(Encyclopedia) LechfeldLechfeldlĕkhˈfĕlt [key], plain near Augsburg, S Germany, drained by the Lech River. There in 955, King (later Emperor) Otto I defeated the Magyars and stopped their expansion…
(Encyclopedia) Romanus II, 939–63, Byzantine emperor (959–63), son and successor of Constantine VII. A profligate, he came under the domination of his second wife, Theophano. She, along with the…
(Encyclopedia) Constance, 1154–98, Holy Roman empress, wife of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI; daughter of King Roger II of Sicily. She was named heiress of Sicily by her nephew King William II. On his…
(Encyclopedia) Charles IV (Charles the Fair), 1294–1328, king of France (1322–28), youngest son of Philip IV, brother and successor of Philip V. Charles continued his brother's work of strengthening…
(Encyclopedia) Frederick William I, 1688–1740, king of Prussia (1713–40), son and successor of Frederick I. He continued the administrative reforms and the process of centralization begun by…
(Encyclopedia) Gregoras, NicephorusGregoras, Nicephorusnīsĕfˈərəs grĕgˈərəs [key], c.1295–c.1359, Byzantine historian and theologian, one of the most learned men of his time. Among his scientific and…
(Encyclopedia) John VIII, d. 882, pope (872–82), a Roman; successor of Adrian II. John strenuously opposed the activities of St. Ignatius of Constantinople in Bulgaria. When Ignatius died, John…
(Encyclopedia) AtaulfAtaulfătˈāəlf [key], d. 415, Visigothic king (410–15). Succeeding his brother-in-law, Alaric I, he abandoned Alaric's scheme of southward expansion and led the Visigoths out of…
(Encyclopedia) Morny, Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc deMorny, Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc deshärl ōgüstˈ lwē zhôzĕfˈ dük də môrnēˈ [key], 1811–65, French statesman; illegitimate son of…
(Encyclopedia) Matilda, 1046–1115, countess of Tuscany, called the Great Countess; supporter of Pope Gregory VII in the papal conflict with the Holy Roman emperors. Ruling over Tuscany and parts of…
