Aleagueis aunit of length.It was common inEuropeandLatin America,but is no longer an official unit in any nation. Derived from an ancient Celtic unit and adopted by the Romans as theleuga,the league became a common unit of measurement throughout western Europe. Since the Middle Ages, many values have been specified in several countries.
It may have originally represented, roughly, the distance aperson could walk in an hour.[1]
Definitions
editAncient Rome
editThe league was used inAncient Rome,defined as 1½Roman miles(7,500Roman feet,modern 2.2 km or 1.4 miles). The origin is theleuga Gallica(also:leuca Callica),the league ofGaul.[2]
Argentina
editThe Argentine league (legua) is 5.572 km (3.462 mi) or 6,666varas:1varais 0.83 m (33 in).[3]
England
editOn land, the league is most commonly defined as threemiles(4.83 km), although the length of a mile could vary from place to place as well as depending on the era. At sea, a league is threenmi(3.452 mi; 5.556 km). English usage also included many of the other leagues mentioned below (for example, in discussing theTreaty of Tordesillas).[citation needed]
France
editThe Frenchlieue— at different times — existed in several variants, namely 10,000, 12,000, 13,200 and 14,400French feet,about 3.25 to 4.68 km (2.02 to 2.91 miles). It was used along with themetric systemfor a while, but is long discontinued.
A metriclieuewas used in France from 1812 to 1840, with 1 metriclieuebeing exactly 4,000 m, or 4 km (about 2.5 mi).[4]It is this unit that is referenced in both the title and the body text ofJules Verne's novelTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas(1870).[5]
Mexico
editIn some rural parts of Mexico, the league (Spanishlegua) is still used in the original sense of the distance that can be covered on foot in an hour, so that a league along a good road on level ground is a greater distance than a league on a difficult path over rough terrain.[6]
Portugal
editInPortugal,Braziland other parts of the formerPortuguese Empire,there were several units called league (Portuguese:légua):
- Léguaof 18 to a degree= 6,172.84metres
- Léguaof 20 to a degree(Maritimelégua) = 5,555.56 metres
- Léguaof 25 to a degree= 4,444.44 metres
The names of the severalléguasreferred to the number of units that made the length corresponding to anangle degreeof ameridian arc.
For compatibility after Portugal adopted the metric system, themetricléguaof 5.0 km was used.
In Brazil, theléguasis still used occasionally, where it has been described as about 6.6 km.
Spain
edit
Theleguaor Spanish league was originally understood as equivalent to3millas(Spanishmiles).[7]This varied depending on local standards for thepie(Spanishfoot) and on the precision of measurement, but was officially equivalent to4,180metres(2.6miles) before theleguawas abolished byPhilip IIin 1568. It remains in use in parts ofLatin America,where its exact meaning varies.
- Legua nautica(nautical league): Between 1400 and 1600 the Spanish nautical league was equal to four Roman miles of 4,842 feet, making it 19,368 feet (5,903 metres or 3.1876 modern nautical miles). However, the accepted number of Spanish nautical leagues to a degree varied between 14 1/6 to 16 2/3, so in actual practice the length of a Spanish nautical league was 25,733 feet (4.235 modern nautical miles) to 21,874 feet (3.600 modern nautical miles) respectively.[7]
- Legua de por grado(league of the degree): From the 15th century through the early 17th century, the Spanish league of the degree was based on four Arabic miles. Although most contemporary accounts used an Arabic mile of 6 444 feet (1,964 metres), which gave a Spanish league of the degree of 25,776 feet (7,857 metres or 4.242 modern nautical miles) others defined an Arabic mile as just 6,000 feet making a Spanish league of the degree 24,000 feet (or 7,315 metres, almost exactly 3.95 modern nautical miles).[8]
- Legua geographicaorgeográfica(geographical league): Starting around 1630 the Spanish geographical league was used as the official nautical measurement and continued so through the 1840s. Its use on Spanish charts did not become mandatory until 1718. It was four millias (miles) in length. From 1630 to 1718 a millia was 5,564 feet (1,696 metres), making a geographical league of four millias equal 22,256 feet (6,784 m or 3.663 modern nautical miles). But from 1718 through the 1830s the millia was defined as the equivalent of just over 5,210 feet, giving a shorter geographical league of just over 20,842 feet (6,353 m or 3.430 modern nautical miles).[7]
- Legua marítima(maritime league): From around 1840 through the early 20th century, a Spanish marine league equaled 18,263.52 feet (5,566.72 metres or 3.00579 modern nautical miles).[7]
In the earlyHispanicsettlements ofNew Mexico,Texas,California,andColorado,a league was also a unit of area, defined as 25 million squarevarasor about 4,428.4acres.[9]This usage ofleagueis referenced frequently in theTexas Constitution.So defined, a league of land would encompass a square that is one Spanish league on each side.
Comparison table
editA comparison of the different lengths for a "league", in different countries and at different times in history, is given in the table below.Milesare also included in this list because of the linkage between the two units.
| Length (m) | Name | Where used | From | To | Definition | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | (for comparison) | 1 kilometer | ||||
| 1,280.16 | kawtha | Myanmar | today | 20 out-thaba | Myanmar units of measurement | |
| 1,482 | mille passus, milliarium | Roman Empire | Ancient Roman units of measurement | |||
| 1,486.6 | miglio[10] | Sicily | ||||
| 1,500 | Persian mile | Persia | ||||
| 1,524 | London mile | England | ||||
| 1,609.3426 | (statute) mile | England/UK | 1592 | 1959 | 1,760yards | Over the course of time, the length of a yard changed several times and consequently so did the English (and, from 1824, Imperial) mile. The statute mile was introduced in 1592 during the reign of QueenElizabeth I |
| 1,609.344 | mile | some English speaking countries[citation needed] | 1959 | today | 1,760yards | On 1 July 1959, the imperial mile was standardized to an exact length in metres |
| 1,609.3472 | (statute) mile | United States | 1893 | today | 1,760yards | From 1959; also called theU.S. Survey Mile.From then its only utility has been land survey, before it was the standard mile. From 1893 its exact length in metres was:3,600/3,937× 1760 |
| 1 820 | Italy | |||||
| 1,852 | nautical mile | international | today | 1,852 m | Symbol: nmi; Abbreviation: NM | |
| 1,852.3 | (for comparison) | 1 meridian minute | ||||
| 1,853.181 | Turkish (nautical) mile | Turkey | 1933 | today | ||
| 1,855.4 | (for comparison) | 1 equatorial minute | Though the NM was defined on the basis of the minute, it varies from the equatorial minute, because at that time people could only estimate the circumference of the equator to be 40,000 km. | |||
| 1,894.35 | Ottoman mile | Ottoman Empire | 1933 | 5,000ayak | Ottoman units of measurement | |
| 2,065 | Portugal | |||||
| 2,220 | Gallo-Roman league | Gallo-Roman culture | 1+1⁄2miles | Under the reign ofEmperorSeptimius Severus,this replaced the Roman mile as the official unit of distance in theGallicandGermanicprovinces,although there were regional and temporal variations.[11] | ||
| 2,470 | Sardinia, Piemont | |||||
| 2,622 | Scotland | |||||
| 2,880 | Ireland | |||||
| 3,780 | Flanders | |||||
| 3,898 | French lieue (post league) | France | 2,000 "body lengths" | |||
| 4,000 | French lieue | France | 1812 | 1840 | 4,000 m exactly | This unit is referenced byJules Verne's 1870 novelTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas.[5] |
| 4,000 | generalormetric league | |||||
| 4,000 | legue | Guatemala | ||||
| 4,179.4 | legua antigua (old league) |
Spain | 1568 | |||
| 4,190 | legue | Mexico[12] | = 2,500 tresas = 5,000 varas | |||
| 4,444.8 | landleuge | 1⁄25° of a circle of longitude | ||||
| 4,452.2 | lieue commune | France | Units of measurement in France before the French Revolution | |||
| 4,513 | legue | Paraguay | ||||
| 4,513 | legua | Chile,[12](Guatemala, Haiti) | = 36 cuadros = 5,400 varas | |||
| 4,531 | Wegstunde | Saxony[13] | 1722 | 1840 | 1,000 Dresden rods | introduced on occasion of acountrywide road survey |
| 4,808 | Switzerland | |||||
| 4,828 | Englishland league | England | 3 miles | |||
| 4,800 4,900 |
Germanicrasta,alsodoppelleuge (double league) |
|||||
| 5,000 | légua nova | Portugal[12] | ||||
| 5,120.64 | ga-wout(Burmese league) | Myanmar | today | 4 kawtha | Myanmar units of measurement | |
| 5,196 | legua | Bolivia[12] | = 40 ladres | |||
| 5,152 | legua argentina | Argentina, Buenos Aires[12] | = 6,000 varas | |||
| 5,154 | legue | Uruguay | ||||
| 5,200 | Bolivian legua | Bolivia | ||||
| 5,370 | legue | Venezuela | ||||
| 5,500 | Portuguese légua | Portugal | ||||
| 5,510 | legue | Ecuador | ||||
| 5,510 | Ecuadorian legua | Ecuador | ||||
| 5,532.5 | Landleuge (state league) |
Prussia | ||||
| 5,540 | legue | Honduras | ||||
| 5,556 | Seeleuge (lit. "sea league" or nautical league) | 1⁄20° of a circle of longitude 3nautical miles |
||||
| 5,570 | legua | Spain and Chile | Spanish customary units | |||
| 5,572 | legua | Colombia[12] | = 3 Millas | |||
| 5,572.7 | legue | Peru[12] | = 20,000 feet | |||
| 5,572.7 | legua antigua old league |
Spain[12] | = 3 millas = 15,000 feet | |||
| 5,590 | légua | Brazil[12] | = 5,000 varas = 2,500 bracas | |||
| 5,600 | Brazilian légua | Brazil | ||||
| 5,685 | Fersah(Turkish league) | Ottoman Empire | 1933 | 3 Ottoman miles | Derived from PersianParasang. | |
| 5,840[14] | Dutch mile | Netherlands | 1816 | |||
| 6,197 | légua antiga | Portugal[12] | = 3 milhas = 24 estadios | |||
| 6,277 | Luxembourg | |||||
| 6,280 | Belgium | |||||
| 6,687.24 | legua nueva (new league) |
Spain[12] | 1766 | = 8,000 Varas | ||
| 6,797 | Landvermessermeile (state survey mile) |
Saxony | ||||
| 7,400 | Netherlands | 1816 | ||||
| 7,409 | (for comparison) | 4 meridian minutes | ||||
| 7,419.2 | Kingdom of Hanover | |||||
| 7,419.4 | Duchy of Brunswick | |||||
| 7,420.4 7,414.9 |
Bavaria | |||||
| 7,420.439 | geographic mile | 1⁄15equatorial grads | ||||
| 7,421.6 | (for comparison) | 4 equatorial minutes | ||||
| 7,448.7 | Württemberg | |||||
| 7,450 | Hohenzollern | |||||
| 7,467.6 | Russia | 7werst | Obsolete Russian units of measurement | |||
| 7,480 | Bohemia | |||||
| 7,500 | kleine / neue Postmeile (small/new postal mile) |
Saxony | 1840 | German Empire,North German Confederation,Grand Duchy of Hesse,Russia | ||
| 7,532.5 | Land(es)meile (German state mile) |
Denmark, Hamburg,Prussia | primarily for Denmark defined byOle Rømer | |||
| 7,585.9 | Postmeile (post mile) |
Austria-Hungary | Austrian units of measurement | |||
| 7,850 | Romania | |||||
| 8,800 | Schleswig-Holstein | |||||
| 8,888.89 | Baden | |||||
| 9,062 | average Post- or Polizeimeile (middle post mile or police mile) |
Saxony[13] | 1722 | |||
| 9,206.3 | Electorate of Hesse | |||||
| 9,261.4 | (for comparison) | 5 meridian minutes | ||||
| 9,277 | (for comparison) | 5 equatorial minutes | ||||
| 9,323 | alte Landmeile (old state mile) |
Hanover | 1836 | |||
| 9,347 | alte Landmeile (old state mile) |
Hanover | 1836 | |||
| 9,869.6 | Oldenburg | |||||
| 10,000 | metric mile,Scandinavian mile | Scandinavia | still commonly used today, e.g. for road distances.; equates to themyriametre | |||
| 10,044 | große Meile (great mile) |
Westphalia | ||||
| 10,670 | peninkulma | Finland | 1887 | |||
| 10,688.54 | mil | Sweden | 1889 | |||
| 11,113.7 | (for comparison) | 6 meridian minutes | ||||
| 11,132.4 | (for comparison) | 6 equatorial minutes | ||||
| 11,295 | mil | Norway | 1889 | was equivalent to 3,000 Rhenishrods. |
Similar units:
- 1,066.8 metres –verst,see alsoObsolete Russian units of measurement
- 3,200 metres – kosh, used in North Bihar, India.
See also
edit- Medieval weights and measuresfor various definitions of the league.
- List of obsolete units of measurement
- Portuguese customary units
- Spanish customary units
- Seven-league boots
- Walking
- Parasang
References
edit- ^Chardon, Roland (June 1980)."The Linear League in North America".Annals of the Association of American Geographers.70(2): 131.doi:10.1111/j.1467-8306.1980.tb01304.x.Retrieved19 October2022.
- ^The Oxford English Dictionary
- ^Espasa-Calpe Dictionary,Argentina and Mexico Edition 1945: headwordLegua
- ^François Cardarelli: Scientific Unit Conversion (Springer-Verlag London, 1999)
- ^abJules Verne: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (1871), Part 2, Chapter VII
"Aussi, notre vitesse fut-elle de vingt-cinq milles à l’heure, soit douze lieues de quatre kilomètres. Il va sans dire que Ned Land, à son grand ennui, dut renoncer à ses projets de fuite. Il ne pouvait se servir du canot entraîné à raison de douze à treize mètres par seconde. Quitter le Nautilus dans ces conditions, c’eût été sauter d’un train marchant avec cette rapidité, manœuvre imprudente s’il en fut."
"Accordingly, our speed was twenty–five miles (that is, twelve four–kilometre leagues) per hour. Needless to say, Ned Land had to give up his escape plans, much to his distress. Swept along at the rate of twelve to thirteen metres per second, he could hardly make use of the skiff. Leaving the Nautilus under these conditions would have been like jumping off a train racing at this speed, a rash move if there ever was one." Translated by F. P. Walter - ^Rani T. Alexander (2004).Yaxcabá and the Caste War of Yucatán: An Archaeological Perspective.UNM Press. p. 165.ISBN978-0-8263-2962-2.
- ^abcdSpence,E. Lee.Spence's Guide to Shipwreck Research,p. 32.Narwhal Press (Charleston), 1997.
- ^Spence's Guide to Shipwreck Research,by Dr. E. Lee Spence, Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, © by Edward L. Spence, 1997, p. 32
- ^Vikki Gray (1998-12-24)."Land Measurement Conversion Guide".Vikki Gray. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-06-08.Retrieved2007-06-04.
- ^Leopold Carl Bleibtreu:Handbuch der Münz-, Maß- und Gewichtskunde und des Wechsel-Staatspapier-, Bank- und Aktienwesens europäischer und außereuropäischer Länder und Städte.Verlag von J. Engelhorn, Stuttgart, 1863, p. 332
- ^(in German)Pre-metric units of length
- ^abcdefghijkHelmut Kahnt (1986),BI-Lexikon Alte Maße, Münzen und Gewichte(in German) (1 ed.), Leipzig: VEB Bibliographisches Institut, pp. 380
- ^ab"Historie der Postsäulen"(in German). Forschungsgruppe Kursächsische Postmeilensäulen e.V. und 1. Sächsischer Postkutschenverein e.V. Archived fromthe originalon February 5, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 5,2017.
- ^IKAR-Altkartendatenbank[permanent dead link]der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Kartenabteilung.