(Encyclopedia) Wissmann, Hermann vonWissmann, Hermann vonhĕrˈmän fən vĭsˈmän [key], 1853–1905, German explorer in Africa. He crossed (1880–82) Africa from Luanda to Zanzibar and, on behalf of Leopold…
(Encyclopedia) Wolff or Wolf, Christian vonWolff or Wolf, Christian vonkrĭsˈtyän fən vôlf [key], 1679–1754, German philosopher. One of the first to use the German language instead of Latin, he…
(Encyclopedia) Wolfram von EschenbachWolfram von Eschenbachvôlˈfräm fən ĕshˈənbäkh [key], c.1170–c.1220, German poet. Perhaps the greatest of the German minnesingers, and one of the finest poets of…
(Encyclopedia) Bismarck, Otto vonBismarck, Otto vonbĭzˈmärk, Ger. ôˈtō fən bĭsˈmärk [key], 1815–98, German statesman, known as the Iron Chancellor.
The Bismarckian era closed with the death of…
(Encyclopedia) Bergmann, Ernst vonBergmann, Ernst vonĕrnst fən bĕrgˈmän [key], 1836–1907, German surgeon, b. Riga. He became a professor at the Univ. of Berlin in 1882. He contributed to the modern…
(Encyclopedia) Berlichingen, Götz vonBerlichingen, Götz vongötsˈ fən bĕrˈlĭkhĭng-ən [key], 1480–1562, German knight and adventurer. The head of a band of free soldiers, he lost (1504) his right hand…
(Encyclopedia) Bernhardi, Friedrich vonBernhardi, Friedrich vonfrēˈdrĭkh fən bĕrnhärˈdē [key], 1849–1930, German general and military writer. His book Germany and the Next War (1912, tr. 1912) was…
(Encyclopedia) Zesen, Philipp vonZesen, Philipp vonfēˈlĭp fən tsāˈzən [key], 1619–89, German poet and novelist. Zesen was a major champion of the purification of the German language. His works…
(Encyclopedia) Ranke, Leopold vonRanke, Leopold vonlāˈōpôlt fən rängˈkə [key], 1795–1886, German historian, generally recognized as the father of the modern objective historical school. He applied…
