AN HISTORIC MISSION

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22510, 19 September 1938, Page 14

AN HISTORIC MISSION

TO THE EDITOR Or THE PRESS. Sir, —With reference to Mr Neville Chamberk-in’s visit to Herr Hitler, may I be permitted to point out another historic visit, perhaps the antitype of this one, arid certainly of : great indirect consequence to**he mod-, ern world? In 1415 the Luxemburg Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund 111, president of the ecclesiastic council of Constance, conceived the idea of uniting Europe in a universal crusade to resist the Turkish advance through Rumelia and Bulgaria. At that time Henry V of England was about to begin a phase of the Hundred Years’ War and was projecting an invasion of France. To prevent this, Sigismund

in person made reconciliatory visits to France and England. It is notable that by Henry he was favourably received; but Charles VI of France and his advisors, untempted by the prospect of succession to the threatened kingdom of Hungary, haughtily rejected the proposals. . In the sequel, Henry’s campaign led to the battle of Agincourt and brought France once more to the brink of ruin. The Turkish advance swept on, and by 1566 the Hungarian frontier of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was only 100 miles short of Vienna. Further, Sigismund, being in need of money for his mission, handed over to Frederick of Hohenzollern, iri . return for 400,000 marks, the territory of Brandenburg, and gave this illustrious family its entree to the larger stage of history. “Out of the dream of Sigismund came ho result but humiliation and failure; out of the business bargain of Frederick of Hohenzollern came the Prussian kingdom.”—Yours, HILLBILLY. Cheviot, September 17, 1938.