Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Malherbe, François de

(Encyclopedia)Malherbe, François de fräNswäˈ də mälĕrbˈ [key], 1555–1628, French poet and critic, official poet of Henry IV and Louis XIII. His own poems approach technical perfection but lack verve and f...

Little America

(Encyclopedia)Little America, base for Antarctic exploring expeditions, Antarctica, on the Ross Ice Shelf, S of the Bay of Whales. Richard E. Byrd, a U.S. explorer, established and named Little America in 1929 and ...

Louis X, king of France

(Encyclopedia)Louis X, Fr. Louis le Hutin lwē lə ütâNˈ [key] [the quarrelsome], 1289–1316, king of France (1314–16), son and successor of Philip IV. His reign was dominated by his uncle, Charles of Valois,...

Brown, Mather

(Encyclopedia)Brown, Mather, 1761–1831, American portrait and historical painter, b. Boston. He studied under Benjamin West in London and continued to work in England. His portraits include those of George IV (Bu...

Viète, François

(Encyclopedia)Viète or Vieta, François fräNswäˈ vyĕt, vyātäˈ, vīēˈtə [key], 1540–1603, French mathematician. As a founder of modern algebra, he introduced the use of letters as algebraic symbols and ...

Suresnes

(Encyclopedia)Suresnes sürĕnˈ [key], city (1990 pop. 36,950), Hauts-de-Seine dept., N central France, a residential and industrial suburb of Paris. Its manufactures include automobiles, aeronautic equipment, and...

Benno, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Benno, Saint, d. 1106, German prelate. He was bishop of Meissen and an ardent supporter of Pope Gregory VII against Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, and the emperor had him deposed. He was reinstated on G...

Torquemada, Juan de

(Encyclopedia)Torquemada, Juan de hwän dā tôrkāmäˈᵺä [key], 1388–1468, Spanish churchman, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church; an uncle of Tomás de Torquemada. He entered (1403) the Dominican order an...

Tortosa

(Encyclopedia)Tortosa tōrtōˈsə [key], city (1990 pop. 29,970), Tarragona prov., NE Spain, in Catalonia, on the Ebro (Ebre) River. It has a fishing industry and light manufacturing, producing cement, clothing, a...

Battle of the Spurs

(Encyclopedia)Battle of the Spurs. 1 Fought in 1302 near Courtrai, Belgium, between the rebellious Flemish towns, led by Bruges, and an army sent by Philip IV of France, who had annexed Flanders in 1301. The French...