BRIGANDS, a name originally given to the mercenaries who held Paris dur ing King John's imprisonment (1358), and who made themselves notorious for their ill behavior. It was applied by Froissart to a kind of irregular foot soldiery, and from them was trans ferred to simple robbers; it is now used especially of such of these as live in bands in secret mountain or forest retreats. In Cuba, in 1888, political dis content was made the excuse for the brigandage then rampant in the island, where four provinces were on this ac count declared in a state of siege. Re ligious persecution also has encouraged brigandage; in Bosnia, which has always produced the most perfect speci mens of bandits, it was formerly very common, the unhappy Christians, who were reduced by the Turks to the con dition of serfs, frequently taking to the mountains in despair, and then wreak ing vengeance on their oppressors. Gen erally speaking, in countries with a notably scanty population, which is yet in many districts as notably over crowded, brigandage will be found still in existence. Vigorous steps have been
taken during the last 50 years to re press the practice, and in some coun tries with signal success. In Greece, or ganized companies of brigands, as dis tinguished from bands of highway rob bers, fortuitously collected, have disap peared; and, in Italy, the chiefs with whom princes made treaties are found only in history. Nevertheless, brigand age is by no means obsolete. In Sicily it is still active at times (see MAFIA) ; and the bands that infest the Turkish frontier are notoriously dangerous to the wayfaring merchant and the de fenseless tourist. In 1887 special at tention was attracted by the boldness of brigands in the Pyrenees, Tuscany, Servia, Macedonia, Asia Minor, and Mexico.