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Swiss Guards

(Encyclopedia)Swiss Guards, Swiss mercenaries who fought in various European armies from the 15th cent. until the 19th cent. These mercenaries, who were not volunteers, were put at the disposal of foreign powers by...

Butler, John

(Encyclopedia)Butler, John, 1728–96, Loyalist commander in the American Revolution, b. New London, Conn. He served in the French and Indian Wars and distinguished himself especially by leading the Native American...

Bacon's Rebellion

(Encyclopedia)Bacon's Rebellion, popular revolt in colonial Virginia in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon. High taxes, low prices for tobacco, and resentment against special privileges given those close to the governor,...

Witte, Count Sergei Yulyevich

(Encyclopedia)Witte, Count Sergei Yulyevich syĭrgāˈ yo͞oˈlyĭvĭch vĭtˈə [key], 1849–1915, Russian premier. A railway administrator, he became minister of communications (1892) and minister of finance (18...

Welles, Sumner

(Encyclopedia)Welles, Sumner, 1892–1961, American diplomat, b. New York City. Welles began his diplomatic career as secretary of the U.S. embassy at Tokyo (1915–17). Attached to the embassy at Buenos Aires (191...

Thiers, Adolphe

(Encyclopedia)Thiers, Adolphe ädôlfˈ tyĕr [key], 1797–1877, French statesman, journalist, and historian. After studying law at Aix-en-Provence, Thiers went (1821) to Paris and joined the group of writers that...

Lairesse, Gerard de

(Encyclopedia)Lairesse, Gerard de gāˈrärt də lārĕsˈ [key], 1641–1711, Flemish painter of allegorical and religious subjects, b. Liège. Most of his life was spent in Holland, where he achieved great succes...

Manzhouli

(Encyclopedia)Manzhouli or Manchouli both: mänˈjōˈlēˈ [key], city (1994 est. pop. 129,100), NE Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, China, on the Russian border. Heavy industry is the most important economic ac...

Korolenko, Vladimir Galaktionovich

(Encyclopedia)Korolenko, Vladimir Galaktionovich vlədyēˈmĭr gələktyôˈnəvĭch kərəlyĕnˈkə [key], 1853–1921, Russian short-story writer and publicist. A member of a Populist circle, he was arrested in...

Martínez de Rozas, Juan

(Encyclopedia)Martínez de Rozas, Juan hwän märtēˈnās dā rōˈsäs [key], 1759–1813, Chilean revolutionist, b. Mendoza, Argentina. A lawyer and scholar, he was a leading instigator of revolutionary ideas. I...