Part 11

A club formed in 1791, during the French Revolution, by the monarchical majority of the Jacobin Club, who objected to the principles and language of the minority. Their impolitic action in seceding from the Jacobins rendered the extreme revolutionists masters of the situation, owing to the enormous influence of the name Jacobin throughout France.

Fief.

In feudal times land held by a vassal by military service or other feudal tenure.

Field Cornet.

An officer charged, under the Landdrost, with the superintendence of military matters in the South African States. See Commando.

Field of Lies.

_See_ Lügenfeld.

Field of Mourning.

The battlefield of Fraga, in Spain, where fell, in 1134, Alfonso I of Aragon, surnamed the Warrior, and famed for his successes against the Moors, whom he expelled from the valley of the Ebro.

Field of the Cloth of Gold.

The meeting place of Henry VIII and Francis I, between Guines and Ardres. This meeting, which took place in 1520, was arranged by Francis with the object of securing the friendship of Henry, and detaching him from the Spanish alliance. A marriage was agreed upon between the Dauphin and Princess Mary of England, but within a very few weeks Henry went back on his word, and gave Charles V an undertaking that he would proceed no further in the matter.

Fieschi Conspiracy.

An unsuccessful conspiracy to overthrow the Doge, Doria, and the French party in Genoa in 1547.

Fieschi’s Plot.

A plot to assassinate Louis Philippe in July, 1835. A machine composed of twenty-four gun-barrels was fired from an upper window at the Royal _cortége_, as the king was on his way to a review. The king was unhurt, but several prominent persons, including Marshal Mortier, were killed. Fieschi and his accomplices were caught red-handed.

Fifteen, Council of.

A council of state appointed by the Barons of the Mad Parliament in 1258 to carry on the Government. The Fifteen produced the Provisions of Oxford, under which the kingdom was governed until the Mise of Amiens in 1264.

Fifteen, Rebellion of the.

The Jacobite rebellion in Scotland in 1815, under the Earl of Mar. The rebels succeeded in penetrating into England, but were defeated at Preston, and shortly afterwards Mar was defeated at Sheriffmuir. With little further fighting the rebel army was broken up, and the Pretender retired to France. Lords Derwentwater and Kenmure and many other less important personages were executed for complicity in the rebellion.

Fifth Monarchy Men.

A sect of fanatics who formed an important element in the Cromwellian armies. They considered the Protectorate to be the Fifth Monarchy prophesied in the Apocalypse, during which the millennium would come upon the earth.

Fiftieth Ordinance.

An ordinance of the Cape Government in 1828, by which Hottentots and other free natives were relieved from all the restrictions of the pass law, and put upon a political equality with the whites. This was very distasteful to the Dutch settlers.

Fifty-one, Committee of.

A committee of merchants and gentry in New York, formed in 1774. They were in favour of a General Congress, but opposed to the non-intercourse policy advocated by some other colonies, and especially in Massachusetts.

Fighting Prelate.

Henry Spencer, Bishop of Norwich, who led the troops against Wat Tyler in 1381, was so called.

Financial Relations Committee.

A committee appointed in 1895 to report on the financial relations between England and Ireland. In the following year, a majority report was issued in which it was stated that the Act of Union had laid too heavy a financial burden on Ireland; that the increase in the Irish contribution sanctioned in 1853 and in 1860 was unjustifiable; and that Ireland’s tax revenue was one-eleventh, whereas it should only be one-twentieth of that of England.

Fines, Statute of.

A statute passed in the 4th year of Henry VII, re-enacted almost verbatim from a statute of Richard III, the object of which was to prevent the multiplication in the courts of suits for the recovery of lands. The method adopted was to fix at five years the period of occupation giving prescriptive rights.

Fire of London.

A fire which broke out on September 2, 1660, at a house in Fish Street Hill. It burnt for four days and destroyed eighty-nine churches, including St. Paul’s, and over 13,000 houses.

Firebrand of France.

The sobriquet of John, Duke of Bedford, Regent of France (1390-1435).

Firebrand of the Universe.

Tamerlane, the great Tartar conqueror, was so called.

Fire-Eaters.

The extreme supporters of Slavery and States’ Rights in the Southern States of America were so called by their political opponents before the Civil War.

Firman.

An official edict of the Porte, issued in the Sultan’s name, though not necessarily bearing his signature.

First Charter.

A charter issued by Henry I, in 1100, by which he re-established the law of King Edward, that is to say the old institutions of the country prior to the Conquest. He further undertook to make only such claims upon his feudatories as were in accordance with feudal law, and made the same course obligatory on them in relation to their vassals. He also recognized the right of bequeathing property by will.

First Gentleman of Europe.

George IV, when Prince Regent, was so called.

Fisheries Treaty, 1888.

A treaty between Great Britain and the United States, signed in 1888, providing for reciprocal fishing rights for the Canadian and American fishermen. Pending ratification a _modus vivendi_ was established, by which American fishermen could fish in Canadian and Newfoundland waters on payment of a license of $1.50 per ton. The Senate, however, declined to ratify the treaty.

Five Articles of Perth.

A document embodying certain changes in ritual, in the direction of Episcopalianism, forced upon the Scotch Presbyterians by James I in 1621. They excited great discontent, but remained in force until 1638.

Five Boroughs.

A confederation, under Danish law, of the five tribes which occupied the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. The five boroughs were Derby, Lincoln, Leicester, Stamford and Nottingham. The confederacy was broken up in 910 by Æthelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians.

Five Hundred, Council of.

The name given to the Lower House of Assembly under the Directoire in France (1795-1799).

Five Kings of France.

The name applied to the five men composing the French Directoire (1795-1799).

Five Members.

Pym, Hampden, Haselrig, Strode and Holles, five members of the Long Parliament, who were specially active in their opposition to the king’s illegal actions. Charles attempted to arrest them in the House of Commons in 1642, but they escaped to the City, and Charles was unable to seize them, in the face of the support accorded to them by the citizens.

Five Mile Act.

An Act passed in 1665, forbidding any clergyman who had not subscribed to the Act of Uniformity to teach, or to come within five miles of a borough or corporate town. A similar Act, known as the Mile Act, had been passed in Scotland three years earlier.

Five Nations.

The five tribes of Red Indians who formerly ranged the east coast of America, along the Hudson, and as far south as the Delaware. They were always on the English side in the wars with France. They were the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. The remnants of these tribes are now domiciled in Canada.

Flagellants.

A sect which appeared in Hungary during the Great Plague of 1348. They looked upon scourging as the only means of avoiding the divine punishment for sin.

Flammock’s Rebellion.

A rising in Cornwall, headed by Thomas Flammock in 1497, in opposition to the tax levied for the maintenance of the war against Scotland. The rebels were defeated at Blackheath, and Flammock and others executed.

Fleet Marriages.

Marriages celebrated within the precincts of the Fleet Prison by clergymen of indifferent character. They were rendered impossible by Lord Hardwicke’s Act in 1753.

Flibustiers.

_See_ Buccaneers.

Flood’s Reform Bill.

A sweeping measure of reform introduced into the Irish Parliament by Flood in 1784. It gave rise to scenes of the wildest disorder, both in the House and throughout the country.

Flower of Chivalry.

Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) was so called.

Flowery Land, Mutiny of the.

A mutiny on board an English vessel on a voyage to Singapore in 1684, the crew, composed of various nationalities, murdering the captain and first mate. The second mate, who was spared to navigate the vessel, was able to give information which led to the arrest of most of the crew, five of whom were hanged in due course.

Folcland.

In early Saxon times all the land which was not partitioned off into homesteads, or specially granted, remained the property of the nation, and was known as folcland. In the times of the later Saxon kings, the folcland became royal demesne, and after the Conquest William seized it as crown property.

Folenbray.

A treaty between Henri IV of France and the Duc de Mayenne, by which the League came to an end.

Folkething.

_See_ Rigsdag.

Folkmote.

In early Saxon times the gathering of the tribe in arms was so called.

Fommanah, Treaty of.

A treaty between Great Britain and the King of Ashanti, signed after the first Ashanti War in 1874. The king renounced the right to exact tribute from the kings of Denkera and Adansi, other native chiefs, and also his supremacy over Elmira. He agreed to offer no obstacle to British trade, to maintain an open road to Kumasi, and to abolish human sacrifices. Prempeh’s failure to adhere to the terms of this treaty led to the second Ashanti expedition in 1900.

Fontainebleau, Decree of.

A decree issued by Napoleon in October, 1810, ordering all British merchandise found in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other places in the occupation of the French troops to be destroyed.

Fontainebleau, Treaty of, 1807.

A treaty, disclosed in the autumn of 1807, between Napoleon and Godoy, the Minister of Charles IV, and the _de facto_ ruler of Spain. It provided for the joint occupation of Portugal by France and Spain, and the dismemberment of that country, Godoy receiving as his reward the provinces of Alemtejo and the Algarves to be erected into a principality, and the northern province to be given to the King of Etruria, in exchange for Tuscany, which would pass to Napoleon.

Fontainebleau, Treaty of, 1814.

A treaty between Napoleon and the Allied Powers, signed April 14, 1814, after the occupation of Paris. Napoleon surrendered all claims to the thrones of France and Italy, and received in return the sovereignty of Elba for himself, and Parma and Piacenza for the Empress and the King of Rome.

Foraker Act.

An Act of Congress, passed in 1900, establishing local self-government in Porto Rico, and creating a tariff. In 1901 the tariff provisions were repealed, and free trade with the United States instituted.

Force Act.

An Act of Congress passed in 1870, giving the Federal authorities the right to intervene in certain contingencies in the police and other internal arrangements of individual States. This Act was rendered necessary by the covert support given by the authorities of the Southern States to such organizations as the Ku-Klux Klan. A similar Act was passed in 1871.

Force Bill.

The popular name for the bill introduced by Mr. Lodge in Congress, in 1890, for the reform of the electoral law of the United States. The bill did not pass the Senate.

Foreign Enlistment Act.

An Act passed in 1819, making it a misdemeanour for a British subject to enlist in the service of a foreign power at war with a nation friendly to Great Britain, or to build or equip any ship for the service of such power.

Forests, Charter of.

A charter granted by Henry III in 1217, when renewing Magna Charta, mitigating the severity of the Forest laws of the Anglo-Norman kings.

Formosan Expedition.

An expedition sent to Formosa by Japan in 1873-4, to exact reparation for the murder of a ship’s crew from the Loo Choo Islands. China was highly incensed, and war between the two nations was imminent, but Sir Thomas Wade persuaded the Chinese to pay an indemnity and recognize Japanese sovereignty over the Loo Choo Islands.

Forty-five, Rebellion of the.

The second Jacobite rebellion, in 1845, under the Young Pretender, Prince Charles Edward. Joined by many of the Highland clans, he succeeded in defeating the English under Cope at Preston Pans, and penetrated into England as far as Derby, but was forced to retreat, and was finally disastrously defeated by the Duke of Cumberland at Culloden. Charles Edward escaped to France, but many of his leading supporters were captured and executed.

Forty-niners.

_See_ Argonauts.

Forty-two Articles.

The articles of the Reformed Church of England, as issued originally in 1552, were forty-two in number. They were afterwards reduced, by the omission of three, to thirty-nine, which remain binding to-day.

Forwards, Marshal.

A nickname given to Blucher during the campaign of 1813.

Fouage.

A tax on chimneys imposed by the Black Prince in Gascony.

Four Burghs, Court of the.

In early Scottish history a court established for the purpose of dealing with all cases in which the Scottish Burghs were concerned.

Fourierism.

A system of communism devised by Charles Fourier, the French Socialist, in 1832. The proposal was to form communities of 1,800 persons each, known as _phalanges_, to be united under a central government. The gains of each _phalange_ were to be held in common. An attempt to establish the system near Versailles was completely unsuccessful.

Fourth Party.

A small but active body of free-lances of the Conservative party, which was formed under Lord Randolph Churchill during the session of 1880. Though various Conservative members acted with it from time to time, the party is generally considered to have consisted of four persons. Lord Randolph Churchill, Mr. (afterwards Sir John) Gorst, Sir H. Drummond Wolff and Mr. Arthur Balfour.

Francfief.

A tax on commoners who became possessed of fiefs, to compensate for their inability to render military service. It was imposed by Louis IX of France in 1260, and abolished by his successor, Philip III.

Franchise Act.

An Act passed in 1884, assimilating the county to the borough franchise, and giving the vote to residents in a house who are neither occupiers nor lodgers (known as the Service Franchise) under certain restrictions. In the House of Lords, Lord Cairns carried an amendment that the Act should not become operative until a Redistribution Bill had been passed.

Franciscans.

An order of mendicant friars, founded by St. Francis d’Assisi, and authorized by Innocent II in 1215. They were not confined to monasteries, like the earlier orders, but worked amongst the poor, and took themselves a vow of poverty in addition to the ordinary monastic vows.

Franco-American Treaty, 1778.

A treaty by which France recognized the independence of the United States. Both parties agreed to give each other most-favoured-nation treatment in tariff matters, while America accepted the French interpretation of the treaties of Utrecht and Paris with respect to the Newfoundland fishery question, thus admitting the right of France not only to the fishing, but to the use of one half of the shore for drying stations. France further agreed to recognize any conquests made by the United States from England in the course of the war.

Franco-Annamese Treaty, 1874.

A treaty between France and Annam, by which Annam recognized the French sovereignty of Lower Cochin China, and granted free navigation of the Red River.

Franco-Siamese Treaty, 1893.

By this instrument Siam ceded to France all her territory on the east of the Mekong, and agreed to keep no fortified place within fifteen miles of the river on the west bank. France was to occupy Chantaboon until the conditions were fulfilled.

Franco-Siamese Treaty, 1902.

By this treaty Siam made further territorial concessions to France, ceding practically all the territory ever held by Annam or Tonquin. She also conceded to France the right to protect Siamese subjects of Annamese or Tonquinese extraction, and undertook to open a certain number of official posts to Frenchmen. France agreed to evacuate Chantaboon.

Francs-Archers.

A militia raised for the first time by Charles VII of France in 1448. Each parish was ordered to provide and equip one man, who, in return for his military service, was freed from all taxation.

Francs-Tireurs.

French peasants who took up arms during the Franco-German war of 1870, and carried on a species of guerilla warfare against the German troops. In the early part of the war they were treated as brigands, and shot when captured. Later they were organized by the French authorities, and were then treated as belligerents.

Frankfort, Confederacy of.

A league composed of the Emperor, the Kings of Prussia and Sweden, the Elector Palatine and the Landgrave of Hesse, formed in 1744 with the object of forcing Maria Theresa to acknowledge Charles VII as Emperor.

Frankfort, General Treaty of.

A treaty signed by Austria, Great Britain, Prussia and Russia, confirming the various territorial changes effected by the Treaties of Paris and Vienna of 1815.

Frankfort, Treaty of.

The treaty embodying the terms agreed upon at Versailles by Prince Bismarck and M. Thiers, after the surrender of Paris in 1871. It provided for the cession to Germany of Alsace, including Strasburg, but not including Belfort, and of a part of Lorraine, including Metz, together with the payment of a war indemnity of five milliards of francs, or two hundred millions sterling.

Frankfurter Attentat.

A rising of students and others at Frankfort-on-the-Main in 1833, occasioned by the oppressive measures adopted by the Bundesrath towards the Press. The outbreak was promptly quelled.

Frankpledge.

A system existing in the early Norman, and probably the later Saxon period, by which the whole of the free population of England was divided into groups of ten men, mutually responsible for the other members of the group. It was by this means that the policing of the country was carried out, under the supervision of the Hundred Court. It was also called Frithbohr.

Fraternity, Edict of.

An edict issued by the French Convention in 1792, offering fraternity to all nations ready to welcome liberal institutions.

Frédéric, Code.

_See_ Landrecht.

Frederickshamm, Treaty of.

A treaty between Russia and Sweden, signed in 1809, shortly after the death of Gustavus IV, by which Russia acquired Finland as far as the Tornea.

Free Church of Scotland.

A secession from the Established Church of Scotland, which took place under Dr. Chalmers in 1843. About 500 ministers seceded with him. The points at issue were State Control and Lay Patronage, to which Dr. Chalmers and his followers objected.

Free Companies.

The Mercenaries employed by both French and English during the Hundred Years’ War. After the Peace of Brétigny they were disbanded, and being without employment, formed bands under their own leaders, and committed frightful ravages in France, and, later, in Italy.

Free Imperial Cities.

Certain towns in Germany, owing allegiance to no sovereign prince, excepting only to the Emperor. They exercised sovereign powers within their own limits, and sent representatives to the Diet. In 1790 they were fifty-one in number. The three last cities to retain their privileges were Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg, which in 1871 became an integral part of the German Empire.

Free Selection.

A scheme for settling small farmers on portions of the large holdings of the Squatters, or Pastoralists, in Australia. This system was first introduced in New South Wales, in 1861, and was adopted in Victoria in the following year. Intending settlers could take up, in the districts set apart for the purpose, from 40 to 240 acres, paying £1 per acre, or if they preferred, 10s. down and the balance by annual instalments of 2s. 6d. Many of those who took advantage of this offer, proved however to be mere dummies, put up by the squatters, who thus obtained land more cheaply than they could purchase from the Government. Amending bills were consequently introduced to prevent these evasions.

Freesoilers.

A party formed in the United States in 1848 to resist the extension of slavery to the Territories. They were absorbed into the Republican party in 1856.

Freestone State.

A popular name for the State of Connecticut, owing to the large number of freestone quarries within its borders.

Free Trade, Apostle of.

The name given to Richard Cobden, the leader of the Manchester School. It is also occasionally applied to John Bright.

Free Trade.

The principle of the free interchange of commodities was first advocated by Adam Smith in his _Wealth of Nations_, in 1776. It may be said to have first become a question of practical politics in 1846, thanks to the advocacy of Richard Cobden and the Manchester School.

Freischöffe.

The initiated members of the Vehmgerichte.

Freigraffen.

The officers of the Vehmgerichte.

Freisinnige.

A party in the German Reichstag, formed under Richter in 1884, by a coalition of the advanced Radicals with seceders from the National Liberals. Their programme was distinctly Radical.

French Fury.

A treacherous attempt to sack Antwerp by the French under the Duc d’Anjou in 1583. Though taken by surprise, the citizens promptly obeyed the call to arms, and the French, after severe fighting, were driven out with heavy loss.

French Shore.

A question still (1903) pending between Great Britain and France. By the Treaty of Utrecht, 1713, Newfoundland was declared English, but the French were suffered to retain their fishery rights and the use of a certain portion of the coast for drying stations. France has for many years sought to give a very wide interpretation to this use of the Newfoundland coast, claiming almost sovereign rights, which seriously interfere with the railway and mining development of the colony. A _modus vivendi_ has been arrived at, pending final settlement, but the long delay in coming to an agreement has caused much irritation in Newfoundland.

Frèrage.

The system by which in French feudal times provision was made for the younger members of a family. The land passed to the eldest son, who retained a portion of it, and passed the rest on to his brothers, who did homage for it. Frèrage was similar in its form and in its results to subinfeudation.

Friends of Ireland.

The title under which the Catholic Association was reconstituted by O’Connell in 1830. It was declared illegal, whereupon it reappeared in a new form as the Society of Irish Volunteers.

Friends of the People.

A society formed in 1792 to agitate for the removal of the existing inequalities in representation. It numbered among its members many leading Whig politicians, amongst others Russell, Sheridan, Erskine and Grey.

Frithbohr.

_See_ Frankpledge.

Frith-guilds.

Societies formed in the towns, on conditions of mutual responsibility somewhat analogous to the Frankpledge, in the early Plantagenet times. They afterwards combined, forming the powerful merchant guilds which eventually came to control not only the conditions of labour, but the selling price of the commodities in which they dealt.

Fronde.

A revolt of the Parlement and citizens of Paris, under the leadership of the Cardinal de Retz, against the unrestrained autocracy of Louis XIV. The court was forced to leave Paris in 1648, but the first outbreak was ended during the year following by an arrangement called the Treaty of Ruel. It was finally suppressed in 1652. The contention of the Fronde was that the king’s prerogative should only be exercised within the limits of the law, and should not be above the law, as was claimed by the king.

Frostathing’s Law.