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Simancas

(Encyclopedia)Simancas sēmängˈkäs [key], village, Valladolid prov., NW Spain, in Castile and León. The castle, an old fort rebuilt in the 15th cent., contains the Spanish national archives. Begun by Ferdinand ...

Castile

(Encyclopedia)Castile kästēˈlyä [key], historic region and former kingdom, central and N Spain, traditionally divided into Old Castile and New Castile, and now divided among the autonomous communities of Castil...

Barbazan, Arnaud Guillaume, seigneur de

(Encyclopedia)Barbazan, Arnaud Guillaume, seigneur de ärnōˈ gēyōmˈ sānyörˈ də bärbäzäNˈ [key], c.1360–1431, French general in the Hundred Years War. He was called le chevalier sans reproche [the kni...

Maria Christina, 1858–1929, queen of Spain

(Encyclopedia)Maria Christina märēˈä krēstēˈnä [key], 1858–1929, queen of Spain, consort of Alfonso XII. An Austrian archduchess, she was married to Alfonso in 1879. After his death, she was regent (1886�...

Abd ar-Rahman, Muslim governor of Spain

(Encyclopedia)Abd ar-Rahman äbˌdär-rämänˈ [key], d. 732, Muslim governor of Spain (721–32). Invading Aquitaine in 732, he won a victory over the Franks at Toulouse but was defeated in the battle of Tours by...

Joanna I

(Encyclopedia)Joanna I, 1326–82, queen of Naples (1343–81), countess of Provence. She was the granddaughter of King Robert of Naples, whom she succeeded with her husband, Andrew of Hungary. The murder (1345) of...

Alfonso V, king of Aragón and Sicily

(Encyclopedia)Alfonso V (Alfonso the Magnanimous), 1396–1458, king of Aragón and Sicily (1416–58) and of Naples (1443–58), count of Barcelona. He was the son of Ferdinand I, whom he succeeded in Aragón and ...

Vélez-Málaga

(Encyclopedia)Vélez-Málaga vāˈlāth-mäˈlägä [key], town (1990 pop. 54,234), Málaga prov., S Spain, in Andalusia, on the Vélez River. Subtropical in climate, chirimoyas, bananas, olives, grapes, and sugar ...

Prajadhipok

(Encyclopedia)Prajadhipok räˈ mä [key], 1893–1941, king of Siam (1925–35). He was educated in England and France. He succeeded his brother Rama VI, and in 1932 a coup forced him to grant a constitution, whic...

Italian Wars

(Encyclopedia)Italian Wars, 1494–1559, series of regional wars brought on by the efforts of the great European powers to control the small independent states of Italy. Renaissance Italy was split into numerous ri...