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Maisonneuve, Paul de Chomedey, sieur de

(Encyclopedia)Maisonneuve, Paul de Chomedey, sieur de pōl də shômdāˈ syör də māzôNnövˈ [key], 1612–76, founder and first governor of Montreal, b. France. A soldier, he fought in European wars before be...

Marie de' Medici

(Encyclopedia)Marie de' Medici mĕdˈĭchē [key], 1573–1642, queen of France, second wife of King Henry IV and daughter of Francesco de' Medici, grand duke of Tuscany. She was married to Henry in 1600. After his...

Beaufort, François de Vendôme, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Beaufort, François de Vendôme, duc de fräNswäˈ də väNdōmˈ dük də bōfôrˈ [key], 1616–69, French courtier and politician; grandson of King Henry IV of France and his mistress Gabrielle d...

Torquemada, Juan de

(Encyclopedia)Torquemada, Juan de hwän dā tôrkāmäˈᵺä [key], 1388–1468, Spanish churchman, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church; an uncle of Tomás de Torquemada. He entered (1403) the Dominican order an...

Medici, Ippolito de'

(Encyclopedia)Medici, Ippolito de' dā mĕˈdĭchē, Ital. māˈdēchē [key], 1511–35, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church; an illegitimate son of Giuliano de' Medici, duke of Nemours. Pope Clement VII, head ...

Croissy, Charles Colbert, marquis de

(Encyclopedia)Croissy, Charles Colbert, marquis de shärl kôlbĕrˈ märkē də krwäsēˈ [key], c.1625–96, French diplomat, brother of Jean Baptiste Colbert. He entered the service of Cardinal Mazarin and fill...

Bluebeard

(Encyclopedia)Bluebeard, nickname of the chevalier Raoul in a story by Charles Perrault. In the story Bluebeard's seventh wife, Fatima, yielding to curiosity, opens a locked door and discovers the slain bodies of h...

Chevreuse, Marie de Rohan-Montbazon, duchesse de

(Encyclopedia)Chevreuse, Marie de Rohan-Montbazon, duchesse de märēˈ də rōäNˈ-môNbäzôNˈ düshĕsˈ də shəvrözˈ [key], 1600–1679, French beauty and politician, an intimate of the French queen, Anne ...

Barras, Paul François Jean Nicolas, vicomte de

(Encyclopedia)Barras, Paul François Jean Nicolas, vicomte de pōl fräNswäˈ zhäN nēkōläˈ, vēkôNtˈ də bäräˈ [key], 1755–1829, French revolutionary. Although of a noble family, he joined the Jacobins...

Soubise, Benjamin de Rohan, seigneur de

(Encyclopedia)Soubise, Benjamin de Rohan, seigneur de bäNzhämăNˈ də rōäNˈ sānyûrˈ də so͞obēzˈ [key], 1583–1642, French Protestant general. He fought under Maurice of Nassau in the Netherlands and s...

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