Jacquerie.
The peasant rising in France in 1358 is so called from Jacques Bonhomme, the familiar name for a peasant. The revolt was most sanguinary, the peasants burning over 200 châteaux, and murdering indiscriminately all who refused to join them. Equally cruel reprisals followed the suppression of the insurrection.
Jaffa Massacre.
The massacre by Napoleon in 1799 of the Turkish garrison of Jaffa, who had surrendered as prisoners of war.
Jamaica Bill.
A bill suspending the constitution of Jamaica, brought in by the Melbourne Ministry in 1839, in consequence of the House of Assembly refusing to put in force an Act for the better regulation of prisons in that island. The bill only passed the House of Commons by a majority of five, and Lord Melbourne resigned.
Jameson Raid.
An invasion of the Transvaal by the forces of the British South Africa Company in January, 1896. Jameson acted on an undated letter, signed by certain members of the Johannesburg Reform Committee, summoning him to the aid of the Uitlanders. His raid, however, was ill-timed, the Johannesburgers being unable to give him the assistance he counted on, and he was defeated by the hastily summoned Boer commandos. Cecil Rhodes was a party to the scheme, which was designed to overthrow the corrupt Boer Government. The Boers made the raid an excuse for increasing their armaments.
Janissaries.
A military force established about the middle of the fourteenth century by Amurath I, Sultan of Turkey. They were recruited from Christian youths captured in war, who were brought up in the Mohammedan faith and trained to arms.