File:Ridpath's history of the world - being an account of the principal events in the career of the human race from the beginnings of civilization to the present time - comprising the development of social (14780803315).jpg

Identifier: ridpathshist03ridp (find matches)
Title: Ridpath's history of the world : being an account of the principal events in the career of the human race from the beginnings of civilization to the present time : comprising the development of social institutions and the story of all nations
Year: 1800 (1800s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects: World history
Publisher: Cincinnatti : The Jones brothers New York : Merrill & Baker
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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rteen hundred men, and even these werewithout experience in war, being farmers,fishermen, and herdsmen, armed with pikesand battle-axes. The two armies met in thepass of Sempach, and never did the pi-obabil-ity of victory incline more strongly to one ofthe contending forces than now to the sideof Austria. The lines of I>eopold as they ad-vanced to battle looked like a solid wall of a valor worthy of their leader. They b iwedright and left, and the strong knights of Sua-bia fell prostrate under the tremendous blowsof the Swiss battle-axes. The gap was wid-ened, and the whole force of mountaineersrushed through the Austrian lines. Leopoldand seven hundred of his leading knightswere slain. The rest were turned to flightand scattered in all directions. The battlewas really decisive of the fate of Switzerland.The free spirit of the men of the mountainswas never again in such serious peril ofextinction. The effect of the victory of Sempach wasto inspire the Suabian cities to continue the
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94 UNIVERSAL HISTORY.—THE MODERN WORLD. war iu which they were engaged with thenobles. But they were destined to humilia-tion and defeat. In the battles of Doffiuginand Worms the citizen army was overthrownand ruined. The privileges of the muuicipal-ities were taken away, and in 1389 they wereformally forbidden by a diet to form anotherunion. AVenceslaiis exerted himself to theutmost to enforce the decree, and the attemptto form a Suabian Republic was thwarted bythe united efforts of the king and the princes.Like his father, Wenceslaiis was essentiallyBohemian in his tastes and preferences. Hemade Prague his capital, and discriminated inother ways against the Western and Southernstates of the Empire. As a ruler, he dis-played all the ferocious qualities of a bar-barian monarch. An executioner stood everat his right hand, ready to do his bidding.Packs of l)loodhounds were kept in the royal kennels, ready tobe loosed uponany and all whochanced to giveoffense. He glo-ried in brutalitya

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