Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Manuel II, Byzantine emperor

(Encyclopedia)Manuel II (Manuel Palaeologus), 1350–1425, Byzantine emperor (1391–1425), son and successor of John V. In his youth he was taken captive by the Turks, and during his reign the Ottomans reduced the...

Holy Spirit

(Encyclopedia)Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost [ghost, i.e., spirit, a translation of Gr. pneuma=breath, air], in Christian doctrine, the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is sometimes defined as the aspect of ...

Castracani, Castruccio

(Encyclopedia)Castracani, Castruccio kästro͞otˈchō kästräkäˈnē [key], 1281–1328, duke of Lucca. His early life was spent in exile. After his return he was made captain (1316), then lord of Lucca (1320) f...

Eutropius, consul of East Roman Emperor Arcadius

(Encyclopedia)Eutropius, d. 399, consul of East Roman Emperor Arcadius. A eunuch of the palace, he brought about the marriage (395) of Arcadius and Eudoxia and succeeded Rufinus as chief minister. He repelled (398)...

Louis the Younger

(Encyclopedia)Louis the Younger, c.830–882, German king, ruler (876–82) over Saxony, Franconia, and Thuringia, son of Louis the German. He shared the succession to his father's lands with his brothers Carloman ...

Colonna

(Encyclopedia)Colonna kōlônˈnä [key], noble Roman family that played a leading part in the history of Rome from the 12th to the 16th cent. They were hereditary enemies of the Orsini and Caetani families, genera...

James IV, king of Scotland

(Encyclopedia)James IV, 1473–1513, king of Scotland (1488–1513), son and successor of James III. He was an able and popular king, and his reign was one of stability and progress for Scotland. After suppressing ...

Gruenberg, Louis

(Encyclopedia)Gruenberg, Louis gro͞oˈənbûrg [key], 1884–1964, American composer, b. Russia; pupil of Busoni. After concert tours as a pianist in Europe and America, he settled in the United States as a compos...

Amenemhet IV

(Encyclopedia)Amenemhet IV äˌmĕnĕmˈhĕt, āˌ– [key], d. 1792 b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the XII dynasty; the son and successor of Amenemhet III. Under Amenemhet IV, the power of the dynasty declined, a...

Benno, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Benno, Saint, d. 1106, German prelate. He was bishop of Meissen and an ardent supporter of Pope Gregory VII against Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, and the emperor had him deposed. He was reinstated on G...

Browse by Subject