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Perfidious Albion is an anglophobic pejorative phrase used within the context of international relations and diplomacy to refer to alleged acts of diplomatic sleights, duplicity, treachery and hence infidelity (with respect to perceived promises made to or alliances formed with other nation states) by monarchs or governments of Britain (or England) in their pursuit of self-interest and the requirements of ''realpolitik''. ''Perfidious'' signifies one who does not keep his faith or word (from the Latin word "perfidia"), while ''Albion'' is derived from an ancient Greek name for Great Britain. == Origins and use == The use of the adjective "perfidious" to describe England has a long history; instances have been found as far back as the 13th century. A very similar phrase was used in a sermon by 17th-century French bishop and theologian Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet:〔Jacques Bénigne Bossuet, "Sermon pour la fête de la Circoncision de Notre-Seigneur" in: ''Oeuvres complètes'', Volume 5, Ed. Outhenin-Chalandre, 1840, (p.264 )〕 The coinage of the phrase in its current form, however, is conventionally attributed to Augustin, Marquis of Ximenez, a Frenchman who wrote in a 1793 poem: In this context, Great Britain's perfidy was political: in the early days of the French Revolution many in Great Britain had looked upon the Revolution with mild favour, but following the overthrow and execution of Louis XVI, Britain had allied herself with the other monarchies of Europe against the Revolution in France. This was seen by the revolutionaries in France as a "perfidious" betrayal. "La perfide Albion" became a stock expression in France in the 19th century, to the extent that the Goncourt brothers could refer to it as "a well-known old saying". It was utilised by French journalists whenever there were tensions between France and Britain, for example during the competition for colonies in Africa, culminating in the Fashoda incident. The catch-phrase was further popularized by its use in ''La Famille Fenouillard'', the first French comic strip, in which one of the characters fulminates against "Perfidious Albion, which burnt Joan of Arc on the rock of Saint Helena" (carried away by his anti-English fury, the character mixes up Joan of Arc with Napoleon, who was exiled to the British island of Saint Helena).〔Jean-Michel Hoerner, "(La Famille Fenouillard: une œuvre prémonitoire ? )", ''Hérodote'', 2007/4 (nr. 127) ISBN 9782707153555 DOI 10.3917/her.127.0190 〕 In the German speaking area, the term "das perfide Albion" became increasingly frequent especially during the German Empire (1871–1918) against the backdrop of rising British-German tensions. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Perfidious Albion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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