The sudden and great elevation of a simple count of the empire to the imperial dignity, and to the power of granting investitures so important to his family, without making enemies of the other great i German-princes, is a singular fact in the history of the times. Rudolf certainly was not elected to esta blish and extend the imperial authority, but, on the contrary, because his territories and his influence were so inconsiderable as to excite no fears or jealousies in the other princes of the empire, who were willing to preserve the forms of a constitution, the power and usefulness which they had destroyed. Some of his successors were placed on the imperial throne from the same motive ; but none knew so well as he did how to profit by the occasion thus offered, for extending and confirming the power of his family. The parti tion which he made of his territories among his sons . and relations was entirely illusory, and calculated merely to lull asleep the suspicions of his neighbours. By the very acts of division and investiture, he reser ved to himself the power of making what changes he might think fit in the testament by which he convey ed his estate to the members of his house ; and ac tually declared his eldest son Albert sole proprietor of his Austrian provinces, a few months after he had secured the legal confirmation of the first grant by the diet.
It was the uncommon prudence, foresight, and caution with which he steadily followed out one grand leading object, without losing sight of it for a enabled Rudolf to accomplish the pro jects which he had formed for the grandeur of his •family, and to lay so firmly the foundations of the Austrian monarchy. Among his other talents as a statesman, we may remark two, by which he obtained the greatest advantages ; and the want of which, in his-successors, has endangered or ruined their govern ment : These are, a respect for established forms, and the opinions of his contemporaries ; and a singular felicity in seizing the proper time for the execution of his purposes. He was often heard to say, " that violence in form was worse policy than violence in and, " that for every human effort it could only once be said Dies ist die zeit," this is the pro per moment.' He did every thing through the me dium of the electors and great princes, whom he knew how to gain and to attach, according to the forms and regulations of the empire, and never once began any thing too soon or too late. How diffe rent from the conduct of his successors Joseph and Francis in our own days ! Albert was declared king of the Romans in 1278;, but this did not much contribute to his personal hap piness, nor to. his power as a sovereign. He was murdered by his own nephew John, (his brother Ru.. dolf's son,) in 1308. His son Frederick, sirnamed the Handsome, succeeded him as archduke of Ails- r trid; and his other sons, Leopold, Albert, Henry, and Otho, enjoyed considerable fortunes in conse quence of their father's will. Frederick aspired at
the imperial crown, and was accordingly elected by a party, while Louis of Bavaria was set up in opposi tion by a very powerful body of the Germanic union. A bloody battle was fought at Muhldorf, in 1322, between Frederick and Louis. The latter gained the day, and took his rival and his brother Henry prisoners. He imprisoned Frederick in the castle of Transnitz, and entrusted Henry to the king of Bo hemia, who powerfully befriended him on this mo mentous occasion. Louis was, however, soon after greatly embarrassed by the intrigues and hostility of Pope John XXII., who was determined, if possible, to pull him from his throne, and, with that view, wished a reconciliation with the Austrian princes. He therefore gave liberty to Frederick to return home to his states, but under the condition of re nouncing the imperial dignity, both for himself and his family, during Louis's life, and also of procuring his four brothers agreement to that condition. Here a scene of honourable and disinterested generosity -opens, which is uncommon among princes in every age, and of which few traces exist in the history of the world. Frederick's brothers could not be pre vailed upon to agree to the renunciation promised to Louis. The spouse and children. of the Austrian monarch supplicated him to remain at home, and to consider his engagement to his rival as cancelled by the cruel treatment which he had met with during his imprisonment, as well as by the consideration that his promise of returning was extorted from him by force, and ,consequently void in a moral as well as in a religious sense. His brothers joined in the same entreaties, and displayed sentiments of affection very. inconsistent with the ambitious projects which pre -vented them from accepting the alternative of re nouncing all claim, during the life of Louis, to the imperial dignity. Frederick, in spite of all their en treaties, returned to Munich, his enemy's capital; de livered himself up, on the day appointed, as his pri soner; and, to the astonishment of Europe, renoun ced his crown, his liberty, the endearments of a fa mily whom he tenderly loved, and every prospect that could make life valuable, for the sacred pledge which he had given by his word. What a contrast to the conduct of the popes and princes of his age ; and what a charming glimpse of moral light across .the midnight darkness of the times 1 Louis, deeply affected by the magnanimity of his rival, received him as his bosom friend. They swore 13erpetual friendship, and lived as brothers 'until the end of Frederick's life.