294 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



where 60,000 died, 1632 ; again at London, where68,000 

 were destroyed, It565: at Marseilles, fatal to 18,000 per- 

 sons, 1720 ; at Bassora, in Persia, when 80,000 persons died, 

 17T3 



Poet Laureate. The first mention of one is in the 

 reign of Edward IV., though the present office under 

 this title is derived from the ' King's Versifier, c 

 whom we hear in 1261. 



Poiotiers, Battle of. between the French and English, 

 in which the former were defeated, September 19, 13o6. 



Poland, made a duchy, 694 ; kingdom of began, under 

 Boleslaus, 990 : Red Russia added toil, 1059: Pouierania 

 united with it, 1465: embraced Christianity, 965: seized 

 and divided between Russia, Prussia, and Austria, 1TO; 

 annexed to Russia, 1815; revolution commenced at W ar- 

 saw, November 29, 1830. 



Pone Title of, formerly given to all bishops; but 

 Boniface III., 606. influenced the emperor Phocas to con- 

 fine it to the Bishops of Rome ; Hygenus was the first 

 Bishop of Rome that took the title, 138 ; pope's suprem- 

 acy over the Christian church, first established by Bon- 

 iface III., 607: John XIX., a layman made pope, 10 

 first pope that kept an army was Leo IX., 1054: pope 

 Gregorv obliged Henry IV., emperor of Germany, tc 

 stand three davs, in the depth of winter, barefooted, at 

 his castle gate, to implore his pardon. 10,.: the popes 

 anthoritv tirst introduced into England, 1079; abrogatetl 

 by Parliament, 1534: the word pope struck out of all 

 English books, 1541. 



Portueal formerly called Lusitania, with the rest o 

 Spain, subject to the floors. 713: heldby the Moors until 

 the end of the eleventh century: Portuguese monarchy 

 established, 1139; first conquest abroad made In 1415, 

 upon the discovery of the Island of Madeira; In IS 

 Brazil was discovered by Cabral, which was followed by 

 the establishment of a colony: taken by the Spaniards. 

 1580- revolted from Spain, and the Duke of Braganza 

 sat on the throne under Philip IV. of Spain, and the 

 III of Portugal, 1640 ; in the latter year, the DUKC of 

 Braganza expelled the Spaniards, and ascended the 

 throne under the title of John IV. ; invaded by France 

 in 1807, -when the royal family went to Brazil ; from 

 18'T to 1833 the throne "wasusurped by Don Miguel. 1 

 erection of Brazil into an independent empire in l?Jb. 

 robbed Portugal of her richest possession. 



Post, method of carrying letters invented by the t m- 

 versity of Paris about 1470; general post oflRce, estab- 

 lished" in England, 1643. 



Potatoes. First introduced into England from 

 America by Sir Francis Drake, 1586; introduced into 



"protestants, Name of, began from the Diet of Spires, 

 when several of the German states protested against a 

 decree of the Diet to support the doctrine of the Church 

 of Rome, April 19, 1530. 



Prussia, anciently Assessed by the \enedi, B 

 320- the Venedi were conquered by Borussi who inhab- 

 ited the Ripha?an Mountains : whence the country was 

 called Borussia or Prussia, which was subdued bv the 

 Mercian knights, sent by the Emperor Frederick II.. 

 T>15- revolted to Jagello, King of Poland, 1219; the 

 erand master of the Teutonic order conquered the 

 Poles and kept possession till 1700, when he was made a 



^Public Houses, power of licensing them, first granted 

 to Sir Giles Montesson and Sir Francis Michel. lt.21. 



Punic Wars, First, began B. C. 204, lasted, twentj -- 

 three years : second, began 218, and ended 200; third, be- 

 gan 150. 



Quakers, founded by George Fox, 1646; sixtv trans- 

 ported from England to America by order of (. 

 1664 their animation adopted by Act of Parliament 

 for an oath, 1696. 



Quebec, a province of Canada, was originally settled 

 by the French, and the present population is largelv 

 composed of descendants of the Voyagers. The capital. 

 Quebec, is the oldest city in the Dominion. JJ 

 cations were at one time considered next to Gibraltar, 

 the strongest in the worlcL Nevertheless, the fortress 

 was captured by General Wolfe: taken bv -the English . 

 December 13. 1758 : unsuccessful attack on. bv the Ameri- 

 cans, under General Montgomery, December 31. l..o. 

 The metropolis. Montreal, is noted for its churches-. 

 Ship building rs the chief manufacturing industry. 

 There are also manufactures of iron castings, machin- 

 ery cutlery, nails, leather, musical instruments, boots 

 and shoes.'paper, India rubber goods, tobacco and steel. 

 The staple of export is timber. Quebec was first vis- 

 ited by Jacques Cartier in 1535. It then consisted of 



an Indian village called Stadacona. In July, 1608- 

 Champlain founded the city, giving it its present name. 



Reformation, The, first set on foot by John WyclirTe, 

 1370; began in England by Henry VIII. casting off the 

 pope's supremacy and introducing the Protestant reli- 

 gion, 1534; completed by Edward VI.. l.%47. 



Revolution, in Great Britain, took place through the 

 Prince of Orange taking jtossession of the throne. N 

 vember 6, 1688; in France, began 178tf; in the United 

 States, July 4. 1776: in Sweden, in 1772: second French 

 revolution," July, 1830. 



Rhodes. An island of the Turks, peopled from 

 Crete, B. C. 916; the republic completed, 480 : the citv 

 built. 432: taken by the Saracens and the Colossus sold. 

 1*5: taken from the Turks. 1308: retaken by them from 

 the Knights of Jerusalem, 1523: almost destroyed by an 

 inundation, B. C. 314; Hipparchus began his astronom- 

 ical observations here, 167. 



Rhode Island. First settlement made by the Eng- 

 lish at Providence, 1636. Ranks second in cotton, ilax. 

 and linen goods: twentieth in wealth. The flat- 

 larsely engaged in manufacturing. It has considerable 

 commerce. Farming is carried on to some extent : the 

 chief productions are grain, fruit, butter, and cheese. 



Romans. First engaged in naval affairs and de- 

 feated the Carthaginians, B. C. 260 ; first crossed th- 

 pursuino- the Gauls, who bad entered Italy. 223: dc- 

 feated by Hannibal at Cannae, 216: commenced the 

 auxiliary war against Philip in Epirus. which was con- 

 tinued at intervals. 216: snbdued Spain and Sparta. 

 1H- defeated Antiochus at Thermopylae 194: made war 

 a-ain<t the Aehrvans, 147: destroyed Cartha_ 

 SO 000 defeated on the banks of the Rhone by the Cimbri 

 and Teutones. 105: Cyrene left them by Ptolemy Apion. 

 97- first invaded England. B.C. 54: quitted Britain. - 



Rome, built by Romulus. B. C. 753: republican gov- 

 ernment established, 509; first alliance between Rome 

 and Carthage, 508; burned by the Gauls. 390; first coin- 

 in"- of silver, 269: first divorce known, 23o: surgery in 

 traduced, 219 ; gold first coined, 206 : Asiatic luxury first 

 introduced by the army, from the spoils of Antiochus. 

 190- first library created with books obtained from 

 Macedonia, 168 : philosophers and rhetoricians banished. 

 161 sumptuary law, limiting the expenses of eating and 

 drinking, 110: "set on fire by Nero, A. I>. 04: Capitol and 

 Pantheon destroyed by fire, 80. 



Russia, anciently Sarmatia. was inhabite 

 Scvthians: came into renown in St>4. when the natives 

 attempted to take Constantinople. The foundation of 

 the Russian empire was laid by the Rus or Varangians, 

 a body of Scandinavians led by Rurick. at No-, 2 

 about" 862: in the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth 

 centuries. Russia was tributary to the Mongols: the 

 conntrv was consolidated and extended under Ivan the 

 Great, "and Ivan the Terrible. 1402-1584. Peter tl. 

 was the most distinguished ruler of Russia. 1672-1725. 

 Important events of more recent times were : The dis- 

 memberment of Poland, of which the greater part be- 

 came Russian ; the wars of Napoleon and the burning of 

 . 1>12; the Crimean war. 1*53-55: the ya<t in- 

 cnape in area by war and treaty of the Asiatic prov- 

 -^-73: the abolition of serfdom. 1^51: the sale of 

 Alaska to the United States. 1867: the Tnrko-Russian 



* Rubicon! The, is a river of Italy, flowing into the 

 \driatic which formed the boundary between Cisalpine 

 Gaul and Italy proper. The passage of this river by 

 Julius Civsar was necessarily the signal for civil war. 

 the is*ue of which could not be foreseen, as Roman gen- 

 erals were forbidden to en>ss this river at the head of 



Rve House Plot, a plot to assassinate Charles II. at 



a place called Rye House on his way to Newmarket. 

 prevented by the king's house at Newmarket aeeiden- 

 tillv taking'fire. which hastened his departure eight 

 lay's before the plot was to take place : discovered June 

 12," 1683. 



Sacred War, first, concerning the temple of Delphi. 

 B C 44*' second war, on Delphi being attacked by the 

 Phocians. 356: war finished !>y Philip taking all the 

 cities of the Phocians. 348. 



^t Helena, first taken possession of by the English. 

 1600; taken bv the Dutch. 1073: retaken by the English 

 the same veaf ; celebrated as the place of exile of Napo- 

 leon Bonaparte, 1815, where he died Ma>; 5 1-21. 



saints tutelar. St. George of England. M. Andrew of 

 Scotland* St. Patrick of Ireland. St. David of Wales, St. 

 Dennis of France, St. James of Spain. 



Saracens, conquered by Spain, 713; 70,000 slain in 



