Chapter I: Preface

The purpose of this volume is to present, in harmony with the popular character of the series of which it is a part, brief sketches of some of the most familiarly named men and well-known incidents in the history of Western Civilization. The plan upon which the work is constructed assumes that the broad highway of historical narrative must be followed, however attractive may be the deviations from it that offer themselves at almost every page. The story told here has been told often before and very frequently the telling of it has come from master hands of literature. It is no easy task to reproduce, in a condensed form, material so often handled under much more generous limitations of space than are possible in this work. An attempt has been made, however, to escape from the bald tabular method of recording historical happenings that is almost certain to make a continuous reading of text-book history an impossibility. This must be the apology for many omissions; not only had the temptation to generalize to be resisted in favor of what might be called a process of arbitrary selection but many things are passed over in order to give appropriate emphasis in treating the matters which do actually appear in a narrative. If the volume had aimed at comprehensiveness, many more conquests would necessarily have been described and the list of characters and leaders in large numbers of military campaigns could of course be almost indefinitely enlarged. One can say in any case that though such additions will naturally suggest themselves, there is less doubt as to the claim of the leaders and events selected to appear with the prominence here assigned to them. If there has been a guiding principle in the selection, it may be found in the deliberate choice made of widely different periods of history. What may be called the group conquest is best illustrated in the case of the Ottoman Sultans and the Spanish Conquistadors, whereas the personal factor of the conqueror comes intensively forward in the chapters describing Alexander, Cæsar, and Napoleon. Although the military aspect of the history of conquest has not been neglected, the other less visible elements that ushered in great changes in history have not been omitted. In the preparation of the volume some attempt has been made to incorporate methods, points of view, and material that might not be accessible to those not concerned with the range of literature to which the ordinary student of history must appeal. It is only fair, therefore, to express my obligations to the following works. In the chapters dealing with ancient history, Beloch’s “Griechische Geschichte,” Delbrück’s “Kriegs Geschichte,” Kaerst’s “Geschichte des Hellenismus” and Heitland’s “History of the Roman Republic” have been largely used. In the chapter on Charles the Great, apart from Hodgkin’s well-known volumes “Italy and Her Invaders,” I have drawn upon Hartmann’s “Geschichte Italiens,” Ranke’s “Welt Geschichte,” Hauck’s “Kirchen Geschichte” and Lavisse’s “Histoire de France.” For the Ottoman conquest Professor Jorga’s two recently published volumes, “Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches,” have been found especially useful because the author is thoroughly acquainted with the authorities both Slavonic and Turkish not previously accessible to Occidental scholars. In the chapter on the Spanish Conquest use has been made of Payne’s “History of the New World,” MacNutt’s “Life of Las Casas,” and in the narrative portion Garcia’s “Character de la Conquista Española” has been found especially valuable. In the life of Napoleon, which offers the most serious difficulties in applying any accepted method of condensation, the well-known volumes of Fournier and portions of the “Histoire Générale” of Lavisse and Rambaud have been followed. Much help has been received from Professor W. P. Trent, the editor of the series; in the arduous task of revision, I wish to express my special obligations for time and work ungrudgingly given by my colleague, the Rev. S. L. Tyson of the University of the South, and I cannot pass over aid of the same kind received from Mr. Karl Schmidt of the New York _Churchman_.

W. L. B.

SEWANEE, TENN., _January, 1913_.

CONTENTS

ALEXANDER THE GREAT PAGE

I INTRODUCTORY 3

II THE CONQUEST OF GREECE 4

III THE CONQUEST OF PERSIA 17

IV THE INVASION OF INDIA 34

V ALEXANDER’S EMPIRE 48

CÆSAR

I CÆSAR’S BEGINNINGS 65

II ALLIANCE WITH POMPEIUS AND CRASSUS 75

III THE CONQUEST OF GAUL 84

IV THE BREAK WITH POMPEIUS AND THE SENATE 102

V CÆSAR SUPREME 119

CHARLES THE GREAT

I INTRODUCTORY 134

II CONSOLIDATION OF RULE 140

III THE CONQUEST OF THE SAXONS 144

IV OTHER MILITARY ACHIEVEMENTS 150

V THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WESTERN EMPIRE 158

VI CLOSING YEARS 166

VII THE CONSTITUTION OF THE EMPIRE 172

VIII CAROLINGIAN CULTURE 180

IX ECONOMIC CONDITIONS 189

X THE CHURCH 198

XI THE EMPIRE WITHOUT AND WITHIN 203

THE OTTOMANS

I OSMAN 213

II MURAD I 219

III BAJESID 235

IV MURAD II 244

V MOHAMMED II 253

VI SELIM AND SOULIMAN 272

VII THE DECLINE OF THE OTTOMANS 280

SPANISH CONQUERORS

I THE SPANIARD AND THE NEW WORLD 293

II THE CAREER OF CORTEZ 322

III THE INCAS 350

IV PIZARRO 357

NAPOLEON

I EARLY YEARS 371

II ITALY AND EGYPT 379

III THE FALL OF THE DIRECTORY 388

IV THE FIRST CONSUL 393

V THE INAUGURATION OF THE EMPIRE 407

VI AT THE ZENITH OF POWER 418

VII THE BEGINNING OF THE END 426

VIII DEFEAT AND EXILE 433

IX THE NAPOLEONIC RÉGIME 448

INDEX 465

PORTRAITS

CHARLES THE GREAT _Frontispiece_

ALEXANDER THE GREAT 3

CÆSAR 65

MOHAMMED II 253

SULEYMAN 276

CORTEZ 322

PIZARRO 357

NAPOLEON 371

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THE WORLD’S LEADING CONQUERORS

* * * * *

ALEXANDER THE GREAT