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Schoelcher, Victor

(Encyclopedia)Schoelcher, Victor vēktôrˈ shölshĕrˈ [key], 1804–93, French humanitarian and statesman. Long involved in the abolition movement, he presided (1848) over a commission that secured the abolition...

conscription

(Encyclopedia)conscription, compulsory enrollment of personnel for service in the armed forces. Obligatory service in the armed forces has existed since ancient times in many cultures, including the samurai in Japa...

Pius VII

(Encyclopedia)Pius VII, 1740–1823, pope (1800–1823), an Italian named Barnaba Chiaramonti, b. Cesena; successor of Pius VI, who had created him cardinal in 1785. He conducted himself ably during the period of t...

Las Cases, Emmanuel, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Las Cases, Emmanuel, comte de ĕmänüĕlˈ kôNt də läs käz [key], 1766–1842, French historian. He accompanied Napoleon into exile to St. Helena, where the emperor dictated a part of his memoirs...

Enghien, Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d'

(Encyclopedia)Enghien, Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d' lwē äNtwänˈ äNrēˈ də bo͝orbôNˈ-kôNdāˈ dük däNgyăNˈ [key], 1772–1804, French émigré; son of Louis Henri Joseph de Condé (se...

Bignon, Louis Pierre Édouard

(Encyclopedia)Bignon, Louis Pierre Édouard lwē pyĕr ādwärˈ bēnyôNˈ [key], 1771–1841, French diplomat and historian. He held diplomatic posts under Napoleon, was acting minister of foreign affairs during ...

Eugénie

(Encyclopedia)Eugénie yo͞ojēˈnē, Fr. özhānēˈ [key], 1826–1920, empress of the French (1853–70), consort of Napoleon III. Born in Spain, she was christened Eugenia María de Montijo de Guzmán and was t...

Continental System

(Encyclopedia)Continental System, scheme of action adopted by Napoleon I in his economic warfare with England from 1806 to 1812. Economic warfare had been carried on before 1806, but the system itself was initiated...

Charles XIV, king of Sweden and Norway

(Encyclopedia)Charles XIV (Charles John; Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte) zhäN bäptēstˈ zhül bĕrnädôtˈ [key], 1763–1844, king of Sweden and Norway (1818–44), French Revolutionary general. Bernadotte ros...

Papal States

(Encyclopedia)Papal States, Ital. Lo Stato della Chiesa, from 754 to 1870 an independent territory under the temporal rule of the popes, also called the States of the Church and the Pontifical States. The territory...