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Somerset, county, England

(Encyclopedia)Somerset, county (1991 pop. 459,100), 1,333 sq mi (3,453 sq km), SW England, on the Bristol Channel. The county seat is Taunton. The terrain is generally low and flat in the center (the location of th...

Shirley, James

(Encyclopedia)Shirley, James, 1596–1666, English dramatist. Ordained in the Church of England, he later was converted to Roman Catholicism and became a schoolmaster. He resigned that position, however, soon after...

King Philip's War

(Encyclopedia)King Philip's War, 1675–76, the most devastating war between the colonists and the Native Americans in New England. The war is named for King Philip, the son of Massasoit and chief of the Wampanoag....

John VI, king of Portugal

(Encyclopedia)John VI, 1769–1826, king of Portugal (1816–26), son of Maria I and Peter III. When his mother became insane, John assumed the reins of government (1792), although he did not formally become regent...

Louth, town, England

(Encyclopedia)Louth louth [key], town (1991 pop. 14,093), in the Parts of Lindsey, Lincolnshire, E England, on the Lud River. Although a canal was built to the Humber estuary in the 18th cent., Louth is no longer a...

Sylvester I, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Sylvester I, Saint, pope (314–35), a Roman; successor of St. Miltiades (St. Melchiades). He was pope under the reign of Emperor Constantine I, who built for him the Lateran and other churches. St. S...

Douglas, Archibald, 6th earl of Angus

(Encyclopedia)Douglas, Archibald, 6th earl of Angus, 1489–1557, Scottish nobleman; grandson of Archibald Douglas, 5th earl of Douglas. His marriage (1514) to Margaret Tudor alienated the Scottish noblemen and cau...

Taunton, city, England

(Encyclopedia)Taunton tônˈtən, tänˈ– [key], city (1991 pop. 47,793), county seat of Somerset, SW England, on the Trove River. Its industries include the manufacture of textiles, shirts, gloves, and precision...

James Bay Project

(Encyclopedia)James Bay Project, a colossal hydroelectric development of the rivers emptying into the E James Bay, central Quebec, Canada. La Grande Phase I, finished in 1985, created the world's largest undergroun...

Damasus I, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Damasus I, Saint dămˈəsəs [key], c.305–384, pope (366–84), a Spaniard; successor of Liberius. His election was opposed by the Arian Ursinus (antipope 366–67). The Roman emperor Valentinian I...