Kings & rulers > History of the reign of the Emperor Charles V. > Volume 1

jj1 3. STATE OF EUROPE. 103
As the kings of France got the ftart of other
powers in eftabliihing a military force in their
dominions, which enabled them to carry on fo¬
reign operations with more vigour, and to greater
extent, fo they were the firil who effectually
broke the feudal ariftocracy, and humbled the
great vaffals of the crown, who by their exorbi¬
tant power had long circumfcribed the royal pre¬
rogative within very narrow limits, and had ren¬
dered all the efforts of the monarchs of Europe
inconfiderable. Many things concurred to un¬
dermine, gradually, the power of the feudal
ariftocracy in France. The wealth and property
of the nobility were greatly impaired during the
long wars which the kingdom was obliged to
maintain with the Englifti. The extraordinary
zeal with which they exerted themfelves in de¬
fence of their country againft its ancient enemies,
■exhaufted entirely the fortunes of fome great fa¬
milies. As almoft every province in the king¬
dom was, in its turn, the feat of war, the lands
of others were expofedto the depredations of the
enemy, were ravaged by the mercenary troops
which their fovereigns hired occafionally, but
could not pay, or were defolated with rage ftill
more-deftrudtive, by the peafants, in different in-
furrections. At the fame time, the neceffities
of government having forced their kings upon the
defperate expedient of making great and fuddcn
alterations in the current coin of the kingdom,
the fines, quit-rents, and other payments fixed
ty ancient cuftom, funk much in value, and the
revenues of a fief were reduced far below the fum
which it had once yielded. During their con-
tefts with the Englifh, in which a generous
nobility