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Elvas

(Encyclopedia)Elvas ĕlˈvəsh [key], town, E central Portugal, in Altro Alentejo, near the Spanish border....

Bernardo del Carpio

(Encyclopedia)Bernardo del Carpio bĕrnärˈdō dĕl kärˈpyō [key], hero of medieval Spanish legend. He was supposedly the nephew of Alfonso II of Asturias, against whom he strove to secure his father's release ...

Estrela, Serra da

(Encyclopedia)Estrela, Serra da sĕrˈrə ᵺə əshtrāˈlə [key], mountain range, central Portugal. It rises to 6,532 ft (1,991 m) in Malhão da Estrela, Portugal's highest peak. The range is an important pastor...

Amsdorf, Nikolaus von

(Encyclopedia)Amsdorf, Nikolaus von nēˈkōlous fən ämsˈdôrf [key], 1483–1565, German Protestant reformer. He became a devoted supporter of Martin Luther. Elector John Frederick I of Saxony appointed Amsdorf...

Alfonsine tables

(Encyclopedia)Alfonsine tables or Alphonsine tables ălfŏnˈsĭn [key], compilation of astronomical data tabulating the positions and movements of the planets, completed c.1252 and printed in Venice in 1483. They ...

Junot, Andoche

(Encyclopedia)Junot, Andoche äNdôshˈ zhünōˈ [key], 1771–1813, French general. Having served under Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy and Egypt, he became ambassador to Portugal (1804–5) and commanded the French ...

Sampaio, Jorge Fernando Branco de

(Encyclopedia)Sampaio, Jorge Fernando Branco de zhôrˈzhə fərnäNˈdo͞o bräNˈko͞o dā säNpīˈo͞o [key], 1939–, Portuguese politician, president of Portugal (1996–2006), b. Lisbon. Sampaio, who comes f...

Maria I

(Encyclopedia)Maria I, 1734–1816, queen of Portugal (1777–1816), daughter of Joseph I. She was married (1760) to her uncle, who assumed joint rule with her as Peter III. Neither of them was much interested in a...

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