Langrel, or Langrage. A villainous kind of shot, consisting of various fragments of iron bound together, so as to fit the bore of the cannon from which it is to be discharged. It is seldom used but by privateers.
Languedoc (anc. Narbonensis Prima). An old province of the south of France, bounded east by the river Rhone, and south by the Mediterranean. As a Roman province it enjoyed the freedom of Italy. It formed part of Gallia Narbonensis, but, in the Middle Ages, was known as Septimania, from the seven cathedral churches which it contained. From the hands of the Romans it passed into the possession of the Goths; and being wrested from them, it was occupied by the Saracens till 725, when they were expelled by Charles Martel. It afterwards came under the sway of Philip the Bold, and became a part of the French Kingdom in 1361.
Languet. A small slip of metal on the hilt of a sword, which overhangs the scabbard; the ear of a sword.
Lansdown. In Somersetshire, England. The Parliamentary army under Sir William Waller was defeated here July 5, 1643.
Lansquenet. A German foot-soldier; originally one of the serfs who followed the camp in the service of the common soldiers; afterward one of the independent troops who hired themselves to those willing to pay highest for their services.
Lanterne (Fr.). Sometimes called cuiller, or ladle, serves to convey gunpowder into a piece of ordnance. It is made of copper, and resembles a round spoon or ladle, which is fixed to a long pole.
Lanuvium (now Civita Lavinia). An old and important city of Latium, on the Appian Way, 20 miles south of Rome. Tradition describes it as a colony from Alba; but it first rose to importance in the 5th century B.C., when it took part against Rome as one of the thirty cities of the Latin League. Its name again appears in the long wars between Rome and the Æqui and Volsci, siding with the former; it changed sides in 383 B.C., but was leniently treated by its old ally at the end of the war. In the great Latin war, 340 B.C., it again took part against Rome, and in the general settlement at the close of hostilities, it obtained the Roman civitas.
Lanyards. See [Implements].
Laodicea ad Mare (now Ladikiyeh). A city on the coast of Syria, about 50 miles south from Antioch; was built by Seleucus I. on the site of an earlier city, called Ramitha. It was severely punished by Cassius for its adherence to Dolabella, and again suffered in the Parthian invasion of Syria. It was taken and destroyed by the Arabs in 1188.
Laon. A town of France, in the department of the Aisne, 75 miles northeast from Paris. It was besieged by the barbarians in 407; taken and sacked by Gelimer in 682; unsuccessfully besieged by the Normans in 882; taken by Eudes, count of Paris, in 892, by Charles the Simple in 895, and by Robert of France, who held it till 923. It was taken by the Duke of Burgundy in 1411; by the royal troops in 1414; surrendered in 1419 by Philip the Good to the English, who were dispossessed in 1429. It was unsuccessfully besieged by the Calvinists in 1567, and was taken by Henry IV. in 1594. On March 10, 1814, an indecisive battle was fought here between the French troops under Napoleon, and the Prussians under Blücher.