met near
Wesen by a fresh body of seven hundred Glarus peasants, who completed
the victory.

Though Bern took no part in the battle of Sempach, after that victory
she entered actively into the war, and overran the Austrian dependencies
in Freiburg and Valengrin. She drove the Duke's followers out of
Rapperschwyl, annexed Nidau and Bueren, and conquered the upper
Simmenthal.

At length, both sides being weary of war and carnage, a peace was signed
for seven years in 1389, with the condition that Bern should restore
Nidau and Bueren. This peace was in 1394 further prolonged for twenty
years. These treaties brought great benefits to Switzerland in many
ways. Glarus and Zug obtained their formal freedom from Austrian rule in
payment of a moderate sum of money; Schwyz received the town and abbey
of Einsiedeln (1397); Lucerne purchased Sempach and Entlibuch from the
Duke, as also other towns; but chief of all, the political power of the
Hapsburgs came to an end in Switzerland.

An important feature of this period was the lessened influence of the
Emperor of Germany in Swiss affairs, and the gradual withdrawal of the
Swiss from the position they so long occupied as subject-vassals of the
empire. This was especially seen toward the close of the fourteenth
century, when the Emperor, being pressed for money, sold his rights over
several important Swiss districts to their inhabitants, and thus
forfeited all authority over them.

But chief of all the memorable events of this time was the close it
brought to the long and bloody struggle between Austria and Switzerland.
At length the heroism and persevering patriotism of the Swiss effected
the liberation of their country from Austrian rule, and henceforth the
dukes ceased to attempt to enforce their claims, and tacitly
acknowledged their defeat. The Swiss states from this period, moreover,
began to be known, not as an unimportant portion of the German empire,
but as a separate country, Die Schweiz, from the prominent part taken by
Schwyz in initiating the freedom of the land.

UNION OF DENMARK, SWEDEN, AND NORWAY

A.D. 1397

PAUL C. SINDING

Canute the Great, King of England and Denmark, by successful
wars added almost the whole of Norway to his dominions. At
his death in 1035 his kingdoms were divided, and fell into
anarchy and discord for two centuries, until the tyrant
Black Geert, who had driven out Christopher II, and been for
fourteen years the