north of Spain and the Picts of early Scotland. Among the peoples of Europe we further find an Asiatic racial factor and see the effect of immigration and invasion from the Orient. Different authorities divide the Asiatic races somewhat diversely, and vary especially in their nomenclature. The main point to note here is that a number of European peoples, such as the Lapps, Finns, Turks, Magyars of Hungary, and the Bulgarians, represent a considerable infusion of blood from the western Asiatic racial groups.
The scene of medieval history is laid in Europe and in those regions of Asia and Africa adjoining the Mediterranean Sea. To follow the history intelligently it is essential to have some Geography
of Europe
knowledge of the geography of this area. The reader should have in mind the main physical features of the continent of Europe, the great mountain ranges, the chief rivers and other bodies of water, and also the modern political map of Europe with its national boundaries and chief cities. The continent of Europe has a coast so deeply indented by arms of the sea that many parts are distinctly and definitely marked off from the main trunk. The British Isles form such a group. The Scandinavian peninsula is another clearly marked unit, although, on the other hand, the Baltic Sea forms a common center and meeting-place for all the lands bordering upon it. To the south Greece, Italy, and Spain are peninsulas separated by mountain ranges from the rest of Europe, although here again the Mediterranean forms a channel of communication between them. The plain of Hungary is surrounded on three sides by the Carpathians, and four mountain chains ejiclose the upper basin of the Elbe River in a sort of parallelogram called Bohemia. The Alps are very abrupt on the Italian side, but slope gradually northward toward Germany, which divides into southern highlands and the North German plain. The latter is subdivided by the Rhine, Elbe, and Oder Rivers. It merges indistinguishably into the Low Countries and northern France, and to the east into the vaster area of Russia, and thus is the chief feature of the main trunk of Europe.
