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elegy

(Encyclopedia)elegy, in Greek and Roman poetry, a poem written in elegiac verse (i.e., couplets consisting of a hexameter line followed by a pentameter line). The form dates back to 7th cent. b.c. in Greece and poe...

Maitland, William

(Encyclopedia)Maitland, William (Maitland of Lethington), 1528?–1573, Scottish statesman. In 1559 he deserted the regent Mary of Guise and joined the revolt of the Protestant nobles. When Mary Queen of Scots retu...

Lady Day

(Encyclopedia)Lady Day or Annunciation: see Mary. ...

Mar, John Erskine, 1st (or 6th) earl of

(Encyclopedia)Mar, John Erskine, 1st (or 6th) earl of, d. 1572, regent of Scotland. As Lord Erskine he was keeper of Edinburgh and Stirling castles, a source of much political strength. In the struggle between the ...

Langside

(Encyclopedia)Langside, district of Glasgow, S central Scotland. At the battle of Langside (1568) the 1st earl of Murray defeated the forces of Mary Queen of Scots led by Archibald Campbell, 5th earl of Argyll. As ...

Kara Kum

(Encyclopedia)Kara Kum kärˌə ko͝omˈ [key], two deserts, one in Kazakhstan and one in Turkmenistan. The Caspian Kara Kum or Garagum, the larger desert (c.115,000 sq mi/297,900 sq km), is W of the Amu Darya Rive...

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