Leicester. A town of England, and the chief town of Leicestershire, situated on the Soar. During the civil war it was taken by Charles I., May 31, and by Fairfax, June 17, 1645.
Leinster. A province of Ireland, occupying the southeast part of that island. It was a kingdom in 1167. The abduction of Devorgilla, wife of O’Rourke, a lord of Connaught, by Dermot, king of Leinster, in 1152, is asserted to have led to the landing of the English, and the subsequent conquest. The province of Leinster gave the title of duke to Schomberg’s son in 1690. The title became extinct in 1719, and was conferred on the family of Fitzgerald in 1766.
Leipsic. A city of the kingdom of Saxony, situated about 65 miles west-northwest of Dresden, near the Prussian border, in a large and fertile plain. The Elster, the Pleisze, and the Parthe flow through or past the city, and unite about 3 miles below it. The city sprung up at the junction of the Pleisze and the Parthe, and is first mentioned as a town in 1015. It gradually increased in prosperity and importance. The famous Leipsic Conference between Luther, Eck, and Carlstadt, in 1519, greatly tended to the promotion of the Reformation. It suffered greatly in the Thirty Years’ War, in which it was five times besieged and taken, and again in the Seven Years’ War; and although the commercial changes connected with the French revolution at first affected it very favorably, yet it suffered not a little amidst the terrible struggle of the years 1812 and 1813, when it was alternately in possession of the French and of the allies. The immediate neighborhood of Leipsic has been the scene of two battles of great importance in the history of Germany and of Europe,—the battle of Leipsic, or of Breitenfeld (see [Breitenfeld]), on September 7, 1631, and the great battle called the Battle of the Nations, which continued for three days, October 16-18, 1813. The latter was one of the most bloody and decisive of those which effected the deliverance of Europe from French domination. The troops under Napoleon in this battle amounted to about 180,000 men, and those of the allies, commanded by Prince Schwarzenberg, Marshal Blücher, and Bernadotte, crown-prince of Sweden, to almost 300,000. About 2000 pieces of artillery were brought to the field. The loss of the French was reckoned at about 38,000 killed and wounded, and 30,000 prisoners; that of the allies to about 48,000. The victory of the allies was complete; the French being compelled to evacuate Leipsic, and to retreat.
Leith. A town of Scotland, 2 miles northeast from Edinburgh, of which it is the seaport. It was burned in 1541 by an English fleet, and in 1549 it was occupied by French troops, who came to the assistance of Mary of Guise.
Leleges. An ancient race which inhabited Greece before the Hellenes, and are mentioned along with the Pelasgians as the most ancient inhabitants. They were a warlike and migratory race, and piracy was their chief occupation. The Leleges must be regarded as a branch of the great Indo-Germanic race, who became incorporated with the Hellenes, and thus ceased to exist as an independent people.
Length of Cannon. Is the distance from the rear of the base-ring to the face of the piece, and the extreme length is from the rear of the cascabel to the face.
Lengthen. To extend in length; to make longer; to elongate; as, to lengthen a line of troops. To lengthen the step, to take more than the prescribed pace.
Lenni-Lenape. See [Delawares].
Lens. A parish and town of France, in the department Pas-de-Calais, 9 miles from Arras. A battle was fought here in 1648, between the Spanish forces and those of the Prince of Condé, in which the latter gained the victory.
Lentini (Lat. Leontini). A city of Sicily, situated between Syracuse and Catania. In 427 B.C., the Lentinians applied to the Athenians for support against Syracuse; they were sent twenty ships, under the command of Laches and Charœades. In 215 B.C., they raised their standard of open war against Rome; but Marcellus hastened to attack the city, and made himself master of it without difficulty. Under the Roman government it was restored to the position of an independent town.