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Deschappelles, Alexandre

(Encyclopedia)Deschappelles, Alexandre (Alexandre Louis Honoré Lebreton Deschapelles), 1780–1847, French chess player, b. Ville d'Avray. Considered the world champion chess player from about 1815 to 1821, he was...

Vinet, Alexandre Rodolphe

(Encyclopedia)Vinet, Alexandre Rodolphe älĕksäNˈdrə rôdôlfˈ vēnāˈ [key], 1797–1847, Swiss Protestant theologian and historian of literature. In 1817 he became professor of French language and literatur...

La Rochefoucauld, François, duc de

(Encyclopedia)La Rochefoucauld, François, duc de fräNswäˈ, dük də lä rôshfo͞okōˈ [key], 1613–80, French writer. As head of an ancient family (in his youth he bore the title prince de Marcillac) he oppo...

Bourdonnais, Louis de la

(Encyclopedia)Bourdonnais, Louis de la (Louis-Charles Mahé de la Bourdonnais), 1795–1840, French chess player, b. La Réunion. A pupil of Alexandre Deschappelles, he defeated his mentor in 1821 and from then unt...

Brongniart, Alexandre

(Encyclopedia)Brongniart, Alexandre brôNyärˈ [key], 1770–1847, French geologist, mineralogist, and chemist. As director of the Sèvres porcelain factory from 1800, he was responsible for its international fam...

Beauharnais, Hortense de

(Encyclopedia)Beauharnais, Hortense de də bōärnāˈ [key], 1783–1837, queen of Holland (1806–10), daughter of Alexandre and Josephine de Beauharnais and wife of Louis Bonaparte. She was the mother of Napole...

Sablé, Madeleine de Souvré, marquise de

(Encyclopedia)Sablé, Madeleine de Souvré, marquise de mädəlĕnˈ də so͞ovrāˈ, märkēzˈ də säblāˈ [key], 1599–1678, French woman of letters. Her salon was in vogue after the decline of the salon at t...

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