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Tonti, Henri de

(Encyclopedia)Tonti or Tonty, Henri de both: äNrēˈ də tôNtēˈ [key], c.1650–1704, French explorer in North America, b. Italy. Serving in the French army, he lost a hand in battle; his skillful use of the ap...

Girardin, Émile de

(Encyclopedia)Girardin, Émile de də zhērärdăNˈ [key], 1806–81, French journalist. He was editor of La Presse (1836–56, 1862–66), La Liberté (1866–70), and La France (1874). Actively interested in po...

Notre-Dame de Paris

(Encyclopedia)Notre-Dame de Paris nôˈtrə-däm də pärēˈ [key] [Fr.,=Our Lady of Paris], cathedral church of Paris, a noble achievement of early Gothic architecture in France. It stands upon the Île de la Cit...

Mandeville, Sir John

(Encyclopedia)Mandeville, Sir John, 14th-century English author of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. Originally written in Norman French, the work became enormously popular and was translated into English, Latin,...

Pompidou, Georges Jean Raymond

(Encyclopedia)Pompidou, Georges Jean Raymond zhôrzh pôNpēdo͞oˈ [key], 1911–74. French political leader, president of France (1969–74). Georges Pompidou taught school and then served in World War II until t...

Juana la Beltraneja

(Encyclopedia)Juana la Beltraneja hwäˈnä lä bĕltränāˈhä [key], 1462–1530, Castilian princess, daughter of Juana of Portugal, queen of Henry IV of Castile. Her paternity was generally attributed to the co...

Castile–La Mancha

(Encyclopedia)Castile–La Mancha kăstēlˈ–lä mänˈchə [key], autonomous community, 30,680 s...

Balzac, Jean Louis Guez de

(Encyclopedia)Balzac, Jean Louis Guez de də bälzäkˈ [key], 1597?–1654, French writer. His Lettres (1624, tr. 1634) and other writings were a great influence in reforming French prose. Their style was marked ...

Belmondo, Jean-Paul

(Encyclopedia)Belmondo, Jean-Paul zhäN-pōl bĕlmôNdōˈ [key], 1933–, French film actor, b. Neuilly-sur-Seine, studied Paris Conservatory. Belmondo made his film debut in 1957, but first gained fame in Breathl...

Lemoyne, Jean Baptiste

(Encyclopedia)Lemoyne, Jean Baptiste ləmwänˈ [key], 1704–78, French sculptor. Much of his work, including three equestrian statues of Louis XV, was destroyed in the French Revolution. His picturesque portrait...

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