Ebook The Revolutions, Insurrections and Conspiracies of Europe

The three great Revolutions which have chie?y generated the social condition of Europe in the Middle Ages appear to have been the political establishment of Christianity — the establishment of energetic, though almost barbarous, races as an ascendancy over races enfeebled by corrupt civi Iization; — and the struggle for existence which the system resulting from the former causes had to maintain against the rival system of Mohamme danism while yet in the first fire and vigour of its youth. I have endeavoured to present these Revolutions to modern readers with somewhat of the same aspect which they displayed to their con temporaries, and the persons actually engaged in them. For this purpose I have hunted over old chronicles, searched cut legends, and studied bal lads; believing it to be important to know, not only how men acted, but how they felt while act ing. Evil deeds have been done, and will continue to be done, from the best motives; and we lose no small portion of the benefit of historic example, when we pronounce sentence on a result without bestowing full consideration on its antecedents.