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Mieszko I

(Encyclopedia)Mieszko I –chĭsläf [key], c.922–992, duke of Poland (962–92), the first important member of the Piast dynasty. The first German invasions of Poland began in 963. To avert this threat, Mieszko ...

Montmorency, Anne, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Montmorency, Anne, duc de mŏntˌmərĕnˈsē, Fr. än dük də môNmôräNsēˈ [key], 1493?–1567, constable of France. He was made a marshal (1522) by Francis I, was captured with Francis at Pavia...

Marie Caroline

(Encyclopedia)Marie Caroline, 1752–1814, queen of Naples, consort of Ferdinand IV (later Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies), daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa, and sister of Queen Marie Ant...

Albert the Bear

(Encyclopedia)Albert the Bear, c.1100–1170, first margrave of Brandenburg (1150–70). He was a loyal vassal of Holy Roman Emperor Lothair II, who, as duke of Saxony, helped him take (1123) Lower Lusatia and the ...

Charles Augustus

(Encyclopedia)Charles Augustus, 1757–1828, duke and, after 1815, grand duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach; friend and patron of Goethe, Schiller, and Herder. Though his duchy was small, he was important in German polit...

Charles IV, king of France

(Encyclopedia)Charles IV (Charles the Fair), 1294–1328, king of France (1322–28), youngest son of Philip IV, brother and successor of Philip V. Charles continued his brother's work of strengthening the royal po...

Bela IV

(Encyclopedia)Bela IV bāˈlə, bēˈlə [key], 1206–70, king of Hungary (1235–70), son and successor of Andrew II. He tried to curtail the power of the magnates and set out to recover the crownlands his father...

Oswald, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Oswald, Saint, d. 641, king of Northumbria (633–41), son of Æthelfrith. In exile during the reign of Edwin, Oswald and his brother Oswy became Christians. After Edwin's death Oswald defeated (633) ...

Frederick William I

(Encyclopedia)Frederick William I, 1688–1740, king of Prussia (1713–40), son and successor of Frederick I. He continued the administrative reforms and the process of centralization begun by Frederick William, t...

Frundsberg, Georg von

(Encyclopedia)Frundsberg, Georg von gāˈôrkh fən fro͝ontsˈbĕrkh [key], 1473–1528, German commander in the service of Holy Roman emperors Maximilian I and Charles V. He was the principal organizer and comman...