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Basil the Great, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Basil the Great, Saint băˈzĭl, bāˈ– [key], c.330–379, Greek prelate, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Doctor of the Church and one of the Four Fathers of the Greek Church. He was a brother o...

Raymond IV, count of Toulouse

(Encyclopedia)Raymond IV, c.1038–1105, count of Toulouse (1093–1105), leader in the First Crusade (see Crusades). He was also count of Saint Gilles and marquis of Provence. The first great prince to take the Cr...

Bactria

(Encyclopedia)Bactria băkˈtrēə [key], ancient Greek kingdom in central Asia. Its capital was Bactra, present-day Balkh in N Afghanistan. Before the Greek conquest, the region was an eastern province of the Pers...

Monreale

(Encyclopedia)Monreale mōnrāäˈlā [key], town (1991 pop. 26,256), NW Sicily, Italy, near Palermo. An agricultural market and tourist center, it commands a magnificent view of the fertile Conca d'Oro plain. A fa...

Murano

(Encyclopedia)Murano mo͞oräˈnō [key], suburb of Venice, NE Italy, on five small islands in the Lagoon of Venice. From the late 13th cent. it was the center of the Venetian glass industry, which reached a peak i...

Gemistus Pletho, Georgius

(Encyclopedia)Gemistus Pletho, Georgius jôrˈjəs jĭmĭsˈtəs plēˈthō [key], c.1355–1452, Byzantine scholar and philosopher, b. Constantinople. He represented the Orthodox Eastern Church at the Council of F...

Hvar

(Encyclopedia)Hvar khvär [key], Gr. Pharos, Ital. Lesina, island, 112 sq mi (290 sq km), in the Adriatic Sea off the Dalmatian coast, Croatia. Fruit growing, cattle raising, and fishing are the chief occupations. ...

Justinian II

(Encyclopedia)Justinian II (Justinian Rhinotmetus), 669–711, Byzantine emperor (685–95, 705–11), son and successor of Constantine IV. He successfully invaded Arab territory but lost the advantage through a tr...

Curtea de Arges

(Encyclopedia)Curtea de Arges ko͝orˈtāä dā ärˈzhĕsh [key], town, S central Romania, in Wala...

Romanus III

(Encyclopedia)Romanus III (Romanus Argyrus) ärˈjĭrəs [key], c.968–1034, Byzantine emperor (1028–34). An aged senator, he married Zoë and thus succeeded to the throne. A capricious ruler, he depleted his tr...