114

V. COUNTRY AND TOWN AT THE END OF THE MIDDLE AGES 122

VI. THE REVOLT OF THE KNIGHTHOOD 154

VII. GENERAL SIGNS OF RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL REVOLT 174

VIII. THE GREAT RISING OF THE PEASANTS AND THE
ANABAPTIST MOVEMENT 183

IX. POST-MEDIAEVAL GERMANY 229

X. MODERN GERMAN CULTURE 263

PREFACE

The following pages aim at giving a general view of the social and
intellectual life of Germany from the end of the mediaeval period to
modern times. In the earlier portion of the book, the first half of
the sixteenth century in Germany is dealt with at much greater length
and in greater detail than the later period, a sketch of which forms
the subject of the last two chapters. The reason for this is to be
found in the fact that while the roots of the later German character
and culture are to be sought for in the life of this period, it is
comparatively little known to the average educated English reader. In
the early fifteenth century, during the Reformation era, German life
and culture in its widest sense began to consolidate themselves, and
at the same time to take on an originality which differentiated them
from the general life and culture of Western Europe as it was during
the Middle Ages.

To those who would fully appreciate the later developments, therefore,
it is essential thoroughly to understand the details of the social and
intellectual history of the time in question. For the later period
there are many more works of a generally popular character available
for the student and general reader. The chief aim of the sketch given
in Chapters IX and X is to bring into sharp relief those events which,
in the Author's view, represent more or less crucial stages in the
development of modern Germany.

For the earlier portion of the present volume an older work of the
Author's, now out of print, entitled _German Society at the Close of
the Middle Ages_, has been largely drawn upon. Reference, as will be
seen, has also been made in the course of the present work to two
other writings from the same pen which are still to be had for those
desirous of fuller information on their respective subjects, viz. _The
Peasants' War_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Anabaptists_ (Messrs.
George Allen & Unwin).

German Culture Past and Present