(Encyclopedia) FarneseFarnesefärnāˈzā [key], Italian noble family that ruled Parma and Piacenza from 1545 to 1731. In the 12th cent. the Farnese held several fiefs in Latium. They became one of the…
(Encyclopedia) York, Richard, duke of, 1411–60, English nobleman, claimant to the throne. He was descended from Edward III through his father, Richard, earl of Cambridge, grandson of that king, and…
Lech Walesa (1943– )Archive PhotosHubble Space TelescopeNASA1990World Wide Web debuts, popularizes Internet. Gen. Manuel Noriega surrenders in Panama (Jan. 3). Yugoslav Communists end 45-year…
A look at the aristocratic pecking order by David Johnson Emperor Comes from the Latin, "imperator," which was originally a military title. Soldiers would salute the leader of a victorious…
(Encyclopedia) MongkutMongkutmôngˈk&oomacr;t [key] or Rama IVRama IVrämˈə [key], 1804–68, king of Siam, now Thailand (1851–68). A devout Buddhist monk, he was displaced in succession to the…
(Encyclopedia) Morton, John, 1420?–1500, English prelate and statesman, archbishop of Canterbury (1486–1500). He studied law at Oxford and practiced in the London ecclesiastical courts. A supporter…
(Encyclopedia) Royal Greenwich Observatory, astronomical observatory established in 1675 by Charles II of England at Greenwich and known as the Royal Observatory. It moved during 1948–57 to…
(Encyclopedia) Alexander III, 1241–86, king of Scotland (1249–86), son and successor of Alexander II. He married a daughter of Henry III of England and quarreled with Henry, and later Henry's son…