• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the phrase “John Bull” come from and What does John Bull mean?

Where does the phrase “John Bull” come from and What does John Bull mean?

April 19, 2020 by Karen Hill

The long-drawn-out War of the Spanish Succession, 1701-1714, in which the allied armies of England, Austria, the Netherlands, and Prussia were finally victorious over the combined forces of France and Spain, was not altogether popular in England.

It cost many lives; it disrupted commerce, and the expense was enormous. All this was seen by the eminent physician and witty author Dr. John Arbuthnot.

To get others to share his views he resolved, in 1712, to satirize the struggle for power.

The first of his satires bore the title, “Law is a Bottomless Pit. Exemplified in the case of the Lord Strutt, John Bull, Nicholas Frog, and Lewis Baboon, who spent all they had in a lawsuit.”

These characters were intended to represent, respectively, Spain, England, Holland, and France, especially, as of the first and fourth, their rulers, Charles II of Spain and Louis XIV of France.

The satires were later expanded into five parts, published under the title, History of John Bull.

From Arbuthnot’s generalized characterization of the English people in this series England has subsequently been personified as John Bull.

Related Facts

  • Where does the expression "to shoot the bull" originate and What does bull session mean?
  • Who Won the Contest Between the Brown Bull of Ulster and the White Horned Bull In Irish Mythology?
  • Where does the phrase "cock and bull story" come from and What does it mean?
  • What Does the Expression "Cock and Bull Story" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • What does the phrase "Bull of Bashan" mean and Where does it come from?
  • Where does the phrase "not to know B from a battledore (or broomstick, bull's foot, buffalo's foot)" originate and What does it mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the term cat-o’-nine-tails come from and What does cat-o’-nine-tails mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “recipe” come from and What does receipt mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy