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Ranjit Singh

(Encyclopedia)Ranjit Singh rŭnˈjĭt sĭng [key], 1780–1839, Indian maharaja, ruler of the Sikhs. Seizing Lahore (1799) and Amritsar (1809), he established himself as the leading Sikh chieftain. In 1809 he made ...

Barclay de Tolly, Mikhail, Prince

(Encyclopedia)Barclay de Tolly, Mikhail, Prince mēkhəyēlˈ, bərklīˈ də tôˈlyē [key], 1761–1818, Russian field marshal, of Scottish descent. He gained prominence in the Napoleonic Wars, became minister o...

San Ildefonso, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)San Ildefonso, Treaty of, any of several treaties signed at the royal residence of San Ildefonso, Spain. 1 The Treaty of San Ildefonso of 1796 was an alliance of France with Spain against Great Britai...

Siauliai

(Encyclopedia)Siauliai shēouˈlyī [key], Ger. Schaulen, Rus. Shavli, city (1993 pop. 147,800), N Lithuania. It is a rail hub and has railroad repair shops. Siauliai is also a major tanning, shoe-manufacturing, an...

ship of the line

(Encyclopedia)ship of the line, large, square-rigged warship, carrying from 70 to 140 guns on two or more completely armed gun decks. In the great naval wars of the 17th, 18th, and early 19th cent., ships of the li...

Hertfordshire

(Encyclopedia)Hertfordshire härˈfərdshĭr, härtˈ– [key], county, 631 sq mi (1,634 sq km), E ...

Achaean League

(Encyclopedia)Achaean League əkēˈən [key], confederation of cities on the Gulf of Corinth. The First Achaean League, about which little is known, was formed presumably before the 5th cent. b.c. and lasted throu...

Montcalm, Louis Joseph de

(Encyclopedia)Montcalm, Louis Joseph de mŏntkämˈ, Fr. lwē zhôzĕfˈ də môNkälmˈ [key], 1712–59, French general. His name in fuller form was Louis Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon, marquis de Saint-Véran. A vete...

Messina

(Encyclopedia)Messina mās-sēˈnä [key], city (1991 pop. 231,693), capital of Messina prov., NE Sicily, Italy, on the Strait of Messina, opposite the Italian mainland. It is a busy seaport and a commercial and li...

Carnot, Lazare Nicolas Marguerite

(Encyclopedia)Carnot, Lazare Nicolas Marguerite kärnōˈ [key], 1753–1823, French revolutionary, known as the organizer of victory for his role in the French Revolutionary Wars. A military engineer by training,...