CAKIULLO DE. 



ALBUQUERQUE, ALFONSO DE. 



The olty at length yielded to famine. A* he entered the g.U hi* 

 km* bit. and could not l ri*o.| from the ground ; and UM humanity 

 of ooe f hi* attendant*. who (aUrpnUd thu accident w a token of 

 Unnei's wrath enittt bU bloody denign. induced kirn to counter- 

 maud UM intended BatMcre. l>.-l:ghud with UM situation. he fixed 

 hu ab^ el frvu, and it muaiiied for tome ag*tU chief city of the 



I |M*\| ,4_rim.lM.tnl 



By UM joetiee and mildness of bit government Alboin wound the 

 JlsrtfcMtl of bu subject*. The conquest of tbe Lombards was in eome 

 sort UM epoch of the ragmmUon of tbe people. Independent princi- 

 palities, oommuniuo., and republics, began to be formed on all sides ; 

 principle of life wo infused into tbe country, which bad boon to 

 low boned in letbarfio slumber. Tbe series of monarch* who sue- 

 oeeded Alboin were long dirtingiiisheil by their prudence, and by 

 making tbe law* their rate of conduct. 



Alboin life wai terminated by domeetic treachery. Hnving drunk 

 deep at a feaet with tbe chief of bis countrymen, he called for tha cup 

 of victory, tbe akull of Cunimood ; and when it had paeied round the 

 circle, ordered it to be carried to Roeamond, with hU requeet tint she 

 would Uete tbe win*, and reioioe with her departed father. Tbe 

 queen obeyed, but the determined on revenge. One evening, wh-u 

 Alboin, oppress* d by wine and aleep, had retired to bU chamber, she 

 unbolted UM door to her puraraour, the king'* armour-bearer, after 

 UM bad benelf fattened hU tword to the scabbard. Alboin wai the 

 beet aad braveet of tbe Lombard warrion; but, unarmed and sur- 

 prised, be fell an ea*y victim. Hit valour, geuerotity, and luooesaM 

 were celebrated in the aongi of the German nations even to the age of 

 Cfcarlemegnc. 



(Paul Waroefrid, Dt Gatil Zoayooanfonrai ; Huratori; Gibbon, 

 chap. xlv. ; Mroxd, ///ory o/ forma**. Load. 1819.) 



ALBOItXO'Z. (ill. CAUIU1.I.O DE, a celebrated cardinal, WM 

 born at Cueooa, about the beginning of tho 14th ceutury, and became 

 Archbishop of Toledo. In thoee dayi churchmen were annu-times 

 warrion, ae well a* politician, Albornoi caved the life of hi* king, 

 Alphonso XL, in an engagement with the Moon at Tarifa ; wai at the 

 lege of Algccira*; and wae dubbed a knight by the king himself. 

 I>riven from Spain by hi* conscientious oppoaition to the criminal life 

 of Peter tbe Cruel, he sought refuge in Avignon with Pope Clement VI., 

 and WM created a cardinal In 13it he wa* appointed legate, and 

 entrusted with the important minion of the reoonqueat of the Papal 

 State*. When Urban V. came to Italy, Albornos went to meet him 

 al Viterbo, an I tbe Pope called bu legate to give him an account of 

 hit administration. The cardinal ordered a cart loaded with old keys 

 and locks to be brought into the court of the house, and showing 

 it to tbe pontiff, said, " I have spent all my fund* in placing your 

 holiness in possueion of all tbe town* and castles, the key* of which I 

 present to yon." The pope, sensible of bis ungrateful mistrust towards 

 a man who had done so much for him, embraced him cordially, and 

 always after entertained for him tbe greatest esteem. Having been 

 appoint*<l legate of Bologna, be gave to that city a new constitution, 

 and at nil own expense founded there a college for the Spaniards. 

 Cardinal Albornoz died at Viterbo in 1361. 



ALURECHT. WILHELM, was born in Germany, in 1786. He 

 WM one of tbe most distinguished pupil* of Thaer, in the agricultural 

 school at Mogbin, in Pruatia ; and he afterwards taught rural economy 

 in PelleaberB?* school at Hofwyl. In 1819 he was employed by the 

 government of Nassau to edit a weekly publication devoted to agri- 

 cultural subject* ; and in the following year he was made director of 

 an experimental agricultural school, established at Iditciu. The 

 experimental farm was transferred to Geubeiy, near Wiesbaden, and 

 it became at one* distinguished as the source of agricultural improve- 

 Beats for tbe west of Germany. As it was found impossible con- 

 stauUy to employ all tbe pupils on tbe farm, Albrvcht determined to 

 open tbe school, during the six winter-months, for instruction in the 

 theory of agriculture ; while in April of each year the students went 

 to the homes of their parent*, or to some farming establishment, in 

 Older to familiarise themselves with the practical labours of an agri- 

 culturist. During tbe life of Albreoht tbe school was highly success- 

 fuL " Tbe best students for our institute," said be, " are young men 

 from about eighteen to twenty-two, who, after distinguishing them- 

 elves at UM primary schools, have followed agriculture for eome 

 year* at borne, or on tome well-managed farm ; they bring a well- 

 disposed mind, not fatigued will, study, nor distracted by too many 

 pursuits." While managing theie establinhmenU, Albrecht, besides 

 bis weekly pap-r. edited tbe 'Annals of tbe Agricultural Society of 

 ;' to which society he was perpetual secretary. Albreoht 

 1818, al bit bouse in Frauoonio, whither he had retired on 

 the dinotion of tbe establishment at Oeisberg, a short time 



k>ljr. (AVweeU* . 



LBUQUKHqUB. ALFONSO I)K (or, as tbe Portuguese write his 

 am*. AKr'OX.S') |> Al.ll .yUKBQUK), ...roamed -the Qreat,' and 

 O Mart* PortugiMs)' (tbe Portuguese Msrs), owing to his great 

 e*pl.*te, was born in 1163, at a country villa near tbe town of 

 Albandra. about tO miles from Lisbon, and not at Melinda, in Africa, 

 as generally .tat-.L Ue wa* tbe tseood son of Oonialvo d 1 Albu- 

 querque, lord of Villaverde. desceoded of a bastard branch of the 

 royal fatally of Portugal IB bis youth be was first eequire to King 

 John II. j but be fires becomes well known to us in tbe year 1603, 



when, in conjunction with Francisco Albuquerque, bin cousin, or 

 uncle, be conducted a fleet to India, and secured the King of ( 

 on bis throne, which bad been endangered by his powerful neighbour, 

 the Zamorin of Calicut In gratitude for their services they obtained 

 leave to build a fort at Cochin, which, according to the Portuguese 

 authors, is to be considered a* the foundation of their national empire 

 in tbe East Francisco Albuquerque was wrecked on hi* voyage home. 

 Alfonso reached Lisbon safely, July 16, 1501, and was favourably 

 received by tbe king, who sent him out to India again, in 1506, in 

 command of a squadron of five ships, composing part of a fleet of 

 sixteen, under the orders of Tristan da Cunha. For a time the 

 generals carried on a prosperous warfare against the Moorish cities on 

 tha eastern coast of Africa. Da Cunha, sailing for ludia, left Albu- 

 querque to command in the Arabian seas; who appeared before 

 Ormuz, 25th September, having already in bis cour*e reduced most of 

 the chief trading towns between the Red Sea and the 1'eraian Oulf. 

 The terms of his message to tbe prince whose territory he invaded 

 are worthy of attention. He came, he said, not to bring war, but 

 peace, peace however to bo obtained only by paying tribute to the 

 King of Portugal, instead of the King of Persia; but then the Portu- 

 guese monarch was so great a lard, th:it it was better to be hit vassal 

 than to command empires, /eifndiu, king of Ormuz, was obliged to 

 submit, after the shipping and part of the town had been burnt. 

 Cogi-Atar, bis prime-minister, however, concerted a revolt, which 

 proved successful. Albuquerque was compelled to evacuate the 

 place; and after an unsuccessful attempt to reduce it by famine, 

 returned to the island of Socotra, off Cape Guardafui, leaving hU 

 chief purpose unaccomplished. 



Ileing joined by three ships bound to India, he set sail for tho 

 Malabar coast, in 150S. He had received a secret commission, 

 authorising him to supersede Don Francisco d' Almeida, governor of 

 tbe Indies, when the period of his commission should have expired. 

 On arriving at Caunnor he informed Almeida of this ; but the governor 

 received him very coldly, declined either to surrender the govern- 

 ment, or to accept his services in any subordinate capacity, and finally 

 threw him into prison, where he remained three months. The arrival 

 of the Grand Marshal of Portugal, with a powerful fleet, restored him 

 to liberty. Almeida returned home, and Albuquerque was acknow- 

 ledged General and Commander-in-Chief in India. 



This fleet waa intended to act against the Zamorin of Calicut, whoao 

 long-continued hostility had made him very obnoxious to the Portu- 

 guese. The fleet accordingly was divided into two squadrons, of 

 which the marshal commanded one. Albuquerque's division gained 

 the start in landing, and emulation induced the marshal to venture 

 too fur with a small number of followers, in hopes of gaining possession 

 of the Zumoriu's palace. He succeeded in this; but the Indi.in-i 

 rallied, and he was surrounded and slain, with most of his principal 

 officer*. Albuquerque, in attempting to rescue him, was desperately 

 wounded ; and the Portuguese were forced to return to their vessels 

 with considerable loss, paving done much injury to the town and 

 shipping. 



The court of Portugal had now divided their Indian government 

 into three portions one comprehending the eastern coast of Africa 

 uu'l the coaat of Asia, from the tropic of Capricorn to Cambay ; the 

 second, Hindustan, which was allotted to Albuquerque; the third, the 

 rest of India east of the Gauges, ltd chief object was to prosecute 

 its conquests in the Red Sea, and to monopolist) tho Indian trade by 

 destroying that carried on between India and Egypt. With this view 

 the greater part of the reinforcements sent to the East were <>i 

 to act in the Red Sea, under the command of George d'Aguiar ; and 

 Albuquerque thus seemed placed in a secondary command : but by 

 good fortune and good policy he succeeded in frustrating, in some 

 degree, the designs of the court, and contrived to gain nearly as 

 extensive authority as his predecessors had held. After some intrigue* 

 to avoid assisting his unsuccessful coadjutors, he resolved to sail to 

 Uoa ; and that rich and prosperous city fell into his hands almost 

 without reiistanoe. His energy may be judged from the rapidity 

 with which his enterprises were conducted. He appeared before 

 Calicut January 2, 1610, and though severely wounded there, ha 

 entered Uoa February 17th following. Hut he was unable to hold it. 

 That town, in name belonging to the Deocan, was governed by a 

 Moor named Idalcan, who, like other powerful Indian subject 

 little obedience to his nominal sovereign. He was absent when Albu- 

 querque took his town, but he lost no time in collecting a powerful 

 force, and by dint of numbers regained possession of it, and shut the 

 Portuguese up in the citadel. Albuquerque's difficulties were in- 

 creased, and in great measure produced, by the discontent, mutinous 

 conduqft, and almost treachery, of his officer*. At last he was reduced 

 to the alternative of abandoning the citadel and taking to his ships, 

 or suffering the river to be blocked up, and all chance of escape lost. 

 He chose the former. But the bar being impassable during the south- 

 west monsoon, which had already set in, he was obliged to remain i 

 the harbour, compelled by the enemy's fire constantly to shift bin 

 place, and exposed to all the evils of famine. His energy and tho 

 bravery of bin troops triumphed over their embarrassments; and 

 they maintained their ground, though not without much loss and 

 suffering, till tbe navigation was again open. Finally he left the 

 harbour, August 16, 1610. 



