Thus
Maximilian cuts a figure in history far inferior to that made by his
grandson, Charles V., whom he nevertheless excelled in every personal
quality, except the most needful of all, force of character; and, in
like manner, his remote descendant, the narrow-minded Ferdinand of
Styria, gained his ends, though the able and brilliant Joseph II. was
to die broken-hearted, calling his reign a failure and mistake.
However, such terms as these could not be applied to Maximilian with
regard to home affairs. He has had hard measure from those who have
only regarded his vacillating foreign policy, especially with respect
to Italy--ever the temptation and the bane of Austria; but even here
much of his uncertain conduct was owing to the unfulfilled promises
of what he himself called his "realm of kings," and a sovereign can
only justly be estimated by his domestic policy. The contrast of the
empire before his time with the subsequent Germany is that of chaos
with order. Since the death of Friedrich II. the Imperial title had
been a mockery, making the prince who chanced to bear it a mere mark
for the spite of his rivals; there was no centre of justice, no
appeal; everybody might make war on everybody, with the sole
preliminary of exchanging a challenge; "fist-right" was the
acknowledged law of the land; and, except in the free cities, and
under such a happy accident as a right-minded prince here and there,
the state of Germany seems to have been rather worse than that of
Scotland from Bruce to the union of the Crowns.
Pages:
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310