Page:EB1911 - Volume 27.djvu/1010

 The term originated in Corsica, where the vendetta has long played an important part in the social life. If the murderer could not be found, his family were liable to fall victims to the vendetta. The feud was sometimes complicated by the vendetta transfer sale, when each of two branches of a family had a murder to revenge on the other. In Corsica it was regarded as the most sacred family duty. Mediators (parolanti) sometimes intervened successfully to end the feuds, and extort an oath to forgo vengeance. The custom still survives in Corsica in its complete form, and partially in Sardinia, Sicily, Montenegro, Afghanistan, among the Mainotes of Greece, the Albanians, Druses and Bedouins.

VENDÔME, LOUIS JOSEPH, (1654–1712), marshal of France, was the son of Louis,  duke of Vendôme, and the great-grandson of Henry IV. and Gabrielle d'Estrées. Entering the army at the age of eighteen he soon distinguished himself by his vigour and personal courage in the Dutch wars; and by 1688 he had risen to the rank of lieutenant-general. In the war of the Grand Alliance he rendered conspicuous service under Luxemburg at Steinkirk and under Catinat at Marsaglia, and in 1695 he was placed in command of the army operating in Catalonia where he took Barcelona. Soon afterwards he received the marshalate. In 1702, after the first unsuccessful campaign of Catinat and Villeroi, he was placed in command of the Franco-Spanish army in Italy (see ). During three campaigns in that country he proved himself a worthy antagonist to Prince Eugene, whom at last he defeated at Cassano by his magnificent courage and command over his troops, converting the defeat that his indolent brother, the Grand Prior, had incurred into a glorious success. Next year, after holding his own as before, he was sent to Flanders to repair the disaster of Ramillies with the result that his successors Marsin and Philip of Orleans were totally defeated, while in the new sphere Vendôme was merely the mentor of the pious and unenterprising duke of Burgundy, and was unable to prevent the defeat of Oudenarde. He therefore retired in disgust to his estates, but it was not long before he was summoned to take command of the army of Philip in Spain, and there he won his last victories, crowning his work with the battle of Villaviciosa. Before the end of the war he died suddenly at Vinaros on the 11th of June 1712. Vendôme was one of the most remarkable soldiers in the history of the French army, and second only to Villars amongst the generals of France of the 18th century. He had, besides the skill and the fertile imagination of the true army leader, the brilliant courage of a soldier. But the real secret of his uniform success was his extraordinary influence over his men.

VENDÔME, a town of north-central France, capital of an arrondissement in the department of Loir-et-Cher, 22 m. N.W. of Blois by rail. Pop. (1906) town, 7381; commune, 9804. Vendôme is situated on the Loir, which here divides into numerous arms intersecting the town. On the south it is overlooked by an eminence on which stand ruins of the castle of the counts of Vendôme, dating in part to the 11th century. The abbey-church of the Trinity (12th to 15th century) has a fine façade in the florid Gothic style. The belfry, surmounted by a stone steeple, stands isolated in front of the church; it belongs to the middle of the 12th century, and is one of the finest examples of Transition architecture. Abbey buildings of various periods lie round the church. The church of La Madeleine (15th century) is surmounted by a stone spire, an indifferent imitation of that of the abbey. The fine tower of St Martin (16th century) is all that remains of the church of that name. The town hall occupies the old gate of St George; its river front is composed of two large crenelated and machicolated towers, connected by a pavilion. The ancient hospital of St Jacques afterwards became college of the Oratorians, and now serves as a lycée for boys; the charming chapel, dating from the 15th century, in the most florid Gothic style, is preserved. The town has a well-known archaeological and scientific society, and possesses a library with more than three hundred MSS., and a museum, mostly archaeological, in front of which stands a statue of the poet Ronsard. There is also a statue of Marshal Rochambeau, born at Vendôme in 1725. There are some interesting houses of the 15th and 16th centuries. Vendôme has a sub-prefecture and a tribunal of first instance. The river supplies motive power to flouMnills, and the town manufactures gloves, paper and carved mouldings; and carries on tanning and nursery-gardening together with trade in butter and cheese.

Vendôme (Vindocinum) appears originally to have been a Gallic oppidum, replaced later by a feudal castle, around which the modern town arose. Christianity was introduced by St Bienheuré in the 5th century, and the important abbey of the Trinity (which claimed to possess a tear shed by Christ at the tomb of Lazarus) was founded about 1030. When the reign of the Capetian dynasty began, Vendôme was the chief town of a countship belonging to Bouchard, called “the Venerable,” who died in the monastery of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés in 1007. The succession passed by various marriages to the houses of Nevers, Preuilly and Montoire. Bouchard VII., count of Vendôme and Castres (d. c. 1374), left as his heiress his sister Catherine, the wife of John of Bourbon, count of la Marche. The countship of Vendôme was raised to the rank of a duchy and a peerage of France for Charles of Bourbon (1515); his son Anthony of Bourbon, king of Navarre, was the father of Henry IV., who gave the duchy of Vendôme in 1598 to his natural son Caesar (1594–1665). Caesar, duke of Vendôme, took part in the disturbances which went on in France under the government of Richelieu and of Mazarin, and had as his sons Louis, duke of Vendôme (1612–1669), who married a niece of Mazarin, and Francis; duke of Beaufort. The last of the family in the male line (1645–1712) was Louis XIV.’s famous general, (q.v.). The title of duke of Vendôme is now borne by Prince Emmanuel of Orleans, son of the duke of Alençon.

VENEER, a thin layer of wood, ivory, pearl or other material of high decorative value fixed to a poorer surface by glue or other adhesive to improve, its appearance. Wood veneers are exceedingly common: only the best woods are used and the layer may be as thin as paper—a circumstance due to improvements in the machinery for cutting the logs. The surface to which the veneer is to be attached is prepared perfectly smooth, a film of glue applied, and then the veneer laid on. It is now ironed perfectly flat, all superfluous glue being pressed out, and then allowed to dry in a press. The surface is now ready for polishing.

VENER [Wener or Väner; often written with the addition of the definite article, Venern], the largest lake in Sweden and the third largest in Europe. It has an area of 2149 sq. m.; a maximum length of 87 m.; an extreme breadth of 44 m.; a maximum depth of 292 ft.; and an altitude above sea-level of 144 ft., though the surface sometimes rises as much as 10 ft. or more, for the lake is the recipient of the waters of numerous streams, the largest being the Klar, which drains the forests of Vermland and Kopparberg to the north. It is drained by the Göta river southward to the Cattegat. It is divided into two basins by two peninsulas and a group of islands, the western half being known as Lake Dalbo. The northern shores are high, rocky and in part wooded, the southern open and low, though isolated hills occur, such as the Kinnekulle (988 ft.), an abrupt hill exhibiting a remarkable series of geological strata. Several islands fringe this shore; of these Leckö has a fine medieval castle. This lake and Lake Vetter contain degenerate species of marine fauna, left after the retreat of the sea in which both were formerly included.

By means of the Dalsland Canal from Köpmannabro, midway on the west shore of Dalbo, the lake, which is the scene of a busy traffic in timber, iron and agricultural produce, has communication with Fredrikshald in Norway; and it is traversed from Venersborg on the south to Sjötorp on the east by the (q.v.) Canal route. The principal lake-ports are—on the north (q.v.) and Kristinehamn, with iron-works and tobacco factory; on the east Mariestad, chief town of the district of Skaraborg, taking its name from the queen of Charles IX (1599–1611); on the south Lidköping, near the Kinnekulle, and Venersborg at the outflow of the Göta,