Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Barclay, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Barclay, Alexander bärˈklē, –klā [key], 1475?–1552, Scottish clergyman and poet. Although the first to write pastoral eclogues in English, he is best known for The Ship of Fools (1509), a tran...

Selkirk, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Selkirk, Alexander sĕlˈkərk [key], 1676–1721, Scottish sailor whose adventures suggested to Daniel Defoe the story of Robinson Crusoe (1719). In 1704, as a sailing master, Selkirk quarreled with ...

Spotswood, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Spotswood, Alexander, 1676–1740, colonial governor of Virginia, b. Tangier, Morocco. Appointed in 1710, he was officially lieutenant governor under the nominal governorship of George Hamilton, 1st e...

Stambuliski, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Stambuliski, Alexander, Bulgarian Aleksandr Stamboliski both: älĕksänˈdər stämbōlēˈskē [key], 1879–1923, Bulgarian politician. He was a leader of the Peasants' party and by 1911 had become...

Calixtus I, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Calixtus I, Callixtus I, or Callistus I, Saint kəlĭkˈstəs, kəlĭsˈtəs [key], c.160–c.222, pope (217–222), a Roman; successor of St. Zephyrinus. As archdeacon to Zephyrinus he established th...

Maxentius

(Encyclopedia)Maxentius (Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius) măksĕnˈshəs [key], d. 312, Roman emperor (306–12), son of Maximian. After Diocletian and Maximian had retired, the successor to Maximian, Constanti...

Arsaces

(Encyclopedia)Arsaces ärˈsəsēz [key], fl. 250 b.c., founder of the Parthian dynasty of the Arsacids, which ruled Persia from c.250 b.c. to a.d. 226. Arsaces led a successful revolt against Antiochus II of Syria...

Galerius

(Encyclopedia)Galerius (Caius Galerius Valerius Maximinianus) gəlērˈēəs [key], d. 310, Roman emperor (305–10). Diocletian appointed him caesar for the eastern part of the empire in 293 (Constantius I was cae...

Erfurt

(Encyclopedia)Erfurt ĕrˈfo͝ort [key], city, capital of Thuringia, central Germany, on the Gera River. It...

Gordian

(Encyclopedia)Gordian gôrˈdēən [key], name of three Roman emperors. Gordian I (Marcus Antonius Gordianus Africanus), d. 238, was a Roman of great wealth and was colleague in the consulship with Caracalla and wi...