Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/535

LEFT LEO 459 LEON stored the hierarchy in Scotland, and composed the religious difficulty with Germany, so that when a dispute arose in 1885 between Germany and Spain as to the ownership of the Caroline Islands he was requested by Prince Bismarck to act as arbitrator. In political matters Leo permitted the Irish bishops to in- dulge their own views. In 1887-1888 there were great rejoicings at Rome to celebrate his Jubilee. In May, 1888, the Pope issued a decree denouncing in gen- eral terms the methods adopted by some of the Irish leaders in the Plan of Cam- POPE LEO XIII. paign. The following October he re- ceived a visit from the German emperor, William II. He regarded himself as the despoiled sovereign of Rome and as a prisoner at the Vatican; refused the in- come voted him by the Italian Parlia- ment; and persistently declined to recog- nize the law of guarantees. In 1892- 1893 he effected the establishment of a delegation to the Roman Catholic Church in the United States in the face of oppo- sition by certain American prelates. In 1899 he issued a letter condemning Americanism as set forth by Father Hecker. He died in 1903. Also the name of various kings of the Armenians, as follows : Leo I., Prince or King of the Arme- nians, established in Cilicia, began to reign in 1123; taken prisoner by John Comnenus in 1137, he died in prison in 1141. Leo II., called The Great, grand- son of the preceding, obtained permis- sion of the emperor, Henry VI., and the Pope, Celestine III., to take the title ot king; reigned 1185-1219. Leo III., greatly aggrandized his kingdom; reigned 1269-1289. Leo IV., succeeded 1305, dethroned and slain by a Mongol gen- eral, 1308.^ Leo V.'s reign was devas- tated by civil wars and the invasion of Mamelukes and Turcomans; reigned 1320-1342. Leo VI., proclaimed king 1361, was driven from his kingdom by the Sultan of Egypt, 1375, retiring to France; died there in 1393. LEOMINSTER, a town which includes several villages in Massachusetts, in Worcester co. It is on the Nashua river, and on the New York, New Haven, and Hartford and the Boston and Maine railroads. Its industries include the manufacture of piano cases, furniture, woolen goods, paper, chemi- cals, toys, etc. It has a library, a town hall, high-school buildings, and a park. Pop. (1910) 17,580; (1920) 19,744. LEON, an ancient kingdom of Spain, equiyalent, generally, to the modern provinces of Leon, Palencia, Valladolid, Zamora, and Salamanca. It was the earliest Christian kingdom, next after Asturias, to be formed in Spain after the Moorish wave of conquest began to recede. It dates from the 10th cen- tury, and was united with Castile first by Ferdinand the Great in 1037, and finally in 1230. The modern province has an area of 6,165 square miles, and a pop. of 400,000. The country, which is intersected by the Douro and the Minho, is mountainous, being invaded on the N. by the Cantabrian Mountains, The soil is generally fertile. The in- habitants are for the most part unedu- cated and lazy, but honorable, hospitable, and good-natured. At Astorga the Mar- agatos are variously supposed to be de- scendants of the Celtiberi, the Visigoths, or the Moors. Leon is also the name of a part of Brittany. LEON (the Legio Septima Gemina of the Romans), capital of the former king- dom and of the modern province of the same name, but now a sleepy agricultural town; in a plain, 256 miles N. W. of Madrid. Pop. about 18,000. The beau- tiful cathedral (about 1195-1512), a specimen of the purest Early Pointed, is French in character and, probably, ori- gin. It contains the tombs of many sov- ereigns of Leon, saints, and martyrs. Leon is the center of the Spanish linen manufacture, and has a celebrated horse fair. LEON, a city of Nicaragua, on an ex- tensive plain. Once the boast of Span- ish America, founded at the head of Lake Managua in 1523, removed hither in 1610,