And it may be urged with some force that German history in the fourteenth century cannot be studied without some attention being paid to Poland, Hungary, and Denmark; that the history of Venice and Florence cannot be isolated from that of Genoa and Pisa; and that even in tracing the growth of states which achieved some measure of unity it is necessary to note the absorption of the formerly distinct and independent provinces. I have stated the difficulty, which is indeed sufficiently obvious, but I cannot claim to have found a thoroughly satisfactory solution. My endeavour has been to make the narrative as clear and intelligible as the conflicting needs of conciseness and of frequent transitions will admit. I may perhaps point out to my readers that in an age in which dynastic interests and claims become of greater and greater importance, in which royal marriages are a prominent factor in international politics and vitally affect the growth of the greatest states, a careful study of genealogy is imperatively necessary. This will explain and justify the insertion of a number of genealogical tables in the Appendix, which the student of the period may find not the least useful part of the volume. R. LODGE. EDINBURGH, _April 1901_. CONTENTS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE x CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE xii I. GERMANY AND THE EMPIRE AFTER THE 1 INTERREGNUM, 1273-1313 II. ITALY AND THE PAPACY, 1273-1313 20 III. FRANCE UNDER THE LATER CAPETS, 43 1270-1328 IV. FRANCE UNDER THE EARLY VALOIS, 66 1328-1380 V. LEWIS THE BAVARIAN AND THE AVIGNON 98 POPES, 1314-1347 VI. CHARLES IV. AND THE GOLDEN BULL 109 VII. RISE OF THE SWISS CONFEDERATION 124 VIII. ITALY IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY, 139 1313-1402 IX. THE SCHISMS IN THE PAPACY AND 182 EMPIRE, 1378-1414 X. THE HUSSITE MOVEMENT AND THE COUNCIL 206 OF CONSTANCE, 1409-1418 XI. THE HUSSITE WARS AND THE COUNCIL OF 222 BASEL, 1419-1449 XII. MILAN AND VENICE IN THE FIFTEENTH 243 CENTURY, 1402-1494 XIII. NAPLES AND THE PAPAL STATES IN THE 265 FIFTEENTH CENTURY XIV. FLORENCE UNDER THE MEDICI 288 XV. BURGUNDIANS AND ARMAGNACS IN FRANCE, 315 1380-1435 XVI. REVIVAL OF THE FRENCH MONARCHY, 349 1435-1494 XVII. GERMANY AND THE HAPSBURG EMPERORS, 394 1437-1493 XVIII. THE HANSEATIC LEAGUE AND THE 419 SCANDINAVIAN KINGDOM XIX. THE TEUTONIC ORDER AND POLAND 451