(Encyclopedia) Bahadur Shah IIBahadur Shah IIbähäˈd&oobreve;r shä [key], 1775–1862, last Mughal emperor of India (1837–57). A political figurehead, he was completely controlled by the British…
(Encyclopedia) Isabella II, 1830–1904, queen of Spain (1833–68), daughter of Ferdinand VII and of Maria Christina. Her uncle, Don Carlos, contested her succession under the Salic law, and thus the…
(Encyclopedia) Gustavus II (Gustavus Adolphus), 1594–1632, king of Sweden (1611–32), son and successor of Charles IX.
In military organization and strategy, Gustavus was ahead of his time. While…
(Encyclopedia) ParmaParmapärˈmä [key], city (1991 pop. 170,520), capital of Parma prov., in Emilia-Romagna, N Italy, on the Parma River and on the Aemilian Way. It is a rich agricultural market, a…
(Encyclopedia) Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi daPalestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi dajōvänˈnē pyārl&oomacr;ēˈjē päˌlāstrēˈnä [key], c.1525–1594, Italian composer whose family name was Pierluigi; b.…
(Encyclopedia) Sigismund II or Sigismund Augustus, 1520–72, king of Poland (1548–72). Crowned in 1530 to assure his succession, he assumed the royal functions at the death of his father, Sigismund I…
(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…
