Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Charles I, duke of Lower Lorraine

(Encyclopedia)Charles I, 953–992?, duke of Lower Lorraine (977–91); younger son of King Louis IV of France. He claimed the French throne when his nephew, Louis V of France, died (987) without issue, but he was ...

Alaungpaya

(Encyclopedia)Alaungpaya əlŏngˈpāyä [key], 1711–60, Burmese king, founder of the Konbaung dynasty, which ruled until 1885. His name, also given as Alompra, means “the coming Buddha.” The son of a village...

Pepi I

(Encyclopedia)Pepi I pāˈpē [key], fl. c.2300 b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the VI dynasty. He was responsible for the rise of the official Uni. He was succeeded by his sons Merenre, who reigned for less than d...

Raymond Berengar IV

(Encyclopedia)Raymond Berengar IV bĕrˈəngär [key], d. 1162, count of Barcelona (1131–62). He married Petronilla, daughter and heir of King Ramiro II of Aragón, after whose abdication (1137) Raymond also rule...

Cathay

(Encyclopedia)Cathay kăthāˈ [key], name for North China used by medieval Europeans, derived from the Khitan (or Khitai), a Manchurian people who conquered S Manchuria and N China and founded the Liao dynasty (93...

Sohag

(Encyclopedia)Sohag sôˈhäj [key], town (1986 pop. 132,649), capital of Sohag governorate, central Egypt, on the Nile River. It is located in a densely populated agricultural region. Local industries include ginn...

Boleslav II

(Encyclopedia)Boleslav II, d. 999, duke of Bohemia (967–99), son and successor of Boleslav I. Continuing his father's policies, he largely completed the Christianization of Bohemia. In 973 he agreed to the establ...

Monterey Park

(Encyclopedia)Monterey Park, city (1990 pop. 60,738), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a growing residential suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1916. It is a wholesale, retail, and financial services center. With the immigratio...

Chifeng

(Encyclopedia)Chifeng chûr-fŭng [key], city (1994 est. pop. 392,000), Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, China. It is an agricultural distribution center, trading in wool, furs, hides, and grain. Coal and gold mi...

Silk Road

(Encyclopedia)Silk Road, ancient overland trade route linking Asia and Europe, consisting of a network of caravan routes running from China across central Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean. Its starting point...