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La Condamine, Charles Marie de

(Encyclopedia)La Condamine, Charles Marie de shärl märēˈ də lä kôNdämēnˈ [key], 1701–74, French traveler and mathematical geographer. He was one of a group sent to Peru in 1735 to measure the length of ...

Leconte de Lisle, Charles Marie

(Encyclopedia)Leconte de Lisle, Charles Marie shärl märēˈ ləkôNtˈ də lēl [key], 1818–94, French poet. His first two books of poetry, Poèmes antiques (1852) and Poèmes et poésies (1855), were immediate...

Lamartine, Alphonse Marie Louis de

(Encyclopedia)Lamartine, Alphonse Marie Louis de älfôNsˈ märēˈ lwē də lämärtēnˈ [key], 1790–1869, French poet, novelist, and statesman. After a trip to Italy and a brief period in the army, Lamartine ...

Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie, vicomte de

(Encyclopedia)Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie, vicomte de fĕrdēnäNˈ märēˈ vēkôNtˈ də lĕsĕpsˈ [key], 1805–94, French diplomat and engineer. He entered the consular service in 1825 and was minister to Spain ...

Hérault de Séchelles, Marie Jean

(Encyclopedia)Hérault de Séchelles, Marie Jean märēˈ zhäN ārōˈ də sāshĕlˈ [key], 1759–94, French revolutionary. A lawyer, he became a favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette, but nevertheless joined the r...

Voltaire, François Marie Arouet de

(Encyclopedia)Voltaire, François Marie Arouet de fräNswäˈ märēˈ ärwāˈ də vôltĕrˈ [key], 1694–1778, French philosopher and author, whose original name was Arouet. One of the towering geniuses in lite...

Caylus, Marie Marguerite, comtesse de

(Encyclopedia)Caylus, Marie Marguerite, comtesse de kālüsˈ [key], 1673–1729, French writer and actress. A noted beauty and wit, she was lauded for her performance at Saint-Cyr in Racine's Esther. Her Souvenir...

Cormenin, Louis Marie de La Haye, vicomte de

(Encyclopedia)Cormenin, Louis Marie de La Haye, vicomte de lwē märēˈ də lä ā vēkôNtˈ də kôrmənăNˈ [key], 1788–1868, French politician, jurist, and pamphleteer. He held minor offices under Napoleon,...

Sévigné, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de

(Encyclopedia)Sévigné, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de märēˈ də räbütăNˈ-shäNtälˈ märkēzˈ də sāvēnyāˈ [key], 1626–96, French woman of letters. Her correspondence of more than 1,500 lett...

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