47. BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY IN EUROPE. For about five centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, that is, from the 5th up to the opening of the 11th century, there was one absorbing issue before Europe. That issue was whether European civilization was to continue to exist or not. During that time the Moslems on the south, the Danes, Swedes, Goths and Norwegians from the Cattegat, and eastward the Slays and Hun garians swarmed round the dissolving limbs of Christendom, so that Christendom bade fair to disappear. As Baronius said, "it was as if Christ slept in the vessel that bore The 10th century brought Europe nearest to destruction. But about the year 1000 an almost magical change began to operate. Invasion ceased. Europe was saved. Since that time external barbarism has often threatened, but never with overwhelming force.
The next epoch of Europe has lasted from the 11th century up to our own day and is not yet concluded. Europeans are busy finding a solution for a problem which has haunted them for eight centuries. That problem is the re organization of Europe after its almost com plete destruction by the barbarians. To the mostprofound minds two ways of reconstruct ing Europe have presented themselves. The first was to amalgamate this small continent under one supreme authority, and to do what the statesmen of China and of America have achieved so admirably for China and the United States. Great prestige has attached to that solution because the Romans had carried it out to a large extent already with fair political results. But the solution has derived its fundamental authority from the fact that there is a certain amount of reasonableness and utility in the idea of having one sovereignty to control the peninsula which Europe is.
The chief exponents of this great idea can easily be named. First, there was the media val Papacy which, springing up in the 11th century, claimed universal sovereignty as a right. As Pope Gregory VII said at that date, the Papacy is the Master of Emperors. Then in the 13th century, when the mediaeval Papacy had fallen, the French monarchy made a similar at tempt. Mathew Pavis, Peter Dubois and Jan dun all agreed that France was the new claim ant to universal power. Later Pope Urban, in
1382, pointed out that "France desires the uni versal monarchy of the The next successor in the field was the House of Hapsburg. That family fought for this idea during two centuries, from the middle of the 15th to the middle of the 17th century. °Austria's mission is to rule the world," was their motto, and their greatest prince was Charles V. They came in course of time to rule both at Vienna and at Madrid. The two branches of the house were intertwined to gether. Together they fell. The decline of the German branch was registered by the peace of Westphalia in 1648, and that of the Spanish branch by the peace of the Pyrenees in 1659.
The next power which strove to raise from the ground the broken sceptre of the Caesars was France again, under Louis XIV. Louis inaugu rated their policy in 1661. This dream of French supremacy in Europe was consistently pursued by France up to 1815. Its consum mate exponent was Napoleon, who claimed to be the heir of the Caesars. In the summer of 1808 he attained the nearest to his ambition when he told that he was now "master of Europe." After Napoleon had fallen in 1815, Russia succeeded to his aspirations. In 1812 she had extinguished the ambitions of Napoleon in the Russian snow. The last two centuries had been a route march for her, east as well as west, south as well as north. Her day had come, she thought, but the Crimean War showed her to be not so strong as she imagined, and since that date, Germany, under Prince Bismarck and later under William II, has arisen to dispute the title.
But in spite of all these constantly renewed ambitions to grip the supremacy of Europe. all aspirants to supreme dominion have failed. No one has been strong enough to reconstitute the empire of Rome. What force has thwarted this consummation? It is the force of nationality. The issue before Europe has been the issue be tween despotism and freedom. Freedom has won. Europe has chosen to organize herself into a number of mutually independent nations, some 20 in number, rather than to place herself in subjection to one supreme authority, whether of Pope or of Emperor.