Myths and Legends Series: Germany by Lewis Spence, with Illustrations from Drawings and Famous Paintings.
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DESCRIPTION: Illustrated hardcover with dustjacket: 379 pages. Publisher: Bracken Books/Studio Editions (1985). Dimensions: 8¾ x 5¾ x 1½ inches; 1¼ pounds. Wild and wondrous tales accompany the Rhine on its long journey to the sea; through dense forests and narrow valleys, where mountains loom near to the dark waters, and past gaunt castles looking down from rocky crags. “Germany: Myths & Legends” is arranged so that the stories will illustrate a river journey from sea to source. Sitting on the deck of a Rhine steamer, one can read the legends relating to the various localities in their proper order as they are passed.
At the Zuider Zee, there is the story of the sunken city of Stavoren. At Oppenheim, the gruesome story of the Battle of Skeletons, a lingering folk memory from the all-too real horrors of the Thirty Years’ War. At Cologne, the story of Saint Ursula, who perished there with her retinue of eleven thousand virgins at the hands of barbarians from the North. And at Cleves, the legend of the Knight of the Swan, in which Lohengrin crosses swords with the awesome warrior Telramund for a fair lady’s hand.
From near Bonn comes a tale of the consequences of wealth attained by supernatural means. From across the river there is the beautiful legend of the Drachenfels, the “Dragon’s Rock”, where once dwelled a hideous monster. Passing the grim fortress of Stolzenfels, we read a strange take of alchemy. At Furstenberg the Tale of the Blind Archer. At Rheingrafenstein, the legend of a terrible bargain with Satan. And included, of course, is the greatest Rhine story of them all, the epic Nibelungenlied.
In the preparation of this book the author visited the Rhine, to breath in the atmosphere of mystery and ensure that these stories convey the real spirit of German legend. An introductory chapter describes the history of the region, its folklore, poetry, topography and customs, setting the scenes for the myths and legends that follow. The text is illustrated by thirty-two plates, based on drawings and collotypes by Louis Weirter.
Even today, as modern pleasure boats pass beneath the Lorelei Rock, the legend is told of the beautiful maiden who cast herself from it into the waters to join her shipwrecked lover in death; and there follows that lovely, haunting tune, with many of the passengers aboard spontaneously joining in. This are the ancient legends kept alive and retain their potent appeal.
CONDITION: VERY GOOD. Unread hardcover w/dustjacket. Bracken Books/Studio Editions (1985) 392 pages. Inside the book is absolutely pristine EXCEPT that the (original) owner wrote their name and acquisition date (Dec 1994) in red ink, neatly, at the top edge of the first free page (the first blank, unprinted page within the book). The pages are (otherwise) clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, and unread. There are also small, tan-colored age speckles/small splotches (known as "foxing") to the surfaces (top, bottom, and fore) of the closed page edges (of course visible only when book is closed, not to individual pages, only to the mass of closed page edges, sometimes referred to as the "page block"). The book is otherwise unblemished save for very mild edge and corner shelfwear to the dustjacket, principally in the form of faint crinkling/rubbing to the spine head, the top edge of the front side of the dustjacket, as well as (very faintly) to the dustjacket "tips". The "tips" of course are formed where the dustjacket folds beneath the covers to form the dustjacket flaps, i.e., the "open corners" of the dustjacket (top and bottom, front and back). Except for the "foxing" and the fact that the original owner wrote their name on the first free page; and especially considering that the book is 40 years old, the condition of the book is otherwise entirely consistent with new (albeit age-blemished) stock from a traditional brick-and-mortar shelved bookstore environment (such as Barnes & Noble, Borders, or B. Dalton for instance), wherein otherwise "new" books might evidence very mild shelfwear, merely from routine handling and consequence of the ongoing ordeal of constantly being shelved, re-shelved, and shuffled about. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! Selling rare and out-of-print ancient history books on-line since 1997. We accept returns for any reason within 30 days! #2036g.
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PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.
Table of Contents:
1-Topographical and Historical.
2-The Rhine in Folklore and Literature.
3-Cleves to the Loewenburg.
4-Drachenfels to Rheinstein.
5-Falkenburg to Auerbach.
6-Worms and the Nibelungenlied.
7-Heidelberg to Saeckingen.
Glossary and Index.
REVIEW: It is, of course, no easy task to infuse a spirit of originality into matter which has already achieved such a measure of celebrity as have these wild and wondrous tales of Rhineland. But it is hoped that the treatment to which these stories have been subjected is not without a novelty of its own. One circumstance may be alluded to as characteristic of the manner of their treatment in this work.
In most English books on Rhine legend the tales themselves are presented in a form so brief, succinct, and uninspiring as to rob them entirely of that mysterious glamour lacking which they become mere material by which to add to and illustrate the guide-book.
The absence of the romantic spirit in most English and American compilations dealing with the Rhine legends is noteworthy, and in writing this book the author's intention has been to supply this striking defect by retaining as much of the atmosphere of mystery so dear to the German heart as will convey to the English-speaking reader a true conception of the spirit of German legend.
REVIEW: James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence was a Scottish journalist, poet, author, folklorist and student of the occult. After graduating from Edinburgh University he pursued a career in journalism. He was an editor at The Scotsman 1899-1906, editor of The Edinburgh Magazine for a year, 1904–05, then an editor at The British Weekly, 1906-09.
During these years his interest was sparked in the myth and folklore of Mexico and Central America, resulting in his popularisation of the "Mayan Popul Vuh", the sacred book of the Quiché Mayas (1908). He compiled "A Dictionary of Mythology" (1910 and numerous additional volumes).
Spence was an ardent Scottish nationalist. He was the founder of the Scottish National Movement which later merged to form the National Party of Scotland and which in turn merged to form the Scottish National Party. He unsuccessfully contested a parliamentary seat for Midlothian and Peebles Northern at a by-election in 1929.
He also wrote poetry in English and Scots. His Collected Poems were published in 1953. He investigated Scottish folklore and wrote about Brythonic rites and traditions in "Mysteries of Celtic Britain" (1905). In this book Spence theorized that the original Britons were descendants of a people that migrated from Northwest Africa and were probably related to the Berbers and the Basques.
Spence's researches into the mythology and culture of the New World, together with his examination of the cultures of western Europe and north-west Africa, led him almost inevitably to the question of Atlantis. During the 1920s he published a series of books which sought to rescue the topic from the occultists who had more or less brought it into disrepute.
These works, amongst which were "The Problem of Atlantis" (1924) and "History of Atlantis" (1927), continued the line of research inaugurated by Ignatius Donnelly and looked at the lost island as a Bronze Age civilization, that formed a cultural link with the New World, which he invoked through examples he found of striking parallels between the early civilizations of the Old and New Worlds.
Spence's erudition and the width of his reading, his industry and imagination were all impressive; yet the conclusions he reached, avoiding peer-reviewed journals, have been almost universally rejected by mainstream scholarship. His popularisations met stiff criticism in professional journals, but his continued appeal among theory hobbyists is summed up by a reviewer of "The Problem of Atlantis" (1924) in The Geographical Journal: "Mr. Spence is an industrious writer, and, even if he fails to convince, has done service in marshalling the evidence and has produced an entertaining volume which is well worth reading."
Nevertheless Spence seems to have had some influence upon the ideas of controversial author Immanuel Velikovsky, and as his books have come into the public domain, they have been successfully reprinted and some have been scanned for the Internet. Spence's 1940 book "Occult Causes of the Present War" seems to have been the first book in the field of Nazi occultism.
Over his long career, Spence published more than forty books, many of which remain in print to this day.
REVIEW: James Lewis Thomas Chalmbers Spence (1874- 1955) was a Scottish journalist, whose efforts as a compiler of Scottish folklore have proved more durable than his efforts as a poet and occult scholar. After graduating from Edinburgh University he pursued a career in journalism. In 1899 he married Helen Bruce. He was an editor at The Scotsman 1899-1906, editor of The Edinburgh Magazine for a year, 1904-05, then an editor at The British Weekly, 1906-09. In this time his interest was sparked in the myth and folklore of Mexico and Central America, resulting in his popularization of the “Mayan Popul Vuh”, the sacred book of the Quiche Mayas (1908). He compiled “A Dictionary of Mythology” (1910 and numerous additional volumes). He wrote about Brythonic rites and traditions in “The Mysteries of Britain” (1905). His 1940 book “Occult Causes of the Present War” seems to have been the first book in the field of Nazi occultism. He also wrote poetry, collected in 1953.
REVIEW: James Lewis Thomas Chalmbers Spence was a Scottish journalist, folklorist, poet and occult scholar. A prolific writer, Spence has been credited in reviving the study of Scottish folklore. After an early career in Scotland as a journalist, about 1906 he began to take a keen interest folklore and mythology. He wrote about Brythonic rites and traditions in The Mysteries of Britain (1905). In this book, Spence theorized that the original Britons were descendants of a people that migrated from Northwest Africa and were probably related to the Berbers and the Basques.
This theory is partially supported by modern day genetic analysis, insofar as Basques and Scots (along with Irish, Portuguese, Welsh and Dutch) have a high frequency of some very ancient Y-c0hromosomal lineages. He then turned to ancient Mexican and Central American mythology. In 1908, he published “The Popul Vuh”, the sacred book of the Quiché Mayas. This was followed by A Dictionary of Mythology in 1910 and numerous additional volumes. Over his long career, he published more than forty books, many of which remain in print to this day.
PROFESSIONAL REVIEW:
REVIEW: “Germany: Myths and Legends” narrates the rich store of legends associated with the Rhine, arranged in the form of a journey down the great river. An exceptional reference sure to delight both students as well as enthusiasts of ancient history and mythology. Highly recommended.
REVIEW: I picked this up in New Orleans a couple years ago and began reading it, just after setting up a program that would take me to Ingelheim-am-Rhein, Germany every summer for the foreseeable future. How wonderful, then, when I realized that this book isn't merely about "Germany" but about the "Rhine Valley" in particular, a region that is high on any travel "bucket list" that includes a visit to Germany.
What Spence has done here is to follow the Rhine from Dortmund almost all the way to the Swiss border, a stretch of river which is among the most densely be-castled in the world. As it turns out, Germany's Black Forest isn't the only spring of fairy tales in the land. While an occasional dwarf or witch pops up in these tales, most of them deal with knights, maidens and the costs of chivalry.
Every twist and turn of the river is immortalized in legend, perhaps no more so than in the legend of the Lorelei--a siren-like singer who lured boatmen too close to the cliffs of a hairpin turn in the river. Many of the castles tell tales, too. Spence's book is a collection in the vein of Edith Hamilton's Mythology, leaving some details--fights, embraces, settings--to the mind of the reader.
It is a great guide, a jumping-off point for a creative writer like me. I can't wait to take this with me to Germany next summer where I will share these tales with my students and friends.
REVIEW: Rich collection of tales inspired by the mystery and romance of one of the most storied rivers in Europe -- arranged to illustrate a journey along the Rhine from sea to source. Includes the Niebelungenlied, the greatest of German national epics; as well as legends of Odin, Brunhild, Venus and Tannhauser, and many more. 24 illustrations.
REVIEW: Much of the matter for this book was collected on the spot, or at least at the scene of the occurrences related. This volume is something more than a mere compilation, and when it is further stated that only the most characteristic and original versions and variants of the many tales here given have gained admittance into the collection, its value will become apparent. Illustrated.
REVIEW: “Hero Tales and Legends of the Rhine” by Lewis Spence (1874-1955) was published in 1915 (and eventually renamed “Germany: Myths and Legends”). Unlike other books this volume has taken only the purest form of the tales and not relied on translations. The author has tried to retain much of the atmosphere of mystery dear to the German heart and a true conception of the spirit of German legend. The table of contents includes Topographical and historical, The Rhine in folklore and literature, Cleves to the Loewenburg, Drachenfels to Rheinstein, Falkenburg to Auerbach, Worms and the Nibelungenlied, and Heidelberg to Saeckingen.
REVIEW: Great anthology of the legends and lore of Germany.
READER REVIEWS:
REVIEW: The stories in this volume have been specifically arranged to accompany the traveler along a river journey of the great River Rhine from sea to source in Northern Europe. At the Zuider Zee there is the tale of the sunken city of Stavoren, from Cologne comes the story of Saint Ursula who perished there, from Cleves the legend of Lohengrin, and so on. To set the scene the author begins with a chapter on the history of the region, its folklore, poetry and customs. The text is illustrated by thirty-two plates, based on drawings and collotypes by Louis Weirter. It’s a wonderfully entertaining and educational book with compelling and fascinating illustrations and masterfully related folklore.
REVIEW: Originally titled 'Hero Tales and Legends of the Rhine' and dating from the 1920s, this is an overview of many of the myths and legends associated with regions along the Rhine. It's at its most interesting when discussing the way the tales are linked and their history.
REVIEW: I've had this for so long...a companion volume to the Celtic one I bought when I was a kid. I read it for a while. Spence is a good model for a slightly stuffy editor of folklore in the days bygone.
REVIEW: A very excellent book! I recommend it!
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
History of Germany:
Germany is bounded by the North Sea, the Baltic Sea; Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It is important to understand that "Germany" was not a unified country until the 19th century. When reference is made to "German History", reference is generally being made to a collection of various "Germanic States", sometimes loosely affiliated, sometimes fiercely independent and antagonistic.
During the “Old Stone Age”, about 400,000 years ago, the German forests were thinly populated by wandering bands of hunters and gatherers. During the New Stone Age the indigenous hunters settled in villages to raise crops and breed livestock. Villagers lived with their animals in large, gabled wooden houses. They produced pottery and traded with Mediterranean peoples for fine stone and flint axes and shells. At the beginning of the Bronze Age (around 2,500 BC) new waves of migrating peoples arrived, probably from southern Russia. These battle-ax-wielding Indo-Europeans were the ancestors of the Germanic peoples that settled in northern and central Germany, the Baltic and Slavic peoples in the east, and the Celts in the south and west.
From 1,800 to 400 BC Celtic peoples in southern Germany and Austria introduced the use of iron for tools and weapons, and used ox-drawn plows and wheeled vehicles. From the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD the Germanic and Celtic tribes were in constant conflict with the Roman Empire. The Teutons were defeated by the Roman general Gaius Marius in 101 BC. The tribes in Gaul (modern-day France), west of the Rhine, were subdued by Julius Caesar around 50 BC. The Romans tried unsuccessfully to extend their rule to the Elbe. However the best the Roman Empire was able to accomplish was to hold back the Germans with a line of fortifications at the Rhine and the Danube.
Throughout the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD the Romans prevented confederations of Franks and Burgundians from crossing the Rhine. But by the 4th and 5th centuries the constant pressure proved too much for the weakened Roman Empire. Sweeping in from Asia the Huns set off waves of migration. Consequently the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, Franks, Lombards, and other Germanic tribes overran the Roman Empire. In the late 5th century the Franks conclusively defeated the Romans and established a kingdom that included most of Gaul and southwestern Germany.
In the 8th century “Charlemagne the Great” fought the Slavs south of the Danube. He annexed southern Germany and conquered the Saxons in the northwest. As champion of Christianity and supporter of the papacy (the "Holy Roman Empire") Charlemagne was crowned “Emperor of the Romans” by Pope Leo III in Rome in 800. However Charlemagne's Empire did not long survive his death in 814. Ultimately the empire was divided among his three grandsons in 843. One grandson received West Francia (modern-day France). Another inherited East Francia (modern-day Germany). The third grandson’s inheritance was the "Middle Kingdom" running from the North Sea through modern-day Lorraine and Burgundy to Italy.
The "Middle kingdom" almost immediately disintegrated. France and Germany were destined to wrestle over the territory within for the next thousand years. By ancient German tradition their kings were elected. Because no noble family wanted to be subject to a strong king, weak kings were often chosen. None of those weak kings could safely assume the loyalty of his nobles. German kings traveled unceasingly about their realm and had no income beyond that from their family lands and gifts.
Theoretically vassals of the king the feudal Lords often usurped royal rights to build castles and administer justice. These conditions delayed for centuries the consolidation of a strong German state. The vast majority of common people lived on country manors belonging to nobles or churchmen. The few cities, such as Trier and Cologne, were chiefly of Roman foundations or imperial fortifications. Monasteries such as Reichenau, Regensburg, Fulda, Echternach, and Saint Gall became centers of scholarship.
By the early 10th century East Francia (Germany) was being buffeted by new waves of invading Danes, Hungarians, and Moravians. Internally the land was virtually torn apart by rival tribes. Completely fragmented the largest remnants of Charlemagne's once great empire were the tribal duchies. These included Franconia, Swabia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Lorraine. However by the close of the 10th century Germany had expanded to their influence to Lorraine and Burgundy (Arles), defeated the Danes to the North, the Slavs to the East, and permanently broke the power of the Magyars at the Battle of the Lechfeld in 955.
Germany tried to continue supporting the papacy during the 11th century. However they were defeated by the Saracens in their efforts to secure southern Italy. Closer to home Germany seized Burgundy, strengthened their hold on northern Italy, and added Poland to the Empire. However subsequently in a series of defeats under Henry V, Germany lost control of Poland, Hungary, and Bohemia. In the 12th and 13th centuries Germany and Italy were torn apart by rivalry between two princely families. As a result, even as Germany armies were participating in the Christian Crusades, back home civil wars erupted twice in the 12th century.
In 1197 Northern Italy reasserted its independence and for a third time in the century civil war raged. After King Frederick II died in 1237 Italy and Germany were never united again. Allied with the French the papacy ousted the Germans from Sicily. By the late 13th century the empire had lost Poland and Hungary and effective control of Burgundy and Italy. Germany was fragmented and weakened both politically and militarily. However economically Germany was flourishing. Trade increased, Cologne and Frankfurt gave access to the fairs of Champagne, Mainz lay on the route across the Alps to Italy, Lubeck and Hamburg dominated North Sea and Baltic trade, and Leipzig was in contact with Russia.
Trade associations formed between the cities contributed to the development of agriculture and industrial arts, constructed canals and highways. They became so powerful they even declared wars. At their height rich merchants built city walls, cathedrals, and elaborate town halls and guildhalls as expressions of civic pride. However the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) swept through Europe in the mid 14th century, decimating perhaps as much as one-third of Europe's population. Civil war raged again in the early 14th century as yet again different princely monarchs supported different candidates as successors to the crown.
Finally in 1338 the Princes made the momentous declaration that henceforth the king of the Germans would be the majority electoral choice, thus avoiding civil wars. Further they decided that their election would automatically be emperor without the necessity of being crowned by the pope. Thus the possibility of papal veto was eliminated, which in past had been another leading cause of civil wars. This was reflected in the title, official in the 15th century, “Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation”.
When the great King Sigismund died without an heir the princes unanimously chose his Habsburg son-in-law Albert of Austria, who became emperor as Albert II. Although perhaps not in theory in practice from that time on the imperial crown became hereditarily vested in the Habsburg line. Nonetheless the 15th century was tumultuous. A civil war raged in Bohemia. The Ottomans invaded Hungary which was lost along with Bohemia. Luxembourg was sold to France.
Economically the 15th century was a time of transition from the land economy of the Middle Ages to the money economy of modern times. As centers of commerce the cities became increasingly important in a money economy. In the south Nuremberg and Augsburg, home of the Fugger bank, thrived on mining and trade with Italy. In the north Lubeck and Hamburg carried on brisk trade with Britain and Scandinavia. The increasingly widespread need for cash led to criticism of the church's wealth. People objected that the church-owned much land and demanded much output from their agricultural tenants, but paid no taxes. Economic and political concerns came together in the form of growing resentment at the necessity of having to support the pope in Rome.
At this early stage a break with Rome did not seem inevitable. If non-biblical practices such as selling "indulgences" (pardons for sins) had been eliminated it is possible that the populace would have been appeased. The invention of printing from movable type by Johann Gutenberg made it possible to produce Bibles, other books, and pamphlets in great quantity at low cost. As a result the new learning could circulate widely. This prepared the intellectual ground for the Protestant Reformation. The spiritual concerns of Martin Luther combined with secular ambitions of the German princes produced the movement for church reform.
This may have created religious liberty, but at the cost of Western Christian unity. Religious strife, Holy Roman Catholic versus Protestant Reformer, intensified European political wars for 100 years. While the emperors Ferdinand I and his son Maximilian II were occupied with the threat of Turkish invasion, Protestantism in Germany grew. Tension mounted between Protestants and Catholics. Taking advantage of the quarreling German states, France, England, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands all intervened and made Germany the scene of a devastating European War.
In 1618 Protestant Bohemia refused to accept the Catholic Ferdinand as King, and the Czechs set up their own Protestant government. Ferdinand crushed the Bohemian forces at the Battle of Weisserberg (1620). The new Czech King was exiled and Catholicism was restored by force. Bohemian nobles were killed or stripped of their lands. As a result of the war the population declined by more than one-half. Emboldened by Germany's internal dissension and financed by the Dutch and English Denmark invaded Germany in 1625. In 1629 Ferdinand issued the Edict of Restitution, which ordered the return of all Catholic church property seized by Protestants since 1552.
Anxious to extend Swedish control of the Baltic Sweden invaded Pomerania under the pretense of being the champion of the Protestant princes. The French paid subsidies to the Swedish army to keep it fighting, and French troops crossed the Rhine. After another 13 years, the long war ended in a draw, finalized by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. By the terms of the treaty the sovereignty and independence of each state of the Holy Roman Empire was fully recognized. This rendered making the Holy Roman Emperor virtually powerless.
In addition the religion of each German state was to be determined by its prince. Politically the Holy Roman Empire continued in name, but it had lost all claim to universality or effective centralized government. Economically and socially Germany had lost about one-third of its people to war, famine, and plague. As well Germany had lost much of its livestock, capital, and trade. Bands of refugees and mercenaries roamed the countryside seizing what they could. It was indeed a dark time for the princely German States.
Badly weakened, Germany was overshadowed by France and England in the 17th and 18th centuries. The western German States were involved in four wars by which Louis XIV strove to extend French territory to the Rhine. The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was fought over the right of Louis XIV's grandson, Philip V, to inherit the Spanish throne. Prussia and most other European states wanted to block unification of France and Spain. Large, well-trained, well-equipped armies fought in Bavaria and western Germany, wreaking havoc and ruin.
The Germans also had to reckon with the Ottoman Turks who were vigorously expanding into southeastern Europe. The Turks invaded Hungary in 1663 and besieged Vienna in 1683. However in the Great Northern War of 1700-1721, Saxony, Poland, Prussia, Denmark, and Russia joined forces against Sweden. Sweden eventually lost Poland, Stettin, West Pomerania, and their eastern Baltic lands to Prussia and Russia. Benefiting by this by 1740 Austria and Prussia were leaving the other German states behind. This left Austria and Prussia as the principal rivals for dominance in central Europe.
The emergence of Prussia as a major power led to a radical shift of alliances and to new hostilities. Prussia invaded Saxony and Bohemia in 1756. Austria invaded Silesia, the Russians marched into Prussia, and the French attacked Hannover. Chaos prevailed for the better part of a decade until the rivals had exhausted themselves. Though most hostilities had ended by about 1764, Prussia and Austria both coveted Polish territories. Both also feared the growing strength of Russia. In 1772 Austria, Prussia, and Russia agreed to a partition of militarily weak Poland. By 1795 Poland entirely disappeared.
Despite constant military conflict as it drew to a close the 18th century had witnessed a flowering of German culture and the awakening of a German cultural identity. The princes of the various Germanic states had made themselves absolute monarchs. They had centralized their governments and established mercantile economies. Engaging artisans and artists alike the princes had made their capital cities artistic and intellectual centers. The cities were resplendent with palaces, churches, museums, theaters, gardens, and universities.
In a cultural explosion, the princely states vied with one another to sponsor artists such as Heinrich Schutz and Johann Sebastian Bach; Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven; J. S. Bach and George Frideric Handel. Together with the conquests of Napoleon this cultural awakening aroused a sense of national identity within the Germanic States, and an awakening of a desire for national unification.
For 18 years the German states had endured five defensive wars against the well-trained, unified armies of revolutionary and Napoleonic France. In the first two wars the French took the left bank of the Rhine. In the third, Napoleon conquered Vienna and Stuttgart. In 1806 to compensate for their left-bank losses he reorganized the western German states into the Confederation of the Rhine. Austria and Prussia were excluded and lost much territory. In 1809 Austria led a fourth war against France while Napoleon was occupied in Spain. However in the process Austria lost more land.
In 1812 Napoleon's disastrous retreat from Moscow encouraged Russia, Prussia, and Austria to wage a War of Liberation. Napoleon was defeated at Leipzig in 1813 and Paris itself fell in 1814. In 1815 at the Congress of Vienna the map of Europe was redrawn by the victorious allies. The contemporary states of Austria and Prussia were redefined and delineated. Austria gained part of Italy, Salzburg, Lombardy, and Illyria and Dalmatia on the Adriatic Sea. Prussia gained much of Saxony and Swedish Pomerania as well as land in the Rhineland and Westphalia. This included the undeveloped iron and coal resources of the Ruhr and Saar.
Popular with all but the princely monarchs the move toward a unified Germany gained momentum thereafter. Prussia instituted a customs union of most German states except Austria. Liberal revolutions in Paris in 1830 and 1848 created waves of sympathetic uprisings washing through Germany and Europe. Nationalist groups revolted in Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, Galicia, Lombardy, Bavaria, Prussia, and southwestern Germany. The frightened princely rulers agreed to send delegates to an assembly in Frankfurt. However the rebellions were instead crushed by the various princely states. A liberal constitution for a unified Germany never survived outside the walls of the Frankfurt Assembly.
After the failure of the liberal Frankfurt Assembly both Prussia and Austria put forth more conservative, though conflicting, plans for union. In order to eliminate Austrian influence and bring about unification on Prussian terms Otto von Bismark, Chief Minister of Prussia, masterminded an effort which combined diplomacy and "blood-and-iron" militarism. Austria and Prussia jointly attacked and defeated the Danish controlled states of Schleswig and Holstein in 1864. In 1866 after a contrived disagreement over their control, Prussia attacked and defeated Austria in a battle at Koniggratz.
In 1870 the wily Bismark contrived to have France declare war on Prussia. Stirred by national loyalty the southern German states joined forces behind Prussia. Together they conquered the French at Sedan and took Paris in 1871. Satiated by victory Bismarck was then able to convince the southern German states that Prussian control was inevitable. He thus persuaded to the southern states to unify within the Prussian Empire. Bismarck motivated various Slavic groups to keep rising against the decaying Ottoman Empire, and founded colonies in Africa and the Pacific.
Bismarck encouraged the Industrial Revolution. This developed rapidly after 1850 as Germans applied advanced industrial technology to the iron and coal resources of the Ruhr and Saar. Population grew, factories boomed, and rural farmers were transformed into urban producers of steel for machinery, railways, and ships. An era of relative peace and prosperity followed reaching well into the 20th century. The empire did not function democratically however, and any thought of parliamentary government was actively discouraged by Bismarck. Ultimately the nationalism that created Germany in the 19th century led it into two disastrous wars.
None of the European powers wanted World War I, but they all, France, Great Britain, Austria, and Russia, feared the newly unified Germany. Germany was rapidly outstripping these opther countries in population and industry, and was aggressively self-assertive. Surrounded by antagonists from the German perspective there was the recurring nightmare of the possibility of a war on two fronts. All these powers sought protection in huge, peacetime, standing armies and in an intricate system of international alliances. Europe was divided into two armed camps, and antagonisms intensified.
In 1914 a Serbian conspiracy arranged the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand. Germany rashly assured Austria of full support, resulting in an Austrian ultimatum that Serbia could not accept and Austria declared war on Serbia. Russia, to defend Serbia, mobilized against Austria and Germany. Germany gave Russia 12 hours to demobilize and called up its own troops. Receiving no response to their ultimatum, Germany declared war on Russia. Assuming that France would aid Russia, Germany also declared war on France. World War I was on.
German armies moved through neutral Belgium, hoping to take Paris by surprise. However their violation of international law brought Britain into the war on the side of France. German forces nearly reached Paris. However the British and French miraculously turned back the overstretched German lines at the Battle of the Marne. The two sides then dug trenches for a ferocious war of attrition that would last for four years. Meanwhile, the Russians attacked on the east, plunging Germany into precisely the two-front war they feared.
The Germans soundly defeated the ill-equipped Russians, but they could make no headway in the west. The Allies blockaded Germany to cut off food and raw materials. Desperate to break the blockade the Germans declared unrestricted submarine warfare. After several U.S. ships were sunk the United States entered the war in 1917. Badly mauled and in the throes of two revolutions that brought Communists to power, the next year Russia sued for peace. Thus freed in the east in 1918 the Germans launched a final, all-out offensive in the west. However the belated entry of America into the war slowly turned the tide against them.
Recognizing the situation as hopeless, the German high command created a new civil government and sued for peace. While negotiating with Woodrow Wilson, U.S. President from 1913 to 1921, fighting continued, sailors mutinied, socialists staged strikes, workers and the military formed Communist councils, revolution broke out in Bavaria, and Social Democrats proclaimed Germany a republic. Germany had surrendered and changed its government. They had not been defeated on the battlefield. Thus Germany expected a negotiated peace rather than the harsh terms imposed by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
The Allies on the other hand were determined to receive reparation for their losses and to see that their enemy was never again in a position to endanger them. Germany consequentially lost territory to France and Poland, lost its colonies, and had to give up most of its coal, trains, and merchant ships, as well as its navy. Germany was required to limit its army and submit to Allied occupation of the Rhineland for 15 years. Worst of all, the Germans had to accept full responsibility for causing the war and, consequently, pay its total cost.
This was particularly insulting as Germans did not consider themselves any more guilty than anyone else. Furthermore it was simply impossible for Germany to pay all the monetary reparations that were demanded. Forced to accept the treaty the new German government, the Weimar Republic, gained a bad name among its citizens. Though democratic in nature, the treaty demands crippled its chances of success. Despite its democratic constitution for most Germans the government only bore the stigma of military defeat and the Versailles treaty.
The financial restitution imposed by The Treaty of Versailles created a catastrophic economic burden. Because Germany could not meet reparations requirements, France invaded the Ruhr in 1923 to take over the coal mines. The worldwide depression of 1929 plunged the country into deepening economic despair. Millions of unemployed, disillusioned by capitalist democracy, turned to communism or to the party of National Socialism led by Adolf Hitler. In the depths of the depression of 1932 this was the largest party in the Reichstag.
Hitler set out to make the Third Reich, as he called the new totalitarian Germany, and proceeded with frightening efficiency. As Chancellor he consolidated legislative, executive, judicial, and military authority in himself. Hitler became head of state after the death of Paul von Hindenburg. All political parties except the National Socialists were banned. Strikes were forbidden. The unemployed were enrolled in labor camps or the army as Germany strove to be economically self-sufficient.
Many Germans did not take Hitler seriously, but outspoken dissenters left the country or disappeared. Jews were targeted for discriminatory laws and directives. The Jews were deprived of citizenship and barred from civil service and professions. Jewish firms were liquidated or purchased for less than full value by companies owned by non-Jews. Hundreds of thousands of Jews fled the country.
Many of Europe's problems were left unresolved by World War I. Germany demonstrated clear willingness to seek a solution by force. Other European countries wanted to avoid violence at all costs. Ultimately the aversion to confrontation led to World War II. Hitler had initially only planned to threaten and bluff the European powers into allowing him gradually to revise Germany's boundaries. His goal to unite all Germans and give them living space did not seem unreasonable to some statesmen who realized that the Versailles treaty had been unjust. At the time no single demand of Hitler's seemed worth risking war to resist.
Germany left the League of Nations in 1933 and began to rearm in 1935. They reoccupied the Rhineland in 1936, signed an anti-Communist pact with Japan, made an alliance with Fascist Italy, and in 1938 another with Austria. Britain, France, and Italy, terrified, timidly accepted Hitler's demand for the German-populated Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. Hitler had assured them that he had no further territorial ambitions.
Less than a year later, emboldened by the evident unwillingness to confront him, Hitler broke is promise and occupied the remainder of Czechoslovakia. Germany made a nonaggression pact with the USSR in 1939, and then promptly invaded Poland. Britain and France immediately declared war on Germany, and World War II had begun. Within a few weeks Germany’s mechanized German divisions in a “blitzkrieg” overwhelmed the ill-equipped Poles. The Germans took western Poland, and the Soviets seized the eastern remainder.
In 1940 Germany swallowed Denmark, Norway, and the Low Countries and invaded France, which rapidly collapsed. British and French forces were hastily evacuated from Dunkirk to England. Hitler then blockaded Britain with submarines and bombed the country with his new air force. To aid his faltering allied Italian forces in 1941 Germany sent troops to North Africa, Greece, and Yugoslavia. To block Soviet ambitions in agricultural eastern Europe, which industrial Germany needed, Germany suddenly invaded the USSR. As the Soviets retreated eastward, German armies engulfed the rich Ukraine. At this point Germany was master of continental Europe.
In 1942 however Britain was still resisting. The United States had entered the war after an attack by Japan, and was sending supplies to Britain and the USSR. In 1943 the tide began to turn. German forces in the USSR were gradually driven west. Axis forces were defeated in North Africa, and Italy was invaded by Allied forces. Although defeat was inevitable, a deranged Hitler refused to surrender. Allied forces invaded Normandy in 1944 and swept inexorably east while the Soviets marched west.
Hitler committed suicide just before Soviet tanks rolled into Berlin in April 1945, and Germany's unconditional surrender ended the Third Reich. The Allies reduced Germany to its prewar western boundaries and assigned a large portion on the east to Poland. Initially four occupation zones were established, but policies diverged, and Germany was split into two parts. Britain, the United States, and, eventually, France wanted to rebuild Germany into a major Western European power capable of countering the expansionist tendencies of the USSR. In 1948 they merged their zones into one region, supplied U.S. aid, and encouraged the Germans to form a democratic government.
The USSR on the other hand imposed upon East Germany a Communist German government under Soviet domination. In 1949 this practical polarization of Germany was legalized by the creation of two German states; the Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany, and the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany. And it was not until 1989, when East Germany's Communist government fell, that Germany was once again a unified country. In August of 1994, as the last Russian troops left Berlin, the final 200 allied troops also left Stuttgart, marking the first time since World War II that the city had not been host to foreign troops.
SHIPPING & RETURNS/REFUNDS: We always ship books domestically (within the USA) via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). Most international orders cost an additional $19.99 to $53.99 for an insured shipment in a heavily padded mailer. There is also a discount program which can cut postage costs by 50% to 75% if you’re buying about half-a-dozen books or more (5 kilos+). Our postage charges are as reasonable as USPS rates allow. ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per book (for each additional book after the first) so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs.
Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are fully insured against loss, and our shipping rates include the cost of this coverage (through stamps.com, Shipsaver.com, the USPS, UPS, or Fed-Ex). International tracking is provided free by the USPS for certain countries, other countries are at additional cost.
We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. Please note for international purchasers we will do everything we can to minimize your liability for VAT and/or duties. But we cannot assume any responsibility or liability for whatever taxes or duties may be levied on your purchase by the country of your residence. If you don’t like the tax and duty schemes your government imposes, please complain to them. We have no ability to influence or moderate your country’s tax/duty schemes.
If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked 30-day return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price; 1) less our original shipping/insurance costs, 2) less any non-refundable fees imposed by eBay Please note that though they generally do, eBay may not always refund payment processing fees on returns beyond a 30-day purchase window. So except for shipping costs and any payment processing fees not refunded by eBay, we will refund all proceeds from the sale of a return item. Obviously we have no ability to influence, modify or waive eBay policies.
ABOUT US: Prior to our retirement we used to travel to Eastern Europe and Central Asia several times a year seeking antique gemstones and jewelry from the globe’s most prolific gemstone producing and cutting centers. Most of the items we offer came from acquisitions we made in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) during these years from various institutions and dealers. Much of what we generate on Etsy, Amazon and Ebay goes to support worthy institutions in Europe and Asia connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. Though we have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, our primary interests are ancient/antique jewelry and gemstones, a reflection of our academic backgrounds.
Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia antique gemstones are commonly dismounted from old, broken settings – the gold reused – the gemstones recut and reset. Before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, we try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state – most of them originally crafted a century or more ago. We believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting.
Not everyone agrees – fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with us that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or “lab produced”) gemstones which dominate the market today. We can set most any antique gemstone you purchase from us in your choice of styles and metals ranging from rings to pendants to earrings and bracelets; in sterling silver, 14kt solid gold, and 14kt gold fill. When you purchase from us, you can count on quick shipping and careful, secure packaging. We would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from us. There is a $3 fee for mailing under separate cover. I will always respond to every inquiry whether via email or eBay message, so please feel free to write.