Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

John I, king of Portugal

(Encyclopedia)John I (John the Great), 1357?–1433, king of Portugal (1385–1433), illegitimate son of Peter I. He was made (1364) grand master of the Knights of Aviz and exercised his influence in opposition to ...

Great Wall of China

(Encyclopedia)Great Wall of China, series of fortifications, c.3,890 mi (6,260 km) long (not including trenches and natural defensive barriers), winding across N China from Gansu prov. to Liaoning prov. The wall, r...

Bank of England

(Encyclopedia)Bank of England, central bank and note-issuing institution of Great Britain. Popularly known as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, its main office stands on the street of that name in London. The ba...

Hanover, former kingdom and province, Germany

(Encyclopedia)Hanover hănˈōvər [key], Ger. Hannover, former independent kingdom and former province of Germany; Lower Saxony, NW Germany. Very irregular in outline, Hanover stretched from the Dutch border and t...

Berkeley, George

(Encyclopedia)Berkeley, George bärˈklē, bûr– [key], 1685–1753, Anglo-Irish philosopher and clergyman, b. Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, he became a scholar and later a fellow th...

Limerick, county, Republic of Ireland

(Encyclopedia)Limerick lĭmˈərĭk [key], county (1991 pop. 161,956), 1,037 sq mi (2,686 sq km), SW Republic of Ireland. Limerick is the county seat. The region is an agricultural plain lying S of the Shannon estu...

Alexander III, king of Macedon

(Encyclopedia)Alexander III, king of Macedon: see Alexander the Great. ...

Peter I, king of Aragón and Navarre

(Encyclopedia)Peter I, d. 1104, king of Aragón and Navarre (1094–1104), son and successor of Sancho I. He continued the fight against the Moors, taking (1096) Huesca and recapturing (1100) Barbastro. His brother...

Waterford, county, Republic of Ireland

(Encyclopedia)Waterford wôˈtərfərd [key], county (1991 pop. 91,624), 710 sq mi (1,839 sq km), S Republic of Ireland. The county seat is the port town of Waterford. Although the terrain is largely hilly, there a...

Charles XV, king of Sweden and Norway

(Encyclopedia)Charles XV, 1826–72, king of Sweden and Norway (1859–72), son and successor of Oscar I. A liberal and popular ruler, he consented to many reforms, including the creation of a bicameral parliament....