a most small and insignificant one. And it kindled Bohemia, and
kindled rhinoceros Zisca, into never-imagined flame of vengeance;
brought mere disaster, disgrace, and defeat on defeat to
Sigismund, and kept his hands full for the rest of his life,
however small he had thought it. As for the sublime four years'
deliberations and debates of this Sanhedrim of the Universe,--
eloquent debates, conducted, we may say, under such extent of WIG
as was never seen before or since,--they have fallen wholly to the
domain of Dryasdust; and amount, for mankind at this time, to zero
PLUS the Burning of Huss. On the whole, Burggraf Friedrich's
Electorship, and the first Hohenzollern to Brandenburg, is the one
good result.

Adieu, then, to Sigismund. Let us leave him at this his
culminating point, in the Market-place of Constance; red as a
flamingo; doing one act of importance, though unconsciously and
against his will.--I subjoin here, for refreshment of the reader's
memory, a Synopsis, or bare arithmetical List, of those
Intercalary Non-Hapsburg Kaisers, which, now that its original
small duty is done, may as well be printed as burnt:-


THE SEVEN INTERCALARY OR NON-HAPSBURG KAISERS.

Rudolf of Hapsburg died A.D. 1291, after a reign of eighteen
vigorous years, very useful to the Empire after its Anarchic
INTERREGNUM. He was succeeded, not by any of his own sons or
kindred, but by
  l. Adolf of Nassau, 1291-1298. A stalwart but necessitous Herr;
much concerned in the French projects of our Edward Longshanks:
<italic> miles stipendiarius Eduardi, <end italic> as the
Opposition party scornfully termed him. Slain in battle by the
Anti-Kaiser, Albrecht or Albert eldest son of Rudolf, who
thereupon became Kaiser.
  Albert I. (of Hapsburg, he), 1298-1308. Parricided, in that
latter year, at the Ford of the Reuss.
  2(a). Henry VII. of Luxemburg, 1308-1313; poisoned (1313) in
sacramental wine. The first of the Luxemburgers; who are marked
here, in their order, by the addition of an alphabetic letter.
  3. Ludwig der Baier, 1314-1347 (Duke of OBER-BAIERN, Upper
Bavaria; progenitor of the subsequent Kurfursts of Baiern, who are
COUSINS of the Pfalz Family).
  4(b). Karl IV., 1347-1378, Son of Johann of Bohemia (Johann
ICH-DIEN), and Grandson of Henry VII. Nicknamed the PFAFFEN-KAISER
(Parsons'-Kaiser). Karlsbad; the Golden Bull; Castle of
Tangermunde.
  5(c). Wenzel (or Wenceslaus), 1378-1400, Karl's eldest Son.
Elected 1378, still very young; deposed in 1400, Kaiser Rupert
succeeding. Continued King of Bohemia till his death (by Zisca
AT SECOND-HAND) nineteen years after. Had been Kaiser for twenty-
two years.
  6. Rupert of the Pfalz, 1400-1410; called Rupert KLEMM (Pincers,
Smith's_vice); Brother-in-law to Burggraf Friedrich VI.
(afterwards Kurfurst Friedrich I.), who marched with him to
Italy and often else-whither, Burggraf Johann the elder Brother-
in-law being then oftenest in Hungary with Sigismund, Karl IV.'s
second Son.
  7(d). Sigismund, 1410-1437, Wenzel's younger Brother; the fourth
and last of the Luxemburgers, seventh and last of the Intercalary
Kaisers. Sold Brandenburg, after thrice or oftener pawning it.
Sigismund SUPER-GRAMMATICAM.

Super~Grammaticam died 9th December, 1437; left only a Daughter,
wedded to the then Albert Duke of Austria; which Albert, on the
strength of this, came to the Kingship of Bohemia and of Hungary,
as his Wife's inheritance, and to the Empire by election.
Died thereupon in few months: "three crowns, Bohemia, Hungary, the
Reich, in that one year, 1438," say the old Historians; "and then
next year he quitted them all, for a fourth and more lasting
crown, as is hoped." Kaiser Albert II., 1438-1439: After whom all
are Hapsburgers,--excepting, if that is an exception, the unlucky
Karl VII. alone (1742-1745), who descends from Ludwig the Baier.



ENDS VOLUME II





End of Project Gutenberg's Etext History of Friedrich II of Prussia V 2

