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What is the King’s Shilling?

Introduction The King’s shilling, known as the Queen’s shilling when the Sovereign is female, is a historical slang term referring to the earnest payment of one shilling given to recruits to the Armed forces of the United Kingdom in the 18th and 19th centuries, although the practice dates back to the end of the English… Read More

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What was the Knowles Riot (1747)?

Introduction The Knowles Riot, also known as the Impressment Riot of 1747, was a three-day riot in Boston that began on 17 November 1747, in response to the impressment of 46 Bostonians by Admiral Charles Knowles into the navy. Hundreds of mostly working-class rioters rampaged through Boston, paralysed the provincial government, and captured several naval… Read More

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What are Surrendered Enemy Personnel?

Introduction Surrendered Enemy Personnel (SEP) is a designation for captive enemy soldiers (similar to the US Disarmed Enemy Forces). Background It was most commonly used by British forces towards German forces in Europe, and towards Japanese and associated forces in Asia after the end of World War II. On 01 March 1947 the US stated… Read More

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What are Disarmed Enemy Forces?

Introduction Disarmed Enemy Forces (DEF, less commonly, Surrendered Enemy Forces) was a US designation for soldiers who surrendered to an adversary after hostilities ended, and for those POWs who had already surrendered and were held in camps in occupied German territory at the time. It was General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s designation of German prisoners in… Read More

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What is Debellatio?

Introduction The term “debellatio” or “debellation” (Latin “defeating, or the act of conquering or subduing”, literally, “warring (the enemy) down”, from Latin bellum “war”) designates the end of war caused by complete destruction of a hostile state. Israeli law-school professor Eyal Benvenisti defines it as “a situation in which a party to a conflict has… Read More