Anglo-Saxons in England before the reign of Egbert (800-836 A.D.). Under
Egbert, Wessex rose to be supreme, and virtually swallowed up the
others. The common idea is that these seven kingdoms were
contemporaneous; but all that can be safely asserted is, that England in
this time was peopled by various tribes, whose leading occupation was
war; and that sometimes one was conquered, sometimes another. At no time
was there a counterpoise of power among seven of them, so that they
could be said to have a separate, much less an independent existence.
Still, seven names do survive, so as to use the term Heptarchy.
=Heraclea.= In ancient geography, a large and important city of Magna
Græcia. It was situated in Lucania, between the small streams Siris and
Aciris, a little way inland from the shore of the Tarentine Gulf. It
seems to have been colonized about 432 B.C. In the wars with Pyrrhus it
sided with Tarentum against Rome; but it afterwards abandoned its parent
state and became an ally of the Roman people. It suffered severely
during the Social war, but still retained a considerable measure of
importance and prosperity. It afterwards fell into decay.
=Heraclea.= Surnamed Minoa; in ancient geography, a Greek city of
Sicily, at the mouth of the Halycus (now the _Platani_), 20 miles
northwest from Agrigentum. The surname seems to have been originally the
name of the town, which is first mentioned in history as a colony of
Selinus. About the end of the 6th century it was recolonized by the
Spartans, and had attained to great prosperity and power, when it was
destroyed by the jealousy of the Carthaginians. After remaining in their
power for about 200 years it fell into the hands of Agathocles, and then
of Pyrrhus. It was next recovered by the Carthaginians, who retained it
to the end of the first Punic war, when the whole of Sicily was made
over to the Romans. In the second Punic war it reverted to the
Carthaginian sway, but was finally attached to the Roman empire by
Marcellus, shortly after the fall of Syracuse. After the servile war,
Heraclea was repeopled by the Romans, and continued to flourish till the
time of Cicero. It afterwards sunk into decay, and at this day its very
ruins can hardly be traced.
=Heracleidæ.= This term means, in its widest sense, all the descendants
of Heracles (Hercules), of whatever time, and in whatever district of
Greece; but is specially applied to those adventurers who, founding
their claims on their supposed descent from the great hero (to whom Zeus
had promised a portion of the land), joined the Dorians in the conquest
of the Peloponnesus. There were five different expeditions, the last and
greatest occurring eighty years after the Trojan war. The story of the
return of the Heracleidæ touches on the historical period, and though
there is much of fable and tradition, yet there seems to be also a large
substratum of truth in the records of the Greek historians.
=Heracleum.= A place near Gindarus, in the Syrian province of
Cyrrhestice, where Ventidius, the legate of M. Antony, gained his great
victory over the Parthians under Pacorus in 38 B.C.
=Herald.= An officer in the European courts, whose duty consists in the
regulation of armorial bearings, the marshaling of processions, and the
superintendence of pubic ceremonies. In the Middle Ages heralds were
highly honored, and enjoyed important privileges; their functions also
included the bearing of messages between royal personages, and
registering all chivalric exercises; the computation of the slain after
battle; and the recording of the valiant acts of the falling or
surviving combatants. The office of herald is probably as old as the
origin of coat-armor. In England the principal heraldic officers are
designated kings-of-arms, or kings-at-arms, and the novitiates or
learners are styled pursuivants. There are in England three
kings-at-arms, named by their offices Garter, Clarencieux, and Norroy;
six heralds,--Somerset, Chester, Windsor, Richmond, Lancaster, and York;
and four pursuivants, called Rouge Dragon, Portcullis, Blue Mantle, and
Rouge Croix. In Scotland the principal heraldic officer is the Lyon
king-at-arms; and there are six heralds,--Snowdoun, Albany, Ross,
Rothesay, Marchmont, and Ilay; and five pursuivants,--Unicorn, Carrick,
Kintyre, Ormond, and Bute. Ireland has one king-at-arms, Ulster; two
heralds, Cork and Dublin; and two pursuivants, of whom the senior bears
the title of Athlone, and the other is called the pursuivant of St.
Patrick.
=Heraldry.= The science of armorial bearings. The practice of wearing
devices on the shields of knights was originated in the middle of the
12th century, and ever since families bear on their shield the arms of
their progenitors, which at first had been adopted either arbitrarily or
suggested by some striking episode in the life of the bearer.
=Herald’s College=, or =College of Arms=. A collegiate body, founded by
Richard III. in 1483, consisting of the heraldic officers of England,
who were assigned a habitation in the parish of Allhallows-the-Less, in
London. Various charters confirmed the privileges of the College of
Arms, and it was re-incorporated by Philip and Mary in 1554. The
presidency of the college is vested in the earl marshal, an office
hereditary in the family of Howard, duke of Norfolk. He nominates the
three kings-of-arms, six heralds, and four pursuivants, who are the
members of the collegiate chapter. The members of the college have
salaries, but derive their principal income from fees charged for
assistance in tracing pedigrees and titles, and for the granting and
registration of arms. In Scotland the corresponding functions belong to
the Lyon court. See LYON KING-AT-ARMS.
=Herat.= A city of Afghanistan, the capital of an independent state,
situated in a plain near the Hury River, 360 miles west from Cabul. This
place has often been ravaged by various conquerors, who have claimed and
won the empire of Asia. In 1220 it was taken by Genghis Khan, and in
1398 by Tamerlane. It was subsequently united to Persia; but the Afghans
took possession of it in 1715. Nadir Shah retook it in 1737, and Ahmed
Khan, an Afghan, and one of Nadir’s generals, added it to Afghanistan,
after the assassination of Nadir Shah, in 1747. Mohammed Shah marched
against Herat in 1836, and, after a long siege, the Persians were forced
to withdraw. In 1855 the Persians again made an attempt to get
possession of Herat; but, after a short war with England, desisted.
=Hercotectonique= (_Fr._). A term in fortification signifying that
branch of military architecture which specifically points out the best
means of defense and the surest method of providing stores. This word is
derived from the Greek.
=Herculean.= Very great, difficult, or dangerous; such as it would
require the strength or courage of Hercules to encounter or accomplish.
=Hercules, Pillars of.= The name given by the ancients to the two rocks
forming the entrance to the Mediterranean at the Strait of Gibraltar.
Their erection was ascribed by the Greeks to Hercules, on the occasion
of his journey to the kingdom of Geryon.
=Herefare.= An old term from the Saxon, signifying the same as warfare.
=Hereford.= The chief town of Herefordshire, England, on the Wye. During
the Saxon era, the Welsh inflicted considerable damage on this city; it
also suffered greatly in the wars of the barons, and under the
Plantagenets. During the civil war it held loyally to the cause of the
king, and was one of the last places that yielded to the Parliament.
=Heregeld.= A term derived from the Saxon, signifying a tax which was
formerly levied for maintaining an army.
=Herera.= In Aragon. Here Don Carlos of Spain, in his struggle for his
hereditary right to the throne, at the head of 12,000 men, encountered
and defeated (August 24, 1837) Gen. Buerens, who had not much above half
that number of royal troops.
=Hereslita=, or =Heresilia=. A term derived from the Saxon, signifying a
soldier who abandons his colors, or deserts the service.
=Heretoch=, or =Heretog=. The leader or commander of an army; also, a
constable; a marshal.
=Heretum.= A court in which the guards or military retinue that usually
attended the old British nobility and bishops were accustomed to parade
or draw up.
=Hergate.= A term derived from the Saxon, signifying a tribute which was
paid in ancient times to the lord of the soil, to enable him to carry on
a war.
=Herisson.= A formidable hedge or chevaux-de-frise; made of one stout
beam fenced by a number of iron spikes, and which, being fixed upon a
pivot, revolves in every direction upon being touched, always presenting
a front of pikes.
=Hermandad= (_Sp._). “Brotherhood.” An association of the principal
cities of Castile and Aragon, bound together by a solemn league and
covenant for the defense of their liberties in seasons of trouble. The
most noteworthy (called _Santa Hermandad_, or Holy Brotherhood) was
established in the middle of the 13th century in Aragon, and in Castile
about thirty years later; while in 1295, 35 cities of Castile and Leon
formed a joint confederacy, and entered into a compact, by which they
pledged themselves to take summary vengeance on every noble who had
either robbed or injured a member of their association, and refused to
make just atonement for the wrong; or upon any one who should attempt,
even by the order of the king, to levy an unjust tax. Isabella of
Castile, seeing the beneficial effects which an extension of the
institution was capable of producing, obtained the sanction of the
Cortes for its thorough reorganization and extension over the whole
kingdom in 1496. In 1498, the objects of the Hermandad having been
obtained, and public order established on a firm basis, the brotherhood
was disorganized and reduced to an ordinary police, such as it has
existed, with various modifications of form, to the present century.
=Herminia Gens.= A very ancient patrician house at Rome, which appears
in the first Etruscan war with the republic, 506 B.C.; vanishes from
history in 448.
=Hermunduri.= One of the most powerful nations of Germany; belonged to
the Suevic race. They were for a long time the allies of the Romans; but
along with the other German tribes they assisted the Marcomanni in the
great war against the Romans in the reign of M. Aurelius. After this
time they are rarely mentioned as a separate people, but are included
under the general name of Suevi.
=Hernici.= A people in Latium; belonged to the Sabine race. They
inhabited the mountains of the Apennines between the Lake Fucinus and
the river Trerus. They were a brave and warlike people, and long offered
a formidable resistance to the Romans. They were finally subdued by the
Romans in 306 B.C.
=Hero.= A man of distinguished valor, intrepidity, or enterprise in
danger; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action or
event; hence, a great, illustrious, or extraordinary person.
=Hero.= In mythology, an illustrious man, supposed by the populace to
partake of immortality, and after his death to be placed among the gods.
=Heroic.= Pertaining to, or like, a hero or heroes; as, heroic valor.
Becoming a hero; bold; daring; illustrious; as, heroic action; heroic
enterprises.
=Heroic Age.= The age when the heroes, or those called the children of
the gods, are supposed to have lived.
=Heroically.= In the manner of a hero; with valor; bravely;
courageously; intrepidly; as, the town was heroically defended.
=Heroine.= A female hero; a woman of a brave spirit. The principal
female person who figures in a remarkable action.
=Heroism.= The qualities of a hero; bravery; courage; intrepidity.
=Heroship.= The character of a hero.
=Herrings, Battle of the.= Fought on February 12, 1429, when the English
were besieging Orleans. It obtained its name from the Duc de Bourbon
attempting to intercept a convoy of salt fish on the road to the English
camp before Orleans, and in which he was defeated.
=Herse= (from the Fr. _herise_). In fortification, a grated door,
formed by strong pieces of wood joined crosswise, and stuck full of iron
spikes. It is usually hung by a rope, and fastened to a moulinet, which
is cut in case of a surprise, or when the first gate is forced by a
petard, so that it may fall like a portcullis and stop the passage of a
gate or other entrance of a fortress.
=Hersillon.= A strong beam, whose sides are stuck full of spikes, which
is thrown across the breach made by an enemy to render it impassable.
=Hertford.= The capital of Hertfordshire, England, on the Lee. It is a
very ancient town: the castle was founded in 909. In the reign of John
it was seized by the French dauphin, and under Edward III. the kings of
France and Scotland were secured in it.
=Heruli.= An ancient German tribe, first mentioned among the Gothic
nations when these latter had established themselves on the north coast
of the Euxine, in the reigns of Gallienus and Claudius. In the reign of
Valentinian they are mentioned as being in the service of Rome, fighting
against the Alemanni. In the 5th century they allied themselves with the
other German tribes, and under Odoacer, in 476, they overthrew the
Western empire.
=Hesse.= A territory in Western Germany, the seat of the Catti; formed
part of the empire of Charlemagne; from the rulers of it in his time the
present are descended. It was joined to Thuringia till about 1263, when
Henry I. became landgrave of Hesse. The most remarkable of his
successors was Philip, who signed the Augsburg Confession in 1530, and
the League of Smalcald in 1531. At his death Hesse was divided in
Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Darmstadt, and in 1803 the former became an
electorate, and the latter a grand duchy. Hesse-Cassel was incorporated
with Prussia in 1866, and Hesse-Darmstadt became a part of the North
German Confederation in 1867, and as such it took part in the
Franco-Prussian war in 1870.
=Hessians.= Troops belonging to Hesse-Cassel, Prussia. They have been
frequently hired by Great Britain, particularly in the war of American
independence, when they were sold at £40 sterling a head, £9 of which
was to be repaid if they returned alive.
=Hetman=, or =Ataman=. A word derived from the German, which signifies
the chief of a troop. The chief general of the old Polish armies was
called _Hetman Wielki_, and the second general _Hetman Polny_. The chief
or general of the Cossacks is likewise invested with this title by the
czar of Russia.
=Heurtequins= (_Fr._). Two pieces of iron resembling a knocker, which
are placed over the trunnions, or axis of a cannon.
=Heuse= (_Fr._). An iron shoe, sometimes called _pedieux_, attached to
the greaves of ancient armor, having an iron sole, and the upper
composed of mail.
=Hexagonal Powder.= See GUNPOWDER.
=Hexham.= A town of England, in Northumberland, situated a little below
the confluence of the north and south Tyne, 21 miles west from
Newcastle. This town is chiefly remarkable for the antiquities with
which it is surrounded, and the historical events connected with it. The
neighborhood abounds with ruined castles, monuments of battles and
heroes; with Roman relics, altars, inscriptions, etc. The cathedral, or
priory church of Hexham, was founded in 674, and was destroyed by the
Danes. In 1463, a battle was fought in the neighborhood between the
houses of York and Lancaster, in which the Yorkists gained the victory.
As an interesting historical event, it may be remarked that it was in
flying from this field that Queen Margaret threw herself on the
protection of a robber, and the cave in which she concealed herself and
the Prince of Wales is still pointed out.
=Hibernia=, =Ibernia=, =Ivernia=, and =Ierne=. The names by which
Ireland is designated in the classical writers. See IRELAND.
=Hibernian Royal School.= A school established in Great Britain for the
maintenance of 350 children of military officers who are supported and
educated at this school, at an expense of £7000 per annum to the
country.
=Hierarchy, Military.= The essential element for the government and
service of an army is a military hierarchy, or the creation of different
grades of rank, to which different functions and powers are assigned,
the lower in regular subordination to the next higher in the ascending
scale. It should be founded on the principle that every one acts in an
army under the orders of a superior, who exercises his authority only
within the limits established by law. This authority of the superior
should be greater or less according to rank and position, and be
proportioned to his responsibilities. Orders should be executed without
hesitation; but responsibilities should be confined to him who gives
orders in virtue of the superior authority with which he is invested; to
him who takes the initiative in an order; to him who does not execute an
order that he has received; and to him who usurps a command, or
continues illegally to exercise its functions. The military hierarchy is
determined and consecrated within its sphere of action by grades of rank
created by military laws, by other laws regulating the exercise of rank,
by military insignia, by military honors, and by the military oath.
=High Treason.= Treason against the state, being the highest civil
offense. See TREASON.
=Highlanders.= Properly speaking, are the Celtic inhabitants of the
Highlands of Scotland. In the army of Great Britain, it denotes the
eight regiments who are uniformed in the Highland dress, including a
distinctive tartan, and are as follows: 42d (see BLACK WATCH), 71st,
72d, 74th, 78th, 79th, 92d, and 93d. These regiments are recruited in
the Highlands.
=Hilt.= The handle of anything, especially of a cutting instrument, as a
knife or sword.
=Hilted.= Having a hilt. Also a term used in heraldry to indicate the
tincture of the handle of a sword.
=Hilton Head.= A village on an island of the same name, forming part of
Beaufort District, S. C., at the mouth of Broad River. It was taken from
the Confederates by the U. S. forces after a severe naval engagement in
November, 1861.
=Himera.= A celebrated city on the north coast of Sicily. Here the
Carthaginians were defeated with great slaughter by the united forces of
Theron and Gelon of Syracuse, 480 B.C. It assisted Syracuse against the
Athenians in 415 B.C. In 409 B.C. it was taken by Hannibal, the son of
Gisco, who, to revenge the great defeat which the Carthaginians had
suffered before the town, leveled it to the ground, and destroyed almost
all the inhabitants.
=Hindostan.= See INDIA.
=Hircarrah=, or =Hircarra=. An Indian term for a messenger, guide,
footman, or spy.
=Hiring of Duty.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 36, 37.
=Hirpini.= An inland people of Italy who inhabited the southern portion
of Samnium. In the early history of Rome the Hirpini are found
identifying themselves with their Samnite neighbors against their common
foes. They seem to have been subdued in the early part of the 3d century
B.C. They appear as an independent people in the second Punic year.
Revolting from their old conquerors, they joined the Carthaginian
invaders, and, though they were unable to recapture their stronghold of
Beneventum, they remained faithful to Hannibal till the defeat at the
Metaurus restored the empire of Italy to his opponents. In the year of
that event the Hirpini made their peace with their old masters by
betraying into their hands the garrisons of their allies. From this time
till the outbreak of the Social war, the Hirpini seem to have continued
steadfast in their allegiance. On that occasion, however, they set the
example of revolt to the allies, and might have become formidable
enemies, had not the rapid successes of Sulla induced them to repair
their error by complete submission. After the close of the war the
Hirpini do not appear in history as an independent people.
=Hispalis.= See SEVILLE.
=Histiæa.= An ancient city of Eubœa. It was taken by the Athenians
during the Persian wars, but they revolted from that people, and was
again subdued, the old inhabitants of the city were expelled, and 2000
Athenian colonists settled in their stead, and its name changed to
_Oreus_. In the war between Philip and the Greeks, Oreus was frequently
contested, and in 200 B.C. it was stormed by the Romans.
=History, Military.= A narrative of military transactions, campaigns,
battles, sieges, marches, etc., of an army. It likewise means a
relation of the heroic actions of great generals, etc.
=Hit.= To reach with a stroke or blow; especially, to reach or touch an
object aimed at, as a mark; to strike or touch, usually with force. Also
a striking against; the collision of one body against another; the
stroke or blow that touches anything.
=Hitch.= A knot or noose in a rope for fastening it to a ring or other
object; as, a clove hitch, a timber hitch.
=Hivites.= A Canaanitish people, who in the time of Jacob are found
occupying the uplands of Ephraim, and later the slopes of Hermon and
region westward towards Tyre. They were conquered by the Hebrews, and
they became menial subjects of Solomon.
=Hobeliers.= In the Middle Ages, a species of light horsemen, chiefly
intended for reconnoitring, carrying intelligence, harassing troops on a
march, intercepting convoys, and pursuing a routed army; the smallness
of their horses rendering them unfit to stand the shock of a charge.
Spelman derives the name from _hobby_, a small horse. Camden used the
word _Hoblers_ for certain light horsemen, who were bound by the tenure
of their lands to maintain a light horse, for giving notice of any
invasion made by enemies, or such like peril towards the sea-side.
=Hobits.= Small mortars of 6 or 8 inches bore mounted on gun-carriages;
they were in use before the howitzer.
=Hochebos= (_Fr._). Certain soldiers among the ancients, who were so
called from their brandishing the pike. This word has likewise been
applied to the pike itself.
=Hochkirch.= A village of Saxony, 7 miles southeast of Bautzen. Here
Frederick the Great was completely defeated by the Austrians under Daun,
October 14, 1758. A conflict between the Russians and Prussians and the
French, in which the latter were victorious, took place here May 22,
1813.
=Hochstadt.= A town of Bavaria, situated on the left bank of the Danube.
It is noted for a battle, generally known as the battle of Blenheim
(which see), in which the French and Bavarians were defeated by the Duke
of Marlborough and Prince Eugène, and which took place between this town
and Blenheim in 1704. In 1800, the French under Moreau totally defeated
the Austrians near here.
=Hohenlinden.= A village of Bavaria. It is noted for the defeat of the
Austrian army in 1800, by the French under Moreau.
=Hohenstaufen.= A celebrated family of German princes, which kept
possession of the imperial throne from 1138 to 1254, and died out in
1268. The first of the line was Friedrich von Büren, who received the
name on account of having removed his dwelling from a valley _auf den
Staufen_ (“up the hill” or “mountain”). His son Friedrich von Staufen,
or Hohenstaufen, served under Henry IV., and distinguished himself
greatly in the battle of Merseburg, for which the king awarded him the
duchy of Swabia. He also fought against the pope in Italy, while
holding the position of regent of Germany. Died in 1105.
=Hohenzollern.= The name of an ancient princely German family, from
which the kings of Prussia are descended. The name is derived from the
castle of Zollern, in Swabia, which is said to have been built by
Tassillon or Thasilio about 800.
=Hoist.= To raise; to lift, or bear upward by means of tackle, as a
flag, etc. The perpendicular height of a flag, as opposed to the _fly_,
or breadth from the staff to the outer edge.
=Hold.= A place of security; a fortified place; a fort; a castle; often
called a _stronghold_.
=Hold.= To keep one’s self in a given position or condition; to remain
fixed; as, not to move; to halt; to stop. Not to give way; not to part
or become separated; to remain unbroken. _To hold one’s own_, to keep
up; not to lose ground or be left behind.