Columbia Encyclopedia

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despotism

(Encyclopedia)despotism, government by an absolute ruler unchecked by effective constitutional limits to his power. In Greek usage, a despot was ruler of a household and master of its slaves. The title was applied ...

Otto the Great

(Encyclopedia)Otto the Great: see Otto I, Holy Roman emperor. ...

Louis the Bavarian

(Encyclopedia)Louis the Bavarian: see Louis IV, Holy Roman emperor. ...

Wenceslaus IV, king of Bohemia

(Encyclopedia)Wenceslaus IV, king of Bohemia: see Wenceslaus, Holy Roman emperor. ...

Francis, Sam

(Encyclopedia)Francis, Sam, 1923–94, American painter, b. San Mateo, Calif. Educated in medicine, Francis began painting while recovering from an injury received in World War II. His mural-sized paintings are sta...

Bela IV

(Encyclopedia)Bela IV bāˈlə, bēˈlə [key], 1206–70, king of Hungary (1235–70), son and successor of Andrew II. He tried to curtail the power of the magnates and set out to recover the crownlands his father...

Charles III, king of Hungary

(Encyclopedia)Charles III, king of Hungary: see Charles VI, Holy Roman emperor. ...

Charles I, king of Spain

(Encyclopedia)Charles I, king of Spain: see Charles V, Holy Roman emperor. ...

Uri , canton, Switzerland

(Encyclopedia)Uri o͞oˈrē [key], canton (1993 pop. 35,500), 415 sq mi (1,075 sq km), central Switzerland, one of the Four Forest Cantons. Altdorf is the capital. The most sparsely populated of the Swiss cantons, ...

Medici, Giovanni de', 1498–1526, Italian condottiere

(Encyclopedia)Medici, Giovanni de', or Giovanni delle Bande Nere jōvänˈnē dĕlˈlā bänˈdā nāˈrā [key] [Ital.,=of the black bands], 1498–1526, Italian condottiere; great-grandson of Lorenzo de' Medici (...