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Vergil, Polydore

(Encyclopedia)Vergil or Virgil, Polydore, 1470?-1555?, historian and humanist, b. Urbino, Italy. He studied at Bologna and Padua, served as secretary to the duke of Urbino, was chamberlain to Pope Alexander VI, and...

Maccabees, Jewish family

(Encyclopedia)Maccabees or Machabees both: măkˈəbēz [key], Jewish family of the 2d and 1st cent. b.c. that brought about a restoration of Jewish political and religious life. They are also called Hasmoneans or ...

Macedon

(Encyclopedia)Macedon măsˈədŏn [key], ancient country, roughly equivalent to the modern region of Macedonia. In the history of Greek culture Macedon had its single significance in producing the conquerors and a...

Dunbar, Paul Laurence

(Encyclopedia)Dunbar, Paul Laurence dŭnˈbär [key], 1872–1906, American poet and novelist, b. Dayton, Ohio. The son of former slaves, he won recognition with his Lyrics of Lowly Life (1896)—a collection of po...

Coxe, Tench

(Encyclopedia)Coxe, Tench kŏks [key], 1755–1824, American political economist, b. Philadelphia. He entered his father's mercantile business in 1776, but after 1790, when he became assistant to Alexander Hamilton...

Innocent XII

(Encyclopedia)Innocent XII, 1615–1700, pope (1691–1700), a Neapolitan named Antonio Pignatelli; successor of Alexander VIII. He was frequently employed by his predecessors as a nuncio, and Innocent XI created h...

Giles, William Branch

(Encyclopedia)Giles, William Branch jīlz [key], 1762–1830, American statesman, b. Amelia co., Va. After practicing as a lawyer in Petersburg, Va., he entered the U.S. House of Representatives as an Anti-Federali...

Gerasa

(Encyclopedia)Gerasa both: jĕˈräsh, jəräshˈ [key], ancient city of the Decapolis, 22 mi (35 km) N of Amman, in present-day Jordan. According to Josephus it was captured (83 b.c.) by Alexander Jannaeus, king o...

Jomini, Antoine Henri

(Encyclopedia)Jomini, Antoine Henri äNtwänˈ äNrēˈ zhômēnēˈ [key], 1779–1869, Swiss general and military writer. He organized (1799) the militia of the Helvetic Republic and after 1804 served as staff of...

Magnus VI

(Encyclopedia)Magnus VI (Magnus the Law Mender), 1238–80, king of Norway (1263–80), son of Haakon IV. A man of peace, he brought an end to the Scottish war by ceding (1266) the Hebrides and the Isle of Man to A...