Butinprocessoftimetheydivergedintoapositionofantagonism。Theircontrastnotonlycameoutasaresultofmoreattentionanddevelopedstudy。Itbecameacute,becauseinthekeencompetitionofFrenchandGermanscholarship,historians,consciouslyandunconsciously,tookupthestandpointofnationalpredilection,andfollowedtheirbiasbackintoancienttimes。
Aug。Thierry,whileprotestingagainsttheexaggerationsofeighteenth-centurysystems,consideredthedevelopmentofEuropeannationsalmostentirelyasanationalstruggleculminatinginconquest,butunderlyingmostfactsinthehistoryofinstitutions。Hebegan,forthesakeofmethod,bytracingtheconflictonEnglishgroundwhereeverythingresolveditselftohiseyeintoopenorhiddenstrifebetweenNormanandSaxon。ButWilliamtheBastard’sinvasionledhimbyacircuitouswaytotherealobjectofhisinterest——tothegradualriseofGallo-RomancivilisationagainsttheTeutonicconquestinFrance:historicaltendenciestowardscentralisedmonarchyandmunicipalbourgeoisiewereconnectedbyhimwiththepresentpoliticalconditionofFranceastheabidinglegacyofGallo-RomancultureMenofgreatpowerandnote,fromRaynouardandB。GuerarddowntoFusteldeCoulangesinourowndays,havefollowedthesametrackwithmoreorlessviolenceandexaggeration。TheyareallatoneintheiranimositytowardsTeutonicinfluenceinthepast,allatoneinlesseningitseffects,andintryingtocollectthescatteredtracesofRomanisminprincipleandapplication。TheGermansdidnotsubmitmeeklytotheonslaught,butwentasfarastheRomanistsontheotherside。Lobell,Waitz,andRoth——tospeakonlyoftheheadsoftheschool——haveheldforthaboutthemightypartwhichtheTeutonshaveplayedinEurope;theyhaveenhancedthebeneficialvalueofGermanicprinciples,andtriedtoshowthatthereisnoreasonforlayingtotheiraccountcertaindarkfactsinthehistoryofEurope。TheGermanistschoolhadtofightitswaynotonlyagainstRomanism,butagainstdiverstenetsoftheRomanticschoolasrepresentedbySavignyandEichhorn,ofwhichRomanistshadavailedthemselves。Thewholedoctrinewastobereconsideredinthelightoftwofundamentalassumptions。Thefoundationsofsociallifeweresoughtnotinaristocracy,butinthecommonfreedomofthemajorityofthepeople:theGermanmiddleclass,the’Burgers,’whoformthestrengthofcontemporaryGermany,lookedtothepasthistoryoftheirraceasvouchingfortheirliberty。
Thedestiniesofthatparticularclassbecamethetestofsocialdevelopment。ThenagainthedisruptivetendencyofGermannationalcharacterwasstoutlydenied,andallthehistoricalinstancesofdisruptionweredemonstratedtobequiteindependentofanyleaningoftherace。InthegreatfermentationofthoughtwhichledindirectlytotheunificationofGermany,thebestmeninthecountryrefusedtobelievethatWesternEuropehadfallentopiecesintofeudalismbecauseTeutonicdevelopmentisdoomedtostrifeandhelplessnessbydeeplyengrainedtraitsofcharacter。GermanscholarshipfoundamostpowerfulallyinthisperiodofitshistoryintheliteratureofkindredEngland:
GermanandEnglishinvestigatorsstoodsidebysideinthesameranks。Kemble,K。Maurer,Freeman,Stubbs,andGneistformthegoodlyarrayoftheGermanistSchoolonEnglishsoil。
Kemble’spositionis,strictlyspeaking,anintermediateone:
insomerespectsheisveryneartoEichhornandGrimm;althoughhischiefworkwaspublishedin1849,hewasnotacquaintedwithWaitz’sfirstbooks。ButKembleismostlyintouchwiththosepartsofEichhorn’stheorywhichcouldbeacceptedbylaterGermanists;otherimportanttenetsoftheRomanticSchoolareleftintheshadeorrejected,andasawholeKemble’steachingisessentiallyGermanistic。Kemble’s’SaxonsinEngland’takesitspeculiarshapeandmarksanepochinEnglishhistoricalliterature,mainlybecauseitpresentsthefirstattempttoutilisetheenormousmaterialofSaxonCharters,inthecollectionofwhichKemblehasdonesuchinvaluablework。Withthiscopiousandexact,butveryone-sided,materialathisdisposal,ourauthortakeslittlenoticeofcurrenttalesabouttheinvasionofGreatBritainbyAnglesandSaxons。Suchtalesmaybeinterestingfromamythologicalorliterarypointofview,butthehistoriancannotacceptthemasevidence。Atthesametimeonecannotbutwishtotryandgetcertainknowledgeofanhistoricalfact,which,asfarasthehistoryofEnglandisconcerned,appearsasthefirstmanifestationoftheTeutonicraceinitsstupendousgreatness。Luckilyenoughwehavesomemeanstojudgeoftheinvasioninthenamesoflocalitiesandgroupsofpopulation。ReadinthislightthehistoryofConquestappearsverygradualandancient。Itbeganlongbeforetherecordedsettlements,andwhileBritainwasstillunderRomansway。ThestrugglewiththeCeltswasacomparativelyeasyone;
thenativepopulationwasbynomeansdestroyed,butremainedinlargenumbersinthelowerordersofsociety。Notwithstandingsuchremnants,thehistoryoftheAnglo-SaxonperiodisentirelyTeutonicinitsaspect,andpresentsonlyoneinstanceofthegeneralprocessbywhichtheprovincesoftheEmpireweremodifiedbyconquerorsofTeutonicrace。
TherootofthewholesocialsystemistobefoundintheMark,whichisadivisionoftheterritoryheldjointlybyacertainnumberoffreemenforthepurposesofcultivation,mutualhelpanddefence。Thecommunitybeganasakinshiportribe,butevenwhentheoriginalbloodtieswerelostsightofandmodifiedbytheinfluxofheterogeneouselements,thecommunityremainedself-sufficientandisolated。Thewholefabricofsocietyrestedonpropertyinland:asitspoliticaldivisionswerebasedonthepossessionofcommonlands,evensotherankofanindividualdependedentirelyonhisholding。TheTeutonicworldhadnoideaofacitizenseveredfromthesoil。Thecuriousfactthatthenormalholding,thehide,wasequalalloverEngland331/2
acrescanbeexplainedonlybyitsorigin;itcamefull-formedfromGermanyandremainedunchangedinspiteofalldiversitiesofgeographicalandeconomicalconditions。
Thetransformationofmedievalsocietyis,forKemble,intimatelyconnectedwiththeformsofownershipinland。Thescantypopulationofancienttimeshaddividedonlyaverysmallpartofthecountryintoseparateholdings。Therestremainedinthehandsofthepeopletosupplythewantsofcominggenerations。Thegreatturntowardsfeudalismwasgivenbythefactthatthisreserve-fundlapsedintothehandsofafewmagnates:themassoffreepeoplebeingdeprivedofitsnaturalsphereofexpansionwasforcedtoseekitssubsistenceatthehandsofprivatelordsloaf-givers。Fromthepointofviewofpersonalstatusthesameprocessappearsinthedecreaseoffreedomamongthepeopleandintheincreaseoftheso-calledGesid。AccordingtoTeutonicprinciplesamanisfreeonlyifhehaslandtofeedupon,strengthtowork,andarmstodefendhimself。Thelandlessmanisunfree;andsoistheGesidcundman,thefollower,howeverstrongandwealthyhemaybethroughhischiefsgrace。Thecontrastbetweenthefreeceorlstillingtheirownlandandthebandofmilitaryfollowers,whoarealwaysconsideredaspersonallydependent——thiscontrastisamarkedone。FromthefirstthismilitaryfollowinghadplayedanimportantpartinGermanhistory。Mostraidsandinvasionshadbeenitswork,andsometimeswholetribeswereattractedintoitsorganisation,butduringthefirstperiodofSaxonhistorythefreepeopleweresufficientlystrongtoholddownthepowerofmilitarychiefswithincertainbounds。Notsoinlaterdevelopment。Withthegrowthofpopulation,ofinequalities,ofsocialcompetition,therelationsofdependencyareseenconstantlygainingonthefieldoffreedom。Thespreadofcommendationleadsnotonlytoachangeinthedistributionofranks,buttoadismembermentofpoliticalpower,toallkindsoffranchisesandprivateencroachmentsontheState。
Imaybeexcusedformarshallingallthesewell-knownpointsbeforethepublicbytheconsiderationthattheymustservetoshowhowintimatelytheseviewsareconnectedwiththegeneralprinciplesofagreatschool。ThestresslaidbyKembleonpropertyinlandoughttobenoticedespecially:landgetstobethebasisofallpoliticalandsocialcondition。ThisisgoingmuchfurtherthanPalgraveeverwent;thoughnotfurtherthanEichhorn。WhatactuallyseversKemblefromtheRomanticsishisestimateofthefreeelementinthepeople。HedoesnottrytopictureakindofpoliticalArcadiainSaxonEngland,butthereisnomoretalkabouttherightlessconditionoftheceorlsorthepredominanceofaristocracy。TheTeutonicracetowersaboveeverything。AlthoughtheexistenceofCeltsaftertheConquestsisadmitted,neitherCelticnorRomanelementsappearasexercisinganyinfluenceinthecourseofhistory。EverythingtakesplaceasifGermaniccommunitieshadbeenlivingandgrowingonsoilthathadneverbeforebeenappropriated。
CuriouslyenoughtheweakestpointofKemble’sdoctrineseemstolieinitsverycentre——inhistheoryofsocialgroups。OneisoftenremindedofGrimmbyhisaccountoftheMark,anditwasanachievementtocallattentiontosuchacommunityasdistinctfromthetribalgroup,butthepolitical,legal,andeconomicaldescriptionoftheMarkisveryvague。Astothereasoningaboutgilds,tithings,andhundreds,itisbasedonaconstantconfusionofwidelydifferentsubjects。
Generallyspeaking,itisnotforalawyer’sacutenessandprecisionthatonehastolookinKemble’sbook:importantdistinctionsveryoftengetblurredinhisexposition,andthoughconstantlyprotestingagainstabstracttheoriesandsuppositionsnotbasedonfact,heindulgesinthemagreatdealhimself。
StillKemble’sworkwasveryremarkable:hisextensive,ifnotverycriticalstudyofthechartersopenedhiseyestothefirst-rateimportanceofthelawofrealpropertyinthecourseofmedievalhistory:thiswasagreatstepinadvanceofPalgrave,whohadrecognisedlawasthebackgroundofhistory,butwhoseattentionhadbeendirectedalmostexclusivelytotheformalsidetojudicialinstitutions。AndKembleactuallysucceededinbringingforwardsomeofthequestionswhichweretoremainforalongtimethemainpointsofdebateamonghistorians。
Thedevelopmentoftheschoolwasevidentlytoproceedinthedirectionofgreateraccuracyandimprovedmethods。GreatservicehasbeendoneinthisrespectbyKonradMaurer。HeisperhapssometimesinclinedtomagnifyhisownindependenceanddissentfromKemble’sopinions,buthehasundoubtedlycontributedtostrengthenandclearupsomeofKemble’sviews,andhasgonefurtherthanhispredecessoronimportantsubjects。HeacceptsinthemainKemble’sdoctrinesastotheMark,theallotmentofland,theoppositionoffolklandandbookland,andexpoundsthemwithgreaterfulnessandbetterinsightintotheevidence。OntheotherhandhegoeshisownwayastotheGesidsGefolgschaft,andthepartplayedbylargeestatesinthepoliticalprocess。
MaurerreducestheimportanceoftheformerandlaysmorestressonthelatterthanKemble。AltogethertheGermanscholar’sinvestigationshavebeenofgreatmoment,andthisnotonlyformethodicalreasons,butalsobecausetheyleadtoacompleteemancipationoftheschoolfromEichhorn’sinfluence。
AstotheConquests,GermanistviewshavebeenformulatedwithgreatauthoritybyFreeman。AcomparisonofthecourseofdevelopmentinRomancecountrieswiththehistoryofEngland,andacarefulstudyofthatevidenceofthechronicleswhichKembledisregarded,hasledthehistorianoftheNormanConquesttotheconclusion,thattheTeutonicinvadersactuallyrootedoutmostoftheRomanisedCelticpopulationofEnglishBritain,andreducedittoutterinsignificanceinthosewesterncountieswheretheydidnotdestroyit。ItistheonlyinferencethatcanbedrawnfromthetemporarydisappearanceofChristianity,fromtheallbutcompleteabsenceofCelticandLatinwordsintheEnglishtongue,fromtheimmunityofEnglishlegalandsociallifefromRomaninfluence。TheTeutonicbiaswhichwasgiventothehistoryoftheislandbytheConquestofAnglesandSaxonshasnotbeenalteredbytheConquestoftheNormans。Theforeigncolouringimpartedtothelanguageisnotestimonyofanyradicalchangeintheinternalstructureofthepeople:itremainedonthesurface,andthehistoryoftheislandremainedEnglish,thatis,Teutonic。Evenfeudalism,whichappearsinitsfullshapeafterWilliamtheBastard’sinvasion,hadbeenpreparedinitscomponentpartsbytheSaxonperiod。InworkingoutparticularsFreemanhadtoreckonlargelywithKemble’sworkandtostrikethebalancebetweentheconflictingandone-sidedtheoriesofThierryandPalgrave。Questionsoflegalandsocialresearchconcernhimonlysofarastheyillustratetheproblemofthestruggleandfusionofnationalcivilisations。Hismaterialischieflydrawnfromchronicles,andthehistoryofexternalfactsofwar,government,andlegislationcomesnaturallytothefore。
Butallthenumberlessdetailstendtowardsoneend:theyillustratetheTeutonicaspectofEnglishculture,andassignitadefiniteplaceinthehistoricalsystemofEurope。