Balkan Entente. 1934-9. Greece, Turkey, Romania, Yugoslavia mutual defence pact.

Balkan Wars. 1912-13. Balkan League defeats Ottoman Empire. Turkish territory distributed. General dissatisfaction termed the “powder keg of Europe”.

Balkans. Inhabited c6000BC. 6C BC Illyria. 148BC Rome(Illyricum)(N). 285 Byzantine(E). 4-7C Goths, Avars, Huns, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Slavs, Bulgars, Serbs invade. 890 Bulgar Empire. 1159 Serbian empire. 1389 Ottoman. 1699 Austria(E,N)/Venice(S,W). 19C Eastern Question. Albania. Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bulgaria. Croatia. Greece. Macedonia. Montenegro. Romania. Serbia. Slovenia. Yugoslavia.

Ball, John. -1381. English priest. Led Peasants Revolt. Executed. Tyler.

Ballet. Dance form originating in 15C Italy, and codified in Louis XIV court. Refined by Russians 19C.

Balliol, Edward. -1363. Invaded Scotland 1332. King 1332-56. Ceded crown to ally Edward III.

Balliol, John. c1249-1315. King of Scotland 1292-6. Defeated, deposed by Edward I.

Ballot Act. 1872. Established secret ballot in English Parliamentary elections.

Baltard, Victor. 1805-74. French architect. First to employ metal girders: Les Halles. St-Augustine’s Church.

Balthazar. (Belshazzar). -539BC. Babylonian co-regent. Daniel read writing on his wall 539BC.

Baltic Entente. 1923-39. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania agreement for mutual defence vs Germany and Russia.

Baltimore Incident. 1891. Chileans attack US seamen; pay reparations to avert war.

Bancroft, George. 1800-91. “Father of American history”. History of United States 1834-74.

Bandaranaike, Sirimavo. 1916-2000. Ceylon Prime Minister 1960~77. World’s first woman Prime Minister.

Bangladesh. c200BC Maurya. 4C BC Gupta. 8C Buddhist(E). 12C Hindu. 13C Turk. 1576-Mogul. 1857 Britain. 1947 = East Pakistan. 1971 Independent = Bangladesh.

Bangorian Controversy. 1717. Dispute over Church of England’s powers.

Banting, Frederick. 1891-1941. Canadian physician: discovered insulin with Best, MacLeod, 1921.

Banville, Théodore de. 1823-91. French Parnassian poet. Early Symbolist. Odes funambulesques 1857.

Baptism. Purification by water as practised by a wide variety of religions.

Baptists. 1608-. Congregationalist Christian church. Baptism for believers only, (not infants).

Bar, Confederation of. 1768-72. Polish RC nobles vs Russian hegemony.

Barabbas. Thief freed by crowd instead of Jesus.

Barbara, St. c200. Maiden martyr at father’s hands, who was struck by lightning. Patron St. of artillerymen.

Barbary. 16-19C. Name given to North African coast. Berbers.

Barbary Piracy. 1518-1830. G. Washington pays $1M to free enslaved seamen 1796. US attacks Tripoli 1815. French sieze Algiers, 1830.

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