Part 3

A form of oath exacted in Scotland after the accession of William III from all persons holding positions of trust. It set forth that William was King not only _de facto_ but _de jure_ and by just title, and was intended to discriminate, in the Church, between those Episcopalians who were at heart Jacobites, and those who were honestly ready to accept the new régime. About a hundred Episcopalian divines took the oath, and were permitted to retain their benefices.

Assured Lords.

The Scottish lords captured at Solway Moss, and allowed to return to Scotland under the obligation to further the interests of Henry VIII, in 1542. Among them were the Earl of Angus, Lords Cassilis, Glencairn, and Maxwell.

Assysthement.

The ancient Scottish law of the assessment of the value of a life, to be paid by the murderer.

Astor Place Riot.

A serious riot in New York in 1849, arising out of a dispute between Macready, the English actor, and Edwin Forest, the American actor. A mob of 20,000 men attacked the Astor Place Opera House, where Macready was playing in “Macbeth,” and it was found necessary to call out the troops in order to quell the disturbance.

Ataman.

The chief of a community of Cossacks. The office was elective.

Ateliers Nationaux.

Government workshops established in Paris in 1848 to provide work for the unemployed. Within the year the workers rose against the Government, and erected barricades in the streets of Paris. They were, however, promptly suppressed by General Cavaignac, and their leaders arrested and condemned to transportation.

Attainder, Act of.

An Act passed by the Irish Parliament, summoned by James after the landing of William III in England in 1689. The Act contained a list of between two and three thousand names, and was made the vehicle of many private vengeances.

Attalik Ghazi.

The title bestowed on Yakoub Beg, the leader of the revolt against China in Kashgar in 1870. The revolt was suppressed in 1877, after the death of Yakoub Beg.

Atterbury’s Plot.

A Jacobite plot to depose George I in 1722, and to place the old Pretender, James Edward, on the throne. The ringleaders were Lord Orrery, Lord North, Lord Gower, and Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester. The plot included a plan for an expedition under James and Lord Ormonde, to sail from Spain. The scheme, however, was disclosed to the British Minister in Paris, and the leaders, including Atterbury, were arrested.

Audiencias.

The final courts of appeal in South America, under Spanish rule. They were eleven in number, and in addition to their judicial functions, acted as advisory boards to the Viceroys and Captains-General.

Augmentations, Court of.

A Court appointed by Henry VIII, after the dissolution of the monasteries, to deal with all questions arising out of the confiscation of the Church Lands.

Augsburg, Confession of.

A statement of the Protestant doctrine drawn up by Melancthon at the Diet of Augsburg, in 1529.

Augsburg, League of.

A league between the Emperor, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Bavaria, and the circles of Suabia and Franconia, formed in 1682, to preserve the peace of Europe against the encroachments of Louis XIV. The war, which began in 1688 and was ended by the Peace of Ryswick in 1697, is known as the War of the League of Augsburg.

Augsburg, Peace of.

_See_ Religious Peace.

Aulic Council.

A tribunal established by the Emperor Maximilian I in 1501. It was reorganized by Rudolf II, to deal with questions arising out of the interpretation of the Peace of Augsburg, during the counter-reformation in Germany. The Council accompanied the Emperor, having no fixed place of meeting, and was almost entirely under the domination of the Court, and thoroughly Catholic in its tendencies.

Aurum Reginae.

_See_ Queen’s Gold.

Ausculta Fili, Bull.

A bull, also known as the Greater Bull, issued by Pope Boniface VIII against Philip IV of France in 1302. It calls on Philip to cease his opposition to the claims of the Church, and reminds him that he holds his throne only by the goodwill of the Pope. The bull was publicly burnt in Philip’s presence.

Ausgleich.

The agreement settling the economic relations between Austria and Hungary. The first Ausgleich was signed in 1867, for a period of ten years, and was renewed with slight variations in 1877 and 1887. The Austrian Reichsrath refused to sanction the Ausgleich of 1897, and it was promulgated by what is known as the Dictatorship paragraph of the Austrian Constitution, in other words by Imperial decree. In 1899 it was amended by the Szell formula, by which M. Szell, the Hungarian premier, stipulated that if the Ausgleich were not formally renewed before the end of 1902, the economic union between the two countries should come to an end in 1907. On New Year’s Eve, 1902, a new Ausgleich, to run for ten years, was agreed to by the Austrian and Hungarian Premiers.

Austin Riots.

An outbreak of the Coloured League against the White League, at Austin, Mississippi, in 1874. Several sanguinary engagements took place, in which the blacks were worsted, and many killed.

Austrägal Court.

A court consisting of several members of the Germanic Confederation, convened to decide whether questions pending between one of the Confederated States and a foreign power could be taken up by the Confederation as a whole.

Australasian League.

A society established in Melbourne in 1851, under the auspices of the Rev. John West, to secure “by moral means only” the abolition of the transportation of convicts to any part of the Australasian continent.

Australian Colonies Act.

An Act passed in 1849, separating Victoria from New South Wales, and providing a constitution for the new colony, as well as for Tasmania, South Australia, and (subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions) Western Australia.

Australian Commonwealth Act.

An Act to give force to the Constitution drafted by Australian statesmen for the union into a Commonwealth of the Colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia, and Tasmania, power being reserved to New Zealand to enter the union if she so desire. The Act provides for the establishment of a central Government, with the control of the customs, postage, and certain other matters, each colony retaining its own Parliament, with power to manage its internal affairs as before. Considerable difference of opinion arose as to the right of appeal from the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth to the Privy Council, and it was finally enacted that in the case of constitutional questions affecting the rights of the Commonwealth or individual States no appeal should lie, unless the Supreme Court certified that the matter was one which should be determined by the Privy Council.

Austrian Succession, War of the.

The war which broke out in 1741, in connexion with the Pragmatic Sanction of Charles VI. It was ended by the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.

Auto de fe.

The Act of Faith, the name given to the ceremony which accompanied the execution of persons condemned for heresy by the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal. The last Auto de Fe took place at Valencia, in 1826.

Avignon Captivity.

The period of seventy years during which the Popes resided at Avignon, practically in a condition of vassalage to the French Crown. It lasted from 1305 to 1377, or from the Papacy of Clement V to that of Gregory XI. It is also known as the Babylonish Captivity.

Avignon, Reunion of.

From the time of the return of the Popes to Rome in 1377, until 1791, Avignon was, with certain short intervals, governed by Papal Legates. In the latter year, by a decree of the National Assembly, it was reunited to France, and this reunion was acknowledged by the Pope, by the Treaty of Tolentino in 1797.

Ayankeeados.

The name given by the Mexicans to the sympathizers with America during the Mexican War of 1846.

B

Babington Plot.

A plot set on foot by Babington and a Jesuit, named Ballard, in 1585, to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. Letters secured by Walsingham were said to have proved the complicity of Mary Queen of Scots, and led to her imprisonment at Fotheringay, and subsequent trial and execution.

Babylonish Captivity.

_See_ Avignon.

Back Lane Parliament.

An assembly of Delegates from the whole of Ireland, which met in Dublin in 1792. They prepared an address expressing their loyalty to the throne, and asking for the franchise.

Baconists.

The Liberal Party in Virginia in 1676, who rose in rebellion under Nathaniel Bacon. The name was afterwards adopted by the Maryland Liberals in 1678.

Badger State.

The popular name of the State of Wisconsin, U.S.A., from the badger in its coat of arms.

Badinguet.

A nickname of Napoleon III. It was the name of the workman in whose clothes he escaped from the Château of Ham, in 1846.

Bag and Baggage Policy.

The policy advocated in speech and pamphlet by Mr. Gladstone in 1876 (while in opposition), at the time of the Bulgarian Atrocities. It was to the effect that if Turkey would not reform the administration of her Christian provinces, she must be turned out of Europe “bag and baggage.”

Bagimont’s Roll.

A valuation of the ecclesiastical benefices of Scotland, compiled by Bagimont of Vicci in 1274. On this valuation the tithes payable to the Roman See were computed, up to the time of the Reformation.

Bailli.

In French feudal times the bailli was the representative of the king in the territories of the great feudal lords. He held a court which took cognizance of matters concerning the rights of the Crown, and outside the jurisdiction of the feudal courts.

Baiser de Lamourette.

A reconciliation between the extreme parties in the French Legislative Assembly in 1792, effected by the persuasive eloquence of Lamourette, Bishop of Lyons. It was purely emotional and irrational, and only lasted a few days. It is also called the Norman Reconciliation.

Balafré, Le.

The sobriquet of Henry de Guise (1550-1589).

Balkan Agreement.

An agreement between Austria and Russia, officially communicated to the Balkan States in 1897, by which the parties announced their intention of maintaining the _status quo_ in the Balkan Peninsula.

Ballarat Reform League.

An association of miners, formed at Ballarat (Victoria) in 1854, to agitate for reforms in the administration of the goldfields, as well as for certain political reforms, including manhood suffrage, payment of members, and short Parliaments. The more militant members eventually took up arms against the Government.

Ballot Act.

The Act to substitute secret for open voting at Parliamentary elections was passed in 1871.

Banbury Man.

A term applied to the Puritans during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Banda Oriental.

The old name of the Republic of Uruguay.

Bandes d’Ordonnance.

A body of 3,000 cavalry which formed the only standing army of the Netherlands, circ. 1550.

Bank Charter Act, 1833.

An Act renewing the charter of the Bank of England, originally granted in 1694. It made the notes of the bank legal tender, and provided that the notes issued should bear to the specie in hand a ratio not exceeding three to one.

Bank Charter Act, 1844.

By this Act it was provided that the Bank of England should not issue notes in excess of £14,000,000, unless a corresponding reserve of specie were held. It also restricted the note issue of other banks, and provided that no banks established after the passing of the Act should have the right to issue notes.

Bar, Confederation of.

A league of Polish nobles, formed in 1876, with the object of dethroning Stanislas Augustus (Poniatowski), and freeing the country from foreign influence.

Barbarossa.

Frederick II, Emperor of Germany (1152-1190), so called from his red beard.

Barbons.

The name given to Sillery, Jeannin, and Villeroy, the veteran councillors of Louis XIII, circ. 1612.

Barcelona, Treaty of, 1493.

A treaty between Charles VIII of France and Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, by which Roussillon and Cerdagne were restored to the Crown of Arragon.

Barcelona, Treaty of, 1529.

A treaty between Charles V and Pope Clement VII, by which the Emperor undertook to proceed to Rome to receive the crown at the Pope’s hands, and to take all the steps in his power to check the spread of the reformed religion.

Bardo, Treaty of.

A treaty between France and Tunis, signed in 1861. The Bey recognized the French right to occupy military positions securing the frontier and the sea coast. France in return guaranteed to the Bey his personal security, and that of his dynasty and dominions. She also undertook the due execution of all treaty obligations to foreign powers, but for the future reserved the right to control all the international relations of the Bey.

Barebone’s Parliament.

A Parliament summoned by Cromwell on July 4, 1653, which lasted only till December 12 of the same year. It took its name from one of its members, a leather merchant named Praise-God Barebone, and it was also known as the Little Parliament.

Bari, Council of.

At this council, summoned by Pope Urban II in 1098, the orthodox doctrine of the Holy Ghost was established.

Barmecides.

A celebrated Persian family, who rose to the highest offices of state under the Abbaside Khalifs. One of their number, Jaafar, was the favourite Vizier of Haroun-al-Raschid. For some reason not sufficiently explained by the Arab historians, Haroun, without warning, caused the whole family, numbering over a thousand, to be massacred in 802.

Barnburners.

Bands of agricultural labourers who, from 1830 to 1833, endeavoured, by burning ricks and farm buildings, to terrorize the landlords into the concession of improved conditions. The threatening letters written to their employers were generally signed “Captain Swing.”

Barnburners.

A name given to the Radical wing of the Democratic party in New York in 1844. The Barnburners joined the Freesoilers in 1848.

Baroda Commission.

A commission appointed in 1875, composed of three Europeans and three natives, to investigate the charge against the Gaekwar of Baroda of attempting to poison Colonel Phayre, the English Resident. The commission disagreed, the Englishmen considering the charge proved, while the natives were of the contrary opinion. Lord Northbrook, however, decided on deposing him.

Barons, League of the.

A league of the Barons of Northern France, under Peter, Count of Brittany, during the regency of Blanche of Castile, in support of the rights of their order against the usurpations of the Crown.

Barons’ War.

The war which broke out under Simon de Montfort in 1263, in consequence of the failure of Henry III to fulfil his various engagements to his Barons. The war lasted till 1267, though only desultory fighting took place after the death of de Montfort at the battle of Evesham in 1265.

Barrackpur Mutiny.

A mutiny of the 42nd Native Infantry Regiment in 1826, the reason assigned being the harsh treatment to which they were subjected by their officers. The mutiny was promptly suppressed.

Barricades, Journée des.

May 12, 1588, on which date Henri III sent his Swiss Guards to oppose the return to Paris of Henri de Guise. The Parisian mob formed barricades of paving stones, from behind which they shot down the Swiss. The same name has been given to other days on which the Parisians have erected barricades against the constituted authorities.

Barrier Treaty, First.

A treaty between England and Holland, signed in 1709, by which Holland agreed to recognize the Protestant succession in England, and to make the expulsion of the Pretender a _sine qua non_ of peace with France. In return England guaranteed to Holland a barrier line of strong places, including Nieuport, Lille, Ryssel, Tournay, Maubeuge, Charleroi and Namur.

Barrier Treaty, Second.

A treaty between England and the Netherlands signed in 1713, by which the line of fortresses, as set out in the Barrier Treaty of 1709, was altered, somewhat to the disadvantage of the Dutch. The Treaty of Utrecht in the same year confirmed the principle of the Barrier.

Barwalde, Treaty of.

A treaty signed in 1631 between Louis XIII. and Gustavus Adolphus, providing for the security of the Ocean and the Baltic, with liberty of commerce to the ships of both nations. It was also provided that the forts on both seas and in the Canton of the Grisons should be demolished.

Bashi-Bazouks.

Turkish irregular troops, generally recruited amongst the Kurds and other Asiatic tribes in the Ottoman Empire. They became notorious during the Bulgarian atrocities of 1875.

Basilikon Doron.

A book written in 1599 by James VI of Scotland (afterwards James I of England), containing advice on the art of government, and intended for the instruction of his eldest son, Henry.

Basle, Council of.

A council summoned by Martin V, but held under Eugenius IV, in 1433. The council abolished many of the privileges claimed by the Popes, including annates and the reservation of benefices. Finding the Pope obdurate in his refusal to accept their decrees, they suspended and finally deposed him.

Basle Treaties.

Two treaties made by Napoleon with Prussia and Spain respectively in 1795, by which he detached these two powers from the European coalition. His bribe to Prussia was the withdrawal of the French troops from the right bank of the Rhine, while the inducement offered to Spain was the return to her of the Spanish half of the island of San Domingo.

Basle, Treaty of.

A treaty between Austria and the Swiss Cantons in 1499, whereby the virtual independence of the thirteen cantons was recognized.

Bassein, Treaty of.

A treaty between the British and Baji Rao II, Peshwa of Poonah, signed in 1802. The Peshwa agreed to receive a subsidiary force, and to pay for its maintenance; to admit into the Mahratta States no European hostile to England; to surrender all claims to Surat, and to remain the faithful ally of the English. This treaty practically put an end to the Mahratta independence.

Bastard of Orleans.

Jean Dunois (natural son of Louis of Orleans), the famous French general (1402-1468), was so called.

Bastille.

The famous state prison of Paris, built in 1370 by Charles V, and destroyed by the mob in 1789, at the beginning of the French Revolution.

Bates’ Case.

A case decided in 1606, in the reign of James I, in which the judges held that it was lawful for the King to raise the customs duties without the consent of Parliament.

Bath, Order of the.

An order of knighthood, founded by Henry IV in 1399. From the time of Charles I it lapsed, until revived by George I in 1725 as a military order, which it remained until 1845, when it was established on its present basis with a military and a civil division.

Bats, Parliament of.

_See_ Club Parliament.

Battles.

_See_ Brothers, Chapter of Mitton, Clan Chattan, Clouds, Death Ride, Dingaan, Dysiefald, Eperons, Field of Mourning, Giants, Glorious, Herrings, Last, Loose Coat, Nations, Seven Days, Soldiers, Spurs, Standard, Thirty, Three Emperors.

Bavarian Succession, War of the.

A war between Austria and Prussia, arising out of the failure of the male line of the Bavarian princely house. No fighting took place, and the pending questions were settled by the Peace of Teschen in 1779.

Bay State.

A name given to the State of Massachusetts, U.S.A., from the old name of the Colony, namely “Massachusetts Bay.”

Bayonne Decree.

A decree issued by Napoleon in 1808, ordering that all foreign vessels then in French ports should be seized.

Bayou State.

The State of Mississippi, U.S.A., is so called from the number of creeks or bayous along its shores.

Bear State.

Arkansas, U.S.A., is so called from the bears that in former days infested its forests.

Béarnais, Le.

Henri IV of France was so called from Béarn, his native province.

Beau Sabreur, Le.

The sobriquet of Joachim Murat, Napoleon’s best cavalry leader, created by him King of Naples.

Beauclerc.

The sobriquet of Henry I of England, in allusion to his scholarship, which was superior to that of most mediæval monarchs.

Bec, Compromise of.

An arrangement between Henry I and Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1106, by which the long standing dispute as to the King’s right of investiture was settled. By this arrangement the King retained the right of exacting from the Bishops the oath of fealty and homage, surrendering the purely formal right of bestowing the ring and crozier.

Bedchamber Question.

The difficulty that arose between Queen Victoria and Sir Robert Peel, on the resignation of the Melbourne Ministry in 1839. Through some misunderstanding the Queen thought that Peel wished her to change all the ladies holding Court appointments, a step she refused to take. It ended in Peel refusing to take office, and Lord Melbourne coming back.

Bedford Protest.

A protest signed by a hastily summoned meeting of the minority of the House of Lords in March, 1766, on the night that the repeal of the Stamp Act, imposing stamp duties on the American Colonies, passed that House. The signatories to the protest were headed by the Duke of Bedford.

Beggars, The.

_See_ Gueux.

Beggars of the Sea.

A company of Dutch privateersmen, commissioned by the Prince of Orange, circ. 1570, to prey upon Spanish commerce. Their chief was William de la Marck.

Beggars, The Wild.

A brotherhood of freebooters, who, under the guise of a revolutionary faction, infested the Netherlands about 1568.

Behring Sea Fisheries.

The question as to the right of Canadian sealers to capture seals in Behring Sea (known as Pelagic Sealing), after being long in dispute, was submitted to arbitration in 1892. The United States claimed to have acquired from Russia, by the purchase of Alaska, the exclusive right to the seal fisheries of the Behring Sea, alleging that this right had always been claimed by Russia, without protest from Great Britain, and that their interest in the seal herd justified them in putting a stop to pelagic sealing. In 1893 the arbitrators decided that the United States had not acquired any such exclusive right. Further, as authorized by the terms of the reference, they made the following regulations: all sealing within sixty maritime miles of the Probyloff Islands to be forbidden; a close time for seals to be established, and all sealing vessels to be licensed.

Bekcagsog, Convention of.

A treaty between Great Britain and Sweden, by which Great Britain undertook to pay 12,000 men to be employed in Pomerania in aid of the coalition against Napoleon in 1805.

Bel Anglais, Le.

A name given by the French to John Churchill, the great Duke of Marlborough.

Belgian Neutrality Treaty.

The neutrality of Belgium being threatened by the Franco-German War in 1870, treaties were signed by Great Britain with France and Germany respectively, by which the belligerents agreed to respect the neutrality of Belgium during the war and for one year after its close, from which date the Treaty of London of 1839 was again to become operative.

Belgrade, Treaty of.

A treaty between Austria and Russia on the one hand, and Turkey on the other, by which Austria surrendered Wallachia and Servia, while Russia withdrew from her conquests in Moldavia and Bessarabia, and renounced her rights of navigation in the Black Sea. This treaty was signed in 1739, after the capture of Belgrade by the Turks.

Bell the Cat.

The sobriquet of Archibald Douglas, the “great” Earl of Angus, which he earned by undertaking to take the lead in removing James III of Scotland from the pernicious influence of Cochrane, Earl of Mar, in 1481.

Belski.

One of the two factions of nobles who between them ruled Russia during the minority of Ivan IV (The Terrible), circ. 1533. The other faction was that of the Chouiski.

Belted Will.

Lord William Howard (1563-1640), Warden of the Marches, was so called.

Benares, Treaty of.