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DICTIONARY OF HISTORICAL ALLUSIONS

_Uniform with this Volume._

1. =Dictionary of Quotations= (English). By COL. P. H. DALBIAC.

2. =Dictionary of Quotations= (Classical). By T. B. HARBOTTLE.

3. =Dictionary of Quotations= (French and Italian). By COL. P. H. DALBIAC and T. B. HARBOTTLE.

4. =What Great Men have said about Great Men.= By WILLIAM WALE.

5. =Famous Sayings of Great Men.= By EDWARD LATHAM. _Shortly._

6. =Dictionary of Quotations= (German and Spanish). By COL. P. H. DALBIAC and T. B. HARBOTTLE. _In prep._

LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., LTD.

DICTIONARY OF HISTORICAL ALLUSIONS

By THOMAS BENFIELD HARBOTTLE

_Author of “Dictionary of Quotations (Classical)” and Co-Author of “Dictionary of Quotations (French and Italian)”_

LONDON

SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO. LTD. PATERNOSTER SQUARE 1903

_ERRATA._

Page 14 _Sub voce_ Armed Neutrality _for_ 1870 _read_ 1780.

” 22 ” Bar ” 1876 ” 1768.

” 34 ” Bobbing John ” 1815 ” 1715.

” 71 ” Cyprus ” 1788 ” 1878.

” 77 ” Disarming the Highlands ” 1825 ” 1725.

” 94 ” Fifteen ” 1815 ” 1715.

” 96 ” Flowery Land ” 1684 ” 1864.

” 98 ” Forty-five ” 1845 ” 1745.

” 101 ” French Shore _for_ interferg _read_ interfere.

” minine ” mining.

” 110 ” Great Commoner ” younger ” elder.

” 115 ” Harper’s Ferry _for_ 1869 _read_ 1859.

” 139 ” Kitcat Club ” 1793 ” 1703.

_for_ French Revolution _read_ Revolution of 1688.

” 185 ” Panslavism _for_ haning _read_ having.

” 207 ” Quietists ” 1780 ” 1680.

” 224 ” Sanquhar ” Charles I. ” Charles II.

” 244 ” Succession Act, 1534, _for_ setting _read_ settling.

” 245 ” Suttee _Add._--This practice had been made illegal by an Order in Council of Lord William Bentinck’s Government in 1826.

” 255 ” Toledo _Delete_ 2nd line.

DICTIONARY OF HISTORICAL ALLUSIONS

Abbeville, Treaty of.

A treaty between the English Barons and Louis IX of France, signed in 1259, shortly after the establishment in England of the Council of Fifteen. By its provisions England retained Bordeaux, Bayonne, and Gascony, and surrendered all claim to Normandy, Anjou, Poitou, and Maine. The French king agreed to supply a sum of money sufficient to maintain for two years five hundred knights, to be employed for the benefit of England or of the Church.

Abecedarians.

A branch of the Anabaptists, founded in Germany in the sixteenth century by Stork, a disciple of Luther. They held that all human knowledge was valueless, and therefore declined to learn even the alphabet.

Abencerrages.

A noble Moorish family of Granada, in the fifteenth century. They were accused by a rival family, the Zegris, of plotting against Abdallah, King of Granada, and were lured into the Alhambra, where they were barbarously massacred. Thirty-six members of the family perished.

Abhorrers.

Another name for the Tories in the reign of Charles II. They were so called from their use of the word in their addresses to the king, protesting against the petitions in favour of summoning a Parliament in 1679.

Abingdon Law.

Execution first and trial afterwards. The phrase is derived from the methods adopted by Major-General Brown, of the Commonwealth Army, at Abingdon, during the Civil War. It was his habit, it is said, to deal in this fashion with Malignants who fell into his hands.

Abjuration, Act of (England).

An Act passed in 1702, imposing upon all who took office under the State, an oath abjuring the House of Stuart, and binding them to support each successor to the throne named in the Act of Settlement.

Abjuration, Act of (Netherlands).

The declaration of independence made at The Hague in 1581 by the deputies of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, deposing Philip II. It did not, however, substitute any other form of government.

Abo, Treaty of.

A treaty between Russia and Sweden, signed in 1743, after the surrender of the Swedish army at Helsingfors. Russia acquired Finland, as far as the river Kiümer, and secured the election of Adolphus Frederick of Holstein as Crown Prince of Sweden, in the place of the Prince Royal of Denmark.

Abolitionists.

The extreme anti-slavery party in the United States, in 1860. They demanded the total abolition of slavery, and would agree to no compromise with the South, even at the cost of civil war.

Absentee Tax.

A tax imposed upon absentee landlords in Ireland, in the reign of Richard II. An attempt was made to reimpose it in 1773, but unsuccessfully, mainly owing to the opposition of Edmund Burke.

Academic Legion.

A body of armed students who took an active part in the revolutionary disturbances in Vienna in 1848.

Acadia.

The original name of Nova Scotia.

Acte Additionel.

A proclamation by Napoleon, on his return from Elba in 1815, in which he accepted, with some slight modifications, the _Charte_ of Louis XVIII.

Adam Kok, Treaty with.

A treaty made with Adam Kok, a Griqua chief, by Sir Peregrine Maitland in 1845. One of its provisions, which later caused considerable trouble in the Orange River Sovereignty, prevented the alienation of land by the Griquas to Europeans over a considerable portion of Kok’s territory. The treaty was denounced by Great Britain in 1856 after the Convention of Bloemfontein.

Addled Parliament.

A Parliament summoned by James I, in 1615. An attempt by certain of its members, who were dubbed the Undertakers, to control it in the interests of the Court, failed signally, and the king promptly dissolved it.

Adendorff Trek.

A threatened trek of a large number of Transvaal Boers, under a leader named Adendorff, into Mashonaland, in 1891. Sir Henry Loch raised a protest, on the ground that the trek would be an infringement of the Swaziland Convention of 1890, and an act of hostility towards Great Britain, whereupon President Kruger issued a proclamation forbidding all Transvaal burghers to take part in the movement.

Adis Ababa, Treaty of.

A treaty signed May 15, 1902, between Great Britain and Ethiopia (Abyssinia). It provides for the rectification and delimitation of the frontier between Abyssinia and the Soudan. The Negus undertakes not to sanction any damming of the Sobat or the Blue Nile without the consent of Great Britain, grants a lease of a tract of country on the Baro river, for the formation of a commercial _entrepôt_, and gives Great Britain the right to connect Uganda and the Soudan by a railway running through Abyssinia. A further treaty, to which Italy is also a party, provides for the rectification of the frontiers of Eritrea with Abyssinia and the Soudan.

Adjutators.

Delegates elected by each regiment of the Parliamentary Army in 1647, to act with the officers in placing their demands and grievances before Parliament prior to disbandment.

Admonition.

A document issued by Thomas Cartwright, the leader of the Puritans, in 1572, demanding the establishment of Presbyterianism, as being a divine institution.

Admonition, Cardinal Allen’s.

A pamphlet addressed to the “Nobility and People of England,” bringing a series of scandalous charges against Queen Elizabeth, issued by Cardinal Allen in 1588.

Adonis of Fifty.

A nickname of George IV.

Adrian, Bull of.

A bull issued by Adrian IV, in 1156, granting the sovereignty of Ireland to Henry II, in return for his undertaking to support the Papal authority, and to pay Peter’s Pence.

Adrianople, Treaty of.

A treaty between Russia and Turkey, signed in 1829, following the capture by Russia of the fortresses of Varna, Silistria, and Adrianople. It gave Russia control over the mouths of the Danube, and the appointment of protector of the privileges of Moldavia and Wallachia.

Adriatic, Marriage of the.

An ancient ceremony celebrated yearly at Venice on Ascension Day, and typifying the greatness of Venice as a maritime power. The Doge was conveyed in his state barge to the sea, and threw into the water a consecrated ring. The ceremony was established in 1174 by Pope Alexander III, in memory of the victory of the Venetians over the fleet of Barbarossa.

Adscriptus Glebæ.

A person who was compelled to remain on his lord’s estate. The condition of a villein or serf in feudal times.

Adullamites.

A small section of the Liberal party, headed by Mr. Lowe (Lord Sherbrooke) who opposed Mr. Gladstone’s Reform Bill of 1866. The name had its origin in a speech of John Bright, who likened the malcontents to those who took refuge in the Cave of Adullam. The term “cave” is now applied to any small knot of dissentients within the ranks of one of the great political parties.

Adventurers of 1642.

The gentlemen and others who had advanced money to the Government during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, to be repaid by grants of forfeited land. In 1653 these claims were recognized by grants in various parts of Leinster and Munster.

Afrancesados.

The partizans of Napoleon in Spain and the Spanish Colonies.

Afrikander Bond.

An organization formed in Cape Colony in 1881, with the avowed object of securing for the Afrikanders a larger share of political power. Its moving Spirit was Mr. Hofmeyr, a member of the Cape Ministry. It has taken a leading part in Cape politics, generally in opposition to British rule, and during the Boer war of 1899-1902 gave strong evidence of disloyalty.

Agraviados.

The Catalan insurgents, in 1825, called themselves the Agraviados, or men with a grievance.

Agrarian League.

A league formed in Berlin in 1893, to advocate bimetalism and a return to protection. In the latter portion of its programme, it has had considerable success.

Agricultural Alliance Bill.

The name given to a bill passed by the Prussian Parliament in 1896, at the instigation of the Agricultural Alliance. It prohibited time bargains in corn, mining shares, etc., and provided for the regulation of the Berlin Bourse, Corn Exchange, and other Exchanges, by a committee under a Government official. To escape these vexatious restrictions, the produce brokers deserted the Exchange and formed a Free Commercial Union, meeting in another building to carry on their business.

Aids.

Taxes levied on their feudatories by the English kings, prior to Magna Charta. By that instrument, however, it was provided that they were to be granted only by the Great Council, except in three specified cases: the delivery of the king from prison, the knighting of the king’s eldest son, or the marriage of his eldest daughter.

Aigun, Convention of.

A treaty between Russia and China, signed in 1858, by which Russia obtained all the territory eastward of the Ussuri river to the Japan Sea, and fixed her southern boundary at the frontier of Corea.

Aix-la-Chapelle, Congress of.

A congress held in 1818, and attended by plenipotentiaries from Great Britain, Prussia, Austria and Russia, to arrange for the evacuation of France by the army of occupation, and the readmission of France, as one of the Great Powers, to the Councils of Europe.

Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of.

A treaty between the Triple Alliance (England, Holland and Sweden) and Louis XIV of France, signed in May, 1668. Spain, which acceded to the Treaty, received Franche Comté from France, and surrendered certain frontier towns, including Lille, Courtray, and Tournay. The Triple Alliance were thus enabled to checkmate Louis’ designs in the Low Countries.

Aix-la-Chapelle, Treaty of.

A treaty signed by England, France, Austria, Spain, and Holland, in 1748, putting an end to the War of the Austrian Succession. Territorially, its provisions in the main amounted to a return to the _status quo ante_, but it was provided that the Pretender should be expelled from France, that Spain should renew the Asiento treaty with England, and that Austria was to receive the acknowledgment by the signatories of the Duke of Lorraine, husband of Maria Theresa, as Emperor, in return for the cession of Silesia to Prussia.

Akerman, Treaty of.

A treaty between Russia and Turkey, supplementary to the Treaty of Bucharest, signed in 1826. It provided that the Hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia should rule independently, each with a council of Boyars, and should not be deposed without the Czar’s consent; that Servia should elect her own princes, and that Russia should occupy the East coast of the Black Sea, and should have free access to all Turkish waters.

Alabama.

A privateer fitted out in England during the American Civil War, to prey upon the commerce of the Northern States. After the war the United States made an enormous claim for compensation, which was submitted to arbitration, with the result that England was condemned to pay about three and a half millions sterling.

Alais, Treaty of.

A treaty between the Catholics and the Huguenots in France, signed in 1629, after the fall of La Rochelle. By this treaty the Huguenots were finally deprived of their political rights.

Alaric Cottin.

A sobriquet of Frederick the Great of Prussia, given him by Voltaire. It infers that he was a great soldier but a very poor poet.

Alascans.

The name given to the foreign Protestant refugees in England during the reign of Edward VI. The name is derived from Laski, the superintendent of foreign church communities.

Alaska Purchase.

By a treaty between the United States and Russia, in 1867, the latter Power surrendered all her possessions on the continent of the United States, together with the Probyloff Islands, in consideration of a payment of 7,200,000 dols.

Alaska Treaty.

A treaty between Great Britain and the United States, signed in 1903, by which it was agreed to submit the question of the boundary between Alaska and Canada to a commission of six jurists, three to be nominated by each side. This question had been pending since the cession of Alaska to the United States by Russia in 1867, the doubt as to the true frontier arising from the very indefinite terms of the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1825.

Albanian League.

A league founded by the Porte in 1880, to oppose the aspirations of Montenegro towards an increase of territory. In 1887 the league presented to the Sultan a petition for autonomy, under an Albanian governor, and receiving no answer, rose in rebellion. The outbreak, however, was easily suppressed.

Albany Regency.

A coterie of Democrats who from 1820 to 1854 exercised a controlling influence over the politics of New York State, and had consequently considerable power in national politics. Their headquarters were at Albany.

Albigenses.

A sect of dissenters from the Romish doctrine, settled in the South of France, under the protection of Raymond, Count of Toulouse, their name being derived from the town of Albi. Innocent III organised a crusade against them in 1215, under the leadership of Simon de Montfort, and at the siege of Béziers it is estimated that 15,000 Albigenses were put to the sword. They nevertheless held out until 1229, when Raymond capitulated, and the Inquisition was established in Toulouse. The sect, though dispersed, was not destroyed, and its members carried the seeds of Protestantism into Bohemia, Germany and England.

Alcantara, Knights of.

A Spanish order of religious chivalry, established in 1177, and directed against Mohammedanism.

Ale Conner.

An official appointed annually the Court-Leet to test and examine the ale sold in the borough, and to prosecute dishonest vendors.

Alexander of Bulgaria, Abduction of.

A conspiracy of the pro-Russian party in Bulgaria, in 1886. Prince Alexander, whose policy was to free his country from Russian influence, was kidnapped by some Bulgarian officers, and carried off in his yacht to Russian territory. An attempt was then made to establish a pro-Russian government under M. Zankoff, but the sympathies of the Bulgarians were with the Prince, and M. Stambuloff set up a Council of Regency, and demanded his return. The Prince came back, but with nerves completely shattered by his experiences, or, as was alleged, by the administration of certain drugs, and he shortly afterwards abdicated. There seems little doubt that the Russian Foreign Office was privy to the plot.

Alexander of the North.

A sobriquet of Charles XII of Sweden (1682-1718).

Alexander, The Albanian.

Iskander Beg (George Castriot, 1404-1467) was so called.

Alexander, The English.

A sobriquet of Henry V.

Alexander Newski, Order of.

A Russian order of knighthood, founded by Peter the Great in 1722.

Alien Act.

An act passed in 1793, to deal with the enormous influx of foreigners into England, due to the French Revolution. Aliens were required to state the object of their visit, to register their names, and to obtain passports for moving to and fro.

Alien and Sedition Laws.

A series of Acts of Congress passed in 1798, to deal with the situation caused by the residence in the United States of a large number of naturalized Frenchmen who sympathized with France in the difficulties then pending between the two countries. They gave the President the power to banish undesirable aliens. They were very unpopular, and were, in fact, never enforced with any stringency, but are noticeable as having led to the first declaration of States Rights, Kentucky and Virginia declaring them unconstitutional.

Aliwal North, First Treaty of.

A treaty, signed in 1858 between the Orange Free State and Moshesh, the Basuto chief, through the mediation of Sir George Grey. This treaty rectified the frontier somewhat in favour of the Basutos, and made other provisions tending to the maintenance of peace.

Aliwal North, Second Treaty of.

A treaty between Great Britain and the Orange Free State, signed in 1869, settling the boundary between the two contracting parties in Basutoland. After the annexation by Great Britain of the territories of Moshesh, the Orange Free State claimed the boundary line fixed by the treaty of Thaba Bosigo, while Great Britain claimed that in existence before the war of 1865. A compromise was eventually arrived at, and the frontier thus fixed is that at present existing between the Orange River Colony and the Cape.

All Red Cable.

A cable route from England to Australia, touching only British soil, projected by the Ottawa Conference in 1894. The scheme met with the approval and support of the Imperial Parliament, and the cable was completed in 1902.

Allgemeines Landrecht.

The Prussian Code of Law, amplified from the Landrecht of Frederick the Great.

Alliance Society.

A political association formed in Belgium in 1897, with the object of uniting the different branches of the Liberal Party.

Allodial Lands.

Among the Franks, lands held in absolute proprietorship, as opposed to lands held as fiefs, and dependent upon a superior. They were subject to no burden, except the call to arms for national defence, and passed at death to all the children equally, or, failing issue, to the next of kin.

Alte Fritz.

Frederick the Great of Prussia is constantly referred to by this sobriquet.

Althing.

The general assembly of the Norsemen. (_See also_ Thing.)

Alumbrados.

A sect of mystics, founded in Spain about 1520, the forerunners of the better known Illuminati of Germany. They were finally suppressed by the Inquisition.

Amalfitan Code.

A code of maritime law, drawn up during the First Crusade by the mercantile community of Amalfi. It is the oldest known maritime code.

Amboise, Conspiracy of.

A plot on the part of Condé and the Bourbons, in 1560, to seize the Guises, and the King, Francis II, who was a mere puppet in their hands. The plot was discovered, and several of the leaders were executed.

Amboise, Convention of.

An agreement between Catherine de’ Medici and the Huguenots in 1563, after the first civil war, by which the Huguenots were allowed the free exercise of their religion.

Amboyna, Massacre of.

The murder of ten Englishmen, in the employment of the India Company, at the Dutch factory of Amboyna in 1623.

America Act.

An Act passed in 1775, consolidating all the previous penal acts relating to the American Colonies. It declared that all American vessels were lawful prizes, and that all Americans captured in them, or elsewhere, could be forced to take service against America. Commissioners were appointed to receive the submission of the revolted colonies, but no provisions were made for the redress of grievances.

America, Discovery of.

According to the Norse Sagas, the discovery of America should be placed to the credit of the Vikings, who made five expeditions to the coast between 985 and 1011, the first being that of Eric the Red, who settled in Greenland in 986, and the most famous that of Thorfinn Karlsefne, about 1007. The rediscovery by Columbus took place in 1492.

American Customs Act.

An Act passed in 1764, levying customs duties on goods imported into the American Colonies. These duties were to be levied for the benefit of England, and the proceeds thereof paid into the English Treasury. The assertion of this right to tax the Colonies for the benefit of the Mother Country may be considered the cause of the loss of the American Colonies.

American-Japanese Treaty.

A treaty negotiated between the Shôgun and Commodore Perry on behalf of the United States in 1854, by which Japan opened the ports of Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, and Hakodaté to foreign commerce. Foreigners had been excluded from Japan for 216 years before this date, with the exception of the Dutch, who however were strictly confined to their factory at Deshima.

American-Spanish Treaty.

A treaty signed in 1898, at the close of the war, by which Spain surrendered her sovereign rights over Cuba, and ceded Porto Rico and her other West Indian possessions. The United States undertook to pay twenty million dollars for the Philippines and Sulu Islands, but did not assume any responsibility for the Cuban debt.

Ami des Hommes.

A sobriquet of the Marquis de Mirabeau (1715-1789).

Ami du Peuple.

Jean Paul Marat, the French revolutionary leader, was known as the Friend of the People. It was also the title of the journal which he edited.

Amiens, Award of.

The award of Louis IX of France, in 1264, in the dispute between Henry III of England and his Barons, which had been referred to the arbitration of the French King. He pronounced entirely in favour of the Crown, annulling the Provisions of Oxford, especially with regard to the King’s right to employ aliens as governors of his castles. Also known as the Mise of Amiens.

Amiens, Peace of.

A treaty signed by France and England, in 1801, after the defeat of the French army in Egypt. England restored all her conquests from France, Spain and Holland, excepting Ceylon and Trinidad. Both parties agreed to the evacuation of Egypt, and the independence of Portugal was guaranteed. This peace was of very short duration, England and France being at war again in 1803.

Amistad Case.

The case of a Spanish slaver in 1839, in which the slaves had broken out and seized the ship. She was afterwards captured by a U.S. cruiser, and the Supreme Court declared that the seizure of the vessel by the slaves was not an act of piracy.

Amour, Loi d’.