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Leopold II, Holy Roman emperor, king of Bohemia and Hungary

(Encyclopedia)Leopold II, 1747–92, Holy Roman emperor (1790–92), king of Bohemia and Hungary (1790–92), as Leopold I grand duke of Tuscany (1765–90), third son of Maria Theresa. Succeeding his father, Holy ...

Galileo

(Encyclopedia)Galileo (Galileo Galilei) gălˌĭlēˈō; gälēlĕˈō gälēlĕˈē [key], 1564–1642, great Italian astronomer, mathematician, and physicist. By his persistent investigation of natural laws he la...

Religion, Wars of

(Encyclopedia)Religion, Wars of, 1562–98, series of civil wars in France, also known as the Huguenot Wars. The immediate issue was the French Protestants' struggle for freedom of worship and the right of establis...

Salviati, Francesco de' Rossi

(Encyclopedia)Salviati, Francesco de' Rossi fränchāsˈkō dā rôsˈsē sälvēäˈtē [key], 1510–63, Italian painter. Salviati studied with Andrea Del Sarto and was greatly influenced by Parmigianino and Mich...

Marot, Clément

(Encyclopedia)Marot, Clément klāmiNˈ mirōˈ [key], 1496?–1544, French court poet. His graceful rondeaux, ballades and epigrams won him the patronage of Francis I and Margaret of Navarre. Marot was imprisoned ...

Tenison, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Tenison, Thomas tĕnˈĭsən [key], 1636–1715, English churchman, archbishop of Canterbury (1695–1715). In 1680 he became rector of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London; there he came into prominence ...

Grasse

(Encyclopedia)Grasse, town, Alpes-Maritime dept., SE France. Probably founded in Roman times, Grasse was a commercial center during the Middle Ages. Destroyed many ti...

U-2 incident

(Encyclopedia)U-2 incident, in U.S. and Soviet history, the events following the Soviet downing of an American U-2 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft over Soviet territory on May 1, 1960. The incident led to the...

Hewitt, Peter Cooper

(Encyclopedia)Hewitt, Peter Cooper hyo͞oˈĭt [key], 1861–1921, American scientist and inventor, b. New York City; son of Abram S. Hewitt and grandson of Peter Cooper. He invented a mercury-vapor lamp and a merc...

Du Bellay, Jean

(Encyclopedia)Du Bellay, Jean bĕlāˈ [key], 1492–1560, French humanist and diplomat, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church; brother of Guillaume Du Bellay and patron of his cousin, Joachim Du Bellay. He undert...