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Nicephorus II

(Encyclopedia)Nicephorus II (Nicephorus Phocas) fōˈkəs [key], c.912–969, Byzantine emperor (963–69). He was a successful general under Constantine VII and Romanus II. On Romanus' death (963) he married the e...

Antiochus II

(Encyclopedia)Antiochus II (Antiochus Theos) thēˈŏs [key], d. 247 b.c., king of Syria (261?–247 b.c.), son and successor of Antiochus I. In warfare with Ptolemy II he had sporadic successes, but his marriage t...

Mustafa II

(Encyclopedia)Mustafa II, 1664–1703, Ottoman sultan (1695–1703), nephew and successor of Ahmed II. The grand vizier (chief executive officer) of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), Husayn Köprülü, exercised the act...

Paschal II

(Encyclopedia)Paschal II păsˈkəl [key] [Lat.,=of Easter], d. 1118, pope (1099–1118), an Italian (b. near Ravenna) named Ranieri; successor of Urban II. He was a monk and, as a reformer, was made a cardinal by ...

Calixtus II

(Encyclopedia)Calixtus II, Callixtus II, or Callistus II, d. 1124, pope (1119–24), named Guy of Burgundy, successor of Gelasius II. The son of count William I of Burgundy, he was archbishop of Vienne during the ...

Amasis II

(Encyclopedia)Amasis II, d. 525 b.c., king of ancient Egypt (569–525 b.c.), of the XXVI dynasty. In a military revolt he dethroned Apries. He erected temples and other buildings at Memphis and Saïs and encourage...

Amenemhet II

(Encyclopedia)Amenemhet II äˌmĕnĕmˈhĕt, āˌ– [key], d. 1903 b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the XII dynasty; son and successor of Sesostris I. He was coregent with his father (1938–1935 b.c.), then sole ...

Roger II

(Encyclopedia)Roger II, c.1095–1154, count (1101–30) and first king (1130–54) of Sicily, son and successor of Roger I. He conquered (1127) Apulia and Salerno and sided with the antipope Anacletus II against P...

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...

Abbas II

(Encyclopedia)Abbas II (Abbas Hilmi) , ăbäsˈ, ăbˈəs [key], 1874–1944, last khedive of Egypt (1892–1914); son and successor of Tewfik Pasha. Nominally he ruled in subordination to the Ottoman Empire, but i...