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Montespan, Françoise Athénaïs, marquise de

(Encyclopedia)Montespan, Françoise Athénaïs, marquise de fräNswäzˈ ätānäēsˈ märkēzˈ də môNtəspäNˈ [key], 1641–1707, mistress of King Louis XIV of France. She was maid of honor to Queen Marie Th...

Valdivia, Pedro de

(Encyclopedia)Valdivia, Pedro de pāˈdhrō dā väldēˈvyä [key], c.1500–1554, Spanish conquistador, conqueror of Chile. One of Francisco Pizarro's best officers in the conquest of Peru, educated, energetic, s...

Courcelle, Daniel Rémy, sieur de

(Encyclopedia)Courcelle, Daniel Rémy, sieur de dänyĕlˈ rāmēˈ syörˈ də ko͞orsĕlˈ [key], d.1698, governor of New France (1665–72). He arrived with the intendant Jean Talon, and together they inaugurate...

Fontenelle, Bernard le Bovier de

(Encyclopedia)Fontenelle, Bernard le Bovier de bĕrnärˈ lə bōvyāˈ də fôNtənĕl [key], 1657–1757, French writer; nephew of Corneille. His forte was the interpretation of science. His works include Dialogu...

Godoy, Manuel de

(Encyclopedia)Godoy, Manuel de mänwĕlˈ dā gōᵺoiˈ [key], 1767–1851, Spanish statesman. An army officer, he won the favor of Queen María Luisa and rose rapidly at the court of Charles IV. The king made him...

Pérez de Ayala, Ramón

(Encyclopedia)Pérez de Ayala, Ramón rämōnˈ pāˈrāth dā äyäˈlä [key], 1880?–1962, Spanish writer. He was educated at Jesuit schools, which he satirized in the novel A.M.D.G. (1910). His early realistic...

Fustel de Coulanges, Numa Denis

(Encyclopedia)Fustel de Coulanges, Numa Denis nümäˈ dənēˈ füstĕlˈ də ko͞oläNzhˈ [key], 1830–89, French historian. His masterly study, La Cité antique (1864, tr. The Ancient City, 1874), stressed the...

Eyzies-de-Tayac, Les

(Encyclopedia)Eyzies-de-Tayac, Les lā zāzēˈ-də-tīäkˈ [key], or Les Eyzies, village, Dordogn...

Charlevoix, Pierre François Xavier de

(Encyclopedia)Charlevoix, Pierre François Xavier de pyĕr fräNswäˈ zävyāˈ də shärləvwäˈ [key], 1682–1761, French Jesuit traveler and historian. He taught at the Jesuit college in Quebec and at the Col...

Lamennais, Félicité Robert de

(Encyclopedia)Lamennais or La Mennais, Félicité Robert de fālēsētāˈ rōbĕrˈ də lämənāˈ [key], 1782–1854, French Roman Catholic apologist and liberal, b. Saint-Malo. He was largely self-educated by w...

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