Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

troubadours

(Encyclopedia)troubadours tro͞oˈbədôrz [key], aristocratic poet-musicians of S France (Provence) who flourished from the end of the 11th cent. through the 13th cent. Many troubadours were noblemen and crusader ...

Broglie

(Encyclopedia)Broglie brôˈyə, brôglēˈ [key], French noble family of Piedmontese origin, who settled in France in the 17th cent. Victor Maurice, comte de Broglie, 1647–1727, was marshal of France and fought ...

Pizarro, Gonzalo

(Encyclopedia)Pizarro, Gonzalo pēthärˈrō [key], c.1506–1548, Spanish conquistador, brother of Francisco Pizarro. A lieutenant of his brother in the conquest of Peru, Gonzalo aided in the defense of Cuzco (15...

Austin, Moses

(Encyclopedia)Austin, Moses, 1761–1821, American pioneer, b. Durham, Conn. After developing lead mines in SW Virginia, he went to inspect (1796–97) prospects in Missouri, then Spanish territory. In 1798 he foun...

Nodier, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Nodier, Charles shärl nôdyāˈ [key], 1780–1844, French novelist and poet. From 1824 he was librarian of the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal in Paris. His salon was the nucleus of the beginning romanti...

Minot, George Richards

(Encyclopedia)Minot, George Richards mīˈnət [key], 1885–1950, American physician and pathologist, b. Boston, M.D. Harvard, 1912. From 1928 to 1948 he was professor of medicine at Harvard and director of the Th...

Moore, Thomas Sturge

(Encyclopedia)Moore, Thomas Sturge, 1870–1944, English author. Although his themes were classical and conservative, his poetic technique was innovative. His first volume of poetry, The Vinedresser, appeared in 18...

Runnymede

(Encyclopedia)Runnymede or Runnimede rŭnˈĭmēd [key], meadow, in Egham, Surrey, S England, on the south bank of the Thames River, W of London. Either on this meadow or on nearby Charter Island, King John accepte...

National Rifle Association of America

(Encyclopedia)National Rifle Association of America (NRA), group founded (1871) to promote shooting, hunting, firearm safety, and wildlife conservation. The NRA has more than 3 million members. The association spon...

Croghan, George, 1791–1849, American military officer

(Encyclopedia)Croghan, George, 1791–1849, American military officer, b. near Louisville, Ky.; nephew of George Rogers Clark and William Clark. He won public acclaim and a congressional award for his defense of Fo...