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Saint Bartholomew's Day, massacre of

(Encyclopedia)Saint Bartholomew's Day, massacre of, murder of French Protestants, or Huguenots, that began in Paris on Aug. 24, 1572. It was preceded, on Aug. 22, by an attempt, ordered by Catherine de' Medici, on ...

Drouais, François-Hubert

(Encyclopedia)Drouais, François-Hubert fräNswäˈ-übârˈ dro͞oāˈ [key], 1727–75, French painter, a follower of François Boucher, whose style he imitated. Under the patronage of the court he painted portra...

Rove Tunnel

(Encyclopedia)Rove Tunnel rōv, Fr. rôv [key], southern section of the Marseilles-Rhône Canal, 4.5 mi (7.2 km) long and 72 ft (22 m) wide, Bouches-du-Rhône dept., SE France; opened 1927. Starting near the villag...

Nézet-Séguin, Yannick

(Encyclopedia)Nézet-Séguin, Yannick, 1975–, Canadian conductor and pianist. After studying piano at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec, Montreal, and choral conducting at the Westminster Choir College, Pri...

Le Clézio, Jean-Marie Gustave

(Encyclopedia)Le Clézio, Jean-Marie Gustave, 1940–, French novelist, b. Nice, grad. Univ. of Nice (L. ès L., 1963), Univ. of Aix-en-Provence (M.A., 1964), Univ. of Perpignan (D. ès L., 1983). He spent much of ...

Chénier, Marie Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Chénier, Marie Joseph shānyāˈ [key], 1764–1811, French poet and dramatist, b. Constantinople; brother of André Chénier. A member of the Convention, the Council of Five Hundred, and the Tribun...

Bosio, François Joseph, Baron

(Encyclopedia)Bosio, François Joseph, Baron fräNswäˈ zhôzĕfˈ bärôNˈ bôsyōˈ [key], 1769–1845, French sculptor. He was employed by Napoleon I to make the bas-reliefs for the column of the Place Vendôm...

Bourbon

(Encyclopedia)Bourbon bo͞orbôNˈ [key], European royal family, originally of France; a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty (see Capetians). One branch of the Bourbons occupies the modern Spanish throne, and othe...

Anguier, François

(Encyclopedia)Anguier, François fräNswäˈ äNgyāˈ [key], 1604–69, French sculptor. He is noted for the monuments of the Longuevilles and of Jacques Souvré (Louvre). His most ambitious work is probably the m...

Decazes, Élie

(Encyclopedia)Decazes, Élie ālēˈ dəkäzˈ [key], 1780–1860, French statesman, a favorite of King Louis XVIII, who made him a duke in 1820. A lawyer and judge, Decazes was made minister of police in 1815 and ...