Part 22

A treaty signed in August, 1791, by the King of Prussia and the Emperor, by which the former agreed to support the allies in their efforts to suppress the French Revolution. The two monarchs subsequently issued a manifesto, known as the Declaration of Pilnitz, declaring that the position of the King of France was a matter of interest to all sovereigns, and that if the European rulers united to aid Louis, they would combine with them for the purpose. The price of Prussia’s co-operation in this movement was a secret undertaking on the part of Austria not to interfere with her proceedings in Poland.

Pilsen, League of.

A confederation of Hussites in 1422, sworn to resist Sigismund, and to oppose any sovereign who would not permit communion in both kinds.

Pindaris.

A body of freebooters, or soldiers of fortune, in India, originally formed as a body of irregular horse, with licence to plunder, by the last Mohammedan dynasty of the Deccan. At the beginning of the nineteenth century they were in the service of the Mahratta Confederacy, and after the breaking up of this they continued to give great trouble to the British by their predatory raids. They were finally dispersed, and ceased to exist as an organized force in 1818.

Pine Tree State.

The state of Maine is so called, from the wide extent of its pine forests.

Pisa, Council of.

A Council, summoned during the schism in 1409, which deposed Gregory XII and Benedict XIII, and elected Alexander V as Pope. The two first named declined to recognize the authority of the Council, with the result that there were now three Popes.

Pitaux, Insurrection of the.

A peasant rising in Saintonge and Poitou in 1548, to obtain redress of grievances in connection with the Gabelle, or salt-tax. The insurgents held Bordeaux for some time, but were eventually overpowered, and their leaders executed. The rising, however, led to a reduction in the Gabelle.

Pitt’s India Bill.

_See_ East India Company.

Place Bill.

A Bill which, after several failures, became law in 1743, in spite of the strong opposition of the King, rendering pensioners of the Crown and holders of offices about the Court ineligible for seats in the House of Commons.

Plague of London.

The pestilence which broke out in London in 1665, and was not completely stamped out until the Great Fire of the following year. It carried off nearly 100,000 persons out of a total population of half a million.

Plain.

The name given to the Girondins in the French Convention, because they occupied the lower tiers of seats in the Assembly. The Jacobins, who sat on the upper benches, were known as the Mountain.

Plan of Campaign.

A combination of tenants to refuse their rents on those Irish estates where the reductions demanded were not conceded. The tenants bound themselves to act together, and to make no separate arrangements with the landlord. If the reduction was refused, they then paid their rent into a common fund, to be used for the support of those who were evicted. The Plan was put into operation on forty estates. In April, 1888, it was pronounced unlawful by the Vatican.

Platine States.

The name given to the South American Republics bordering on the River Plate, namely, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Plébiscite.

The submission of a question to the direct national vote, instead of to a vote of the elected representatives. It was adopted by Napoleon III after the Coup d’Etat of 1851, when he referred to the people the question of his assumption of the Imperial dignity.

Plimsoll’s Act.

The Merchant Shipping Act of 1876, passed owing to the efforts of Mr. Plimsoll on behalf of merchant seamen. It contains provisions preventing unseaworthy ships from leaving English ports, and regulates the load line and deck cargoes. The mark indicating the waterline of a fully loaded ship is known as the Plimsoll Mark.

Plon-Plon.

The nickname of Prince Napoleon, son of Jerome Bonaparte. It was given him during the Crimean war, and is a euphemism for Craint-Plomb (Fear Bullet).

Pochi Danari.

The Penniless, a nickname given by the Italians to the Emperor Maximilian I (1493-1519).

Podestà.

The chief magistrate in the Italian cities during the thirteenth century. He was elected annually by the citizens. In some cases his functions were purely judicial; in other cities he also exercised certain executive functions, including the control of the military forces.

Poire, La.

The nickname of Louis Philippe of France, whose face was usually portrayed by the caricaturists of the day in the shape of a pear.

Poland, First Partition of.

An arrangement arrived at in 1772 by Frederick of Prussia, Catherine of Russia, and Maria Theresa of Austria, by which Prussia obtained the whole of Polish Prussia, except Dantzig and Thorn; Austria annexed Galicia and Lodomiria; and Russia acquired all the territory between the Dwina, the Dnieper and the Drutsch.

Poland, Second Partition of.

At the close of the Polish Civil War in 1793, Prussia and Russia invaded Poland, and as a consequence added to their dominions--Russia 85,000 square miles of territory, and Prussia 21,000, together with the towns of Dantzig and Thorn.

Poland, Third Partition of.

The small remnant of the Kingdom of Poland was divided between Prussia, Austria and Russia after Kosciusko’s abortive rising in 1795.

Policy, Council of.

The local Council established at Cape Town in 1652 to govern the Colony under the General Council of the Dutch East India Company. It consisted at first of four members, but was enlarged to eight in 1685.

Polish Note.

A joint note presented to Russia by Great Britain, France and Austria in 1863, after the suppression of the Polish insurrection of that year. It contained suggestions for an amnesty, national self-government, liberty of conscience, and other liberal measures, but as there was obviously no intention of backing it by force, Russia treated it with complete indifference.

Polish Succession, War of the.

The war which broke out on the death of Augustus II in 1733. Stanislas Leszczynski was supported for the throne by France, Spain and Sardinia, Augustus III by Russia and Austria. The war was ended by the Treaty of Vienna in 1738, Augustus obtaining the crown.

Political Assessments Act.

An Act of the United States Congress, passed in 1876, which forbids the soliciting or receiving of assessments for political purposes from any person holding an official position under the Government.

Politiques.

A party which came into existence in France after the massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572, under the leadership of the Montmorency family. It was composed of Catholics who had no sympathy with the Huguenot persecutions and desired to extend toleration to their heretic fellow-countrymen.

Poll Tax.

A tax, graduated from £1 to 1_s._ a head, on every man or woman in England, imposed in 1380. It caused great discontent, which culminated in the rising of Wat Tyler and Jack Cade in 1381.

Pontage.

A tax imposed on all freemen in feudal times, for the repair and maintenance of bridges.

Poonah, Treaty of.

A treaty between the British and the Peshwa signed in 1817, whereby the Peshwa recognized the dissolution of the Mahratta Confederacy, and renounced all his claims on Sindhia, Holkar, the Gaekwar and the Rajah of Berar. He undertook to hold no communication with foreign princes, and to provide for the maintenance of a force of 5,000 horse and 3,000 foot. He also relinquished all territorial rights north of the Nerbudda, and undertook not to interfere in Indian affairs.

Poor Law Acts.

The first Act dealing with this question was passed in the reign of Elizabeth in 1572, and was followed by other enactments which were consolidated in the Act of 1601. By this Act rogues and vagabonds were severely dealt with, but workhouses were provided for the relief of the deserving poor, and parish officers, known as Overseers, appointed to superintend the working of the Act. This Act of Elizabeth continued in force till the Poor Law Act of 1832. By that time numerous abuses had crept into the administration of the Poor Law, resulting in the complete pauperisation of many parishes, owing largely to the stringency of the regulations against vagabondage having been relaxed. By the new Act, the separation between the two classes was rendered definite, relief was only to be granted to the able-bodied in return for labour, and children were separated from adult paupers. The machinery was in the main left unchanged, but small parishes were formed into Unions, and a central Board of Control was established.

Pope, Election of.

The present system of election to the Papal chair was established by Nicholas II at the Synod of Rome in 1059, and amended by Gregory X at the Council of Lyons in 1275.

Pope of Geneva.

A nickname of Calvin.

Popish Plot.

A pretended plot in the reign of Charles II, having for its object the assassination of the King and the forcible establishment of the Roman Catholic religion. The arch-informer, Titus Oates, was a renegade English clergyman, who had been admitted into the Jesuit order. It is possible that there may have been some such scheme on foot, but the so-called revelations of Oates and his fellow-informers were nothing but a tissue of absurdities. Unfortunately, the murder by some person unknown of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, before whom Oates made his first deposition, so inflamed the popular mind that no justice could be expected, and five Catholic peers denounced by Oates were sent to the Tower, while many innocent priests and others were condemned and executed.

Popular Sovereignty.

The political doctrine in the United States that the question of negro slavery was one for each Territory or State to decide for itself. It was perhaps better known as Squatter Sovereignty.

Populists.

A party formed at Cincinnati in 1891, under the style of the People’s Party of the United States. Their “platform,” drawn up by Ignatius Donnelly, consists of the following “planks” among others: Abolition of National Banks, Free Coinage of Silver, Laws against Alien Landowners, Graduated Income-tax, and National Control of Railways.

Porcari, Conspiracy of.

An attempt, under the leadership of Stefano Porcari in 1453, to restore republican institutions in Rome. It was the final struggle of the Romans against the temporal domination of the Popes.

Port Philip Association.

An association of Pioneers under John Pascoe Fawkner and John Batman, who were the first colonists to settle on the shores of Port Phillip Bay, and therefore the founders of Melbourne, in 1835.

Porteous Riots.

An outbreak in Edinburgh in 1736, when the mob broke into the Tolbooth and hanged an officer named Porteous, who had been sentenced to death for firing on the crowd at an execution where he was in command of the guard, and afterwards reprieved. After executing their vengeance, the mob dispersed, and none of the rioters were ever detected.

Portroyal.

A religious and literary community established in Paris circ. 1594 by the Arnault family, the leaders of the Jansenists. Pascal was one of its most famous members.

Portugal, Independence of.

In 1640 the weakness of Spain under Charles IV induced the Portuguese nobles, headed by the Archbishop of Lisbon, to throw off their allegiance to the Spanish Crown, and proclaim their legitimate sovereign, the Duke of Braganza, King of Portugal by the title of John IV. The Spaniards accepted the situation, without any effort to maintain their authority.

Portuguese Mars.

Alfonso d’Albuquerque (1453-1515), the famous Indian Viceroy, was so called.

Postal Convention, International.

A convention of the principal States of Europe and America, held at Berne in 1874, at which a uniform rate of postage between the various States was agreed upon.

Post-nati.

The name given to James I’s Scottish subjects who were born after his accession to the English throne. The question arose as to whether they were aliens in England, and a legal decision was given to the effect that they were not aliens.

Potato Famine.

The failure of the potato crop in Ireland in 1847 is so called. It caused terrible distress, notwithstanding all the efforts made to relieve the sufferers, and thousands in consequence emigrated to America. Its effects on population, land tenure and other Irish questions have been very far-reaching.

Potchefstroom, Volksraad of.

The first Volksraad north of the Vaal River, established in 1840.

Poyning’s Act.

An Act introduced by Sir Edward Poyning, and passed in 1495, which declared that no Irish Parliament should be convoked until its programme of legislation had been sanctioned by the English Privy Council, and attested by the Great Seal. It was afterwards a source of endless complications between the Irish and English Governments, as it limited the absolute power of the Lord Lieutenant, and rendered impossible any policy of the English colony in Ireland to which the Mother Country was opposed. This Act was temporarily repealed in 1689, re-enacted in 1691, and finally rescinded in 1782.

Praemunire, Statute of.

A statute passed in 1392, finally confirming the Statute of Provisors of the previous reign, and declaring the realm of England to be free of all earthly subjection. The procuring of any Bull or other Papal instrument was made punishable by outlawry and forfeiture.

Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges.

A proclamation of Charles VII of France in 1438, declaring that the authority of a General Council was superior to that of the Pope. It further followed the terms of the Concordat of Aschaffenburg, proclaiming that annates were abolished, and that the election of the Bishops was to be free of Papal control.

Pragmatic Sanction of Charles VI.

The fundamental law issued in 1724, settling the succession to the Austrian throne on Maria Theresa and her descendants. This, the most famous of the various Pragmatic Sanctions, was the cause of the War of the Austrian Succession, and was not finally accepted by the European Powers till the Peace of Aix La Chapelle in 1748.

Pragmatic Sanction of Frankfort.

A manifesto issued in 1338 by the Electors of the German Empire, in reply to the anathemas of Boniface XII, maintaining the Emperor’s independence of Papal control.

Pragmatic Sanction of Louis IX.

A decree issued in 1269, against the privileges of the clergy and the Papal usurpations. It forbade the sale of benefices and the levy of any tax by the Pope.

Pragmatic Sanction of Mentz.

The decree issued in 1439 by Albert II, the first Hapsburg Emperor, settling the throne of Germany upon the royal house of Austria.

Pragmatic Sanction of 1759.

The instrument by which Charles III of Spain settled the succession to the throne of Naples upon his third son and his descendants.

Pragmatic Sanction of 1830.

The decree issued by Ferdinand VII of Spain, abolishing the Salic Law, in order to secure the crown for his daughter Isabella. This document is chiefly responsible for the Carlist wars.

Prague, Congress of.

A Congress of Panslavists held at Prague in 1848. It was the occasion of an outbreak on the part of the Czechs, and led to the bombardment of the city by Windischgrätz.

Prague, Peace of.

A treaty signed in 1635, to which all the sovereign States of Germany were parties. Certain concessions were made to the Protestants, the hereditary right of Austria to Bohemia was recognized, Pomerania was given to the Elector of Brandenburg, and Lusatia to the Elector of Saxony. The latter, in return, agreed to aid Austria in expelling the Swedes from Germany, thus scandalously deserting his northern ally.

Prague, Treaty of.

A treaty signed by Prussia, Austria and Italy, after the defeat of Austria at Sadowa in 1866. Prussia annexed Hanover, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse-Cassel and Nassau. Austria renounced all right of interference in the North German States, as President of the Diet, and further ceded the Venetian provinces to Italy.

Praguerie.

A revolt of the Dukes of Bourbon and Alençon and other great nobles against Charles VII in 1439, owing to the imposition, by the Ordonnance of Orléans, of a tax on their lands for military purposes. They were joined by the Dauphin Louis, but were defeated by Charles in 1440, when the war came to an end. It broke out again, but was finally suppressed in 1441.

Prairie State.

The State of Illinois, U.S.A., is so called from the vast expanse of level prairie it contains.

Precariae.

Grants of Church lands to laymen during the Middle Ages, often extorted by force. They were generally for the life of the grantee, but were sometimes renewed to his successor.

Predial Servitude.

The condition of villeinage under the feudal system. _See_ Villeins.

Preobajensky.

A secret political police, established by Peter the Great of Russia. It was somewhat similar in constitution to the modern “Third Section.” It was abolished by Peter III in 1762.

Presburg, Confederation of.

A confederation of the Austrian, Bohemian and Hungarian States against the Emperor Rudolph II, formed by his brother Matthias in 1608. He succeeded in wresting these possessions from Rudolph.

Presburg, Treaty of.

A treaty between France and Austria, signed in December, 1805, a few days later than the Treaty of Schönbrunn. Austria, left at Napoleon’s mercy by the defection of Prussia, was forced to accept what was practically a measure of spoliation. She surrendered Venice and the Adriatic provinces to Italy, and portions of her dominions to Bavaria, Würtemberg and Baden, while she recognized the erection of Bavaria and Würtemberg into kingdoms, and agreed to abstain from interference in the affairs of Naples.

Pretoria Convention.

A convention signed in 1881, after the Majuba disaster, between Great Britain and the Transvaal. The Transvaal was granted complete internal independence, under British suzerainty, Great Britain to have control of the foreign policy of the Transvaal, and to be represented by a Resident at Pretoria.

Pretoria, Treaty of.

A treaty between Portugal and the Transvaal, signed in 1869, providing for the delimitation of the frontier between their respective territories.

Pride’s Purge.

The name given to the forcible removal from the House by Colonel Pride and his troopers of over a hundred members of the majority of the Long Parliament. The ejected members were imprisoned, and the remnant, known as the Rump, fell completely under the domination of the army.

Priests’ Charter.

_See_ Pfaffenbrief.

Prince Florizel.

A nickname of George IV, derived from the name he assumed in his correspondence with Mrs. Mary Robinson (Perdita).

Prince of Alchemy.

A sobriquet of Rudolph II, Emperor of Germany.

Princes Expulsion Bill.

A Bill passed by the French Chambers in 1886, expelling from French territory all claimants to the throne and their immediate heirs. As a consequence, Prince Napoleon and the Comte de Paris and his family left France.

Princess Party.

The party headed by the Churchills, who supported the Princess Anne during the reign of William III.

Principe de la Paz.

The Prince of the Peace, the title of Godoy, the minister of Charles IV of Spain, in the last decade of the eighteenth century.

Prisoner of Chillon.

François de Bonnivard, a Frenchman who offended Charles III of Savoy, and was imprisoned by him for six years in the Castle of Chillon on the Lake of Geneva.

Prisoner of the Vatican.

Pope Pius IX was so called by his adherents after Rome became the seat of the Italian Government in 1870.

Privas, Massacre of.

A massacre of Huguenots at the taking of Privas by Louis XIII in 1629.

Privilege of the Clan Macduff.

In ancient times any person within the ninth degree of kinship with the Chief of the Macduffs who had been guilty of unpremeditated homicide could, if he reached in safety Macduff’s Cross in Fife, escape the death penalty, and go free on payment of a fine. This privilege is said to have been granted by Malcolm Canmore (1057-93.)

Professio Fidei.

A profession of the Catholic Faith, issued by the Council of Trent in 1545, as a counterblast to the Protestant Confession of Augsburg. Its acceptance was made obligatory on every aspirant to a degree throughout the German Universities.

Promissory Oaths Act.

An Act passed in 1868, consolidating and amending the various Acts dealing with the oath of allegiance and abjuration. It provides a Parliamentary, an official and a judicial oath, of a nature that can be taken by Roman Catholics and Jews, ending with the formula “So help me, God.” The wording of the Parliamentary oath came into special prominence in 1880-5, in the course of Mr. Bradlaugh’s attempts to take his seat in the House of Commons.

Pronunciamiento.

In Spain and Spanish America a proclamation issued by a military leader, backed by his troops, against the existing Government.

Propaganda, College of the.

The Congregatio de Propaganda Fide is a council of ecclesiastics, founded by Gregory XV in 1622, to superintend the diffusion of the Catholic Faith in distant lands. The Council has at present control of all foreign missions and of a college at Rome for the training of missionaries.

Protestant Duke.

James, Duke of Monmouth, the natural son of Charles II, who, though brought up as a Catholic, afterwards adopted the Protestant faith, was so called by his supporters.

Protestant Hero.

The name given by the English people to Frederick the Great of Prussia.

Protestant League.

A league of the Protestant Princes of Germany, formed in 1651, to maintain their territorial rights and uphold the Peace of Westphalia.

Protestant Union.

A league of Protestants formed at a Congress held at Ahausen, in Anspach, in 1608, in consequence of the course pursued by the Emperor and the Catholic Princes in the Troubles of Donauwörth. Its object was mutual defence, and its leading members were the Elector Palatine, Christian of Anhalt, and John Frederick of Würtemberg. It was afterwards joined by fifteen Imperial cities.

Provisions of Oxford.

A decree issued in 1258 by the Council of State. It provided for the placing of the royal castles in the hands of English Governors, and for the summoning of Parliament three times a year. This document is noteworthy as being the first public document issued in the English language.

Provisors, Statute of.

A statute passed in the thirty-eighth year of Edward III (1365), and directed against the claim of the Pope to appoint to benefices in England. It confirmed a previous statute which enacted that the King and the Lords were to appoint to benefices of their own or their ancestors’ creation, and not the Pope of Rome, and further made the introduction of Papal Bulls and Briefs into the realm illegal.

Prudhommes.

Notable citizens elected, in the French towns in the twelfth century, to act as an advisory board to the provost or representative of the King.

Pruth, Peace of the.

A treaty between Russia and Turkey, signed in 1711, after the relief of Peter the Great, who had been besieged in Hush. It provided for the cession to Turkey of Azov, and the retirement of Charles XII to Sweden unmolested. It is also called the Treaty of Falczi.

Pucelle, La.

A sobriquet of Joan of Arc.

Punishment Act.

An Act passed by the British Parliament in 1836, at the instance of Lord Glenelg, which, after setting forth in the preamble that the Cape Colony was inhabited by “uncivilized persons,” proceeded to give the officers of the Crown power to arrest and bring to trial in Cape Town all British subjects dwelling south of the twenty-fifth parallel of latitude. It caused intense irritation in South Africa, especially in Natal, which was claiming to be erected into a separate British Colony, and refused to recognize the right of the Cape Government to enforce the law while affording them no protection against Kaffir and other enemies.

Punjaub, Annexation of.