(Encyclopedia) Bulwer-Lytton, Edward George Earle Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, 1803–73, English novelist. The son of Gen. William Bulwer and Elizabeth Lytton, he assumed the name Bulwer-Lytton in 1843…
(Encyclopedia) Barberini, FrancescoBarberini, Francescofränchāsˈkō bärbārēˈnē [key], 1597–1679, Italian prelate and Orientalist, a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the nephew of Urban VIII.…
(Encyclopedia) Whitehall, street in Westminster borough, London, England. Because of the many British government offices on the street, Whitehall has become a synonym for the government. The name…
(Encyclopedia) Ariosto, LudovicoAriosto, Ludovicol&oomacr;dōvēˈkō äryôsˈtō [key], 1474–1533, Italian epic and lyric poet. As a youth he was a favorite at the court of Ferrara; later he was in the…
(Encyclopedia) Amboise, conspiracy of, 1560, plot of the Huguenots (French Protestants) and the house of Bourbon to usurp the power of the Guise family, which virtually ruled France during the reign…
(Encyclopedia) Rienzi or Rienzo, Cola diRienzi or Rienzo, Cola dikôˈlä dē rēĕnˈtsē, rēĕnˈtsō [key], 1313?–1354, Roman popular leader. In 1343 on a mission to Pope Clement VI at Avignon, he won the…
U.S. Department of State Background Note Index: People and History Government and Institutions Foreign Relations U.S.-Holy See Relations PEOPLE AND HISTORYAlmost all of Vatican City's citizens…
(Encyclopedia) Fra DiavoloFra Diavolofrä dēäˈvōlō [key] [Ital.,=friar devil], 1771–1806, Italian bandit and soldier, whose real name was Michele Pezza. He entered the service of the king of Naples in…
(Encyclopedia) Poissy, Colloquy ofPoissy, Colloquy ofpwäsēˈ [key], 1561, conference of Roman Catholic prelates and Protestant ministers, initiated by Catherine de' Medici and Michel de L'Hôpital in…