(Encyclopedia) Catherine II or Catherine the Great, 1729–96, czarina of Russia (1762–96).
Catherine increased the power and prestige of Russia by skillful diplomacy and by extending Russia's…
(Encyclopedia) Charles XV, 1826–72, king of Sweden and Norway (1859–72), son and successor of Oscar I. A liberal and popular ruler, he consented to many reforms, including the creation of a bicameral…
(Encyclopedia) Glubb, Sir John BagotGlubb, Sir John Bagotbăgˈət [key], 1897–1986, British soldier. He served in France during World War I and in 1920 was posted to Iraq, where he lived among Arab…
(Encyclopedia) Alfonso V (Alfonso the Magnanimous), 1396–1458, king of Aragón and Sicily (1416–58) and of Naples (1443–58), count of Barcelona. He was the son of Ferdinand I, whom he succeeded in…
(Encyclopedia) Charles I, 1288–1342, king of Hungary (1308–42), founder of the Angevin dynasty in Hungary; grandson of Charles II of Naples, who had married a daughter of Stephen V of Hungary. On the…
(Encyclopedia) Francis I, 1777–1830, king of the Two Sicilies (1825–30), son and successor of Ferdinand I. He continued the ruthless and reactionary policy of his father, and his court was notorious…
(Encyclopedia) Cole, Nat “King,” 1919–65, American musician and composer, b. Montgomery, Ala., as Nathaniel Adams Coles. A jazz pianist, he played Los Angeles nightclubs and in 1938 formed the King…
(Encyclopedia) King, Billie Jean, 1943–, American tennis player, b. Long Beach, Calif., as Billie Jean Moffitt. King won 67 tournament titles and 20 Wimbledon titles, including singles in 1966–68,…
(Encyclopedia) Ladislaus IV, 1595–1648, king of Poland (1632–48), son and successor of Sigismund III. His reign was marked by struggles with his subjects and wars with the Swedes, the Russians, and…
(Encyclopedia) Sancho ISancho Isänˈch&oomacr; [key], c.1154–1211, king of Portugal (1185–1211), son and successor of Alfonso I. He was associated in his father's government from c.1170. Sancho…
