Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Roses, Wars of the

(Encyclopedia)Roses, Wars of the, traditional name given to the intermittent struggle (1455–85) for the throne of England between the noble houses of York (whose badge was a white rose) and Lancaster (later assoc...

Margaret Maultasch

(Encyclopedia)Margaret Maultasch moulˈtäsh [key] [Ger.,=pocket mouth], 1318–69, countess of Tyrol, called the Ugly Duchess, probably because of her unattractive appearance, especially her mouth. When Margaret's...

Douglas, Archibald, 4th earl of Douglas

(Encyclopedia)Douglas, Archibald, 4th earl of Douglas, 1369–1424, Scottish nobleman, called Tyneman [loser]; 2d son of Archibald Douglas, 3d earl of Douglas. In 1390 he married Margaret Stuart, daughter of Robert...

Orosius, Paulus

(Encyclopedia)Orosius, Paulus ōrōˈshēəs [key], c.385–420, Iberian priest, theologian, and historian, b. Tarragona, Spain or Braga, Portugal. He went to see St. Augustine (c.413) and wrote, on request, a summ...

Niterói

(Encyclopedia)Niterói nētəroiˈ [key], city (1996 pop. 450,124), Rio de Janeiro prov., SE Brazil, on Guanabara Bay opposite the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is a residential suburb of Rio, and many of its citizens...

York, Edward, duke of

(Encyclopedia)York, Edward, duke of, 1373?–1415, English nobleman; elder son of Edmund of Langley, duke of York. In 1390, Edward was made earl of Rutland, and in 1394 he was created earl of Cork while with his co...

Margaret Tudor

(Encyclopedia)Margaret Tudor, 1489–1541, queen consort of James IV of Scotland; daughter of Henry VII of England and sister of Henry VIII. Her marriage (1503) to James was accompanied by a treaty of “perpetual ...

Percy, Sir Henry

(Encyclopedia)Percy, Sir Henry, 1366–1403, English nobleman, called Hotspur or Henry Hotspur; son of Henry Percy, 1st earl of Northumberland. In 1388 he participated in the famous battle of Otterburn, or Chevy Ch...

Margaret of Valois

(Encyclopedia)Margaret of Valois välwäˈ [key], 1553–1615, queen of France and Navarre, daughter of King Henry II of France and of Catherine de' Medici. She was known as Queen Margot. Her wedding (1572) with He...

Sagasta, Práxedes Mateo

(Encyclopedia)Sagasta, Práxedes Mateo präkˈsāᵺās mätāˈō sägäˈstä [key], 1825–1903, Spanish statesman. A leader of the Progressive party in the Cortes, he was twice exiled for his opposition to the ...

Browse by Subject