(1000-1100.)

GERMANY. The German, or Holy Roman, Empire is the leading power in Europe. Burgundy is united to it in 1032.

EASTERN EMPIRE. Early in the century the Eastern Empire is the chief of the Christian powers. Its dominion is larger than at any time since the invasion of the Saracens and Slaves. Towards the close of the century the empire falls back greatly, losing nearly all its possessions in Asia, which are wrested from it by the Seljuk Turks. See ROUM, infra.

SARACENS. The Caliphate of Cordova comes to an end in 1031, and Spain is invaded by the Almoravides from Africa. The Saracenic power in the East passes into the hands of the Seljuk Turks, a Tartar tribe from Central Asia. (See below, under ROUM.) The kingdom of the Fatimites continues in Africa. Sicily is lost to the Normans.

FRANCE is becoming more and more a kingdom, with some loss of territory at the beginning, but an increase towards the close, of the century.

DENMARK, NORWAY, and SWEDEN reach the height of their power near the beginning of this century.

ENGLAND is won by the Danes in the first part of this century, and conquered by the Normans (from Normandy) in 1066.

BURGUNDY. See above, under GERMANY.

CASTILE becomes a kingdom in 1026. See below, under LEON.

ARAGON becomes a kingdom in 1035.

LEON is united to Castile in 1037.

SICILY is invaded by the Normans (from Normandy) in 1062, and in 1130 the kingdom of Sicily is formed, comprising both the island of that name and the southern part of the Italian peninsula.

RUSSIA, SERVIA, and HUNGARY are now Christian. powers, the former somewhat weakened by a division of its territory in 1026.

POLAND, BOHEMIA, PRUSSIA, and other countries still remain pagan.
BULGARIA restored to the Eastern Empire, 1018.

NORMANDY [NORMANS]. See above, under ENGLAND and SICILY.

ROUM. This kingdom is founded in Asia Minor in 1075 by the Seljuk Turks, a Tartar tribe from Central Asia, who take from the Saracens much of their power in the East, and from the Eastern Empire nearly all of its possessions in Asia.

JERUSALEM is wrested from the Saracens by the Turks (see under ROUM), and from the latter by the Crusaders, - by whom the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem was founded, 1099.

Canute (the Great), Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror.

Pope Sylvester II., Gregory VII. (Hildebrand), Abelard, Roscelin, Anselm, Bérenger (of Tours), Lanfranc, the Cid (Campeador).

ILLUSTRATIONS.

E

THE NORMAN CONQUEST OF ENGLAND.

The woman-hearted Confessor prepares

The evanescence of the Saxon line.

WORDSWORTH.

ARLY in the tenth century Norsemen (Northmen) from Scandinavia had settled in that province of France which from them became known as Normandy, and its inhabitants as Normans. They there became Christianized. In the eleventh century William (since known as the Conqueror), Duke of the Normans, coveting the throne of England, crossed the Channel and subdued that country in 1066 (battle of Hastings). The Normans became the ruling class in England.

1066. Then was, over all England, such a token seen in the heavens, as no man ever before saw. Some men said that it was cometa the star, which some men called the haired star. . . . And king Harold gathered so great a ship-force, and also a land-force, as no king here in the land had before done; because it was made known to him that William the bastard would come hither and win this land: all as it afterwards happened. — Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Then came William earl of Normandy into Pevensey, on the eve of St. Michael's-mass and soon after they were on their way, they constructed a castle at Hastings-port. This then was made known to king Harold, and he then gathered a great force, and came to meet him at the estuary of Appledore; and William came against him unawares, before his people were set in order. But the king never

theless strenuously fought against him with those men who would follow him; and there was great slaughter made on either hand. There was slain king Harold . . . and many good men; and the Frenchmen had possession of the place of carnage, all as God granted them for the people's sins. ·Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Yet shall a Third both these and thine subdew :
There shall a Lion from the sea-bord wood

Of Neustria come roring, with a crew

Of hungry whelpes, his battailous bold brood,
Whose clawes were newly dipt in cruddy blood.
That from the Daniske Tyrants head shall rend
Th' usurped crowne, as if that he were wood,
And the spoile of the countrey conquered
Emongst his young ones shall divide with bounty hed.

SPENSER.

It took many generations to trim, and comb, and perfume the first boatload of Norse pirates into royal highnesses and most noble Knights of the Garter; but every sparkle of ornament dates back to the Norse boat. - EMERSON.

The Norman Conquest is the great turning-point in the history of the English nation. Since the first settlement of the English in Britain, the introduction of Christianity is the only event which can compare with it in importance. And there is this wide difference between the two. The introduction of Christianity was an event which could hardly fail to happen sooner or later; in accepting the Gospel the English only followed the same law which, sooner or later, affected all the Teutonic nations. But the Norman Conquest is something which stands without a parallel in any other Teutonic land. - FREEMAN.

The whole importance of the Norman Conquest consists in the effect which it had on an existing nation, humbled indeed, but neither wiped out nor utterly enslaved, in the changes which it wrought on an existing constitution, which was by degrees greatly modified, but which was never either wholly abolished or wholly trampled under foot. — FREEMAN.

L'expédition normande apparaît comme un effet sans cause, un coup de flibustier, tenté en pleine paix, contre une nation qui avait en elle tous les éléments de grandeur et toutes les vertus nationales, germe