(Encyclopedia) Amadeus VIIIAmadeus VIIIămədēˈəs [key], 1383–1451, count (1391–1416) and duke (from 1416) of Savoy, antipope (1439–49) with the name Felix V. In 1434 he appointed his son regent of…
(Encyclopedia) Padre IslandPadre Islandpädˈrē, pădˈrē [key], low, sandy island, c.115 mi (185 km) long, less than 3 mi (4.8 km) wide, S Tex. It is characterized by large, irregular sand dunes, sparse…
(Encyclopedia) antipope [Lat.,=against the pope], person elected pope whose election was declared uncanonical and in opposition to a canonically chosen pontiff. Important antipopes were Novatian;…
(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) Speranski, Mikhail MikhailovichSperanski, Mikhail Mikhailovichmēkhəyēlˈ mēkhīˈləvĭch spyĭränˈskē [key], 1772–1839, Russian public official, chief adviser to Czar Alexander I (1808–12…
(Encyclopedia) Calixtus III,&sp;Callixtus III, or Callistus III, 1378–1458, pope (1455–58), a Spaniard (b. Játiva) named Alonso de Borja or, in Italian, Alfonso Borgia; successor of Nicholas V.…
Full names of famous authorstracked down by Holly Hartman Ever wonder what the two R's stand for in J. R. R. Tolkien? Curious about whether S. E. Hinton is a man or a woman? It used to be common…
(Encyclopedia) Christmas [Christ's Mass], in the Christian calendar, feast of the nativity of Jesus, celebrated in Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches on Dec. 25. In liturgical importance it ranks…
