Part 28

A monastic order, founded by John Caraffa, Bishop of Theate (afterwards Paul IV), and authorised by Clement V in 1524. The Theatins were strong supporters of the movement for the reform of the Papacy which arose within the Church about the middle of the sixteenth century.

Thegns.

In Saxon times the thegns were originally the King’s servants. Later, enriched by grants of land, they superseded the old nobility, and became eventually the Barons.

Thelusson’s Act.

An Act passed in 1800, by which it was made illegal to devise property to accumulate for a longer period than twenty-one years. It arose from the will of Peter Thelusson, a wealthy merchant, who left £800,000 to accumulate until his grandson’s grandson reached the age of twenty-one. The will led to protracted litigation, and the resulting accumulation was consequently much less than had been anticipated.

Theological Controversy.

An assembly of Catholic and Protestant divines, held at Westminster in 1559, to discuss certain points of dogma and ritual. The questions set for discussion were: the use of prayer in a tongue not understood by the people, the right of individual congregations to alter their ritual to suit their needs, and the propitiatory sacrifice for the quick and the dead in the celebration of the Mass. No decision was arrived at on any point.

Theows.

In Saxon times the slaves of the feudal lords, reduced to the servile condition either as prisoners of war, or through debt.

Thermidoriens.

The party who voted the decree of accusation against Robespierre and his followers in July (Thermidor) 1794. During the Directoire they still showed themselves advanced Republicans, being in favour of maintaining the decrees against the clergy, the noblesse and the emigrés.

Thing.

Amongst the Norsemen, the assembly of freemen. The Things were of varying importance, and bore different names, according to the purpose for which they were convoked. Thus, the Althing was the general assembly of the nation, held annually; the Konungs-thing, a meeting specially summoned by the King; and so on down to the Husthing, a meeting of his own men summoned by any petty chief.

Thingamen.

Another name for the Housekarls of King Knut.

Third Section.

A section of the Russian secret police, specially established to watch all political movements. It was formed by Nicholas I in 1865.

Thirteen Cantons, Confederation of.

The Confederation formed by the admission, between 1481 and 1513, of the Cantons of Fribourg, Soleure, Basle, Schaffhausen and Appenzell, into the Perpetual League.

Thirteen States.

The thirteen American colonies forming the original thirteen States of the Union were Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts. New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Virginia.

Thirty, Battle of the.

A combat between the followers of Simon de Montfort and those of Charles of Blois, fought at Ploermel in Brittany in 1350. The combatants were limited to thirty on each side, and the English were defeated.

Thirty Years War.

A war between Ferdinand II and the Protestant Princes of Germany, which broke out on the accession of Ferdinand to the Austrian throne in 1619. The Protestant Princes had elected to the Imperial Throne Frederic V, the Elector Palatine, and took up arms in his support. Sweden under Gustavus Adolphus, and later France, were drawn into the conflict, and the war did not terminate till 1648, when Ferdinand III signed the Treaty of Westphalia.

Thirty-nine Articles.

The articles of faith of the Church of England, consisting of thirty-nine of the original forty-two articles issued in 1552. By an Act of Elizabeth passed in 1571, the acceptance of these was made incumbent on all the clergy of the Established Church.

Thirty-six, Council of.

A council appointed in 1357 to carry on the Government of France during the captivity of John. They had power to levy taxes, to appoint the chief officers of State, and generally to exercise all executive functions.

Thirty-three Articles.

A code of laws drawn up by the Volksraad of Potchefstroom in 1844, and adopted in 1849 by all the communities established to the north of the Vaal river.

Thistle, Order of the.

An order of knighthood instituted, according to tradition, by Archaicus, King of the Scots in 809. Though thus older than the Garter in its origin, it has been several times in abeyance, having been revived by James V of Scotland, by James II of England, and finally by Queen Anne, who placed it on its present footing.

Thorn, Conference of.

A conference summoned by Ladislaus IV of Poland in 1645, in an endeavour to unite the Protestants to the Catholic Church. It lasted about four months, and was entirely without result.

Thorough.

The Policy of Thorough is the phrase used by Strafford and Laud to express their determination to carry through their schemes for the public advantage, regardless of the obstacles thrown in their way by interested parties.

Thralls.

Among the Norse nations slaves were so called. They were generally captives taken in war.

“Three Acres and a Cow.”

A phrase used by Mr. Jesse Collings, in the election campaign of 1885, expressive of the plank in his programme of free allotments of land for all agricultural labourers.

Three Emperors, Battle of the.

The battle of Austerlitz, December 2, 1805, is so called, because Napoleon and the Emperors of Austria and Russia were all present.

Three F’s.

The ostensible programme of the Irish Land League in 1880: Fixity of Tenure, Fair Rent, Free Sale.

Three Kings, Alliance of the.

An alliance formed in 1849 between the Kings of Prussia, Hanover, and Saxony, to take joint measures for the suppression of the disorders rife in their States at that time.

Thresher, Captain.

The pseudonym of the leader of a band of lawless Irishmen, who in 1806 attacked the collectors of tithes.

Throgmorton’s Conspiracy.

A conspiracy of certain Jesuits and English Catholics in 1583, to rise against Queen Elizabeth, in conjunction with an invasion of French and Spanish troops. Suspicion was aroused by Throgmorton’s constant visits to the Spanish Ambassador. He was arrested, and under torture revealed the details of the plot, and the names of the principal conspirators.

Thugs.

A quasi-religious sect of robbers and murderers in India, who despatched their victims by strangling. They were put down by Lord Dalhousie about 1856.

Thunderbolt of Italy.

The sobriquet of Gaston de Foix, Duc de Nemours (1489-1512), given him on account of his brilliant campaign in Italy.

Thurn and Taxis.

A princely house of Germany, with large estates in Austria, Bavaria, Würtemberg, and elsewhere, who established the earliest postal system in Germany in 1460. In 1595 a member of the house was appointed hereditary grand master of the posts of the Empire, and though the privileges of the office were gradually infringed by the larger German States, the monopoly was not finally abolished till 1867.

Tiberine Republic.

A republic with Rome as its capital, established by Napoleon in Central Italy in 1797.

Tichborne Case.

_See_ Claimant.

Tientsin, Treaty of, 1858.

A treaty between Great Britain, France and China, at the close of the war of 1857, providing for the establishment of Chinese Legations in London and Paris, and French and English Legations in Pekin, the toleration of Christianity in China, and access to the interior of China and to the navigable rivers for British and French subjects. In 1860 the envoys proceeding to Pekin to exchange ratifications were not permitted to proceed. Further hostilities ensued, and certain European prisoners were barbarously tortured by the Chinese, in revenge for which the Allies destroyed the Summer Palace of Pekin.

Tientsin, Treaty of, 1885.

A treaty between France and China, by which China withdrew her claim to exercise a protectorate over Annam.

Tiepoli, Conspiracy of.

A conspiracy of Venetian nobles, headed by Tiepoli and the family of the Querini, against Gradenigo, the Doge of Venice, in 1310. The conspirators enlisted the aid of the Paduans, and formed a plan to seize the Doge in the Ducal Palace by means of their own armed retainers, holding the Square of St. Mark till the arrival of the Paduans. The plan miscarried, owing to the vigilance of the Doge, who was prepared for the attack, and the conspiracy failed. Many of the leaders were killed in the fighting, and others were executed, but Tiepoli escaped.

Tiers Etat.

The third estate of the Realm, or Commoners, in France. It is held that they were first consulted by Louis IX, who summoned twelve citizens from the principal towns of France, to advise him on the national coinage.

Tiers Parti.

A moderate party formed in the French Assembly in 1832, in the reign of Louis Philippe. In 1834 they formed a ministry under the Duc de Bassano, but the Chamber refused to support it, and it resigned in three days. In 1836, however, it formed a more durable administration under Thiers.

Tilsit, Treaty of.

A treaty signed in 1807 between France, Prussia and France all her provinces on the left bank of the Elbe, to form the kingdom of Westphalia for the benefit of Jerome Buonaparte. In addition, recognition was accorded to Louis Buonaparte as King of Holland, to Joseph as King of Spain, and to the Confederation of the Rhine. The Grand Duchy of Warsaw was created out of the Duchies of Warsaw and Posen, and given to the King of Saxony. There were certain secret clauses in the treaty between France and Russia, by which Russia agreed to aid France against England and to coerce Portugal, Sweden and Denmark to take the same course, while France undertook to aid Russia against the Turks if the Porte declined to accept his mediation.

Tio Porsupuesto, El.

The nickname of Bolivar, the Liberator of South America, from his habit of beginning an argument with the words “Por supuesto,” “Let us suppose.”

Tithe Commutation Act.

An Act passed in 1836, commuting the tithe into a permanent rent charge upon the land, annually adjusted upon the price of corn, and redeemable at twenty-five years’ purchase of the average amount.

Tithe Commutation Act (Ireland).

An Act passed in 1838, commuting the tithe into an annual rent charge, with a reduction of 25 per cent. At the same time the loan of one million sterling made in 1833 in aid of the destitute Irish Clergy, was converted into a gift.

Tithe Riots.

A series of disturbances in Montgomeryshire and elsewhere in North Wales in protest against the payment of tithes in 1887. Riots were caused by sales under distraint in various parts of Wales, and for some time such sales could only be carried out under military protection.

Togakuto.

The Society of Oriental Learning, a party in Korea violently opposed to Western ideas, and anxious to exclude all foreigners. In 1893 some 200,000 members gathered in Seoul, with the object of coercing the King, who had refused their preposterous demands.

Toisée.

An order issued by Emery, finance minister of Louis XIV, in 1644, to the effect that houses built in the Paris suburbs in contravention of an edict issued a hundred years before, but never enforced, should be redeemed by payment of a heavy fine. This order caused great discontent, and was eventually withdrawn.

Tököli’s Rebellion.

A rising of the Magyars against Austrian domination in 1678, headed by Tököli, who, aided by the Turks, succeeded in driving the Austrian troops out of Hungary. He maintained his position until 1683, when he was defeated, and the Turks being at the same time repulsed from Vienna, the rising came to an end, and Tököli was forced to flee the country.

Toledo, Treaty of.

A treaty signed in 1538 after Russia. Prussia abandoned to Francis’ invasion of Piedmont, by Charles V and Francis I, by which Francis obtained possession of Bresse, Savoy, and half of Piedmont, Charles taking the remainder of Piedmont and the Milanese. The Pays de Vaud was left to Berne, and the independence of Geneva guaranteed.

Tolentino, Treaty of.

A treaty between France and the Papal See, signed in 1797. By this treaty the Pope surrendered the Legations and Ancona, and agreed to the final inclusion of Avignon in France. He also consented to pay a heavy sum in coin and jewels and to permit the removal to France of certain specified works of art. In return France recognized the Pope’s power to control the religious communities in Rome.

Toleration Acts.

An Act passed on the accession of William and Mary in 1689, giving Protestant Dissenters the right to hold services in their own chapels, provided such chapels were registered. A further Act applying to Scotland was passed in 1712 for the toleration of all episcopal clergymen who were willing to take the Oath of Abjuration established by the Act of 1702.

Tonkinois, Le.

A nickname of Jules Ferry, referring to his responsibility for the unpopular Tongking expedition of 1883.

Tonnage and Poundage.

A tax levied on all merchandise other than the staple commodities, whether exported or imported. It varied from 1s. 6d. to 3s. on every tun of wine or beer, and from 6d. to 1s. on every pound of merchandise. It was first levied in the reign of Edward III.

Toom Tabard.

Empty Jacket, the nickname of John Baliol, King of Scotland (1292-1314), because he had the semblance but not the reality of royal power.

Tordesillas, Treaty of.

A treaty between Spain and Portugal, signed in 1494. Portugal being dissatisfied with the terms of the Papal Bull of Demarcation, Spain agreed to the dividing line between the two spheres of colonisation being drawn 370 leagues west of Cape Verde. Under the terms of this treaty Portugal subsequently claimed Brazil.

Torgau, League of.

A league formed at Torgau in 1526 by the Protestant Princes of Germany, headed by the Landgrave of Hesse and the Elector of Saxony, as a counter move to the reported combination of Duke George of Saxony, the Elector of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mentz and other Catholic Princes to oppose the Reformation.

Torres Vedras, Lines of.

The strongly intrenched position in front of Lisbon, occupied by Wellington during the winter of 1810-11, after the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo.

Tory.

The name given to the Loyalist Party in the reign of Charles II. It is taken from the name applied to the Irish outlaws. The word now implies extreme Conservatism.

Tory Democracy.

The political creed of Lord Randolph Churchill and his followers. He maintained that Toryism was not necessarily the creed of an exclusive class, but was as democratic in its aims as Radicalism.

Toshachs.

In the earliest days of Scottish history, an inferior grade of chieftain in the Highlands.

Tourkmantchai, Treaty of.

A treaty between Russia and Persia, signed in 1828, by which Persia ceded Erivan and Nakitchevan, and accorded exceptional commercial facilities to Russian subjects.

Tours, Edict of.

An edict issued by Henri IV in 1591, repealing the edicts of his predecessor with respect to the Huguenots, and re-establishing the Concordat between the two religions contained in the Edict of January.

Tractarian Movement.

_See_ Oxford Movement.

Trade Unions.

Combinations of workmen in a particular trade, formed for mutual protection against rapacious employers, and also as benefit societies. They are mostly the growth of the nineteenth century, but have their origin in the trade guilds of the earlier times.

Trafalgar Square Riots.

A series of disturbances in London in 1887. Meetings, nominally of unemployed, were held in Trafalgar Square, and addressed by well-known Socialist leaders, among others John Burns and Cunningham-Grahame. As these meetings led to disorder and obstruction of the traffic, they were prohibited by Sir Charles Warren, the Chief Commissioner of Police. The Socialists insisted on their right to hold the meetings, and the disturbances culminated on Sunday, November 13th, when a number of processions on their way to the Square were broken up by the police, and their leaders arrested, severe fighting taking place at several points. This, however, ended the rioting, as no further attempts were made to hold the prohibited meetings.

Trails-bâtons.

Outlaws who in 1305 infested the country districts of England, hiring themselves out for the execution of private vengeance. Stringent measures were taken against them under the Statute of Winchester.

Train-bands.

Properly the Trained Bands, a force in the nature of a militia, established by James I in 1604, to replace the Fyrd. They numbered 160,000.

Transplantation, Irish.

By an Act of Parliament passed in 1653, the whole of Ireland, excepting Connaught and the county of Clare, was opened for settlement by adventurers and the soldiers of the Commonwealth. The whole of the Irish population was transplanted to the province and county named above.

Transvaal National Union.

An association of the Uitlanders in the South African Republic, formed in Johannesburg in 1892, with the object of securing the franchise and reforms in general for foreigners settled in the country. In December 1895 it took the name of the Reform Committee, and was largely instrumental in bringing about the Jameson Raid, which took place at the end of that month, though it seems evident that the actual moment chosen for the Raid did not accord with its plans. After Jameson’s defeat the leaders of the Committee were arrested and tried for treason, four of them being sentenced to death, though they were afterwards reprieved.

Treason, Statute of.

A Statute of Edward III, in 1352, which defines high treason as plotting the death of the King or Queen, or their eldest son, levying war against the King, or comforting or adhering to his enemies. This Statute is still in force.

Treaties, Conventions, Alliances, etc.

_See_ Abbeville, Abo, Adam Kok, Adis Ababa, Adrianople, Aigun, Aix-la-Chapelle, Akerman, Alaska, Aliwal North, Amboise, American-Japanese, American-Spanish, Amiens, Anglo-Chinese, Anglo-Dutch, Anglo-French, Anglo-German, Anglo-Italian, Anglo-Japanese, Anglo-Portuguese, Anglo-Russian, Arras, Ashburton, Association, Barcelona, Bardo, Barrier, Barwalde, Basle, Bassein, Bekcagsog, Belgian, Berlin, Berwick, Black Sea, Bloemfontein, Bond-Blaine, Breda, Breslau, Brétigny, Brigham, Brömsebro, Brunnen, Brussels, Bucharest, Budchaz, Cadan, Caen, Campo-Formio, Cappel, Carlowitz, Cassini, Câteau Cambrésis, Chartres, Chaumont, Christian, Cintra, Clair-on-Epte, Clayton-Bulwer, Closter Seven, Commercial, Confederation, Conflans, Constance, Cretan, Crown, Cyprus, Dardanelles, Deogam, Dover, Dreikaiserbund, Dual, Edinburgh, Evora, Falczi, Falaise, Family, Ferdinand, Field, Fisheries, Folenbray, Fommanah, Fontainebleau, Franco-American, Franco-Annamese, Franco-Siamese, Frankfort, Frederickshamm, Gandamak, Gastein, Geneva, Ghent, Gisors, Grand Alliance, Great Intercourse, Guadeloupe-Hidalgo, Gulistan, Hanover, Hay-Pauncefote, Holy Alliance, Hubertsberg, Hué, Iglau, Imparani, Jassy, Joinville, Jay, July, Kenilworth, Kiel, Kuldja, Kutchuk Kainardji, Lahore, Lambeth, Lodi, London, Longjumeau, Lübeck, Loo, Lunéville, Luxemburg, Madras, Madrid, Malus Intercursus, Mandeshwar, Mangalore, Mantua, Meersen, Methuen, Moldavian, Monçon, Montpelier, Nanking, Nertchinsk, Newport, Nimeguen, Northampton, Nottingham, Nystad, Olmütz, Oregon, Paix, Panama, Paris, Passau, Passarowitz, Peace, Pecquigny, Péronne, Perpetual, Pilnitz, Poland, Prague, Presburg, Pretoria, Pruth, Purandhar, Pyrenees, Quadrilateral, Quadruple, Reichenbach, Reinsurance, Roeskild, Russo-Japanese, Ryswick, St. Germains, St. Petersburg, Salbai, Samoan, San Ildefonso, San Stefano, Sand River, Santiago, Schönbrunn, Secret, September, Seringapatam, Servian, Seville, Shimonoseki, Sikkim, Sitvatorok, Smithfield, Southampton, Stockenström, Stockholm, Stolbova, Suez, Surat, Swaziland, Szatmár, Szegedin, Teplitz, Teschen, Thaba Bosigo, Three Kings, Tientsin, Tilsit, Toledo, Tolentino, Tordesillas, Tourkmantchai, Tripartite, Triple, Tri-regal, Troyes, Turin, Unkiar Skelessi, Utrecht, Uxbridge, Vaal, Verdun, Vereeniging, Versailles, Vervins, Vienna, Villefranche, Wallachia, Wallingford, Washington, Waterboer, Wedmore, Werelä, Westphalia, Worms, Yandabo, Zanzibar, Zurich.

Treaty Ports.

Ports specially set aside for trade purposes and the residence of foreigners in countries where unrestricted foreign trade is not permitted, as in China.

Treinta y Tres.

The thirty-three Uruguayan patriots who raised the standard of revolt against Brazil in 1825. Aided by Argentina, Uruguay shook off the Brazilian yoke and was proclaimed an independent republic in 1828.

Trek, Great.

The great emigration of Dutch settlers from Cape Colony in 1836 and 1837. A variety of causes, among others the emancipation of the Kaffir slaves, for which the farmers received very inadequate compensation, led to this trek, which brought about the first colonisation of the country beyond the Orange river. Other parties crossed the Drakensberg into Natal, where they established a republic in 1838.

Trek, Second.

An emigration of Boer farmers from the country between the Orange river and the Vaal, in 1844 and 1845. Their object was to escape British rule, which was about to be established in the country they were leaving, and which took shape in the Orange River Sovereignty in 1848. These trekkers founded the South African Republic.

Trent, Council of.

A council summoned by Paul III in 1545, to settle, if possible, the religious questions arising out of the Reformation. The council lasted till 1563, and in the end merely emphasised the differences between the Catholic Church and the Reformers, reasserting as essentially Catholic the doctrines of purgatory, transubstantiation, the intercession of saints, and others.

Trent Incident.

The forcible removal from an English steamer, the _Trent_, by Captain Wilkes, of the U.S. sloop _Jacinto_, of Messrs. Mason and Slidell, who were on their way to Europe as envoys of the Southern States in 1861. They were subsequently released, but not until considerable public feeling had been aroused on both sides, and the British Government had gone the length of reinforcing the Canadian garrison.

Treuga Dei.

The Truce of God, imposed upon all the vassals of the Empire who were at war amongst themselves by an edict of the Emperor Henry III, issued at the Diet of Constance in 1403. It was to be observed from Wednesday evening till Monday morning in each week.

Tribunal Révolutionnaire.

A tribunal, at first called the Tribunal Extraordinaire, established by the French Convention in March 1793, to deal with Royalist and other suspects and political prisoners. It was composed of five judges, with a standing jury, each member of which had to give his verdict audibly. There was no appeal from the decisions of this court, which sent some two thousand persons to the guillotine.

Tribune of the People.

A sobriquet of John Bright.

Tricoteuses de Robespierre.

Robespierre’s knitters were a knot of women who, during the Terror, used to sit, knitting, at the meetings of the Convention and of the Tribunal Révolutionnaire, or round the guillotine. They were also called “Les Furies de la Guillotine.”

Triennial Act.

An Act passed in 1694, limiting the duration of a Parliament to three years. It was practically repealed by the Septennial Act of 1716.

Triers.

An examining body appointed by Cromwell in 1554, to inquire into the qualifications of persons appointed to benefices. Any one, other than a Catholic, whose creed was fundamentally orthodox, and whose life was free from reproach, was permitted to retain his cure.

Trim, Remonstrance of.