the secular Princes on the fifth seat in the said Diets and in all Controversies arising concerning these Territories to appeal to some of his Imperial Majestie 's Courts of Judicature there to have them determin'd 4. That the Queen of Sweden or her successors might have power to erect an Vniversity where they thought most convenient in any part of these new Dominions Lastly that her Majesty of Sweden and her successors should acknowledge all these Possessions as Feudiatary to the Emperor and receive all Investitures from and as their Predecessors and other Vassals of the Empire formerly used to do to take an Oath of Fidelity and Allegiance to him and his Imperial successors for ever By these additional Dominions in Pomeren and Germany which at present by reason of the wars between the two Northern Crowns are very much disturb'd and in great confusion the Kings of Sweden had as was said several new Titles conferr'd upon them which with others that are taken from their late conquests in Livonia Carelia c. make up the greatest part of the whole Catalogue The present King styling himself thus The most Serene and most c. Prince Charles XI King of the Swedes Goths and Vandals and Hereditary Prince Great Prince of Finland Duke of Schonen Esthonia Livonia Carelia Breme Verde Stetin Pomeren Cassubie and Wenden Prince of Rugen Lord of Ingria and Wismar Count Palatine of the Rhine Duke of Bavaria Juliers Cleves Bergen c. Of the new Accessions in Denmark within the Baltic Sea viz. Scania Hallandia
Christian Whereupon he was baptized in the year 826 and immediately restored to his dominions But soon after he renounced Christianity and continued Heathen till reclaim'd by St. Anschar who for his good offices in the Northern Kingdoms was made Archbishop of Hamburgh in the year 835. 2. Eric succeeded his brother Harald with whom he had been baptized in Germany in his Kingdom and cruelty against the the Christians In his days about the year 853 the Danes first enter'd France under the command of their Captain Rollo though others more probably relate him not to have been the first of those Northern Rovers that invaded France but to have succeeded to Gotfrid and to have entred France about the year 876 and not to have been peaceably settled in Normandy till 889 or 890 see the History of the life of King Aelfred and seated themselves in that part which has ever since kept the name of Normandy 3. Eric Barn or the Child being the only male left alive of the Royal Family after the bloody wars between his predecessor and Guthorm King of Norway He begun his reign happily having married the daughter of King Guthorm but within awhile he grew more cruel then any of his Ancestors had been slaying more Bishops and destroying more Churches and Religious Houses both in Germany and England then all the rest of the Danish Kings put together In his German wars he slew Brunno Duke of Saxony and twelve Counts He dyed about the year 902. 4. Canutus the Hairy or Lodneknudt succeeded his father Eric In his days saith King Eric in his Chronicon every third man in Denmark went by lot to seek his fortune so that those who marched off over-run all Prussia Semgal Curland and several other Countries whence they never return'd but there they and their posterity have continued to this day He dyed a Heathen about the year 912. 5. After the death of Canutus the Danish Scepter was given to Frotho his son so say the most credible Historians tho Lindenbruch reports that his brother Sueno reigned nine years He was twenty years King of England and Denmark in the former of which he was baptized and dyed a good Christian 6. Gormo Gormund or Guthrum surnam'd Hartesnute and Engelender because born in England succeeded his father He together with his followers was baptized at Aalre in Sommersetshire and had our Learned and Pious King Aelfred to his Godfather who at the Font gave him the name of Athelstane and afterwards bestowed on him the Kingdom of the East-Angles From this Gormo a Village near Huntingdon call'd at this day by the inhabitants corruptly Godman-Chester had its name Gormon-Chester As Cambden proves from that old Verse Gormonis a Castri nomine nomen habet I am very unwilling I must confess to confound this Gormo with King Aelfred's God-son who as far as we can learn from English writers never sat in the Throne of Denmark neither do the times agree But the Danish Historians will have it so and 't is in vain to seek for satisfaction in the midst of such confusion as we meet with in their writings 7. Harald surnam'd Blaatand succeeded his father Gormo In his days the Danes threw up that famous Trench between Gottorp and Sleswic call'd Dannewirck of which we shall have occasion to speak more hereafter 8. Sueno or Svenotho surnamed Tuiskeg i. e. fork'd-beard succeeded Harald At first he was an Heathen and a severe persecutor of the Christians but afterwards he turned Christian himself and founded three Bishopricks at Sleswic Ripe and Arhuse Some say he dyed in the year 1012 and was buried at York others make him live till the year 1014 and bring him to his grave in Denmark 9. Canutus the Great son to Sueno He was at once King of England Denmark Sweden Norway Slavonia and Sambland some make him King or Duke at least of Normandy And this seems to be the meaning of that old Distich which not reckoning either Slavonia or Sambland a Kingdom brings him in thus speaking of himself Facta mihi Magni pepererunt inclyta nomen Quinque sub imperio regna fuere meo He was buried at Winchester in the year 1036 after he had been twenty-seven years King of Denmark twenty-four of England and seven of Norway leaving the Kingdom of Denmark to his son 10. Hardi-Cnute who within four years obtain'd the Kingdom of England upon the death of hs brother Harald Here he dyed in the year 1041 and was buried by his father in the Cathedral at Winchester 11. Magnus King of Norway seized on the Kingdom of Denmark upon the death of Hardi-Cnute pretending a title to it by contract But he enjoy'd it not long He dyed in the year 1048 and left the Kingdom to 12. Sveno Esthret son on one Vlf an English Earl He dyed in the year 1074 and left behind him five sons who all of them sate successively in their fathers Throne 13. Harald Sveno's eldest son held the Scepter only two years He was a soft easie and timorous Prince afraid to punish offenders or to look an enemy in the face So that the English making use of the opportunity shook off the Danish yoke without any considerable molestation 14. St. Canutus King Swain's second son was barbarously murder'd in St. Alban's Church in Odensee a City in the Isle of Funen whither he fled for sanctuary from the rage of his own Subjects in the year 1088 Pontanus says 1077 The occasion was this The pious King commanded that all his Subjects should pay Tythes according to the custom of other Nations This Edict was represented to the people by his brother Olaf who long'd for the Crown as an encroachment upon the priviledges and liberty of the Subject Whereupon they quickly rose in open rebellion against their Soveraign who to appease the rage of the rabble was martyr'd 15. Olaf Swain's third son upon the slaughter of his brother Cnute which he traiterously had procured was by his followers unanimously declared King But his brothers blood went not long unrevenged For in this Kings days the famine was so great in Denmark that even the Kings Houshold wanted bread Olaf at last sensible that this judgment was inflicted on the Kingdom for his sins pray'd that God would turn the current of his vengeance from the people upon his head that had offended His prayers were heard and the same night in the year 1096 he dyed hungry and miserable and the famine immediately abated 16. Eric Swain's fourth son surnam'd the Good for his religious zeal and piety who dyed in his pilgrimage towards Jerusalem and was buryed in the Isle of Cyprus in the year 1106. In his days Lunden was made an Archbishops See before which time all the Danish Bishops were under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Bremen 17. Nicolas Sveno's youngest son He was slain by the Jutes in revenge of Cnute Duke of Flanders whom he had caused to be killed in the Church in the year
1135. 18. Eric Emund a pious and good King succeeded his Uncle Nicolas and was barbarously murder'd by one Plag Sorte a Nobleman of Jutland in his own Palace in the year 1139. 19. Eric Lamb succeeded his Uncle Eric Emund He laid down his scepter and put himself into a Monastery at Odensee in Funen where he dyed in the year 1147. 20. Swain Gratenhede Eric Emund's son got the Crown upon the death of his Kinsman Eric Lamb. In this mans days there were three Kings of Denmark at the same time Some running after Cnute King Nicolas's Grandchild others following Waldemar son to Cnute Duke of Flanders After some skirmishes in which both Swain and Cnute were slain the whole Kingdom was rul'd by 21. Waldemar surnam'd the Great He was Lord of all the Countries on the North of the Elb and dyed in the year 1182 leaving the Kingdom to his son 22. Cnute He bravely maintain'd a war against the Emperor of Germany who would needs demand homage of the Kings of Denmark He dyed at Ringstede in the year 1202. 23. Waldemar II. Cnute's brother He new modell'd the Danish conquer'd Norway and set over it a Vice-Roy vanquish'd and put to flight the Emperor Otto who thought to have made himself Master of Holslein and having reign'd victoriously thirty-nine years dyed in the year 1241 Crantzius says 1242 24. Eric Plog-penning Waldemar's son He was taken at Sleswic and slain by his brother 25. Abel who reign'd wickedly two years and was then murder'd by his rebellious Subjects in the year 1252. 26. Christopher I. brother to Eric and Abel He lived in a continual war with his own people to whom rebellion was now grown natural Some of the Danish Chronicles say he was at last in the year 1259 poyson'd by Arnefast Bishop of Arhuse as the Emperor Henry the Seventh was afterwards by Bernardine the Monk with the Eucharist 27. Eric Glipping King Christopher's son who being seated in his fathers Throne gave himself up to all manner of lewdness and debauchery His whole life is nothing else but a Catalogue of his oppressions sacriledges murders and whoredoms After a long uninterrupted course of wickedness sleeping one night in a Barn at Findetorp a small Village in the Bishoprick of Wiberg he was murder'd with fifty-six some say seventy wounds given him by seven Ruffians hired to dispatch him by Andrew Stigot Marshal of Danemark whose wife he had ravish'd and some others of the Nobility in the year 1286. 28. Eric Menved Glipping's son He was as godly a Prince as his father was impious The murderers of his father had conspired his death but were prevented by Providence which protected him both from the lewd life and miserable death of his Ancestors So that he dyed as he had lived peaceably in the year 1319 and was buryed at Ringstad where his Epitaph is still to be seen as follows Ego Ericus quondam Daniae Rex regnans ann xxxij Rectus Justiciarius pauperum divitum ubi jus habuerunt Oro omnes quibus aliquid forefeci ut mihi per suam gratiam indulgeant orent pro anima mea Qui obii A. D. 1319. die beati Brixij Episcopi Confessoris 29. Christopher II. Menved's brother He trod in his fathers steps and ended his days like him He is reported to have been an unfortunate sluggish cruel and perfidious Prince an hater of the Nobility and hated by the Commonalty Had he had any sense of Religion policy or common honesty in him he might have been an happy Prince for never were the Danes more unwilling to rebel and take up arms against their King then in his days tho never more provok'd to it Having linger'd out a reign of about thirteen years he dyed at last forsaken of all neglected and unpity'd at Nicoping in the Isle of Falster in the year 1333. After this Kings death the Danes seem'd to be weary of a supreme Soveraign and resolv'd not to set any more over them They fancy'd 't was more eligible to have no King at all then such as they had the bad luck to meet with a Sot or a Tyrant But after fifteen years confusion they found it was better to have an akeing head then none at all Whereupon weary of their new Anarchy they resolv'd to establish in the Throne of his father 30. Waldemar III. King Christopher's son who recollected the scatter'd members of the Kingdom into one body and dismounted most of the Usurpers without any great bloodshed He is represented as a Prince of great subtilty avarice and boldness When Pope Gregory XI threatned to excommunicate him for his saucy behaviour and sleighting of the Apostolic See he is said to have return'd this answer Valdemarus Rex Daniae c. Romano Pontifici salutem vitam habemus a Deo regnum ab incolis divitias a parentibus fidem vero a tuis praedecessoribus quam si nobis non faves remittimus per praesentes Vale. i. e. Waldemar King of Denmark c. To the Bishop of Rome sendeth greeting We hold our life from God our Kingdom from our Subjects our Riches from our Parents and our Faith from thy Predecessors which if thou will not grant us any longer we do by these presents resign Farewel He dyed in the year 1375 and was buried by his father at Sora. 31. Margaret King Waldemar's daughter was upon the death of her father crown'd Queen of Denmark and manag'd the Scepter more discreetly then almost any of the Kings her Predecessors had done A womans government seem'd at first a little uncouth but her Subjects soon found a great deal of satisfaction in her prudent management of affairs at home and wise conduct abroad when in one Campagn she took Albert King of Sweden Rodulph Archbishop of Scharen the Duke of Mecklenburg and the Earls of Holstein and Reppin prisoners Her father was wont to say of her That Nature intended her for a man but spoil'd her in the making She dyed a great friend to Religion and Patroness of the Clergy and was buryed at Roschild in the year 1412 leaving the Kingdom to her Great-Nephew 32. Eric son of Vratislaw VII Duke of Pomeren Who having spent a great many years in tyranny rapine perjury oppression and whoredom was at last in the year 1438 forced to quit his Throne and fly from the fury of his incens'd Nobles into Gothland whither he carried with him a vast treasure and one Cecilia his Concubine who by her evil counsels and proud humours brought him to these extremities 33. Christopher Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine another of King Waldemar's Great-Grandchildren succeeding Eric in the Kingdoms of Denmark Norway and Sweden His reign was short but prosperous especially against the Rebels in Jutland and the Hans Towns He dyed childless at Helsingburgh in the year 1447. The Danish Chronicles are full of his commendations but Johannes Gothus and other Swedish Historians will not by any means allow him so good a character
34. Christian I. son of Theodoric Count of Oldenburgh was elected King of Denmark upon the death of King Christopher He was a generous pious and valiant Prince but wholly ignorant of all manner of learning He reduc'd the Swedes to their Allegiance who in the beginning of his reign had revolted from the Crown of Denmark annex'd Holstein to his Dominions made himself Duke of Dithmars and Stormar and having ruled three and thirty years dyed in peace in the year 1481 and was buryed in a Chappel which he himself had built at Roschild leaving his Crown to his son 35. John who was a Prince endued with all the Royal qualities of his father He was devout in exercises of Religion temperate in diet grave in apparel and valiant in exploits of war which excepting only the overthrow he receiv'd from the Dithmarsians in the year 1500 proved exceeding successful He dyed of the plague at Olburgh in the year 1513. 35. Christian II. King John's son who was the bloodiest cruellest and most dissolute Prince that Denmark or perhaps any other Kingdom ever saw Lindenbruch gives this character of him That Nero Phalaris and Sylla put in the scales against him would signifie no more then half an ounce to a pound weight Meursius reports that he was born with one hand grasp'd which when the Midwife opened she found full of blood This was look'd upon by his father as a certain prognostic of a bloody mind of which his subjects had afterwards a lamentable experience The only good he ever did his Country was the founding a Fair and establishing a more then ordinary trade at Copenhagen At last after he had by his wickedness thrown himself out of three Kingdoms and for six and thirty years undergone the miseries of banishment or imprisonment he dyed in the Castle of Kallenborg in Zeeland in the year 1559. 36. Frideric I. King John's brother succeeded his Nephew Christian As soon as he was Crown'd in the year 1524 he begun to bring the Augspur Confession into all the Churches of Denmark He ruled almost ten year in quietness and dyed at Sleswig in the year 1533. 37. Christian III. Frideric's son He perfected the reformation which his father had begun in the Church He lived and dyed in the year 1559 a Prince of singular piety wisdom temperance justice and all Royal virtues And left behind a fair pattern of a happy King and good Christian to his son 37. Frederic II. Who having exactly imitated his fathers example after a happy reign of twenty-nine years dyed in his Palace of Anderscow in the year 1587. Immediately after his Coronation he was engag'd in a war against the rebels of Dithmars whom he quell'd with small trouble Afterwards he waged war with Eric XIV King of Sweden which lasted seven years The rest of his days were spent in peace and quietness 39. Christian IV. before his fathers burial was elected and soon after crown'd King of Denmark In his reign the Emperor of Germany Ferdinand II. overrun the greatest part of the Cimbrian Chersonese and had once well nigh brought the whole Kingdom of Denmark under his subjection But King Christian contracting as it were all the exspiring Spirits of his Realm made the Imperialists at last give ground and brought them to a Treaty upon honourable terms He dyed in the year 1648 and was succeeded by his son 40. Frederic III. Who receiv'd as great a blow from the Swedes as his father had done from the Germans Charles Gustave the victorious King of Sweden had brought him to that extremity as to lay close siege to Copenhagen which City and consequently the whole Kingdom of Denmark would doubtless have faln into the hands of the Swedes had not the Emperor of Germany the King of Poland and most of the Northern Princes jealous of the growing power of the Swedish King concern'd themselves in the defence of it He that desires a further account of the beginning continuance and end of these Northern wars may have recourse to the accurate history of them written by R. Manley and printed in the year 1670. King Frideric got his Nobles perswaded to consent that the Kingdom of Denmark as well as that of Norway should be Hereditary and was himself proclaim'd hereditary King the twenty-third day of October in the year 1660. He dyed of a Fever the twenty-fifth day of February 16 69 70. and that night as is before said the Nobility swore Allegiance to the new King 41. Christian V. now reigning A valiant and active Prince The Royal Family of Denmark consists of the Children of the King 〈…〉 and his near Relations together with the Princes of Sunderburg Norburg Gluckburg Arnsbeck Gottorp and Ottingen or Oytin who are all descended from King Christian the third excepting the Houses of Oytin and Gottorp who are the issue of his brother Adolph Duke of Sleswic The Nobles who never pretend to nor accept of the Titles of Dukes Earls or Barons are such as have for many ages had a single Coat of Arms belonging to their Family which they never alter nor quarter with any other There are to this day some Families of the Nobility in Denmark as Wren and others who are said to have been at the signing of a Treaty of Peace between Charles the Great and King Hemming on the Eidor Upon the death of any Nobleman all his goods moveable and immoveable are divided amongst his Children so as a son has two moieties and a daughter only one By the Laws of Denmark the King is prohibited to purchase any part of a Nobleman's Estate nor can any of the Nobility buy any of the Crown Lands A Catalogue of the names of the chief Noblemen at this day in Denmark is given us by the Author of L'Estat des Royaumes de l'Europe in the following Alphabetical order Achsel Appelgard Alefeld Andersem Bielke Banner Brache Bilig Below Bild Brokenhusem Biorn Beck Blick Bassi Bax Baselich Bockowlt Budde Baggen Bammelberg Brune Blom Blocktorp Breiden Daac Dresselberch Dune Duram Dam Freze Fassi Falster Falcke Guldenstern Grubbe Goce Green Gelschut Galle Gram Gris Goss Gadendorp Grabow Hardenberg Holke Hoken Hiderstorper Hube Hesten Hager Holer Hoeken Hoier Hacken Harberger Jul Juensen Juenan Jensen Johensen Korwitz Krabbe Kaas Krusen Kragge Krumpen Krumdick Kercberg Karssenbrock Koelet Knutzen Lange Lindeman Lunge Lutkem Laxman Lancken Leven Lindow Munck Matiessen Marizer Must Matre Meinstorf Moeten Magnussen Negel Narbu Norman Ofren Otten Pasberg Podessen Podebussen Papenheimb Podwisch Plessen Pensen Paisen Petersen Qualem Quittow Ranzaw Rosenkrantz Rastorp Ruthede Reuter Ruten Rosenspart Rosengard Ronnow Reventlow Ratlow Ritzerow Schram Schefeldt Schelen Seestedt Stuege Swron Stantbeke Split Solle Swaben Santbarch Spar Spegel Sturen Suinem Staken Stove Siversen Trolle Totten Vhrup Vonsflet Vantinnen Vken Voien Vlstandt Vren Wlefeld Walkendorp Wipfert Witfelt Wogersen Wenfsterman Wolde Worm Walstorp Wenfin Wittorp Though none of these are ever made Dukes Knights Marquises Earls or Barons yet 't is usual
for many of them to be dubb'd Knights upon any considerable piece of service done their King or Country The Danes call their Knights Ridders i. e. Equites Riders and all their offspring have the title of Riddersmens men The most noble Order of Knighthood in Denmark Knights of the Elephant is that Of the Elephant Of which we cannot have a better account then is given us by the Learned Elias Ashmole Esquire Windsor Herald at Arms in his famous work of The Institution Laws and Ceremonies of the most Noble Order of the Garter p. 120. Observing saith he some difference among writers touching the Institution Collar and Ensign of this Order I was in doubt what to say till at length I haply met with better satisfaction from a Letter wrote in the year 1537 by Avo Bilde Bishop of Arhusen sometime Chancellor to John King of Denmark and Norway unto John Fris Chancellor to King Christian the third a copy whereof was communicated to me by Monsieur Cristoftle Lindenow Envoy from Christian the fifth now King of Denmark to his sacred Majesty the present Soveraign of the most Noble Order of the Garter This Letter informs him of the Institution and some other particulars relating to the Order to wit That King Christian the first being at Rome whither he had travel'd upon a religious account Pope Sixtus the fourth among other honours invested him with this Order in memory of the Passion of our Lord and Saviour and withall ordain'd that the dignity of Chief and Supreme should be continued as a successive right to the succeeding Kings of Denmark This King founded the magnificent Chappel of the three Kings in the Cathedral Church at Roschild four leagues from Copenhagen where the Knights were obliged to assemble upon the death of any of their fraternity He also admitted thereinto divers Kings Princes and Noblemen The chief Ensign of this Order was the figure of an Elephant on whose side within a rundle was represented a Crown of Thorns with three Nails all bloody in honour and memory of the Passion of our blessed Saviour The Knights were obliged to the performance of acts of Piety Alms-deeds and certain Ceremonies especially upon those days on which they wore the Ensigns of the Order But King John set so high a value upon it that he wore them on every solemn Festival He also advanc'd the honour of this Order to so great esteem that it became accepted by both our King Henry the eighth and James the fifth of Scotland his sisters son with whom the Ensigns thereof remain'd as a pledg and assurance of constant and perpetual friendship with these he likewise invested divers Ambassadors Senators and Noble Danes There is one Ivarus Nicholai Hertholm a learned Dane as I am inform'd who hath written a particular Treatise of the Elephantine Order but not yet printed The scope whereof is to shew that the before mentioned Epistle of the Bishop of Arhusen does not sufficiently make it appear that it received its first Institution when Christian the first had those many honours confer'd on him by Pope Sixtus the fourth And that the Badge was an Ensign meerly Military anciently given as a memorial and incitement to the Danish Princes who took upon them the defence of Christianity against the Moors and Africans 'T is greatly presumed that this Book which we hope may shortly be published will furnish the world with many choice things relating to the antiquity and honour of the Institution Ensigns and Ceremonies of the Royal Order Heretofore the Knights wore a Collar of Gold compos'd of Elephants and Crosses fashioned something like Crosses ancrees Mennenius calls them Spurs at which hung the picture of the Virgin Mary to the middle holding Christ in her arms and surrounded with a Glory of Sun-beams But they have long since laid this Collar aside and now wear only a blew Ribbon at which hangs an Elephant enamel'd white adorn'd with five large Diamonds set in the middle Those Elephants worn by the Knights in the days of Christian the fourth had in the same place within a circle the Letter C and in the heart thereof the figure of 4 made to signifie Christianus quartus This honour hath most commonly been conferr'd by the Kings of Denmark on the day of their Coronation both upon the Nobles and Senators of the Kingdom It seems Frederic the third brought into use in imitation of the most Noble Order of the Garter an embroider'd Glory of Silver Purl wrought upon the left side of their Cloak or Vest on which was embroider'd two Crowns within a Rundle bearing this Motto Deus Providebit for such an one did Count Guldenlow Ambassador hither from that King wear at his residing here in England in the year 1669. But we are to note that the Motto hath changed with the King for that of the present King is Pietate Justitia and this the Knights of his election now wear in the middle of the circle Nevertheless all the Knights created by his father are obliged still to continue the former Motto In remembrance of the Danebroge or holy Danish Cross which was thought miraculously to have preserved King Waldemar the Second's Army from the fury of the Lieflanders as we shall have occasion hereafter to shew when we come to speak of the Arms of this Kingdom that King instituted the Order of Knights of the holy Cross Knights of Danebroge Which continued till the relique it self was lost in Ditmarss but then was for many years quite lay'd aside Of late the present King Christian the fifth revived this antiquated Order in the year 1672. Ordaining That Knights of this Order of which he himself is one should wear a white enamell'd Cross edged round with red hung in a string of the same colours reaching from the right shoulder to the left side Thomas Bartholinus P. has given us a large account of the first Original Progress Restauration c. of this Order To whom we refer the Reader Out of these Knights Senators and the rest of the Nobility were chosen formerly the Senators who seldom exceeded the number of eight but are now a far greater number As long as they continued in their places they were maintain'd as our Parliament may be if they please during their sitting by the Country The King allow'd them Castles to live in They pay'd no Taxes but were obliged to keep a certain number of Light-horse ready for service upon all occasions They were bound to attend the King at his call upon their own charges provided he stir'd not out of his own dominions But if he sent them on an Ambassy into other Princes Courts they had an allowance out of the Treasury Besides these there are others that live as Pensioners Pensioners to whom the King in requital of some good services done him assigns certain Livings for life or a set number of years forlaeninger out of which they are to provide so many
divided formerly the Dukedom of Holstein from the Kingdom of Denmark BEfore the invention of Guns and other terrible Engines of war now used by all the Europeans and the greatest part of the known world the only fortifications and ramparts were strong walls and ditches which the ancients fancied as indeed they were sufficient to defend them from the arrows and battle-axes the only weapons then in use of their barbarous neighbours Hence it was that the Chinois thought their Empire secured from the incursions of their bloody neighbours the Tartars when their famous King Tzinzow had hedged them in with a wall of some hundreds of miles in length Thus the best expedient the Romans could find of putting the borders of their Brittish dominions in a posture of defence against the daily revolt of the Natives whom they had driven into Scotland was the building of Picts Wall and Severus's rampire which reach'd from Sea to Sea For the same reasons the Kings of Denmark having their Territories continually infested by the daily inroads of the Germans thought it highly requisite to block up their passage by walling up that neck of Land which lies between Hollingsted and Gottorp It is hard to determine from the account given by Historians when this work was first begun Paulus Aemilius a curious French Historian says Gothofred King of Denmark whom the Danish writers call Gothric was the first that made use of this stratagem to exclude the Armies of the Emperor Charles the Great about the year 808. The same story is told us by Aimoinus and Christianus Cilicius But Saxo Grammaticus Crantzius and the whole Class of the Northern Historians tell us unanimously That Queen Thyra daughter of Ethelred King of England and wife to Gormo Gamle King of Denmark was the Authoress of this fortification and that thence she had the surname of Danebode i.e. the Mistress builder of the Danish Nation bestowed on her I can scarce allow the latter part of the story to to be truth since we find that this surname was given her long before she had done any thing either towards the building or repairing of the Danewirk as they call'd this Fort. For upon a monument erected by King Gormo Gamle in honour of his Queen Thyra we find the following Inscription Gurmr Kunugr gerdi kubl dusi eft Turui Kunu sina Tanmarkur-bat i.e. Gormo the King erected this Tomb for Thyra his Queen Danebode or repairer of the Kingdom of Denmark This inscription cannot be an Epitaph writ after Queen Thyra's death seeing all the Danish writers assert positively that she outliv'd her husband Gormo many years and after his death took the Danewirk in hand So that its more then probable the surname of Danebode was given her for the many good offices she had done the Nation in repairing several old decayed Castles and Forts and building a great many new ones King Eric the Eighth in his Danish Chronicle says Thyra built the Fort of wood Which Witfield understands of the fencing the rampire with Stakes as bulwarks are guarded in our modern fortifications Others make Harald Blaatand Queen Thyra's son the first Author of this work after he had driven the Emperor Otho out of Jutland Which Erasmus Laetus the Danish Virgil alludes to when speaking of this King Harald he says Hic ille est solido primns qui Cimbrica vallo Munijt arva solique ingens e corpore dorsum Eruit immani quod se curvamine longos Incitat in tractus mediumque perambulat Isthmum Et maris Eoi ripas cum littore jungit Hesperio ac tenuem Sleswici respicit urbem King Eric decides this controversy by telling us That Thyra built a wooden fortification and afterwards advised her son to strengthen the work by Trenches and Rampires of earth Notwithstanding all these relations of other Historians both Pontanus and Wormius agree that 't is most likely the rude draught of this Fort was first drawn by King Gothric and only repair'd and improv'd by Queen Thyra King Harald and other succeeding Princes Waldemar the first built a wall of brick seven foot broad and eighteen high to strengthen it After so many improvements the fort was reckon'd impregnable For soon after King Waldemar's reparation when Henry Duke of Saxony surnamed the Lion intended to have endeavoured a breach through this fort into the King of Denmark's dominions he was disswaded from the enterprise by his chief Counsellor Bernhard Razburg who represented the undertaking as a thing impossible to be effected assuring him Danewirkae custodium Danorum sexaginta millibus mandatum esse i.e. That Danewirk was defended by a Garrison of sixty thousand Danes Hence King Sueno finding himself unable to force his way through so strong and so well man'd a Rampire endeavour'd to work his passage by corrupting the Keeper of Wiglesdor the only Gate leading through this wall into Jutland At this day there remain but sleight marks of so great a work At Schubuge and Hesbuge two small Villages upon the ruins of the wall the Inhabitants find reliques of old furnaces and brick-kilns whence the Danish Antiquaries conclude that King Waldemar had his bricks burn'd here tho he was forced to fetch mortar as far as Gothland Joh. Cypraeus tells us at Dennenwirch an inconsiderable Village in these parts may still be seen the ruins of an old Castle where Queen Thyra lodged The same Author says Wiglesdor was antiently called Kaelgate because placed in an open and plain part of the Country where the Enemy could have no shelter nor be in any probability of suprizing the Defendants HOLSTEIN ANtiently the whole Territories of the Dukedom of Holstein contained at present in the Provinces of Holstein properly so called Ditmarss Wagerland and Stormar went under the general name of Nortablingia or the country beyond the Elb Northwards Adam Bremensis and Helmoldus are the first that mention Holsatia which the former derives from Holts-geseten i.e. seated in a wood or forrest DUCATUS HOLSATIAE DESCRIPTIO NOVISSIMA Excudebant Janssâ—â—io-Waesbergii et Moses Pitt The fruitfulness of the soil convenience of trading in the Baltic and Brittish seas and industry of the Inhabitants render Holstein the richest Country in the King of Denmarks dominions and make the incomes of some of the Nobility exceed the treasure of many Princes in Germany The chief Cities and great Towns in Holstein are 1. Kyel Chilonium seated on the Baltic shore in a corner of land shut in betwixt the mouths of two rivers Whence some have fetcht its name from the German word Kiel which signifies a wedge It is furnished with a large and commodious haven which is continually throng'd with Merchant-Ships from Germany Liefland Sweden and all the Isles on the Baltic Sea There is yearly in this Town a meeting of the greatest part of the Nobility of Holstein who come hither to consult about the affairs of the Dukedom especially the concerns of the mint and value of money The Castle which is seated on the
top of an hill commanding the Town and haven was first built by Adolph of Schaumburg the first Earl of Holstein Earl Adolph IV. founded a monastery of Franciscan Minorites in this City which upon the bringing in of the Augsburg confession into this Country with the rest of the Danish Territories was changed into an Hospital 2. Rensborg or Reinholsburg founded by one Reinold of whom we have no further account then that he was either a Prince of the Blood or some Great Nobleman This is the best fortifyed Town in the Dukedom environed with the Byder and defended by a strong Castle built by Earl Gerhard the Great 3. Wilster a neat and well built City seated on a River of the same name which soon after empties it self into the Stor 4. Nieumunster seated on the North-West of the Stor not far from the head of it The Earldom of Holstein was only a Province of the Great Dukedom of Saxony until Lotharius Great Duke of Saxony afterwards Emperor of Germany bestowed it upon Adolph Earl of Schaumburg or Schouwanburg about the year 1114. Since which time we have the following account of the Earls of Holstein 1. Adolph of Schouwenburg the first absolute prince of Holstein On whom the Earldom was bestowed as a recompence for the services he had done the Duke of Saxony in his German and Danish wars 2. Adolph II. son to Adolph the I. having obtained his fathers Earldom cast out the Slavonians who a little before his time had overrun all this part of Saxony and planted in their rooms Colonies of Germans Frisians and Nether Saxons In the quarrel among the three pretenders to the Crown of Denmark Sueno Canutus and Waldemar he sided with Canutus and had setled him in the throne had not King Sueno by fair means and promises prevailed with him to lay down his Arms. He left the Earldom to his son 3. Adolph III. who after many skirmishes and battles with Waldemar II. King of Denmark was at last vanquished and kept close prisoner by that King who by the intercession of Andrew Bishop of Lunden and some others granted him his liberty upon condition That he should disclaim all right and Title which he and his predecessors had hitherto pretended to the Earldom of Holstein or any other place formerly subject to Henry surnamed the Lion Duke of Saxony and quietly retire to the inheritance of his Ancestors at Schouwenburg But these Articles tho at the first secured by Hostages were not long observed by his son 4. Adolph IV. who associating to himself Henry Earl of Zurin Gerhard Bishop of Bremen and some other petit Princes begun a rebellion against King Waldemar and succeeded so well in the undertaking that within a very short time he made himself master of all the Territories his father had been beaten out of and renounced His son 5. Gerhard enjoy'd peaceably the dominions left him by his Father He was for some time kept prisoner at Imsburg by the Folchungs a noble family in Sweden for being in company with one Ingemar an upstart Gentleman but great favourite of their King Magnus whom they slew in a rage and cast his companions into prison 6. Henry Gerhards son was the first that set up a Custom-house in Hamburg which brought in no small portion of the revenue of his successors 7. Gerhard the second son of Henry upon the death of Christopher the second King of Denmark was made Protector of the Danish Kingdom and Tutor to the young King Waldemar the third By these advantages his power grew so great that he ventur'd to stile himself Duke of Jutland and by degrees would in all probability have aspired to the Crown of Denmark if not timely taken off by one Ebbo a Danish Nobleman who murdered him in his bed at Randerhusen 8. Henry the second son to Gerhard II. refused the Crown of Sweden when it was offered him by Ambassadors sent from that Court A. D. 1363. He is said to have been a Prince of great courage and candor courteous in his behaviour and exceedingly chast and temperate in the whole course of his life In short a man that had in him all the Royal vertues that might deserve a Kingdom and the modesty to refuse one when offer'd 9. Gerhard the third Henry the second 's son after he had got the Dukedom of Sleswic annexed to the Earldom of Holstein by Margaret Queen of Denmark was slain by the men of Dithmarss whom he had required to do him homage His son 10. Henry the third being denied that right to the Dukedom of Sleswic which his father had enjoy'd made war against Eric the Eighth King of Denmark in which at the siege of Flensburg he was slain 11. Adolph V. commonly called the twelfth by those that reckon all the Earls of younger houses succeeded his brother Henry and was the last Earl of this house In the year 1440 he received the Dukedom of Sleswic at the hands of Christopher the third King of Denmark swearing fealty to that Crown Christian Earl of Oldenburg son of Hedvigis sister to Henry and Adolph the two last Earls of Holstein succeeded his Uncle Adolph in the Earldom of Holstein Which in his time was enlarged by the addition of Dithmarss and changed into a Dukedom by the Emperor Frideric the third A. D. 1474. When this Christian was advanced to the throne of Denmark the Dukedom of Holstein became a part of that Kingdom Yet so that the Kings of Denmark as the Kings of Sweden upon the late accessions in Germany to their Crown were reckoned Princes of the Empire as Dukes of Holstein tho not obliged to repair to any Diet. Afterwards the title of Duke of Holstein together with a considerable part of the Country was given to Adolph Christian the Third's brother created Knight of the Garter by our Queen Elizabeth A. D. 1562 who governed it interchangeably with the King his brother by turns Upon the decease of this Duke and his issue male the title was conferr'd on Vlric King Christian the fourth's brother Since his days there have been several houses of the Dukes of Holstein as Sunderburg Norburg Gluckburg Arnsbeck Gottorp and Ottingen Amongst whom the Duke of Holstein Gottorp is chief and challenges the same power in governing and administration of justice which was at first conferred upon Duke Adolph King Christian the third's brother In the late wars between the two Northern Crowns the King of Denmark jealous of the great power of the present Duke of Gottorp forced this Prince to quit his Dukedom and leave his Majesty in full possession of the whole Country of Holstein But at the signing of the Treaty between the Kings of France Sweden and Denmark at Fountenblaeu on the second of September 1679 the Danish Ministers promised their Master should at the desire of his most Christian Majesty restore to the said Duke all his Countries Towns and places in the state they were and the soveraignty thereof all which he
claim'd by vertue of the Treatyes of Roschild Copenhagen and Westphalia which by this Treaty were confirm'd The Duke expected besides being restored to his Countries some recompence for the damages he had sustained during the war and at least to have had back the Canon being an hundred excellent Brass pieces which were taken out of Tunningen when it was seized and dismantled by Denmark But his expectation in this point were not answered One of the Articles of the same Treaty was That the Country of Rixingen belonging to Count Alefelt Chancellor of Denmark made Governour of Holstein in the year 1663 upon the death of Christian Earl of Rantzaw chief Minister of State to the late King Frideric III. confiscated during the war should be restored to him DITMARS THE inhabitants of this Province are a remnant of the ancient Saxons and retain much of the prowess and heroic spirits of their ancestors Some will have the word writ Deutsch or Teutschmarsh i. e. the German or Dutch Marsh because the people are reliques of the German-Saxons and the Country plain and fenny The Ditmarssians were never like the Wagrians and Stormarians brought under subjection to the Earls of Holstein till that whole Earldom was annexed to the Crown of Denmark And tho they were given by the Emperor Frideric III. to Christian Earl of Oldenburgh the first Danish King of that House yet soon after they threw off this yoke and refused to acknowledg themselves subject to him or his successors till by the valour and good fortune of King Frideric II. they were vanquished and forced to submit in the year 1559. In this expedition the King of Denmark was assisted by John and Adolph Dukes of Holstein his Cousin-Germans Whereupon they sharing the conquest with him Ditmars was divided into two parts whereof the Southern fell to the King of Denmark and the Northern to the Dukes of Holstein The only places of note in Ditmars are 1. Meldorp the chief Town in the Province seated on the German Ocean and a place of good trade 2. Heyde which is a large but poor City on the borders of the great barren Sands of the same name which overspread the middle of the Country 3. Lunden opposite to Tonningen near the mouth of the Eyder STORMAR STormar Stormars or Stormarsh signifies no more then the Marshy ground lying along the banks of the river Stoer For 't is observable that the inhabitants of the Great Dukedom of Holstein are distinguished by names taken from the nature of the soil in that part of the Country they inhabit And the ancient Marsi were nothing else then a people that liv'd in these bogs and fens and thence took their name Hamburgh of which City we shall have occasion to give a large description elsewhere stands in Stormar Hamburgh and upon that score the Earls and Dukes of Holstein have always pretended a right to this City and demanded homage of the Citizens These pretensions were judged legal and the right and title of the said Dukes ratified by the Emperor Charles IV. in the year 1374. Whereupon the Hamburghers swore allegiance to Christian I. King of Denmark acknowledging him and his successors their lawful Lords But not long after they endeavoured to throw off that yoke presuming much upon their own strength and the assistance they promise themselves upon all occasions from the rest of the Hans Towns This last year 1679 the present King of Denmark renewed his claim and came before this City with an Army of sixteen or seventeen thousand men to demand homage entring the Elb with fourteen men of war and seizing several Merchant-ships English and others at Gluckstadt On the ninth of November an agreement was signed between the King and this City the Articles of which were I. That his Majesty and this City shall remain unprejudiced in their several rights and pretentions and that the point of homage shall be amicably determined by Treaty or by an ordinary process before the Chamber of Spire and that in the mean time this City shall enjoy a Neutrality and free commerce as formerly II. That this City with a thankful acknowledgment of his Majesties good will towards them shall remain in an humble devotion towards him and shall to the utmost of their power further his good and prevent any evil they know likely to happen to him III. That for the greater manifestation of this their devotion this City shall send a formal Deputation to his Majesty IV. That this City in consideration of his Majesties being graciously pleased to receive them again into his favour shall pay him 220000 Crowns at four Terms the first payment to be made immediately after the ratifying the Recess the second within six months after and the third and last at the end of other six months V. That his Majesty shall quit all his pretentions to any Lands which this City at present holds either in particular or in common with the City of Lubeck shall release the Ships stopt DITHMARSIA RENDESBURGUM KIEL et BORDESHOLM in Occidentali pâ—rte HOLSATIAE Tabula Geographica novissima DUCATUS STORMARIAE in Meriodionali parte HOLSATIAE Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios et Mosem Pitt WAGRIA quae est PARS ORIENTALID HOLSATIAE Ex Officina Janssonio-Waesbergios et Moses Pitt at Gluckstadt and shall ratifie this Recess within eight days Five days after the signing of this Interim Recess so called because it leaves both parties in the same rights they had before the Deputies of Hamburgh according to the tenure of the third Article waited on the King of Denmark at his Quarters at Pinneberg and being admitted to Audience spoke to him in the following words Most Serene and most Potent King most Gracious Lord Whereas your Royal Majesty is by the mercy of God happily arrived in this your Dukedom and consequently in the neighbourhood of this City of Hamburgh and hath caused proposals consisting in three points to be made to the said City and hath desired their resolution thereupon And whereas the first point through the shortness of time and for other reasons could not be determined at present and that your Majesty hath therefore been graciously pleased to refer the same to an amicable agreement or to a legal determination and in the mean time to remove the displeasure you had taken against the said City and by an Interims Recess graciously to agree That as well the rights and pretentions of your Majesty as of the said City shall remain unprejudiced The Burgermasters and Raedts Deputies do in the name of themselves and of all the Burghers appear before your Majesty and do promise faithfully to observe the said Interims Recess in all its points and clauses and particularly to bear your Majesty most humble and becoming devotion That to the utmost of their power they will further your Majesties good and hinder all ill and detriment from happening to your Majesty Provided this City be left in a quiet and undisturbed enjoyment of their
Neutrality and Commerce and of all their Rights and Priviledges And that the Rights of his Imperial Majesty and the Empire be maintain'd To which the King returned them a kind answer assuring them of his good will and that he would punctually observe on his part this Agreement Which done within a few days after the Danish Army decamped Other Cities and Towns of note in Stormar are 1. Gluckstadt built and well fortified by King Christian IV. who much delighted in its pleasant situation and much improved by his successors It gave sufficient proof of its strength soon after the first building of it when it withstood and beat back the Emperors Army and held out a siege of almost two years continuance without yeilding at last It commands the passage of the Elb so that it highly concerns the Hamburghers to be at peace with the King of Denmark except they could make themselves masters of this Fort and so secure a free passage both for their Men of War and Merchant-Ships 2. Crempe seated on a small river of the same name This is reckoned one of the Keys of the Kingdom of Denmark and in the German wars gave a good testimony of its so being when in the years 1627 and 1628 it bravely resisted the fortunate German General Count Wallenstein for thirteen months together and at last was yeilded upon honourable terms It owes the chief of its strength to King Christian IV. who fortified it with a wall and ditches 3. Itzehoa seated on the navigable River Stoer which furnishes it with plenty of fish and all manner of merchandise from abroad 4. Bredenberg one of the neatest little Towns in all the King of Denmark's Territories the ancient seat of the most noble Family of the Rantzows very remarkable for the stout resistance it made Count Wallenstein who having at last taken it by storm put all the Garrison in it to the sword WAGRIA WAgria or Wagerland is almost girt round with the Baltic Sea and the two Rivers Trave and Suentin The whole length of it from Odelslo as far as the Village Grotenbro amounts to near forty-eight English miles and the breadth about twenty It is observable that the Princes of Holstein tho they bear the Arms of every other Province in that Dukedom have not the Arms of this Country which are a Bulls-head in their Coat Perhaps because the Arms of Oldenburgh are thought sufficient to represent the whole Province Plutarch tells us that the ancient Cimbrians who first made an inroad into Italy bore a Bull's-head Sable in a field Gules which shews of how venerable an antiquity the Arms of Wagerland are and how justly they may claim some place if not the best in the Coat of the Dukes of Holstein It had its name from the Wagrii a people in Slavonia who made themselves masters of this Tract by conquest The chief Towns of Wagerland are 1. Lubeck Lubeck seated at the confluence of the Rivers Trave and Billew From the pleasantness of its situation and stately buildings some Etymologists have derived the name of this City calling it Lobeck or ein eck dess lobes i. e. an honourable Corner Which agrees well with the account an ancient Poet gives us of it in these two verses Angulus haec laudis dicta est urbs nomine prisco Angulum in hunc fertur fluvius Travenna per aequor It was rebuilt by Adolph II. Earl of Holstein about the year 1143. But within a short while after grew so headstrong upon the daily accession of new Priviledges and Charters granted by this Prince and his successors that it bid defiance to the Earls of Holstein and became a Dukedom of it self By the Emperor Frideric I. it was made a member of the German Empire Upon his death the Lubeckers chose themselves another Duke who after he had govern'd them five years was vqnquish'd by the Danes by whom the City was made tributary to their King Out of this bondage it was rescued by the Emperor Frideric the second who made it an Imperial City in which state it continues to this day and therefore as a branch of the Empire of Germany will be described elsewhere more at large 2. Segeberge seated on the River Trave about sixteen English miles from Lubeck It was anciently called Aelberg which name upon the building of the Castle on the top of the adjoining craggy mountain was changed into Segeberg The occasion of which as Helmoldus tells the story was this When the Emperor Lotharius began to advise with some of his Counsellors in the year 1134 about building some considerable fortification in these parts which might check the growing power of the Sclaves in this Province and had at last pitcht upon this hill as the most convenient place One of the Sclavonian Princes is said to have spoken prophetically to his Companion these words Seest thou the fortification on the top of those mountains Let me tell thee it will in a short time prove the yoke of the whole Land c. Whence say the Danes the place to this day retains the name of Segeberg which in High Dutch signifies Behold the mountains 3. Odelso a fair City on the River Trave in the middle way between Segeberg and Lubeck In the year 1338 John Earl of Wagerland bought this City into his hands at the rate of ten thousand Marks of Silver After this it continued in a very flourishing condition till Eric of Pomeren in his wars with the Dukes of Sleswic and Holstein so defaced it that it could never since recover its ancient glory 4. Ploen an ancient City seated in the middle of a Lake of the same name by which and a Castle built not many years since by Joachim Ernestus Duke of Holstein after the Italian fashion it is exceedingly well fortified In the furthest corner of Wagerland lyes the ancient and famous County of Oldenburgh Oldenburgh divided from the rest of this Province by the River Brockaw Tho 't is generally agreed on by all the Danish writers that Oldenburgh the chief City in this County was anciently the Metropolis of the Wagrians and Venedi two warlike Nations to whom the greatest part of Mecklenburgh was subject yet we find no mention made of this place before the reign of Otho the Great who after he had vanquished the Venedi founded here a Bishoprick afterwards translated to Lubec and bestowed it on Marcus his Chancellor It was formerly a Town of great trade and exceeding populous having been beautified with four Churches three Monasteries and five Gates but since the Port was stop'd up at the command of Queen Margaret its glory has decreas'd daily and by the late dreadful fire caus'd by thunder and lightning which hath laid waste the best and greatest part of the City 't is now become much less considerable then it was before NOVA et Accurata descriptio totius FIONIAE vulgo FUNEN Apud Janssenio-Waesbergios et Moses Pitt The Baltic Sea ORtelius out of Pliny
for promotion Which says Wimpheling was a saying that became so great an Emperor He Reign'd nineteen years and ten months 875. Charles the Bald a base mean-spirited man Ludowic the First 's Son succeeded his Nephew Pope John IX perswaded him with fair words and money to come to Rome for his Coronation and there to receive the Imperial Scepter from his hands He Reign'd only two years being poyson'd as was supposed by one Sedechias a Jewish Physitian 878. Ludowic surnam'd Balbus succeeded his Father Charles but never enjoy'd the Crown if it was which many question ever set upon his head When he had linger'd out a year and an half he dyed leaving his Throne to 879. Charles III. surnam'd the Gross from his bulk and fatness He might have been stiled a second Charles the Great if he had been as successful in managing as obtaining of Kingdoms For by the death of his two Brothers all Germany France and Italy came into his hands He was the first that added the year of our Lord to the year of his Reign in the dating of any public Proclamations Grants c. At last when by several base actions especially in concluding a dishonourable peace betwixt himself and the Normans in which he gave them that part of France which is still called Normandy he had contracted the hatred of the whole Empire he was deposed by his Nobles and dyed miserably in a poor beggarly Village in Schwaben 888. Arnolph Natural Son of Caroloman Duke of Carinthia and King of Bavaria was elected into the room of Charles thus deposed and rul'd the Empire with a strong arm for twelve years He quell'd the Rebels in Moravia and Normandy and defeated Guido and Berengarius who had made head against him in Italy He storm'd Rome and took it but soon after was poyson'd there by the procurement of Guido's wife and dyed in great misery being eaten up of Lice which the poyson bred in his body 900. Ludowic IV. Arnolph's Son was elected by the Nobles into his Father's stead The Hungarians were continually at war with this Emperor who had seldom the good fortune to come off the field a Conqueror In these skirmishes a great part of the German Nobility was cut off which shortned his life and brought him to his grave before he had got a Son to inherit his Throne He dyed an unfortunate Prince and with him the Family of Charles the Great was wholly extinct During his Reign there was another Ludowic set up for Emperor by the Pope in Italy who was taken prisoner and had his eyes put out by Berengarius King of Lombardy 912. After the death of the Emperor Ludowic the Princes of Germany proffer'd the Imperial Crown to Otto Duke of Saxony who had the name of the wisest man and best Soldier of his time But old Age had render'd him at least in his own conceit unfit for Government Whereupon he made over the proffer'd Empire to Conrad Duke of Franconia who upon Otto's recommendation was immediately declared Emperor He was no sooner stept into the Throne but his carriage disobliged a great many of the Princes of the Empire who made war upon him and put him hard to 't to keep the reins in his hand Henry Duke of Saxony Duke Otto's Son engag'd him the oftest and with greatest courage and success However Conrad by his last Will and Testament notwithstanding the frequent quarrels between him and that Duke bequeathed his Empire to Henry whom he had experienced to be a Prince that for his valour and conduct deserv'd an Empire 919. Henry surnamed Auceps from the great delight he took in Hawking was by the German Princes according to the tenour of the Emperor Conrad's Will proclaim'd King of the Romans at Fritzlar Soon after the Pope fent to proffer his service in consecrating and anointing him Emperor but it was not accepted For Henry return'd his Holiness this answer that 't was enough for him that Gods providence and the voices of his Nobility had made him King of the Romans They that fancied this Title too mean might in Gods name go to Rome for Consecration and Vnction but for his own part he was satisfied with the honour already conferr'd on him He was a valiant and prudent Prince one that composed most of the animosities and quarrels of his own people and bravely defended them from the incursions of the Hungarians and other foreign Enemies He was the first that instituted the sports of Tilts and Turnaments and fortified the great Towns in Germany Ordering that every ninth Bore should remove his Family into a City and that the Citizens should be maintain'd by a Contribution of the third part of the Corn and Hay round about the Country Having overthrown the Hungarians at a memorable Battel near Mersburg he had the title of Pater Patriae rerum Dominus Imperator conferr'd upon him Afterwards going into Italy he was taken with an Apoplexy of which to the great grief of the whole German Nation he dyed after he had reign'd seven years and six months 936. Otto the Emperor Henry's Son succeeded his Father in the Empire and equall'd him in all his acts of piety wisdom and prowess whence he was surnamed the Great He compell'd Harald King of Denmark to acknowledg the Emperor of Germany's Supremacy and embrace Christianity subdued the Bohemians and forc'd their Prince Boleslaus to turn Christian deposed Pope John XII and put Leo VIII in his place making a Decree that for the future the power of chusing Popes should be in the Emperor alone The fashion of Christening of Bells was first brought up in his Reign 973. Otho II. succeeded his Father Otho the Great He found the Empire in peace and excepting some small skirmishes betwixt him and his Cousin Henry Duke of Bavaria whom some malecontent Bishops had proclaimed Emperor never met with any opposition in his own Dominions He overthrew the Turks in Apulia and was thence stiled Pallida Saracenorum mors He reign'd eleven years and at his death left the Empire as he found it in perfect peace 984. Otho III. surnamed the Child was advanc'd to his Father's Throne at ten years of age but quickly grew up to be a Prince of wonderful sagacity and prudence Some say he was the first that instituted the manner of Electing an Emperor by the majority of the Voices of Seven Electors of which more hereafter He reign'd eighteen years and dyed in Italy being poyson'd with a pair of Gloves presented to him by the wife of Crescentius a Rebel whom he had caus'd to be hang'd The woman had been his Concubine for some time after her husbands death and was in hopes of being married to him and so made an Empress But when she saw him ready to leave Italy without taking notice of any former contract betwixt them and preparing for a return to Germany she was resolv'd by this expedient to satisfie her revenge tho she could not provide for her
eating too much of a Melon tho he was never tax'd for being guilty of any manner of intemperance in meat or drink but always esteem'd a severe punisher of drunkenness and gluttony 1493. Maximilian succeeded his Father Frideric having been before his Fathers death Crown'd King of the Romans in the year 1486. From his birth till he was almost nine years old he is said to have been utterly speechless but afterwards he gain'd the use of his tongue and prov'd one of the most eloquent and learned Emperors that Germany ever bred He married Mary the only Daughter and Heiress of Charles Duke of Burgundy upon which marriage all the Dukedoms Marquisats Earldoms and other Dominions of which the said Charles had been Lord were for ever annex'd to the Territories of the House of Austria The wars he was engag'd in against his neighbours on all hands especially the Venetians were almost innumerable tho for the most part he was forc'd to take up Arms in his own defence 'T is reported of him that he would never pass by a Gallows or Gibbet without a reverent salute in these words Salve sancta Justitia For five years before his death which happen'd in the twenty-fifth year of his reign he had his Coffin always by him and carried after him in every expedition he undertook which gave some of his retinue occasion to conjecture that he had some great treasure in it and that the pretence of its putting him in mind of mortality was only a false veil to blind the vulgar 1519. Charles V. Son to Philip King of Spain was elected Emperor and Crown'd with the greatest pomp imaginable at Aix la Chappel A puissant and brave Prince who well deserv'd the surname of Great conferr'd on him by Pope Paul III. The whole History of his Life seems to be nothing else but a Catalogue of his Conquests The writers of those times mention forty great victories obtain'd by him and seventy battels from which he came off the field a Conqueror The Pope of Rome and the French King were at the same time his prisoners He quash'd the League made by the Protestants at Schmalcade and took the Elector of Saxony and Landtgrave of Hassia prisoners He forced the Great Turk to relinquish Vienna and afterwards won the Kingdom of Tunis At last having reign'd thirty-eight years loaded with victories and honour he resign'd the Empire and betook himself to a Monastery where he was used to say That he had more pleasure and satisfaction in the retired and solitary enjoyment of one day in a Monk's Cell then ever he could perceive in all the fortunate Triumphs that attended the rest of his life 1558. Ferdinand I. upon the voluntary resignation of his Brother Charles V. was by an unanimous consent of the Electors declared Emperor tho Pope Pius IV. refused to pronounce the Election valid because Ferdinand had granted the Lutherans a toleration But some say the same Pope was afterwards so far reconciled to him as to grant him the priviledg of receiving the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in both kinds He was a mild peaceful and temperate Prince a hard student and perfect Master of the Latin tongue He was exceeding courteous to all even the meanest of his Subjects and had a certain hour in every day in which he attended the suits and complaints of poor men When some of his Courtiers objected to him the inconveniences that would follow upon the permission of so easie an access to all manner of supplicants he answer'd That himself could expect but harsh usage at Gods Throne if beggars were hinder'd from approaching his He dyed of a Catarrh in the sixty-first year of his age after he had reign'd six years 1564. Maximilian II. Ferdinand's Son and King of Bohemia was elected into his Fathers room being first proclaim'd King of the Romans at Francfurt and afterwards Crown'd King of Hungary This Emperor prov'd as great a favourer of the Protestants as his Father insomuch that some Roman Catholics have not stuck to call him the Lutheran Emperor He renewed the Articles of Peace agreed upon between the Protestant and Popish parties at Passaw and granted some of his Nobility and branches of the Austrian Family a free exercise of the Lutheran Religion Qui in conscientiis Imperium sibi sumunt conantur coeli arcem invadere is a saying which Historians know not whether to attribute to this Emperor or Maximilian I. but 't is most probable it was the former's since he is known to have been the greatest favourer of the Protestant perswasion that ever rul'd the German Empire He dyed at Ratisbon in the year 1576 having reign'd twelve years 1576. Rudolph Maximilian's Son was elected Emperor immediately upon his Father's death Some curious Chronologers have fancied his coming to the Imperial Crown in this year something ominous since the Numeral letters in RVdoLphVs IMperator AVgVstVs make up the number 1576. He was a Prince exceedingly addicted to the studies of all manner of Arts and Sciences especially the Mathematics and Mechanics In both which he receiv'd great assistance from the famous Astronomer Tycho Brahe who dyed in his Court where he had spent the greatest part of his banishment Several Cities and Provinces in Germany at his request began to make use of the Gregorian account tho many Ambassadors sent from the Electors to Rotenburg to treat of this particular rejected it The greatest war he engaged himself in was against the Turks with whom at last he concluded a Peace in the year 1600. But the truth is he minded his book more then Arts of Chivalry and was a greater Scholar then Soldier Which gave his Brother Matthias opportunity of undermining and cheating him of the Kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia and forcing him to content himself with the Arch-Dukedom of Austria and the Empire 1612. Matthias upon his Brother's death was Elected and Crown'd Emperor at Francfurt The Protestant Religion was as much persecuted by this Emperor as it was encouraged by his predecessor Which harshness and severity gave occasion to that bloody Civil-war which broke out first in Bohemia and had afterwards like to have set the whole Empire in a flame When the oppression which the Protestants lay under had occasioned some dangerous seditions in a great many considerable Cities and Market-Towns in the Kingdom of Bohemia the Emperor order'd a Synod to be call'd at Prague designing to allow the dissenting party as they term'd the Lutherans some small priviledges but such as should be far short of the large Charter given and confirm'd to them by his Brother Rudolph At this meeting the Emperors Ambassadors William Slabate and Jurislaw Bazius where thrown out of the window for their domineering carriage and so perished This mightily incensed the Emperor who endeavouring to be reveng'd had like to have ruin'd himself and his Empire He dyed without issue having reign'd seven years 1619. Ferdinand of Gratz Arch-Duke of Austria and Grandson to Ferdinand I. by
his Son Charles succeeded Matthias in all his Titles and Dominions The Bohemians fearing he might prove as severe a persecutor of the Protestants in that Kingdom as his predecessor had been refus'd to acknowledg him their King but immediately upon his being proclaim'd Emperor proffer'd the Crown of Bohemia to Frideric V. Count Palatine of the Rhine who accepted their kindness Which so highly enraged the Emperor that he resolved to use his utmost endeavours wholly to ruin and overthrow the Protestant party Whereupon ensued that bloody German war of almost thirty years continuance which was at last happily concluded by the Westphalian Treaty of Peace in the year 1648. After a troublesom reign of seventeen years spent in a continual Civil war which had ruined and laid waste the greatest part of the Empire he dyed at Vienna leaving his distracted Empire to his Son 1637. Ferdinand III. who the year before his Fathers death was elected King of the Romans He carried on the war which his Father had begun with variety of success He obtain'd a great victory over the Protestant party at Ratisbon and broke the vast power of the Swedes at the battel of Norlingen But afterwards being forsaken by most of the Princes of the Empire he was forc'd to think of procuring a peace by fair means and Treaty Accordingly the Articles of Peace between the Emperor and the other Princes and Estates of the Empire were sealed at Munster and Osnaburg the Popish Agents keeping their residence at the former of these Cities and the Protestants in the latter A. D. 1648. In the year 1653 Ferdinand IV. this Emperors eldest Son was elected King of the Romans at Augsburg by an unanimous consent of all the Electors and within a month after solemnly Crown'd at Ratisbon But dying within a year after his Coronation he never liv'd to inherit the Throne of his Father who surviv'd till the third of April in the year 1657. 1658. Leopold the present Emperor of Germany and Son of Ferdinand III. was elected on the eighth day of July after a vacancy of fifteen months into his Fathers Throne and Crowned at Francfurt the twenty-second day of the same month He is a mild peaceful and religious Prince a great lover and encourager of Learning and more conversant in the study of Books then Arms. Whether his young Son now living who is not yet full three years old will be elected King of the Romans or the growing Interest of the French King may engage a party strong enough for the Dauphin is a question that time only can resolve Of the Power of the GERMAN Emperors THO the words Imperator and Rex seem to signifie the same thing yet the general consent of all Nations hath for many years distinguish'd between an Emperor and a King and given the former the preeminence All the European Monarchs that write themselves Kings do willingly and readily give place to the Emperor of Germany whose Ambassadors in foreign Courts are always first admitted to Audience David Vngnade the Emperor of Germany's Ambassador at the Court of Constantinople having design'd to take formal leave of the Sultan was admitted to Audience for that purpose but observing the most honourable place in the Presence-Chamber taken up by the Persian Ambassador and not like to be resign'd he flung away and had left the Sultan and Court in a huff if the Persian had not which he afterwards was forc'd to do given him the place and seated himself below him 'T is well known that from Julius Caesar the Roman Emperors got the name of Caesares and every one of them after Octavian got the trick of surnaming himself Augustus In Germany the Emperor is to this day stiled Der Keyser or Caesar and he always writes himself zur aller zeit Mehrer des reichs which the Germans make to signifie the same with semper Augustus Further it is the generally receiv'd opinion amongst the Commonalty and the tradition is stifly asserted and maintain'd by many of their most famous writers that the German Empire is the same with that which the Romans anciently pretended to and hence it is that they call their Emperor Der Romischer Kayser that is The Roman Cesar and the German Empire Das heilige Romische Reich that is The holy Roman Empire I shall not here stay to enquire after the large extent of the old Roman Empire or the power and authority of their Emperors 'T is sufficient to know that Petronius's Verse Orbem jam totum Victor Romanus habebat was only an hyperbolical rant And when St. Luke tell sus there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed he means no more by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then the several Provinces and Territories of which the Romans had then made themselves Masters So that tho we should grant which we shall find but little reason to do that the whole power and authority of the Roman Cesars descended upon the German Emperors it will not thence follow what some of the High Dutch writers endeavour to make out that all the Princes of Europe to go no further ought to pay some homage or acknowledgment to the Emperor of Germany But we cannot indeed allow them so much as this that the German Emperors have any right or title to the ancient Roman Empire The original of this conceit sprung hence Charles the Great in the year 800 coming to Rome upon some religious account or other and not to lay claim to that City was unexpectedly saluted by Pope Leo III. and the Citizens by the title of ROMANORUM IMPERATOR AUGUSTUS But what a sorry kind of Empire the Romans could then pretend to is well known The Western parts of their ancient Empire Germany and France were already in Charles's possession and the Soveraignty which that City once challenged in Spain and other parts of Europe was quite lost Nay in Italy it self the Pope and Citizens of Rome had nothing left to dispose of except that City and some few small Towns which this Charles the Great and his Father had taken from the Lombards by force of Arms and annex'd to the Dominions of the Bishop of Rome Whence it will appear that Charles the Great got little more then a bare Title at Rome and that some other considerations as the vast extent of the German Empire beyond the narrow compass of any European Kingdom has moved all the Western Monarchs to give place to the Emperor Besides the crafty Bishops of Rome have always made it their business to diminish the Emperor's power and grandeur lest it should eclipse their own By which means the Authority which the Emperors do still retain is scarce sufficient to secure them from contempt and the Imperial Crown brings little more dominion along with it tho much more honourable then that of an inferior Monarch It is an undoubted prerogative of every great Monarch in the world to confer Titles of Honour as Dukes
present religious Emperor into a compliance with whatever they buz into his ears How the Emperors lost the power of Investiture c. we shall shew more at large when we come to treat of the Ecclesiastical Estate of the Empire In all Proclamations Patents Decrees c. the Titles of their present Emperor run as follows Leopold I. by the Grace of God Emperor Kayser of the Romans always Augustus Mehrer des Reichs c. King of Germany Hungary Bohemia Dalmatia Croatia Slavonia Bulgaria Bosnia Servia and Rescia Arch-Duke of Austria Duke of Burgundy Brabant Styria Carinthia Carniola Luxemburg Wittenberg together with the higher and lower Silesia Marquess of the Holy Empire Burgaw Moravia with the higher and farther Lusace Earl of Habsburg Tyrole Ferrete Kiburg Goritia c. Landtgrave of Alsace Lord of Windischamrck Portnaw and Salins For what more peculiarly relates to the Emperor as Arch-Duke of Austria we refer the Reader to the Description of that Country where he may also expect an account of the grandeur of the Emperors Court Retinue Servants c. Of the Election and Coronation of the GERMAN EMPERORS THE principal Members of the German Empire next to the Emperor himself are the Eight Electors viz. the Archbishops of Mentz Triers Colen who are also Arch-Chancellors of the Empire the first in Germany the second in France and the Kingdom of Arles and the third in Italy the King of Bohemia Cup-bearer to the Emperor the Duke of Bavaria Great Steward of the Empire the Duke of Saxony Grand Marshal or Constable the Marquess of Brandenburgh Great Chamberlain and lasty the Prince Palatine of the Rhine Cheif Treasurer of the Empire These Eight for so many they have been since the Westphalian Treaty tho heretofore only Seven have Right and Authority to Elect the Emperor and also to Depose him when by his enormous crimes or unmanly idleness he neglects the Honour of the Empire the public good and the duty of his place Thus they serv'd Wenceslaus tho advanc'd to the Imperial Throne at the request of his Father Charles the Fourth who had deserv'd far better things at their hands for composing the Aurea Bulla of which more hereaster The Archbishop of Mentz has several times taken upon him to remind such Emperors as have not suited with his humour of this grand power of the Electors and to threaten them with the execution of it if they should not alter their courses At what time the power of chusing the Emperors was first committed to those Princes who to this day bear the Title of Electors is not easily determin'd It is certain that Charles the Great transmitted the Imperial Dignity to his posterity by way of Succession And the same Right continued for some ages in his Family until some of his Successors falling far short of this incomparable Emperor were thought unfit to Govern Whereupon the Empire was offer'd to Otho Duke of Saxony and upon his refusal given to Conrad Duke of Franconia After his death Henry Duke Otho's Son was Elected Emperor by a general consent of all the Princes and Estates of the Empire and was succeeded afterwards by his Son Otho I. who obtain'd the Crown by the same means This way of Succession from Father to Son was observ'd till Henry IV. who coming to the Crown when he was a Child and managing it very ill when he was of years to have govern'd better was contemn'd and sleighted by the Lords of the Empire And Pope Gregory VII taking this opportunity of magnifying his own Authority in the German Empire excommunicated him and declaring him unfit to sway the Imperial Scepter order'd him to be deposed which was a thing before that time never heard of in the Empire Whereupon the Rebel Princes thinking themselves absolv'd from their Allegiance Elected Rudolph Duke of Schwaben into the Emperor Henry's place and made a Law That the Right of Succession should be therein abolished and the Power of chusing Emperors committed to the people What Anarchy and confusion follow'd upon this Decree the German Histories will sufficiently inform us But in process of time the less considerable part of the Rabble of Electors were depriv'd of their late gain'd right and priviledge of chusing Emperors the whole power being usurp'd by a few of the chief Officers in the Imperial Court From the year 1250 till 1500 it was the general opinion of all Historians that the Emperor Otho III. and Pope Gregory V. reduc'd the number of Electors to Seven only in this the Authors of those times cannot agree Whether the Emperor or Pope had the greater Authority in settling the Affair But this opinion has of later years been strongly oppos'd by most learned writers and 't is highly probable that more then Seven had voices in the Election of Emperors until the time of Frideric II. For Otho Frisingensis assures us that Henry II. was chosen by all the Lords of the Empire and after his death Conrad Duke of Franconia was advanced into his place by the consent of the same Electors Henry III. Conrad's Son was likewise Elected tho we are not told by whom The Abbot of Vrsperg tells us that Henry IV. was raised to the Imperial Dignity by the Bishops of Germany that Henry V. was chosen by an unanimous consent of all the members of the German Empire that Lotharius II. was made Emperor by two Archbishops eight Bishops with several Abbots and Lords of the Imperial Court that Conrad III. was admitted into the Throne the Duke of Saxony not being call'd to the Election and the See of Mentz being then vacant that Frideric Barbarossa was chosen by all the German Princes that Philip was Elected Emperor by the Suevians Bavarians and Saxons that Otho IV. had the Scepter from the Citizens of Colen Strasburg and some other Imperial Cities This Otho was afterwards excommunicated by the Pope of Rome and Frideric King of Sicily Elected into his room by the voices of the King of Bohemia the Dukes of Austria and Bohemia the Landtgrave of Thuringen and several other Princes of the Empire Hitherto we see the Emperors were not chosen by any set number of Electors tho it is likely that those Princes who have now got the sole power into their hands had even in those times the greatest share of authority in all Elections as being the most potent members of the Empire But when after the death of Frideric II. no man for many years took care of the supreme Government in this deplorable condition of the German Empire Seven of the chief Princes by taking upon them as is probable the management of all public affairs laid the first foundation of the Electoral dignity which was afterwards confirm'd to them by the Emperor Charles the Fourth's Aurea Bulla The reasons why the number of Electors was reduced to Seven was this because that if in any Election six of the voices chanc'd to be equally divided the seventh Elector might cast the ballance to that side where
parts of Germany So that these still retain'd their ancient forms until the Franks having made themselves Masters of all introduc'd new modes and establish'd a new sort of Government every-where For these Conquerors imitating the Romans reduc'd all Germany into Provinces over which they appointed so many Dukes who had authority to govern and to administer justice according to the tenure of their respective Commissions To these Dukes they sometimes added Assistants who were from their office which was to aid the Dukes in the management of great and weighty affairs call'd Counts or Comites The Dukes were always elected by the King and Nobility out of some illustrious Family yet so that if the deceased Duke's Son were capable and worthy of his Father's honour he was seldom rejected At last the power of these Dukes grew exceedingly great and terrible insomuch that 't was ordinary for several of them to deny to pay homage to the Emperors Which when Charles the Great observ'd he destroy'd the two great Dukedoms of the Francic Kingdom Aquitane and Bavaria by dividing them into several smaller Counties But not long after Charles's death the Emperors created new Dukes in most places where he had chang'd them into Counts Whereupon the Empire was quickly reduc'd to the former straits every Duke pretending to and exercising Regal authority in his own Province The first of these that grew formidably potent was Otho Duke of Saxony afterwards elected Emperor who tho he refus'd the Imperial Diadem and got it conferr'd on Conrad Duke of Franconia was always look'd upon as the most powerful Prince of the German Empire in his time After Otho's death the Emperor Conrad used all means possible to reduce the overgrown power of the Duke of Saxony to some tolerable mediocrity but his endeavours prov'd unsuccessful and Duke Henry stoutly maintain'd the Honours and Priviledges which his Father Otho had enjoy'd without disturbance From that time forward the Emperors lay under an obligation of creating new Dukes who getting into their hands the government of several potent Cities set up for almost absolute Princes Our Learned Antiquary Mr. Selden reckons up six several sorts of Graves or Counts which are these 1. Schlecht-Graven or simple Counts 2. Counts Palatine which as will be shew'n anon are subdivided into several other branches 3. Counts of the Empire 4. Marck-Graves or Counts of the Frontiers 5. Landt-Graves or Counts of Provinces 6. Burg-Graves or Counts of Cities and great Towns There was anciently a seventh sort Here-Graven who answer'd exactly to the primitive Dukes or Her-tzogen for as the office of these was to conduct and govern the Soldiers so the others were to determine all controversies as Field-Judges The Gefurstete Graven do not make a distinct species being nothing else then such Counts as besides their ordinary Title may challenge that of Furst or Prince In the old Laws and Constitutions of the Empire we meet with almost an innumerable company of inferior Officers who have the title of Graven bestow'd on them Such are 1. Cent-Grave he that had the government of an Hundred We may English the word High-Constable 2. Holtz-Grave or Wald-Grave Overseers of the Woods and Forests 3. Gograf of which before 4. Spiel-Grave the Master of the Revels 5. Hans-Grave a Title formerly given to the Chief Judg in all matters relating to Trade debated in the Diet at Ratisbon But we shall not weary the Reader with insisting upon these obsolete Titles of Honour contenting our selves with a short account of the six first kinds which are all our famous Antiquary beforemention'd has thought worthy his taking notice of The first are such as are stiled barely Counts Schlechtgraven without the addition of any more then the place which gives them that Title As Der Graf von Eissenburg Der Graf von Ortenberg c. There were formerly only four of this kind in the whole Empire who were ordinarily called Die vier Graven dess Heiligen Romischen Reichs i. e. The four Graves or Counts of the Holy Roman Empire These were the Counts of Cleve Schwartzenburg Ciley and Savoy But since the Counts of Cleve and Savoy were advanced to Dukes and the Family of the ancient Counts of Ciley was extinct which happen'd about two hundred years ago the Count of Schwartzenburg in Thuringen is the only Prince that bears that Title stiling himself usually to this day der vier Graven dess Reichs Grave zu Schwartzenburg i. e. of the four Counts of the Empire Count of Schwartzenburg Besides him there are now-a-days several other German Counts who may justly be referr'd to this head tho they have no Investiture into any Graffschaft or County but are only stiled Counts of some small Castle or inconsiderable Territories of which they are Lords Such are the Counts of Ottingen and Zollern who are supposed to be of the posterity of some of the ancient Counts of the Empire and thence retain the title tho not the grandeur and power of their Ancestors Counts Palatine call'd by the Germans Pfaltz-Graven Counts Palatine or Dess Heiligen Romischen Reichs Hoffe-Graven are such as have in their Title a certain eminence of their Dignity from a relation as their name denotes to the Emperors Court or Palace For Palatinus is but the possessive of Palatium and signifies no more then an Officer of the Houshold with us in England But this Title is twofold 1. Originally Feudal and annex'd to the name of some Territory or Grafschaft with such jura Imperii Majestatis as other ordinary Princes of the Empire have not as we see in the Title of the Counts Palatine of the Rhine 2. Meerly Personal without the addition of any particular Territory proper to him that hath the Dignity Both the Title and Nature of this later kind are originally to be fetcht from the Examples of the old Roman Empire but the former tho the Nature of it may be found in the ancient Constitutions of the Roman Empire under the name of Praefectus Praetorio yet was in ordinary use as to the Name and Title only in the Francic Kingdom For there was in the Court of the Francic Kings long before their Kingdom was chang'd into an Empire a chief Officer known by the name of Comes Palatii or Count Palatine who had a Vice-Regency under the King in like sort as the Praefecti Praetorio in the elder Empire or the old Chief Justice of England under our ancient Kings that is he had the exercise of supreme Jurisdiction in the name of the King in all causes that came to the Kings immediate audience I suppose the Office of Hofmeister used to this day in every German Prince's Court is a relique of this Palatinate And that Comes Palatii might easily signifie the same thing with Praefectus Praetorio or Hofmeister will not be difficult for any man to imagine that shall consider the signification which the word Comes had amongst the ancient Romans in the usual compellation of
neighbours prevail'd Whether the Earls of Schawenburg had not formerly a more then ordinary Jurisdiction over this City is a point which to this day the Hamburgers do not care to dispute Crantzius Chytraeus and other Historians can inform us that Woldemar Duke of Sleswic by the assistance of his Brother Canutus VI. King of Denmark took Hamburg out of the hands of the Emperor Otho IV. which City when himself was afterwards advanc'd to the Danish Throne he setled upon Albrecht Earl of Orlemund and his Heirs for ever But the same Albrecht as Chytraeus reports sold his whole Right and Title to the Citizens for fifteen hundred Marks of good Silver and so made the City a free and independant State of it self Afterwards Adolph IV. Earl of Holstein confirm'd the said Liberties and Priviledges to this City which example of his was follow'd by his Successors down to Adolph XIV and last Earl of Holstein and Schawenburg of that Family who dyed in the year 1459. Upon his death the Province of Holstein subjected themselves by a formal Capitulation to Christian I. King of Denmark whom they freely Elected their Prince and paid him homage under the Title of Duke of Holstein At the same time the Citizens of Hamburg enter'd into an agreement with the said King promising that as long as the Kings of Denmark should continue their priviledges to them which King Christian upon the signing of this Compact confirm'd to them they would always be ready to maintain the like friendship and correspondence between the Crown of Denmark and themselves as had been formerly preserv'd betwixt them and the Earls of Schawenburg To these conditions the King assented without demanding any manner of homage or token of subjection However his Successors have always had an itching desire to get Hamburg wholly into their own clutches and therefore have endeavour'd by all means imaginable to perswade the Citizens to submit themselves to the protection of their Crown But all their artifices have hitherto prov'd unsuccessful and every one of their Treaties and Capitulations brought to an end Salvo jure Caesaris Imperii salvis libertatibus Civitatis ab Imperiali culmine obtentis In a Diet held at Augsburg in the year 1510 the Emperor Maximilian I. together with the Estates of the Empire then and there assembled declar'd Hamburg a free Imperial City and summon'd the Duke of Holstein to make his appearance before the Imperial Chamber at Spire and there to make good or renounce all pretensions to the said City What success the late quarrels of the present King of Denmark Christian V. had in the year 1679 we have already told the Reader in the Description of Denmark where a particular account is given of the Interim's Recess signed at Pinneberg between the said King and the Deputies of the City of Hamburg The continual jealousies betwixt the two Northern Crowns are a considerable security to the Citizens of Hamburg Their Security by the Jealousies 〈◊〉 the two Northern Crowns who would be in great danger of being utterly overthrown and enslav'd if both those Kings should conspire to ruine them But when the King of Denmark endeavours to annoy and incommode that City by the opportunity of the Fort at Gluckstadt which commands the River Elb and can easily stop the Merchant Ships which sail that way the Swedish Garrison at Stade oppose him and protect the Merchants from the mischief design'd them Another grand Bulwark of this great City consists in the prodigious riches of its inhabitants which are reckon'd by some so inexhaustible that should both the Northern Kings join their Forces the Senate of Hamburg would be able to oppose them and to preserve their own Liberties by the expence of their Treasure Hamburg is ten good German or betwixt forty and fifty English miles distant from Lubeck Description being for the most part of it an Island naturally well fenc'd in the middle of the River Elb which runs in many little arms and streams thro several of its streets It consists of two parts the old and new Town separated from each other by a Wall both which are well fortified and so close united that they may well pass for one City From the tops of Towers and the City-walls you have a curious and pleasant prospect every way There are only four great Gates that lead into the City 1. Altenaver Thor or the Gate which leads towards Altenaw on the western side of the old Town call'd commonly by the Citizens the Millers Gate 2. Das Dam-Thor or the Gate which leads to the great Trenches on the North-side of the Town 3. The Stone-Gate leading Eastward 4. The South-Gate which leads to the Islands in the Elb call'd by the inhabitants for what reason I have not yet learn'd das Dihiane Thor. The streets are generally crooked or would otherwise vye with if not outstrip any in Germany The Buildings are most of Brick and exceeding high and stately On the North the Alster drives all the Mills which supply the whole Town with Meal The great Bulwarks of the City were not thrown up till within these few years Fortifications and very much mended upon the late fright the Citizens were put into by the King of Denmark's near approach to Penneberg The better part of those vast Rampires and outworks which now so securely guard the Town from the fury of any that shall venture to besiege it was finish'd in the space of four years and remains to this day a sufficient testimony of the inexhaustible treasure of the inhabitants The Town is every-where exceeding populous Multitude of inhabitants Those that have seen an ordinary Jahr-Markt or Fair at Francfurt or Leipsic will admire where those little Cities can find lodgings for so many guests as commonly resort thither but at Hamburg each Street is daily as much throng'd as those other two trading Towns are twice or thrice a year and you are here continually as in a Fair. He that shall at noon or in the evening take a view of their public Exchange a neat piece of Building but inferior to ours at London may possibly meet with a greater number of people in one hour then at Leipsic in a whole Michael's-Mess The whole Town consists of a great many little Islands in the Elb and Alster Bridges out of one into another you are led by a great number of Bridges which are almost as plentiful here as at Amsterdam The Sea flows up these small Channels and sometimes when a tempest is rais'd about the change of the Moon or in a Spring-tide does much harm in several parts of the City often hurrying along with it whole Houses and Families Such a mishap as this befell the Town in the Spring of the year 1651 which ruin'd some considerable Families and endamaged a great many more The most famous Home Commodity which the Hamburgers have Commodities is Beer in Brewing of which there are a
tell us of them contain as many incredible things as the most Romantic Popish Legends However the Saxon Commonalty have still their memories and names in great veneration and would as soon part with Christmas-day as St. Ansgar's which is the eighth of February out of their Almanacks St. Wilhad's day is kept on the eighth of November and St. Rembert's on the fourth of February 6. Rembert was succeeded by one Adelgar a Monk of Corbey of whom nothing is recorded worth the taking notice of 7. Hoyer who was elected into the Archbishop's See in the year 909 and dyed the year following The Bremen Chronicle reports that about an hundred and twenty years after his death his Grave was open'd where nothing was found but a Pillow which had been laid under his head and a Cross both fresh and uncorrupted Whereupon the Monks of Bremen concluded that his body was immediately after his death snatch'd up into Heaven 8. Reginward 9. Vnni who going to convert the Infidels in Sweden died at Birca in Gothland 10. Adaldag 11. Libentius an Italian 12. Vnwan call'd by some Wimar 13. Libentius II. 14. Hermannus 15. Bezeline 16. Albert Son of one of the Dukes of Bavaria 17. Liemar or Leimar a Bavarian Nobleman the fourteenth and last Arch-Bishop of Hamburg For when at the request of Eric King of Denmark the Pope had erected an Archbishops See at Lunden in Schonen the Bishops of Denmark Sweden and Norway were subjected to the Archbishop of Lunden and only Lubec Schwerin Lebus and Ratzenburg remain'd Suffragans to the Archbishop of Bremen who thereupon for ever quitted the Title of Archbishop of Hamburg 18. Humbert the first that ever stiled himself barely Archbishop of Bremen 19. Frideric 20. Adalbar 21. Hartwic 22. Baldwin whose successor some have made one Barthold but without any good authority 23. Sifrid Son to Albrecht Marquise of Brandenburg 24. Hartwic II. 25. Woldemar Duke and Bishop of Sleswic 26. Gerhard formerly Bishop of Osnabrug 27. Gerhard II. Earl of Lippe 28. Hildebold or Hildebrand Earl of Broch-hausen 29. Giselbert 30. Henry I. 31. Florentius de Brunchorst against whom appear'd Bernherd Earl of Wolpe whom some Historians make Archbishop instead of Florentius â—at lost the day 32. John Bishop of Lunden and Provost of Roschild in Denmark 33. Burchard 34. Otto Earl of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst 35. Gotfrid Earl of Arnsberg He had great quarrels with Maurice Earl of Oldenburg for the See which when he could not peaceably enjoy he resign'd to 36. Albrecht Duke of Brunswic chosen Archbishop in the life-time of his predecessor in the year 1359. 37. Otto II. 38. John II. 39. Nicolas Earl of Delmenhorst 40. Baldwin 41. Gerhard III. Earl of Hoga 42. Henry III. Earl of Schwartzburg 43. John III. 44. Christopher Duke of Brunswic and Lunenburg 45. Henry IV. Duke of Saxony Engeren Westphalia c. 46. John Adolph Duke of Holstein c. who after the death of his Father was Regent Duke of Holstein and thereupon quitted the See of Bremen in the year 1596 leaving the place to his Brother 47. John Frideric who was at the same time Bishop of Lubec and having enjoy'd the Archbishopric of Bremen for the space of thirty-eight years died in the Monastery near Buxtehude in the year 1634 and was buried in the Cathedral at Sleswic 48. The last Archbishop of Bremen was Frideric Duke of Holstein Son to Christian IV. King of Denmark and Father to the present Danish King Christian V. But before this Frideric came to the Crown of Denmark he had nothing left but the bare Title of an Archbishop For in the year 1644 the prevailing Forces of the Swedish King overran the Archbishopric of Bremen and Bishopric of Vehrden as they had before many other Provinces of the German Empire Afterwards in the Treaty of Munster it was agreed upon that ut satis fieret Serenissimae Reginae Sueciae pro locorum hoc bello captorum restitutione Pacique Publicae in Imperio restanrandae condignè prospiceretur as 't is worded in the Tenth Article of that Treaty amongst other places there mention'd the Archbishopric of Bremen and Bishopric of Vehrden should be for ever subject to the Kings of Sweden and annex'd to their own Territories and Dominions sub solitis quidem Insigniis sed titulo Ducatus And thus the Archbishopric was turn'd into a Dukedom which Title it still retains Whence the City of Bremen which gives name to the whole Dukedom is so call'd City of Bremen there are several different opinions amongst the Germans Writers some of which for the Reader 's diversion I shall hear repeat leaving it to himself to embrace any one or reject all as he shall see cause One tells us there was formerly a Ferry cross the Weser in the place where the great Bridg at Bremen now stands and therefore will have the City so call'd from the flat bottom'd Boats in the tongue of the Neder-Saxons nam'd Pramen wherewith they us'd to ferry over passengers Another fancies Bremen may be fetch'd from the abundance of Broom in their tongue Brame which grows in this Country M. Martinius a man of no contemptible parts and learning guesses that because the Land of Bremen is the outmost bounds of the German Empire towards the Ocean therefore the City was call'd ein Brame which word signifies properly the outmost seam or selvidge of a Garment To omit the impertinences of other Etymologists all agree in this that Ptolomy's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence ever that word had its original is the same with Bremen Cluverius allowing of this opinion adds further Nec nomen omnino abhorret nam dempta priore syllaba reliquum BIRANVM satis aperta vestigia gerit vocabuli BREMEN Et quid scio annon apud Ptolomaeum M corruptum sit in N integrumque vocabulum fuerit FABIRAMVM Amongst the old rubbish of ancient German writers Antiquity and the small fragments of Antiquity which are at this day to be met with in that Country 't will be a difficult task to find out the first original of this City 'T is certain one great part of it which is known by the name of S. Stephani Statt is of a later foundation then the main body of the Town and another grand accession call'd Die New Statt or the New City has been added within these hundred years What time this City was first fortified we have no other account then in the general that the Cities of Saxony and in all probability Bremen amongst the rest were first wall'd round by the orders of Henry Duke of Saxony surnam'd Auceps or the Fowler about the year 1000. For this Prince had found by experience that his naked Towns were not able to withstand the fury and outrages of the Vandals who in those days miserably infested the Northern parts of the Empire All the modern Historians will inform us that the Suburbs of St. Nicolas which at this day make up a considerable part of the
But his large Dukedom was broken in pieces by the Emperor as we had occasion to tell the Reader before and himself reduc'd from a great Duke of Saxony and Lord of all the neighbouring Territories to a mean and inconsiderable Duke of Brunswic and Luneburg Hitherto we have found the Dukedoms of Brunswic and Luneburg united and subject to one Prince Dukes of Lunenburg But upon the death of this Henry which hapned in the year 1195 they were divided For Henry the Lion had three Sons viz. Duke Henry who was afterwards made Prince Palatine of the Rhine Duke Otho who was advanced to the Imperial Throne and Duke William who succeeded his Father in the Territories of Luneburg but only stiled himself Dominus de Luneburg And indeed he had but little reason to take upon him any greater Title since his two Brothers were sharers with him in the Estate of his deceased Father For Otho took possession of the City and Country of Brunswic and Duke Henry seized upon Zell Bremen and Stade About the year 1213 Duke William dy'd and was succeeded by his only Son Otho who afterwards in the year 1235 was made Duke of Brunswic by the Emperor Frideric the Second's Diploma which is at this day to be seen in the Duke of Zell's Archives Duke William dying in the year 1252 left behind him two Sons Albert and John Albert kept all his Fathers Dominions in his own hands but at last resign'd the Dukedom of Luneburg to his Brother John Since that time the Dukedoms of Brunswic and Luneburg have been always reckon'd two distinct Principalities and usually subject to two different Princes After this division of the two Dukedoms Duke John governed the Dukedom of Luneburg about eight years and then dying in the year 1276 left his Estate to his Son Otho By the way we may take notice of a notorious Parachronism in Dr. Heylin's Cosmography wherein reckoning only the eight years Government of Duke John without mentioning any power enjoy'd by his Brother Albert in the Dukedom of Luneburg he brings Otho II. to the Dukedom in the year 1261 which is fifteen years exactly the time that Duke Albert kept possession of both his Father's Dukedoms before his Father's death Otho having reign'd 53 years and dying in the year 1330 left behind him two Sons Otho and William who were joint-Governors of the Dukedom of Luneburg for the space of four and twenty years After which upon the death of Duke Otho without any Heirs male William was the sole Governor for some small term of years But considering that upon the failure of issue from himself and his Brother the Line of Luneburg was like to be extinct he resolv'd during his life-time to chose himself a Successor Whereupon at first he pitcht upon Albert Duke of Saxony his Brother's Daughter's Son but afterwards changing his resolution he resign'd the Dukedom to Ludowic Duke of Brunswic who had married his eldest Daughter Mechtild Duke Ludowic having govern'd three years and dying without issue in the year 1358 was succeeded by Magnus surnam'd mit der ketten or Torquatus to whom the Luneburgers submitted themselves upon condition that he should protect them against all injuries offer'd them either by the Emperor Charles IV. or any of the Dukes of Saxony Soon after Torquatus upon his Father's death got possession of the Territories of Brunswic and so both Dukedoms were once more united But notwithstanding the great confidence they repos'd in their new Prince and the vast pormises he made them Albert Duke of Saxony assisted by the foremention'd Emperor Charles the fourth in pursuance of his Right as being descended from the elder Brother's Daughter by force recover'd the Dukedom of Luneburg in the year 1372 and enjoy'd it fourteen years After his death there were great wars betwixt the Houses of Brunswic and Saxony each of them laying claim to and contending for this Dukedom At last in the year 1388 Bernhard Duke Magnus's Son obtain'd the Government But soon after Frideric Duke of Brunswic being slain in his return from Francfurt where he was newly chosen Emperor Bernhard was remov'd to Brunswic and the Dukedom of Luneburg given to his Nephew Henry who before had some share with him in the Government Henry having been sole Duke of Luneburg for the space of sixteen years dyed A. D. 1416. and was succeeded by his Son William who within a while after falling out with his Cousin Otho Duke Bernhard's Son made several incursions into the Dukedom of Brunswic many of the most considerable Cities whereof he laid siege to and took Some while after the quarrels betwixt the two Dukes were composed upon this condition that they should change Dukedoms which was accordingly done in the year 1428 and so Otho was made Duke of Luneburg and William removed to Brunswic Otho's Brother Duke Frideric succeeded him tho Dr. Heylin makes him his Predecessor in the Dukedom of Luneburg and having govern'd about fourteen years quitted the Dukedom and shut himself up in a Monastery at Zell in the year 1459. Hereupon the Government was committed to his two Sons Bernhard and Otho the former of which dyed within five years and the latter surving about seven years left behind him only one young Son about three years old This forced the old Duke Frideric in his extreme dotage to reassume the Government till his Grandchild should come to maturity he mannaged the Affairs of his Dukedom for seven years longer dying in the year 1478. The young Duke Henry being not above ten years of age at his Grandfather's death was assisted in the Government by his mother for some years Ten years before his death which hapned in the year 1532 he setled the Dukedom upon his three Sons Otho Ernest and Francis The first of these preferring a retired life to the state and grandeur of a Dukedom resign'd his Right to his Brother Ernestus during his Father's life demanding only a certain annual stipend sufficient for the maintenance of himself and a small family This Ernest together with his Brother Francis who shared with him in the Government till the year 1539 but was afterwards put off with the Lordship of Giffhorn and Monastery of Isenhagen brought in the Reform'd Religion in the year 1530. He died in the year 1546 and was succeeded by his Son Francis Otho who having govern'd about thirteen years dyed without Issue male and left the Dukedom to his two Brothers Henry and William These two rul'd peaceably together for the space of ten years but afterwards they separated themselves and agreed that William should have the sole government of the Dukedom of Luneburg and Duke Henry be content with the Revenues of the Lordship of Dannenberg and Monastery of Scharnebeck to which were afterwards added the Lordships of Hitzaker Luchau and Warbke In the year 1592 Duke William died and was succeeded by his Son Ernest who kept the Dukedom of Luneburg till the year 1611. In which he left it to
his Brother Christian Elect Bishop of the Diocess of Minden This brave Prince govern'd the Dukedom in great peace and prosperity two and twenty years and enlarg'd it with the Principality of Grubenhagen After his decease in the year 1633 the Dukedome of Luneburg fell to his Brother Augustus Elect Bishop of Ratzeburg upon which incomparable Prince of whom the Reader may expect a larger account in the description of the Dukedom of Brunswic descended not long after by the death of Frideric Vlric the Dukedom of Brunswic Whereupon the Dukedom of Luneburg was given to Duke George Lieutenant General of all the forces of the Lower Saxony in the year 1636. He left four Sons whereof the eldest Christian Ludowic for some years govern'd the Luneburgers paying each of his younger Brethren an annual stipend of 12000 Ric-dollars Upon his death the second Brother George William succeeded in the Government and kept as he doth to this day his Residence in his Brothers Palace at Zell By the Treaty of Hildesheim the Dukedoms of Calenberg and Grubenhage were assign'd over to the third Brother John Frideric who kept his Residence at Hannover in much greater state then his Brother at Zell These and all other Territories subject to the late Duke of Hannover are now in the possession of the youngest Brother Ernest Augustus who by the Treaty of Munster was made Bishop of Osnabrug and is now upon the death of his Brother John Frideric this last year 1680 Duke of Hannover He married the Lady Sophia youngest Sister to our Prince Rupert of whom this character is usually given that she is the most accomplish'd Princess in Europe by whom he hath three Sons and a Daughter Chief Cities and other places of greatest note in this Dukedom are FIrst Luneburg LUNEBURG We have already given the Reader an account of the most probable opinion about the original of the name of this City and but little more can be sai concerning its first Founders and those that fortified it The story of Julius Cesar's laying the first foundation of a City in this place is at best incredible and groundless There 's hardly an ancient City in Europe which does not pretend to some venerable piece or other of Julius's Architecture which tho ordinarily admir'd by the vulgar yet is contemn'd and laugh'd at by men of sence and knowing Antiquaries The best testimony of its age I can meet with is Dithmarus Mersburgensis's mentioning Luinberg by the name of Civitas in speaking of an Earthquake which hapned in the days of the Emperor Henry II. But 't is easie to observe how the Historians of those times were wont to compliment any mean Village with the title of Civitas Yet Lambertus Schafnaburgensis an Author of almost as great antiquity as the former in his account of the transactions of the year 1073. gives this character of Luneburg that 't was then Oppidum maximum Ottonis Ducis Saxoniae situm in confinio Saxonum Luticiorum At present the Town contains about two English miles in circumference being not built in exact square but rather an oblong figure The Streets are broad and most of the Houses tolerably well built Over against the Town-hall which is a neat and compact piece of building stands the Duke's Palace where the Duke of Zell and his Family are lodg'd when he has a mind to reside at Luneburg The chief Trade of the Town is in Salt which the Citizens make in great abundance out of certain pits of salt water which spring within the walls Their Salt-houses are fenc'd round and continually guarded as being the main support of the City These bring in the Duke a considerable yearly Revenue and besides provision is hereby made for a great number of poor labouring men who might otherwise starve for want of employment II. Bardewic BARDEWICK At this day a Village within a mile of Luneburg but anciently a strong and populous City Some Authors fancy it to have been the first City in Saxony And so questionless it was if it be true as they pretend to be able to demonstrate that it was built 990 years before Christ Over the door of the Cathedral which is now the only Church left of nine are wrote in an old Gothic character these hobling verses Abram dum natus mox Treveris incipit ortus Hinc annis Barduic mille sex X quoque quinque Post Barduic Roma duo C cum quinque triginta M C post Nat. junctis octaginta novemque Dum Brunsvicensis Henricus Leo dictus Simonis in festo Barduic subvertit ab alto Meibomius a learned Antiquary whom we have already had occasion often to mention has taken great pains to pick up out of these Rithms and all other Monuments of note about this Town a large account of the Antiquity of the place The name he imagines contrary to the humour of some other Historians who speak of Bardo a Knight Errant of old and Founder of Bardewic derived from the Bardi a Northern people who wandring a great many years up and down Saxony and the neighbouring Countries at last fix'd themselves in this place Whether these Bardi may not have been a Tribe of such Poets as Mr. Cambden and some other of our Antiquaries says gave name to Bardsey one of our British Islands I shall leave to the Reader 's judgment since every Historian that mentions the Bards will tell us that they were the Genealogists amongst the Gauls an undoubted branch of the German Nation as well as the Britains The Verses before-mention'd will inform us that this great City was destroy'd by Duke Henry surnam'd the Lion on St. Simon and Jude's day in the year 1189. Since that time it has never been able to recover its glory and is now remarkable for nothing but a College of Eight Residentiary Canons and some few Vicars III. ULTZEN A neat uniform little Town Vltren about the middle way betwixt Lunenburg and Zell 'T was anciently call'd Lawenwald i. e. Lion-Forest as appears from several of its old Records and an inscription to this day legible on the North-side of the Town-hall And from this its old name the Arms or Rebus rather of the Town are still a Lion Passant Azure in a Field Verd betwixt Three Trees of the Second The modern name Vltzen it had from the neighbouring Monastery of Olden-Stadt which as is evident from several ancient Writings bearing date A. D. 1255 and 1338 was formerly call'd Old-Vlssen On the twentieth of September in the year 1646 this City was miserably destroy'd by a fire which in a very short time burnt down the fairest and richest part of it This blow it has hardly yet so well recover'd as to be entirely rebuilt but however the most considerable streets and places of consequence are very much advanc'd by it and the new buildings are every-where more regular and splendid then the former The Citizens have a Tradition among them that the first English Saxons
that great Conqueror From his Loins after several generations descended Billiengus a potent King of the Vandals whose Mother say some was Charles the Great 's Sister He was the first that after his own conversion brought in the profession of Christianity into Mecklenburg tho afterwards at the instigation of his Son Micislaus both himself and all his Subjects turn'd Apostates The next famous Prince of Mecklenburg was Gottschalck surnam'd the Godly who would often himself take the pains to preach Christianity to his Subjects by whom he was at last for his Religion murder'd in the year 1066. From him descended amongst many others Henry II. who dying in the year 1228 left behind him two Sons Nicolot and John From the former of these sprang all the succeeding Princes of the Vandals until William the last Prince of that Line who died in the year 1430. From the later surnam'd Knese Janko or John the Divine because he had taken a Doctor of Divinity 's degree in the University at Paris are descended the present Dukes of Mecklenburg This John left behind him Henry who was six and twenty years kept prisoner by the Turks Father to Henry surnam'd the Lion whose two Sons Albert and John Dukes of Mecklenburg were by the Emperor Charles IV. created Princes of the Empire in the year 1349. Which is not to be understood tho I find this construction put upon it by several of the modern German Historians as if these two Princes before Charles's creation had been only ordinary Lords or Barons of Mecklenburg and by the Emperor advanc'd to the dignity of Princes or Dukes For from him they receiv'd no more than an admission into the number of the Estates of the Empire under whose protection they were brougth by making themselves members thereof upon condition they should be subject to its Laws and contribute to its necessities Albert's eldest Son Albert II. was chosen King of Sweden and not long after taken prisoner by Margaret Queen of Denmark by whom after several years imprisonment he was at last releas'd upon the payment of a vast ransom So that the management of the Dukedom of Mecklenburg was committed to his Brother Magnus a Prince that if we believe Chytraeus who in his first Book of the Saxon Chronicle has given him a noble character was nomine re Magnus endow'd with all the excellent qualities that are requisite to make a brave Prince His Son John who succeeded his Father in the Dukedom founded the University at Rostock in the year 1419. This Duke's Successors Henry the Fat and Magnus II. Founder of the Cathedral Church at Rostock upon the death of William the last Prince of the Vandals made themselves Masters of the whole Land of Mecklenburg After the death of this Magnus and his Son Albert II. the Dukedom came to his Grandchild John Albert in the year 1547 who first brought in the Lutheran Confession into his Dominions by demolishing Popish Abbeys and converting their Revenues to the use of the University at Rostock His Son John III. who died in the year 1592 left two Sons the eldest was Adolph Frideric who married Ann-Mary Countess of East Frisland by whom amongst other children he had Christian-Ludowic the present Duke of Mecklenburg-Swerin His youngest Son was Gustavus Adolphus who seated himself at Gustrow In the late Civil Wars in Germany the whole Land of Mecklenburg was overrun by the Imperial Army and the Dukedom conferr'd upon their ambitious and at last unfortunate General Albrecht Duke of Friedland However within a little while after the two Dukes Adolph Frideric and John Albrecht were reinstated in their Dominions by Gustavus Adolphus the victorious King of Sweden their Kinsman For a character of the present Dukes of Mecklenburg the Reader may have recourse to the following descriptions of Swerin and Gustrow the places of their residence The strength of these Princes would be considerable enough Militâ—â—â— strength sufficient to secure their own Territories and keep their neighbours in awe if firmly united Their equal pretensions to the sole government of the City and University at Rostock did formerly occasion some animosities between the two Houses but this quarrel has for some years last past been quite laid aside and now a difference in Religion the Duke of Swerin being a Romanist and he of Gustrow a Lutheran is the greatest cause of their mutual fears and jealousies Heretofore they thought it their chief interest to adhere to the Swedes and secure themselves under the wings of the potent Kings of that Nations but when after the many conquests of the brave Gustavus Adolphus the power of those Princes grew so formidable as to threaten an universal slavery to their neighbours round about them rather then the defence of any of their Liberties the Dukes of Mecklenburg thought it high time to relinquish that party and join with the Dane and Branburger in opposing their common enemy the King of Sweden They saw Wismar rent out of their hands without any probability of being ever recover'd and they had reason to fear that a great part of the adjoining Country would follow it if their ruin were not timely prevented by the strength of their new Allies The whole Land of Mecklenburg so much I mean as is now subject to the two Dukes which bear that Title is usually divided into these six parts Territries The Dukedomes of Mecklenburg strictly so call'd and Vandalia the Earldom of Swerin the Baronies of Rostock and Stargard and the Bishopric of Butzow In the Dukedom of Mecklenburg are reckon'd the Cities of Wismar to which is the neighbouring Island Poel Tempsin Gades Rhena and Bucow In the Dukedom of Vandalia Gustrow Sterneberg Malchin Stavenhagen Ivenack Neu-Calven Warin Pentzlin Rebell Wredenhagen Malchau Tetrou Goltberg Parchum Plage Lupsian Grabou Domitz Neu-Statt Eldenau and Gorlosen In the Barony of Rostock the City of Rostock Ribnitz Gnoien Tessin Laga Schwan Salines and Morlou In the Barony of Stargard Brandeburg Stargard Furstenburg Strelitz Mirow Fredland and Wesenberg And lastly in the Bishopric of Butzow the City of Butzow and the Peninsula of Swerin The most considerable Cities in the Dukedom of MECKLENBURG I. LUBEC Lubec This City is indeed situate in Wagerland and for that reason we have already given the Reader some short account of it in the Description of Denmark but because it is of it self an Imperial City wholly independant upon the Crown of Denmark and immediately subject to the Emperor of Germany we have reserv'd a more particular survey of it for this place And it cannot so properly be referr'd to any particular Province of the Empire as the Dukedom of Mecklenburg For altho the Citizens of Lubec do not pay any manner of tribute or homage to the Princes of Mecklenburg yet it may perhaps as justly be reckon'd part of that Dukedom as Bremen which never yet acknowledg'd any subjection to the Kings of Sweden may be esteem'd part of that Principality which now bears
the name of the Dukedom of Bremen The name of this City is fetcht by some from one Luba a famous Fisherman that heretofore pitcht his Tents upon the Sea-shore in the same place where afterwards the great City of Lubec was built But this fiction is of the same stamp with the frivolous Etymologies with which some of our English Historians have furnish'd us of Britain from Brutus and London from King Lud. Others tell us that Lubec in the old Wendish tongue signifies a Crown and therefore would perswade us that this Town had its name from the preeminence which immediately after its first foundation it might justly challenge amongst the other Cities of Germany Whence Lindebergius alluding to this Etymology concludes his Elogium in the praise of Lubec with this Distich Et decus Europae lumen sit totius Ansae Et sit Vandalici pulchra Corona soli But the most probable opinion is what we have before mention'd that the name is truly High-Dutch and signifies no more than Lob-eck or ein eck des lobes a corner of Land for upon such a plot of ground 't is situate commendable for something or other in it extraordinary and notable The Polish Historians particularly J. Ludowic Decius in his History of Sigismund II. King of Poland are very zealous in asserting that this great City owes its birth to the Princes of their Country who having made themselves Masters of all this part of Germany built a Fort and in some short time after a wall'd Town in that neck of land upon which Lubec stands But the Germans as vigorously oppose this assertion affirming that Godschalck a certain King of the Vandals laid the first foundation of the Town A. D. 1040 which small beginnings were enlarg'd into the bulk of a considerable City by Crito a Prince of Rugen in the year 1104 or as others 1087. But however this is certain that it was never a City nor had any Charter confirm'd to it before it had been once utterly ruin'd and laid desolate by Ratzo Prince of Rugen in the year 1134 and rebuilt by Adolph II. Earl of Holstein A. D. 1140 who being unable to defend any part of his Territories against the victorious Duke of Saxony and Bavaria Henry II. surnam'd the Lion was forc'd to yeild up to him Lubec amongst the other conquer'd parts of his Dominions Afterwards when success and pride had swell'd Henry to that height as to make him neglect his duty and allegiance to the Emperor Frideric Barbarossa and to side with the Pope in a quarrel against him he was by the said Emperor publicly proscrib'd and devour'd by the joint forces of his neighbour Princes every one laying hold of that part of his Estates which lay next him In this confusion Lubec was besieg'd and taken by the Emperor himself but after his death restor'd to the foremention'd Duke Henry Afterwards it was conquer'd by Waldemar Duke of Sleswic and Brother to Canutus King of Denmark But not long after the Citizens finding themselves too severely treated by their Danish Lords put their City under the protection of the Emperor Frideric II. who granted them several priviledges and immunities and restor'd them to the ancient Liberties which they had enjoy'd under their first Masters Since that time Lubec has continued an Imperial City being always reckon'd one of the chief in the Empire and the Metropolis of the Hans-Towns The Bishopric of Lubec which since John Adolph Duke of Holstein was elected Bishop of that See in the year 1596 has always been in the possession of some of the younger Brothers of that House was first founded by the Emperor Otho I. at Oldenburg in Wagerland and afterwards removed hither with the permission of the Emperor Frideric I. by Henry the Lion Duke of Saxony in the year 1163. There is not any City in the Northern parts of the German Empire which at this day excels or perhaps can equalize Lubec either in beauty or uniformity of its Buildings or pleasantness of its Gardens and Groves The Streets are generally strait and even the Houses being all built with Brick and cover'd with Tyles In the year 1238 a great fire hap'ning in the City burnt down many of their Streets which at that time consisted of Houses made of Timber and cover'd with Thatch whereupon the Senators of the City made an Order that thenceforward no such Houses should be built within the walls of the Town From the public Conduit they have water convey'd by pipes into every Citizen's private House according to which pattern the Conduits in London and other great Cities in Europe were first contrived The Streets are in several places graced with rows of Linden Trees planted on each side The Churches about twenty in number are generally well built and adorn'd with high Steeples or Spires especially the Cathedral dedicate to St. Mary which is a piece of as curious Architecture as most in Germany The River Trave on which Lubec is seated about eight or ten English miles from the Sea is large and deep enough to carry the largest Vessels that sail upon the Baltic So that daily Merchant-men of the greatest bulk as well as flat bottom'd Barges are brought up to the Walls of the City which with its neighbour Hamburg is thought to maintain near six hundred Vessels in continual traffick The City is govern'd by twelve Burgo-masters who are all of them either Doctors of Civil Law or some of the grave and experienc'd Nobility of the City The Common Council is made up of half Lawyers and Nobles and the other half Merchants Their Laws will not permit any Handicrafts-man two Brothers nor Father and Son to be of this great Council of the City supposing that illiterate Mechanics can hardly have so much skill in State-affairs as will render them fit for Government and that near Relations will be apt to side with one another and not act with such unbyass'd judgments as others that are nothing akin II. WISMAR Wismar Seated in the way betwixt Lubec and Rostoc at an equal distance namely seven German or one and twenty English miles from both those Cities Cromer and Vapovius zealous assertors of the honour of their Country derive the name of this City from one Wissimir its founder who they tell us was a Polish Prince descended from their Great Duke Lechus The grounds of their story they borrow from Saxo Grammaticus and Crantzius who report that Wissimirus a Prince of the Vandals march'd with a good Army into Denmark and there slew Siward King of the Danes and at his return built Wismar Now these men imagining that Princeps Vandalicus and Vendicus signifie the same thing conclude presently that this Wissimir must certainly have been a Pole and then the greatest honour they can do him is to bring him from the Loins of Lechus Whereas granting the main part of Crantzius's story which nevertheless is undoubtedly false that Wismar was indeed built by such a Prince as
and Albert Dukes of Mecklenburg two Cousin Germans in the year 1419. The Corporation of the City bore it seems half the charges of the foundation and therefore 't was then ordered by a Decree still in force that half of the Professors should be chosen by the Dukes of Mecklenburg and the other half by the Burgomasters and Radtshern of the Town The Rector Magnificus as they are pleased to intitle the chief Magistrate of their University is chosen every half year as in most other German Universities by turns out of the two Companies of Professors He has power to call Convocations and appoint times for meeting of the other Professors on all extraordinary occasions as collecting or disbursing any part of their common-Treasure or the like In matters of greater weight and moment then are usually debated he has an Assistant whom they call Promotor chosen out of the Seniors of the eighteen Professors The University was at first stocked with Professors from Leipsic and Erfurt who all of them received their Licences to teach and read in publick together with a Charter of priviledges and body of Statutes from Pope Martin V. The Bishop of Swerin is their perpetual Chancellor who commonly deputes one of the Senior Professors his Vice-Chancellor at any public Promotion or taking of Degrees when he himself is not at leisure to give a personal attendance Amongst many other learned men that have been bred in this University Albert Crantzius John Posselius and Nathan Chytraeus three famous Historians have got themselves and the place of their education great credit by their elaborate writings The Citizens are subject to a kind of mixt government made up of Aristocracy and Democracy The Democratical part consists of twenty four Aldermen chosen out of the Nobility Scholars and rich Merchants of the Town whereof four are Burgomasters two Chamberlains two Stewards for the River and two Judges The Chamberlains collect and distribute all manner of Assesments for the reparations of public buildings in and about the City The two Stewards are overseers of the Haven at Warnemund and look to the cleansing of the Channel from that Port up to the City The Judges determine and pass sentence in all causes Civil and Criminal These twenty four Magistrates of the upper House decide all ordinary Controversies and have the sole power of coining money chusing Officers c. But besides them there are in the Town a hundred more Common-Councilmen elected out of the inferior Tradesmen of the Town who are summon'd to appear and give their opinions upon debate of any matter of more then ordinary concernment to the common welfare Though the River Warna be navigable up to the Walls of the City of Rostock yet it is not deep enough to carry Ships of the largest bulk but such Vessels are forced to take harbour at Warnemund so called because situate on the mouth of the River a small Town about seven English miles distant from Rostock Since the Treaty of Munster the Swedes built a Fort on the mouth of this River by the strength of which and a good Garison always kept in it they exacted a toll or custom of all Merchantmen that pass'd this way from or towards Rostock to the great decay of trade in this City and impoverishing of its inhabitants This Castle was in the late wars between the Northern Crowns demolished and thereby a stop put to the Swedish encroachments Whereupon the Ministers for the Dukes of Mecklenburg in the last general Treaty at Nimeguen were very diligent in soliciting the Mediators for a redress of this grievance which they represented as a violation of an express Article in the Westphalian Treaty With Memorials and Petitions to this purpose our English Mediatours by the Duke of Gustrow's Minister and the Popes Nuncio on the other hand by the Duke of Swerin's were continually wearied in the latter end of the year 1678 and beginning of 1679. Their importunity prevailed so far at last as to have the following clause inserted into the first Proposal of a Treaty betwixt the Emperor and King of Sweden Omni casu salva sint Dominis Ducibus Mecklenburgicis sine turbatione competentia jura sublatum maneat vectigal seu telonium Warnemundense cum omnimoda aliarum quae ibi motae sunt pretensionum abolitione portus Warnmundensis relinquatur in pristina qua nunc gaudet commerciorum libertate But the Swedish Plenipotentaries in all their conferences with the Imperial Ambassadours upon this Subject constantly denied that they had instructions to meddle with it and the Imperialists were willing to omit the insertion of this point rather then delay the signing of the other Articles till new Instructions could be procured from the Swedish Court So that all the satisfaction the Princes of Mecklenburg had was a compliment from the Emperour 's Plempotentiaries shewing the great care their Master would be always ready to take in asserting their Rights and Priviledges as well as those of any other member of the German Empire against the encroachments of any Foreign Enemy whatever and a Certificate under their hands that their Ministers had used all imaginable diligence in the discharge of their duty Neque defuerunt say they durante hoc congressu officio suo praedictorum Dominorum Ducum i. e. Mecklenburgicorum Ablegati Dominus Antonius Bessel Dominus Joannes Reuter sed omnes partes impleverunt quae a Ministrorum fide dexteritate vigilantia expectari possunt In quorum omnium fidem Legatio Caesarea praesentes hasce a se subscriptas sigillis suis munivit Dabantur Neomagi duodecima Februarii Anno 1679. IV. SWERIN Swerin Situate at about fifty English miles distance from Rostock upon a great Lake which from the name of this City is usually by the Neighbourhood called Der Swerinsche See It was built and fortfied by Henry surnamed the Lion Duke of Saxony who soon after its first foundation which is said to have been in the year 1163. bestowed this City with all the Territories and Lordships thereunto belonging upon Guntzel or Gunceline one of the Generals in his Army whom he made Earl of Swerin His son Henry who succeeded his father in the Earldom was a great favourite of the Emperour Otho IV and well deserved all the honour his master could confer on him He took Woldemar King of Denmark prisoner in his own Kingdom brought him bound into Saxony in triumph and kept him in close custody in the Castle at Danneberg till his Subjects had almost reduced themselves to beggary by paying ransome The last Earl of this Family was Otho who died in the year 1355. His only daughter and child Richardis was married to Albrecht Duke of Mecklenburg for which reason the Earldom of Swerin after Otho's death was annexed to the Dukedom of Mecklenburg The Bishoprick of Swerin was removed from Mecklenburg to this City The first Bishop of this Diocess was one Johannes Scotus who in the fourth year of his Prelacy A.
Wartislaus The former seated himself in Pomerellia and retain'd the language and manners of his Countrymen the Slavonians the later was made Lord of the Lower Pomeren bordering upon the Dukedom of Mecklenburg and shortly after conform'd himself to the Laws and Language of the Saxons his neighbours Whereupon this part of his Father's Territories began to be reckon'd a part of the German Empire and Bugislaus and Casimir Wartislaus's Sons receiv'd the Title of Dukes of Pomeren and Princes of the Roman Empire from the Emperor Frideric Barbarossa This Dukedom was afterwards in the year 1217 parted betwixt Bugislaus and Otho two Brothers from whom sprang the two Houses of Wolgast and Stetin which continued near two hundred years But the House of Stetin failing A.D. 1464 upon the death of Otho the third that part of the Estate was conferr'd upon Frideric the second Marquise and Elector of Brandenburg by the Emperor Frideric the third This the Dukes of Pomeren-Wolgast look'd upon as a notorious piece of injustice to their Family and therefore were resolv'd to oppose with all imaginable vigor the Elector's pretensions At last the Quarrel was composed between the two Houses of Pomeren and Brandenburg upon these conditions That both of them should retain the Arms and Title of Dukes of Pomeren But the Possession and Revenues of all Territories comprised under that name should be yeilded up to the Dukes of Wolgast And that upon the failing of their Issue male it should descend upon the Heirs of the House of Brandenburg Accordingly upon the death of Bugislaus the fourteenth who dyed without issue in the year 1637 the late Elector of Brandenburg George-William put in his claim to the Estate But the Swedes having under pretence of assisting Duke Bugislaus against the Imperialists in the Civil Wars of Germany made themselves Masters of all the strong places in the Country could not be perswaded to part with a Maritime Province which lay so convenient for them And therefore as Conquerors use to prescribe Laws with far less regard to justice then their own interests they would not yeild to the conclusion of any Peace at the Treaty of Munster before it was agreed That all the Lower Pomeren with the Isles of Rugen and Wollin and the Town of Stetin should from thenceforward be annex'd to the Crown of Sweden and the Upper Pomeren only be enjoy'd by the House of Brandenburg and that no longer then the male issue of that Family lasted upon the failure whereof it also was to be added to the King of Sweden's Dominions and in the mean time both Princes were to enjoy the Titles and bear the Arms of the Dukes of Pomeren But because for the common peace of the Empire and in compliance to the peremptory demands of the Queen of Sweden's Ministers the Elector had in this Agreement quitted the Title to a good part of his Inheritance 't was further concluded That his losses should be recompenc'd by the addition of the Bishopricks of Halberstadt and Minden converted into Temporal Principalities to the Marquisate of Brandenburg to which was also added the Reversion of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg which after the death of the then Incumbent Administrator Augustus Duke of Saxony was to descend upon him and his Heirs Now altho the Elector may seem to have gain'd by this bargain since the Lower Pomeren which he has quitted to the Swedes will not doubtless yeild so good a Revenue as the Principalities of Magdeburg Halberstadt and Minden yet there is no question but upon examination we shall find reason to believe that he had rather have the entire Dukedom of Pomeren restored then three more such inland Provinces bestow'd on him Since by this means he would have the opportunity of making himself considerable at Sea and be freed from the inconveniences of having a potent neighbour who keeps him in perpetual Jealousies Upon these considerations the States of the Empire have thought fit to make a further reparation of his damages by allowing him Voices in their Assemblies as Duke of Pomeren and Magdeburg and as Prince of Halberstadt and Minden And because formerly the Archbishops of Magdeburg and Bremen took their turns in the Direction of the Circle of the Lower Saxony they have agreed that the Elector of Brandenburg should alternate with the King of Sweden who enjoys the ancient Archbishoprick of Bremen under the same Title as the said Duke does that of Magdeburg in the same quality After the Ratification of this Treaty at Munster the Swedes quietly enjoy'd the Lower Pomeren according to the tenure of the Articles aforesaid until in these late wars the united forces of the Danes and Brandenburgers not without great difficulty and much bloodshed over-powred them and siezed on all the Lower Pomeren together with the Isle of Rugen and the City of Stetin But of this we shall have occasion to say more in the following Descriptions of particular Cities Chief Cities in the Vpper POMEREN I. Stetin STETIN This has ever been reckon'd the Metropolis of all Pomeren and Stralsund only the chief Town in the Principality of Rugen By whom or when it was first built cannot easily be determin'd and 't is to no purpose to trouble the Reader with the idle conjectures of illiterate Historians who pretend to fetch its genealogy from a warlike Nation whom they call Sidini that before the building of Towns or Houses came in fashion in these parts of the world kept their usual Rendezvous in the place where Stetin now stands However 't is more commendable for the improvements it has receiv'd in the beauty of its buildings and number of inhabitants within the memory of its own Records then any Antiquity it can boast of altho as we have said it is beyond the skill of the ablest Antiquary to find out its original About four hundred years ago Stetin was built of a quite different figure from what it has at this day the Church of St. Peter which now stands without the walls being plac'd in the very middle of the Town The convenient and pleasant situation it now has on the rising of a small hill its regular fortifications beauty and strength it owes to the Saxons who by permission of some of the Dukes of Stetin came hither to reform the barbarous manners and language of their then Wendish Subjects By this means trading was advanc'd and the number of the inhabitants multiplied so exceedingly that some Writers who give us a description of this City in its modern condition represent it as a place where more people inhabit under ground then above it intimating that the Town is so populous that a great number of its Citizens are forc'd to live in Cellars and Vaults The Castle formerly the Palace of the Dukes of Stetin and now the usual Residence of the Swedish Governor is a Pile of building which excels perhaps any piece of Architecture in these parts of Europe and may vy with most of its kind in
to the Court who were easily won over to the Elector's opinions they could not but observe a continual advancement of Calvinism and as constant decay of the Lutheran party Whereupon they resolved the foremention'd Decree for the establishment of the Augsburg confession should be renew'd and confirm'd if possible beyond all fear of a future violation In pursuance of this resolution they procur'd the said Decree to be inserted as the seventh Article into the Westphalian Treaty which they look'd upon as an eternal and immutable Law to the whole German Empire Yet notwithstanding these assurances the present Elector of Brandenburg a zealous assertor of his Fathers Tenents has in many parts of his Dominions especially his two Universities of Francfurt upon the Oder and Koningsberg discouraged the Lutherans and countenanc'd Calvinism The hot-spur Professors at Wittemberg Abraham Calovius and his Brethren first provok'd him with daily Curses and Anathema's vented against Calvin and his followers to publish an Edict commanding all his Subjects to withdraw their Sons from that University within the space of three months after the publishing of the said Edict Upon the death of his first Marchioness Louis-Henrietta Daughter to the Prince of Orange and a zealous Calvinist the Brandenburgers had some hopes their Elector would have been brought over to their party or at least upon his second marriage with Dorothy Daughter to Philip Duke of Holstein and Relict of Christian-Lewis Duke of Brunswic and Lunenburg as resolute an assertor of Luther's Doctrine as the former of Calvin's have a little abated his rigorous persecution But hitherto their hopes have been blasted without the Elector's care to redress their grievances any further then to wink at the ordinary exercise of the Lutheran Religion And indeed 't is almost impossible for him to be truly reconciled as long as Strauchius at present a noted Preacher in Dantzic not long since committed to the Goal for railery with some other hot-headed Lutheran Pulpiters take upon them to represent not only Calvinists in general but the Elector himself as one of the Devil 's chief instruments for perverting the true Christian Religion Mutavit Dominos Marchia saepe suos Goverment is a saying we often meet with in the Historians that treat of this Marquisate But the first time that we hear of any Marquise of Brandenburg is after the year 927. For Henry I. Emperor of Germany having overcome this part of the Country bestow'd it on Sigefride Earl of Rengelheim on condition that he should defend these Marches or outmost limits of the Empire against the Sclaves thereupon giving him the Title of Marckgraf or Marquise From this time we may reckon up three several Catalogues or Classes of the Marquises of Brandenburg beginning first with such as were not Hereditary Marquises but had that Title confer'd on them by the Emperor and enjoy'd it during his pleasure These were 1. Sigefride Earl of Rengelheim who was as we have said created the first Marquis of Brandenburg by the Emperor Henry the first in the year 927. Besides his exploits in several expeditions against the Slavonians he might justly lay claim to some more then ordinary preferment as being Brother to the Empress After his death 2. Gero Count of Altenburg and Mersburg was made Marquis by Otho the first He built the Monastery of Gerenrood which still retains his name Having govern'd a few years he left the Marquisate to 3. Bruno or Brumito Earl of Within and Burgraf of Zorbeck created Marquise by the same Emperor And by the permission of Otho the third his Son 4. Hugh succeeded who having been the Founder of Seven stately Monasteries in Italy died in the year 1001 and was succeeded by his Brother 5. Sigebart whom Otho the third made the first Marquise Elector His Son 6. Theodoric proved a great persecutor of the Heneti two of whose Princes he perswaded the Emperor Henry II. to hang up and all other Tribes of the neighbouring Slaves and Vandals But was at last overpower'd by them and being beaten out of all his Territories by Mistivoius Prince of the Obotriti was forced to end his days miserably in a Monastery at Magdeburg 7. Vdo Earl of Soltwedel within some years after encouraged with the assistance of the Emperor Conrad II. and the Archbishop of Magdeburg gave battel to the Slaves and having forc'd them out of their new Conquests was himself made Marquise of Brandenburg 8. Vdo II. succeeded his Father But joining afterwards wards with Rodolph Duke of Schwaben in a Rebellion against the Emperor Henry IV. he was by the same Emperor proscribed and his Marquisate given to 9. Primislaus King of the Obotriti and Ancestor to the Dukes of Mecklenburg After whose death the Marquisate was made Hereditary by the Emperor Frideric Barbarossa who conferr'd it upon Albert surnam'd Vrsus Prince of Anhalt and Marquise of Soltwedel From whom we may reckon the second Catalogue of Marquises in the order following 1. Albert created Elector and Duke of Saxony Brunswic c. in the place of Henry surnam'd the Lion 2. Otho Albert's Son succeeded by his Son 3. Otho II. who died without issue in the Holy War leaving the Marquisate to his Brother 4. Albert II. He died in the year 1221 and left his Dominions to his Son 5. John a great Benefactor to Francfurt upon the Oder His Son 6. Otho III. built Brandenburg in Prussia and liv'd all his reign which lasted about fifteen years in a continual warfare with the Archbishop of Magdeburg and Bishop of Halberstadt This man's Brother 7. John II. has left nothing memorable recorded of him save that he kept possession for some years of the Dukedom of Crossen which was pawn'd to him by Henry Duke of Vratislaw John the First 's third Son 8. Conrad obtain'd the Marquisate after the death of his two eldest Brothers and died very old and decrepit in the year 1303. His Son 9. John III. did not long outlive his Father but dying in the year 1305 left the Marquisate to his Brother 10. Waldemar who annex'd a good part of Lusatia which he won from the Marquise of Misnia to the Marquisate of Brandenburg His Nephew 11. Waldemar II. died within four years of his Uncle in the year 1323 having acted nothing worth the relating And yet shorter was the Government of his Brother 12. John IV. the last Marquise of the House of Anhalt After whose death which hapned within forty days after he was advanc'd to the Government the Marquisate escheating to the Empire for want of Heirs was given to 13. Lewis of Bavaria by his Father Lewis the Emperor He resigned to his Brother 14. Lewis II. surnamed the Roman because born at Rome who was succeeded by the Emperor's third Son 15. Otho Count Palatine of the Rhine He afterwards sold the Marquisate to the Emperor Charles IV. who gave it to his Son 16. Winceslaus But he had not enjoy'd it quite five years before he was upon his Father's
death Elected Emperor Whereupon he conferr'd the Marquisate of Brandenburg upon his Brother 17. Sigismund King of Hungary and Bohemia who succeeding his Brother in the Empire sold the Marquisate to Jodocus Duke of Moravia but afterwards having redeem'd it out of the hand of William Marquise of Misnia to whom Jodicus had mortgaged it conferr'd it upon Frideric Burggraf of Noremberg at the Council of Constance in the year 1417. From which time we may begin to reckon up the third and last Catalogue of the Marquises of Brandenburg as follows 1. Frideric Burggraf of Noremberg was in consideration of his good services done against the Rebels in Hungary and Bohemia created as before said Marquise of Brandenburg paying only for his Investiture 400000 Crowns His Son 2. Frideric II. succeeded his Father Surnamed for his peevish and cruel temper the Marquise with the Iron teeth He was made Duke of Pomeren by the Emperor Frideric III. but his Brother 3. Albert relinquished all but the bare Title in Pomeren leaving nothing to his Successors but the name which they have hitherto kept of Dukes of Pomeren However he is said to have been so remarkable at some acts of Chivalry that the usual Titles conferr'd on him by Pope Pius II. were Achilles Germanicus and Vlisses Teutonicus He died at Francfurt at the Election of the Emperor Maximilian in the year 1494. His Son 4. John is reported to have been a Prince as eloquent as his Father was valiant and therefore he is commonly stiled Cicero Germanicus He left the Marquisate in the year 1499 to his Son 5. Joachim As great a Lover as his Father was a Master of Eloquence Founder of the University at Francfurt and first authorizer of the Reform'd Religion in Brandenburg 6. Joachim II. succeeded his Father and in the year 1534 got himself and his followers no small credit in a brave Expedition against the Turks at that time the common Enemy of the German Empire His Son and Successor 7. John George govern'd a long time in peace and prosperity During his life his Son 8. Joachim Frideric was Administrator of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg and after his Father's death govern'd the Marquisate of Brandenburg with the same peaceable meekness and piety He had the usual blessing of good and religious men the happiness to be a Father of many Children whereof the eldest 9. John Sigismund succeeded him He married Ann Daughter of Albert-Frideric Duke of Prussia and Mary Eleanor his Wife Daughter of William I. Duke of Cleve who married his Daughter to the said Duke as he did all the rest to other Princes with promise that upon the decease of her Brethren without issue she and her Heirs should succeed to all his Territories Upon this Title the present Elector of Brandenburg lays claim to the Dukedoms of Cleve Juliers and Bergen or the Mountains with the County of Ravensburg 10. George-William Son to John Sigismund and the Lady Ann beforemention'd claim'd in his Mother's right the Dukedoms aforesaid together with the Barony of Ravenstein All which were parted betwixt him and his Cousin-German Wolfgangus Palatine of Newburg and Son of Magdalen younger Sister to Mary-Eleanor But falling out at last about the division of their Territories they engaged their Friends and Allies in the broil the Palatine having call'd in to his assistance the Forces of Spain and the Elector John Sigismund in behalf of his Son the Confederate States of the Netherlands After the death of Bugislaus Duke of Pomeren 't was hoped he might succeed into that Dukedom also but how the Swede balk'd those expectations in the Treaty of Munster we have already inform'd the Reader This Marquise's Son 11. Frideric William is at present Elector of Brandenburg a Prince wise valiant religious temperate chast and in a word master of all the noble virtues without the least mixture of vices of his Countryand Family He was born in the year 1620 and upon his Father's death declared Elector in the year 1656. He has several Children by both his Wives before mention'd whereof the eldest Son or Electoral Prince Charles Emile was born the sixth of February in the year 1655. Tho the Elector of Saxony was formerly look'd upon as a much more potent Prince then the Marquise of Brandenburg Strength and for that reason has always taken place of him at the Elections of the Emperors yet certainly the case is much alter'd at present and the many accessions to the Elector of Brandenburg's Dominions whereof the present Marquise and his predecessors have made themselves Masters in these last ages have render'd him the most powerful and formidable Prince next to the Austrian Family in the German Empire Besides the Marquisate of Brandenburg he challenges the Dukedoms of Magdeburg Preussen Juliers Cleves Bergen Stetin Pomeren Casubia Vandalia Silesia Crossen and Jagerndorff Again he writes himself Duke of Rugen Prince of Halberstadt and Minden Earl of the Marck and Ravensberg and lastly Baron of Ravenstein The Marquise of Brandenburg's chief interest seems to consist in a firm adherence to the King of Denmark Interest who possibly is the only Prince can secure him from the encroachments of his neighbour the Swede Next to the Swedes he is most jealous of the Dukes of Saxony as having observed them more favoured by the House of Austria in the controversie about the Dukedoms of Juliers and Cleves then himself This obliged him to compose the differences betwixt himself and the Duke of Newburg upon easier terms then otherwise he would have been willing to have done The King of Poland is another terrible neighbour on the coasts of Prussia and therefore the Elector not daring to repose too great a confidence in a Prince who pretends a right to the Ducal as well as Regal Prussia is obliged to keep a constant and strong Army upon those coasts In the year 1657 this question was moved Whether the Elector of Brandenburg might lawfully be deprived of all the Territories which he held in Prussia as Dependances on the Crown of Poland upon his having enter'd into a League with the King of Sweden at that time declared Enemy to Poland The Polish Lawyers urged in the affirmative that the Elector was the King of Poland's Vassal and therefore forfeited his Lands by entering into a Confederacy with his Master's Enemies But certainly when we consider in what a miserable condition poor King Casimir was and how unable to defend either himself or his Subjects and again how probable 't was that in this conjuncture the Swedish Army would have swallow'd up the whole Dukedom of Prussia as it had already the greatest part of the Kingdom of Poland without being obliged to quit the field by such a Treaty the Poles had greater reason to thank the Elector for preserving by this expedient some part of their King's Dominions from the common destruction then to condemn him for wisely shunning the ruin which King Casimir had brought upon this Kingdom There are
their due place The chief Rivers are the Weser by which all manner of Merchandise are convey'd from Bremen up as far as Brunswic Rivers Leina Innerste Ocker with some more of less note which supply the neighbourhood with Fish It is observable Forts that every-where in the Dukedom of Brunswic as well as in the County of Blackenburg you may meet with the Ruins of old Forts and Castles on the tops of high Hills and ragged Mountains which by most Antiquaries are conjectur'd to be the Reliques and Rudera of so many Roman Fortifications and an evident argument that the Seat of the war betwixt the Romans and the Germans was for some time at least in this part of the Empire I had rather think them the work of some Saxon Commanders when engaged in the defence of their Country and Paganism against the Assaults of Charles the Great or perhaps built by that mighty Emperor to secure his Conquests However thus much we may venture to conclude from these venerable Tents of Mars 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 that the Lower Saxons those especially that inhabited these parts were anciently a stout and warlike people men that were hardly conquer'd and afterwards with more difficulty kept in subjection And such their progeny are still reckon'd They are men of a larger size then most others of the German Nation and withall inur'd to a coarse fare and cold lodging Their ordinary diet is dry'd Swine's flesh and Sawsedges which they digest with as much ease as any of their neighbour Nations do their choicest delicacies From their great greediness in devouring this sort of diet they are usually call'd by the Hollanders and other Germans Speckmuffen or Bacon-guts With these meats they eat a black and harsh tasted bread made of the coarsest Wheat or Rye-meal This in their barbarous and rustic dialect they call Pumpernickell a compound that has no manner of affinity with any primitive in the High Dutch tongue Some of their learned men give this account of the word that a French Gentleman travelling this Country and being ask'd what he thought of this kind of bread made answer that it was bon pour cheval i. e. good diet for a Horse which words being not rightly proportion'd to the mouths of the Brunswic Bores that heard him were by them miserably corrupted into the word before-mention'd Their Land affords no Wine but they think that defect abundantly recompensed by the great quantities of Beer brew'd in most places of note The Brunswickers are not 't is true so complaisant in their behaviour and carriage as some other Germans which a Traveller may meet with but their unfeign'd humanity and hospitality will sufficiently atone for their want of Courtship They know how to be civil to a stranger without flattery and in in their entertainment of Travellers their performances are commonly as large as a French man's promise We have already in the description of the Dukedom of Luneburg acquainted the Reader that the whole Dukedom of the Lower Saxony which was afterwards subdivided into those of Brunswic and Luneburg was formerly subject to one Prince and we have there also given him an account of the first original of this Dominion with the continuance of it under several Princes during the union of its members The first division of these Territories hapned in the year 1264 at which time Duke Otho's two Sons Albert and John not liking to be copartners in the Government of the Lower Saxony divided the Land assigning to the former the City and Dukedom of Brunswic and to the later the other of Luneburg However upon the death of William Duke of Luneburg Grandchild to the foremention'd Duke John without issue male in the year 1368 the two Dukedoms were again jointly subject to Duke Magnus surnam'd Torquatus But in this they could not long continue for Torquatus's Sons as ambitious of independant and absolute Government as their predecessors again separated Courts Bernbard the elder Brother claiming this Dukedom to himself and assigning Luneburg to Henry his younger Brother After whose death his Son William surnam'd Victoriosus for his valorous exploits fell upon his Uncle Bernhard whom he reduc'd to those straits at last that he made him and his two Sons change Dukedoms with him From that time the Dukedom of Brunswic was enjoy'd by William and his Successors until the extirpation of that Line in Frideric Vlrich who died without issue A. D. 1634. In the year 1491 this Dukedom was divided by Henry the elder and his Brother Eric into two equal shares whereof all the Country betwixt the Rivers Deister and Leina together with the Territories of Gottingen and known by the name of the Dukedom of Brunswic-Wolfenbuttel remained in the possession of Henry But soon after Eric's Line upon the death of his Son Eric II. in Italy A. D. 1584. was extinct and these two Dukedoms again united in the House of Wolfenbuttel In which condition they remain'd till the death of Frideric Vlric before-mention'd After which the Dukedoms of Wolfenbuttel and Calenberg descended upon some younger Brothers of the House of Luneburg The famous and learned Prince Augustus was advanc'd to Wolfenbuttel where he is now succeeded by his Son Rodulphus Augustus Of these two Dukes the Reader may expect a larger character in the following description of the Palace at Wolfenbuttel 'T will not be impertinent in this place to relate for the Reader 's diversion the Romantic History of the first original of the ancient Guelphian Family 〈…〉 which formerly afforded Dukes at the same time of Bavaria and Saxony and of which the Dukes of Brunswic and Luneburg are now the sole Relicts The story goes thus Jermintrudis Countess of Altorf in Schwaben having accused a poor woman of Adultery and caused several severe punishments to be inflicted on her for having had twelve children at a birth was within a while after delivered of the same number her self and all of them Sons Her Husband Count Isenberd being absent at the time of her delivery she commanded the Midwife to kill eleven of them fearing possibly she her self might undergo the same punishment or scandal at least which the poor beggar woman had done upon her instigation The Midwife going to execute her Ladies barbarous commands was met by the Count returning home who enquiring what she carried in her Apron was answer'd Woelpen i. e. Whelps But suspecting the truth of what she said upon her refusal to shew them examining farther into the matter forc'd her to confess the whole story Upon which enjoining the old womans secresie and concealing the knowledg of the fact from his Countess he put out all the children to Nurse taking care their education should be answerable to their quality At the end of six years the Count invited to a great feast most of his own and his Lady's Relations to whom in the midst of their jollity he presented his eleven Sons all attired alike to their Mother who
very Church now almost nine hundred years old wherein his first Sermons were deliver'd But the great ornament of this Town is the Academia Julia or University founded by Julius Duke of Brunswic-Wolfenbuttel in the year 1576. Amongst other grand priviledges granted to this University by the Emperor Maximilian II. 't was order'd that its Rectors should for ever be honour'd with the Title and Dignity of Counts Palatine Whereupon Henry Julius Duke Julius's eldest Son and Bishop of Halberstadt was by his Father made the first Rector and before his succession to the Dukedom of Brunswic upon his Father's death founded the fair College which is still call'd Juleum novum These two Dukes procured for the use of the Professors and Students in this University a considerable Library of Books which since has been well augmented but comes far short of that at Wolfenbuttel Amongst some hundreds of Hebrew Greek Latin and Dutch Manuscripts of little value they have two old Volumes containing the Pentateuch in Hebrew written on Vellam in a fair and legible character For these two Books they tell us several Jewish Rabbies who pretend to more then ordinary skill in discerning the true Antiquity of such kind of Monuments in their own language have offer'd some hundred of Rix-dollars After the death of Duke Frideric Vlric the last Prince of the ancient House of Wolfenbuttel the Dukes of Lunenburg divided the Rectory of this University amongst them agreeing that each of the Dukes Regent should in his course supply that Office for one year and no more And in state it has ever since continued There is not any University in the German Empire that has bred up more eminent and learned men within the compass of one Century then Helmstadt Witness Joh. Caselius Jac. Horstius Val. Forsterius Reinerus Reineccius Hen. Meibomius Joh. Stukius Jac. Lampadius Conr. Hornejus c. and of late years the ingenious Calixti and incomparable Conringius IV. 〈◊〉 HANNOVER The Metropolis of the Dukedom of Calenberg whence the Duke's Palace was removed hither by George Duke of Brunswic-Calenberg upon the decease of the above-mention'd Frideric Vlric The Town was anciently call'd Lawenroda from the neighbouring Castle which was subject to Counts of that name About Henry the Lion's time it got the name of Hanover from a Ferry at this place over the River Leina as some imagine Han over in the old Dialect of the Lower Saxons signifying the same as the more modern High-Dutch haben uber i.e. to have or carry over There are yearly kept in this Town four Fairs during which there is always a vast concourse of Foreigners as well as Germans from all parts of the Empire These contribute exceedingly to the enriching of the Citizens but however a more considerable share of their wealth arises from their Breuhane a sweet and muddy sort of Beer which is hence exported in great quantities into the neighbouring Towns and Villages V. HAMELEN Hamelen An ancient City on the outmost confines of the Dukedom of Brunswic-Calenberg seated on the mouth of the River Hamel whence it has its name and the banks of the Weser This place is look'd upon as the Key to the whole Dukedom and is therefore better fortified and garrison'd then almost any other City in the Duke of Brunsic's Dominions The Records of this City relate a notable accident which hapned amongst the Burgers on the 26th day of June in the year 1284. The story is as follows The Citizens being strangely infested with Rats and having tried all imaginable expedients but in vain to rid themselves of these troublesom guests at last met with a stranger who undertook for a certain reward to do the feat The Burgers agreed to his proposals and the strange Gentleman immediately with his Tabret and Pipe draws after him all the Rats in the Town like so many Maurice-dancers to the River and there drowned them Returning for his reward it was denied him as being judg'd to great a recompense for so small a performance However less he could not be perswaded to take but left the Town in a rage threatning in a short time to be reveng'd Accordingly about a year after he came again and play'd the second part of the same Tune but with another Train after him For now he went attended with a great number of Children who follow'd him in at the mouth of a great Cave on the top of a neighbouring Hill call'd by the Burgers Koppel-berg and were never after heard of In remembrance of this sad accident the Citizens were wont for many year after as appears by several old Deeds and other Records in that City to date all their Indentures and Contracts such a year von unser kinder aussgang i.e. since the departure of our Children The street thro which they pass'd is to this day call'd Bungloese Strass or Tabret-street and on the top of the Mountain near the Cave's mouth is still to be seen a mounment of stone with this inscription Post duo CC mille post octoginta quaterque Annus hic est ille quo languet annus uterque Orbantur pueros centum etque triginta Johannis Et Pauli caros Hamelenses non sine damnis Fatur ut omnes eos vivos calvaria sorpsit Christe tuere reos ne tam mala res quibus obsit Which sorry piece of dogg'rel is there translated into two Distichs in the Nether Saxon Dialect much of the same strain The Principality of GRVBENHAGEN GRUBENHAGEN Name in the Dutch language signifies properly a Grove or Forest belonging to the ancient Family of the Grubes tho afterwards that word was appropriated to a Castle built by some of the said Family which in process of time communicated its name to the whole Principality Thus the Hague in Holland called by the Low Dutch s'Gravenhaghe which is ordinarily render'd in Latin by Haga Comitis had its name from the neighbouring Forest where it seems the Earls of that Province were anciently used to hunt And indeed this whole Principality is nothing else but a large Forest Hercynian Wood. most of it being a part of the Hartz or Sylva Hercynia mention'd by Roman Writers Julius Cesar in his Commentaries says that this Wood is at least nine days journey in bredth and of an unaccountable length Several men he tells us have travell'd forty days together strait forward in it but that no man durst ever yet boast that he had seen both ends of it The German word Hartz out of which without all question the Latins form'd their Hercynia signifies properly Rosin or Pitch which is nothing else but the liquor distill'd out of the Pine and Fir-trees the only Timber wherewith this Forest abounds Since the Empire began to be cultivated and the inhabitants understood the advantage of uniting themselves into Cities and Corporations the Hercynian Wood has in many places been converted into great Towns and large Corn-fields but yet passing over these 't is still easie to track it
them in the year 1648 which have not since been rebuilt However the place is still beautified with a fair Church College and Town-Hall and the Streets especially the Market-place which is in an exact square are generally neat and uniform Oelsse had anciently its own Duke who kept his residence in that City but upon the death of Duke Conrad the Eighth in the year 1492. the Dukedom was given to the Dukes of Munsterberg who have ever since been Lords of it In this Principality are reckon'd the small Cities of Bernstatt Festenberg Kunstatt Stroppen Mosebahr Hundsfeld and Trebnitz VI. The City and Dukedom of BRESLAW BRESLAW or Wratislavia the Metropolis of Silesia has its name from Wratislaus a Bohemian Prince its first Founder whence the Citizens bear a great W in their Coat of Arms to this day 'T is seated at the confluence of the two Rivers Oder and Ohla in a rich and pleasant Country Towards the North indeed there are some Marshes and moist fields whence are now and then some unwholesome gales sent into the Town and the whole City is reported to have been built in the place of a great Pond dried up The Citizens who are exceedingly numerous by reason of their great Traffick with the Hungarians Bohemians Polanders and other foreign Merchants who resort hither are said to be as neat and gentile in their Clothes and Cookery as any other of the Emperor's Subjects whatever Breslawers love to be esteem'd immediate members of the German Empire and cannot endure to be reckon'd a part of the Kingdom of Bohemia Hence 't is that they have obtain'd leave of the Emperors to bear the spred Eagle in their Escutcheon and that they petitioned Charles V. to confirm their priviledges For this reason M. Boregius a Breslawer who wrote a Chronicle of the Kings of Bohemia ranks Breslaw among the Imperial Cities but ne're mention it with the King of Bohemia's Towns altho it be certain that 't was formerly subject to that Prince This Goldastus in his learned Treatise of the Kingdom of Bchemia evidently proves notwithstanding what is usually alledg'd as an argument to the contrary by some ignorant and silly Historians that it was once one of the Hans-Towns The generality of the buildings in this City are fair and stately only on the banks of the Oder stand four old fashion'd Fabricks with Turrets on the top which the Antiquaries of this place fancy to have been the ancient Palaces of so many Schwabish Princes who in former days were Lords of this City Besides the vast traffick of the Citizens the Town is famous for a Bishop's See and an University wherein have been bred many learn'd men and some great Writers The Bishops of this Diocese who had anciently the Epiphet or Title of Golden given them from their vast revenues are put in by the King of Bohemia whom they acknowledg their supreme Head at least in Temporals 'T is a receiv'd Tradition in these parts that the Kings of Bohemia have no power to promote a stranger to any Bishopric in Silesia so that a Bohemian is no more capable of being advanced to one of their Dioceses then a Silesian is of being preferr'd to the Archbishopric of Prague But how false this report is Historians will sufficiently inform us Boleslaus Dukedom surnam'd the Long a Polish Prince was created the first Duke of Breslaw and Lignitz by the Emperor Frideric in the year 1163. But these kind of petty Princes not being able to secure their Territories and especially this large and rich City which was a bait sufficient to tempt the most potent Prince of the neighbourhood from the incursions of the Tartars Polanders and other foreign Enemies the Citizens of Breslaw were forced to put themselves under the protection of the Kings of Bohemia or as they will have it Emperors of Germany to whom they are now immediately subject VII The Town and Dukedom of LIGNITZ LIGNITZ a fair City on the banks of a small Rivulet call'd Katsbach is thought to have its name from the Lygii City a German people the ancient inhabitants of this part of Silesia About the year of Christ 1170 this Town was much enlarg'd beautified and fortified by Boleslaus the Long the first Duke of Lignitz After him Duke Frideric the second so far improv'd his predecessor Boleslaus's undertakings that in the year 1532 it became one of the best fortified Cities next to Breslaw in all Silesia Things best worth seeing in the Town are the Hospital the Town-Hall and Castle The Dukedom of Lignitz is reckon'd one of the best Corn-Countries in Silesia Dukedom and affords near as great plenty of the Terra Sigillata as the Dukedom of Schweidnitz especially the white sort which is here more plentiful then in any other Province The whole is commonly subdivided into seven Circles whereof four have names from the four Cities of Luben Parchwitz Hayn and Goldberg and the other three are the division of the barren or desert part of the Dukedom VIII The Ducal Cities of JAWER SCHWEIDNITZ BRIEG MONSTERBERG and OPPELEN THE City of Jawer is seated in a pleasant Valley Jawer tho not far distant from the rugged Crags and Mountains which separate Silesia from the Kingdom of Bohemia It has not the advantage of any River near it so that all the fortifications it has are high Rampires and deep Ditches There is little of note in the Town but the Church burnt down in the late Civil Wars A. D. 1648. but rebuilt more stately then before and the Castle wherein resides the Lieutenant of the two Dukedoms of Jawer and Schweidnitz The Emperor Charles IV. King of Bohemia married Ann Daughter of Henry II. Duke of Javer who with his Brother Bolco Duke of Schweidnitz died without issue whereupon these two Dukedoms were more immediately subjected to the Kings of Bohemia in whose hands they still remain To the Dukedom of Javer belong the Towns of Buntzlau Lemberg Schonau Greiffenberg Lahn Fridberg Lubenthal Schmideberg Naumburg upon the Queiss Kupfferberg and Hirschberg 2. SCHWEIDNITZ or Schweinnitz Schweidnitz has its name from the great Herds of wild Swine which were harbour'd in this place before the Forest was cut down in the year 1070. Whence the Arms of the Town are a wild Boar. It was afterwards much enlarged by Boleslaus I. who fortified it with Walls and Rampires and beautified it with several fair buildings so that 't is now one of the finest Cities in Silesia The most remarkable sight in the Town next to the Churches and other publick buildings is the great Gun in the Armory which carries a Bullet of three hundred and twenty pound weight This is by Schickfusius in his Preface to Curaeus's Chronicle of Silesia very improperly reckon'd amongst the great and extraordinary blessings which the Almighty has been pleased to bestow on some of the Cities in Silesia In the Dukedom of Schweidnitz are the Towns of Strigau memorable as we have already acquainted
we add the Revenue of all the Demesns immediately subject to these Princes and the Church-lands which after the Reformation were annex'd to the Electoral Estate we may probably find the sum arise much higher But now adays the case is alter'd and the greatest share of the Riches as well as Honours anciciently appropriated to this House is enjoy'd by the Duke of Bavaria The state of Religion 〈◊〉 both in the Upper and Lower Palatinate has been exceedingly chang'd and varied since the first introducing of the Augsburg Confession by Count Frideric II. For Frideric III. set up the Doctrine and Discipline of John Calvin which soon after his death was thrown out by Ludowic V. a restorer of Lutheranism His Son Frideric IV. brought the Calvinists once more in play for the satisfaction chiefly of his beggarly Courtiers who knew no readier way of raising their Fortunes then by invading the Tythes and Glebe with the other poor remainders of the Church's Patrimony By which means the Clergy being reduc'd says Dr. Heylin to miserable short stipends under the name of a Competency became so contemptible and neglected by all sorts of men that at last the Church of the Palatinate was in the same condition with the Church of Israel under the reign of Jeroboam when Priests were made out of the meanest of the people But a Church reduc'd to these straits was not like to be of any durable continuance but to end ere long in misery Accordingly the Bavarians and Spaniards soon after this havock made of the Church fell upon them and took away their ill-gotten Estates and starv'd Religion leaving in the place of the latter the Idolatry and Superstition of the Church of Rome which is to this day openly profess'd in most parts of the Elector Palatine's Dominions notwithstanding his own firm adherence to the Doctrines of the Calvinists The Chief Cities in the Lower PALATINATE HEYDELBERG is the Metropolis of the Lower Palatinate and as some would have it of all Swaben 'T is seated on the Neccar which parts Swaben and Franconia It has its name from a little sort of shrub resembling Myrtle the fruit whereof growing plentifully on the Hills round this City the Germans call Heidelbeeren whence Latin Authors write the name of this Town Myrtillorum mons and Myrtilletum 'T is compass'd round with Hills cover'd with Vines except only towards the West which way you have a good prospect over a large and pleasant plain The Town is neither large nor very populous its chief beauty consisting in one fair street set off with an uniform Market place The Elector's Palace on the ascent of the hill Konigstul which overlooks the whole Town is a stately Fabrick beautified with a great many delicate Gardens Grottoes c. Not far distant from which stands a strong Tower which for its fortifications and heighth is hardly to be parallel'd in the German Empire 'T was formerly call'd Trutzkayser or Defiance to the Emperor but since the restauration of the late Elector that disobliging name has been abolish'd and 't is now call'd from some new Works made round it in form of a Star Stern-schantz or Star-fort But the most remarkable thing in this Palace and indeed in Heydelberg is the great Wine-fat Great Tun mention'd by all that travel this Country under the name of the Tun at Heydelberg That which is now to be seen in an outer building near the Palace was built by the order of the last Elector Charles-Ludowic and far exceeds any of the former It contains above 204 Fudder of Wine which amounts to about 200 Tun of our English measure Instead of Hoops it is built with large Trees of knee Timber like the ribs of a Ship which have several Inscriptions painted and carv'd upon them and are supported by carv'd pedestals Upon one side of the Vessel you have a handsom Stair-case leading to the top where you meet with a Gallery set round with Ballisters three and forty steps from the ground Before the year 1664 in which year this was built the old Tun tho one of the wonders of the German Nation was not comparable to this 'T was encircled with great Hoops of Iron each of which are said to have weigh'd 12200 pound It contain'd only 132 Fudder of Wine and there were no more then seventeen steps to the stop The University was founded by Count Rupert in the year 1387 Vniversity tho some will needs have it ten years older and others near forty It is still much frequented and has given education to many eminent men in former days Witness R. Agricola Munster H. Buschius Xylander Paul Cisner Pacius Franciscus Junius P F. Smetius Freherus and Janus Gruterus In the great Church Library dedicate to the Holy Ghost was formerly kept the Elector's Library of which the learned Scaliger in one of his Epistles to Janus Gruterus gives this account Indicem Bibliothecae vestrae sedulo legi Locupletior est meliorum Librorum quam Vaticana One great part of this Collection was the Library of the Monastery of Sponheim to which says Trithemius in a Letter to Damius Curtensis A.D. 1507 no Library in the German Empire is worthy to be compar'd either for the rarity or multitude of Books especially its Manuscripts in the Hebrew Greek Latin Chaldaean Arabic Indian Russian Tartarian Italian French German and Bohemian languages But this Treasure of Learning was siezed on and plunder'd by the Spanish forces who took Heydelberg in the year 1620. At which time a considerable number of choice Books were trodden to dirt and the rest carried over the Alps to the Vatican where they may still be seen in a long Gallery over against the Duke of Vrbin's Library 2. WORMES Wormes tho more immediately subject to the Bishop of that place is reckon'd the second Town in the Lower Palatinate Freher a man admirably skill'd in the Antiquities of this Country says that 't was anciently the Metropolis of the Vangiones the old inhabitants of these parts and that within these few years was to be seen this Inscription in Capital Letters over the Peacock-Gate SPECULA VANGIONUM But Cluverius tells us it s old name was Bormitomagus or Borbetomagus corrupted afterwards into Vorvetomagus Vorvemagus Vormagia Guarmacia and at last Wormacia The Imperial Chamber was formerly kept here and in those days Worms was one of the most considerable Towns in the Empire Munster says that in his time 200 Cities Great Towns and Villages lay so near this City that their inhabitants could daily bring into Worms such provision as their Country afforded and return home at night to their respective dwellings But the many calamities which this place and the neighbourhood underwent in the Civil Wars of Germany and by the late incursions of the French forces not to mention the miseries they have suffer'd by the often rebellion of the Citizens against their Bishop have mightily alter'd the case and there is now nothing of
the Eastern banks of the Rhine is a Province of no large extent but exceedingly fruitful in Corn Wine and Hemp. The Country is every-where very populous and the Villages so thick that the whole Marquisate has been by some compared to one continued City with fair Gardens interlac'd among the buildings Entz 〈◊〉 Wirmb Phintz and the other Rivers afford plenty of Fish And the Chases and Parks are so well stock'd with Venison and Fowl that what the Nobility in other parts of the German Empire covet as a delicacy the Rustics of Baden have for their ordinary food The Merchants of Amsterdam Antwerp and other great trading Towns in the Netherlands furnish themselves hence with those vast quantities of Flax and Hemp which they transport into foreign Nations so that what passes for Holland Flax here in England grows for the most part in the Marquisate of Baden and is brought thence down the Rhine There are in this Country whole Woods of Chesnut Trees which feed their great Herds of Swine at a cheaper rate then the Hog-Merchants of Whestphalia who buy their Chesnuts at Bremen can afford to do The Quarries give the inhabitants an advantage of building fair Houses with a small cost 〈◊〉 providing them with a good Free-stone and Marble of all colours Amongst these especially in the County of Sponheim they sometimes find Agat which is here rarely polish'd and sent into foreign Countries 〈◊〉 But this Marquisate is most peculiarly happy in the multitude and goodness of its hot Baths and Mineral-waters especially at Baden of which more anon 〈◊〉 From the vast conflux of the Nobility from all parts of the Empire to these Baths we may reasonably imagine that the complaisant carriage towards strangers which we find every-where practis'd by the inhabitants of this Country has in a great measure proceeded from their conversation with strangers who flock hither upon the strong conceit they have of the more then ordinary virtues of these waters They are generally a stout and hardy people inur'd to labour and toil or the severities of a Camp from their their Cradle Hence they come to be reckon'd as good Soldiers as any in the Emperor's Dominions And 't is not a little Honour the Country has got this last year 1681 in having their Marquise Herman made choice of to succeed the late famous Commander Montecuculi in the place of General of all the Imperial Forces No question the Marquises of this Country are descended of an ancient stock of Princes Marquises but of what old Family they are to be reputed a branch the German Heraulds can scarce determine Some fetch them from the Vrsins and others from the House of Della Scala or the Scaligers Some again labour to prove that Baden and Hochberg are different Families and others that they are but one Other Genealogists tell us that the Emperor Frideric Barbaressa brought Herman Marquise of Verona out of Italy and made him the first Marquise of Hochberg and Baden A. D. 1155. Which will very ill agree with what the best High Dutch Historians report of a Monastery being founded by Herman Marquise of Baden in his Village of Backenau A. D. 1116 which was confirm'd by Bruno Bishop of Spire in the year 1122. The most probable opinion is that they are descended from the ancient Counts of Vindonissa and Altemburg in Switzerland from whom also the Dukes of Zeringuen and Tek the Counts of Habspurg and the Arch-Dukes of Austria derive their original At present there are two Families of the Marquises of Baden whereof one is a profess'd Lutheran and the other a zealous Papist For this reason their interests seem different the Marquise of Durlach associating himself with the Count Palatine the Marquise of Brandenburg the Duke of Wirtenberg and the Count of Solms and the Marquise of Baden with the Dukes of Bavaria Savoy and Lorrain and the Princes of Hohernzollern Each of these Princes stiles himself Marquise of Baden and Hochberg Landgrave of Sausenberg Earl of Sponheim and Eberstein Lord of Rotel Badenweiler Lohr and Mahlberg The Chief Cities in the Marquisate of BADEN BADEN is the Metropolis of this Marquisate Baden and has its name from the vast number of Hot Baths in this place which are said to be above three hundred The Town stands amongst Hills on a craggy and uneven spot of ground so that there 's hardly a strait and plain street in it Some of the Baths are scalding hot and all of them running out of Rocks of Brimstone Salt and Allum have the same tast One of them is call'd the Kettle out of which the water boils at a wonderful rate reeking as if set over a Furnace These waters are reckon'd soveraign medicines for several diseases especially the Cramp and Gout both which distempers have been admirably cur'd by them For this reason there is a continual resort of the German Nobility and Gentry who flock hither in as great companies during the whole Summer as our English Gentry are wont to do to Bath in Somersetshire See Joh. Keiffer's description of the Baths of this Country 2. Durlach DURLACH is seated on the bank of the River Psintz at the bottom of a high hill on the top whereof stands a Tower wherein contintial watch is kept for the security of the City The streets in this Town are generally fair and strait and the buildings stately and uniform The Marquise's Palace far excells that at Baden and is large enough to receive the Court and Attendants of the greatest Monarch in Europe There is a Gymnasium kept up by some few Professors who read public Lectures in the several Faculties But that which is most worthy a Scholar's sight is the rare Collection of ancient Coins and Meddals in the Marquise's Cabinet and the Library adjoining wherein are some pieces of good note 3. PFORTZHEIM says Rhenanus Pfortzheim was anciently call'd Orcynheim and by Latin Authors Porta Hercyniae because 't is seated at the entrance into the Schwartzwald a part of the Hercynian Forest as you travel from Spire On one side of the Town you have fair Meadows Pasture-grounds and Corn-fields but the other side is nothing but Mountains and Woods This Town was formerly subject to the Dukes of Schwaben but fell afterwards upon the death of Conradine the last Duke of that Country into the hands of the Marquises of Baden who are now Lords of it 4. GERSBACH is a Town of no great extent Gersbach having in it only two Churches whereof one is frequented by Lutherans and the other by Papists The Marquises of Baden as Counts of Eberstein a Castle not far from this Town have here a Palace and Court of Judicature for the determining all Controversies and Law-suits arising within the bounds of this small County 5. BADENWEILER a City betwixt Freyburg and Basil Badenweiler is a part of the Marquisate of Baden tho seated in the Territories of Brisach The hot Baths of this