Chapter XVI: The City of Rome in the Middle Ages

Rapid Decline of the City after the Gothic Wars 273
Her Condition in the Dark Ages 274
Republican Revival of the Twelfth Century 276
Character and Ideas of Nicholas Rienzi 278
Social State of Mediæval Rome 280
Visits of the Teutonic Emperors 282
Revolts against them 284
Existing Traces of their Presence in Rome 286
Want of Mediæval, and especially of Gothic Buildings, in
Modern Rome 289
Causes of this; Ravages of Enemies and Citizens 291
Modern Restorations 292
Surviving Features of truly Mediæval Architecture--the
Bell-towers 294
The Roman Church and the Roman City 296
Rome since the Revolution 299

CHAPTER XVII.
The Renaissance: Change in the Character of the Empire.

Weakness of Germany 302
Loss of Imperial Territories 303
Gradual Change in the Germanic Constitution 307
Beginning of the Predominance of the Hapsburgs 310
The Discovery of America 311
The Renaissance and its Effects on the Empire 311
Projects of Constitutional Reform 313
Changes of Title 316

CHAPTER XVIII.
The Reformation and its Effects upon the Empire.

Accession of Charles V 319
His Attitude towards the Reformation 321
Issue of his Attempts at Coercion 322
Spirit and Essence of the Religious Movement 325
Its Influence on the Doctrine of the Visible Church 327
How far it promoted Civil and Religious Liberty 329
Its Effect upon the Mediæval Theory of the Empire 332
Upon the Position of the Emperor in Europe 333
Dissensions in Germany 334
The Thirty Years' War 335

CHAPTER XIX.
The Peace of Westphalia: Last Stage in the Decline
of the Empire.

Political Import of the Peace of Westphalia 337
Hippolytus a Lapide and his Book 339
Changes in the Germanic Constitution 340
Narrowed Bounds of the Empire 341
Condition of Germany after the Peace 342
The Balance of Power 345
The Hapsburg Emperors and their Policy 348
The Emperor Charles VII 351
The Empire in its last Phase 352
Feelings of the German People 354

CHAPTER XX.
Fall of the Empire.

The Emperor Francis II 356
Napoleon as the Representative of the Carolingians 357
The French Empire 360
Napoleon's German Policy 361
The Confederation of the Rhine 362
End of the Empire 363
The German Confederation 364