Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Frederick VIII, king of Denmark

(Encyclopedia)Frederick VIII, 1843–1912, king of Denmark (1906–12), son and successor of Christian IX. He fought in the war with Prussia in 1864 and always retained an interest in military affairs. He was succe...

Lawes, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Lawes, Henry lôz [key], 1596–1662, English composer. Both he and his brother William were prominent musician-composers, and Henry served the royal family in various capacities until the civil war. ...

Guy of Lusignan

(Encyclopedia)Guy of Lusignan lüsēnyäNˈ [key], d. 1194, Latin king of Jerusalem (1186–92) and Cyprus (1192–94), second husband of Sibylla, sister of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. In 1183 he was briefly rege...

Robert, Henry Martyn

(Encyclopedia)Robert, Henry Martyn, 1837–1923, American military engineer, b. Robertville, S.C., grad. West Point, 1857. He is best known as the author of a book on parliamentary law, Pocket Manual of Rules of Or...

John I, king of France

(Encyclopedia)John I or John the Posthumous, 1316, king of France, posthumous son of King Louis X. He lived only five days and was succeeded by his uncle, Philip V. According to legend, a dying child was substitute...

Paul II

(Encyclopedia)Paul II, 1417–71, pope (1464–71), a Venetian named Pietro Barbo; successor of Pius II. He was a nephew of Eugene IV. A Renaissance pope, he patronized printing, beautified and improved Rome, and c...

Shrapnel, Henry

(Encyclopedia)Shrapnel, Henry shrăpˈnəl [key], 1761–1842, British general, inventor of the shrapnel shell. The shell, consisting of a steel case filled with bullets and an explosive charge, is fired in midair ...

William I, emperor of Germany and king of Prussia

(Encyclopedia)William I, 1797–1888, emperor of Germany (1871–88) and king of Prussia (1861–88), second son of the future King Frederick William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg. Essentially conservati...

O'Connor, Rory

(Encyclopedia)O'Connor, Rory or Roderick, 1116?–1198, last high king of Ireland. He became king of Connacht in 1156 and seized the high kingship in 1166. His ascendancy was brief, however, for his quarrel with De...

Cornwall, county, England

(Encyclopedia)Cornwall, county, SW England, administratively (since 2009) a unitary authority. Bodmin was the county seat, but the local government is now based in Tr...