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Antiochus III

(Encyclopedia)Antiochus III (Antiochus the Great), d. 187 b.c., king of Syria (223–187 b.c.), son of Seleucus II and younger brother of Seleucus III, whom he succeeded. At his accession the Seleucid empire was in...

Eberhard

(Encyclopedia)Eberhard āˈbərhärtˌ [key], d. 939, duke of Franconia; brother of the German king, Conrad I, whom he succeeded as duke. The first to rebel against the centralizing policy of Holy Roman Emperor Ott...

pontifex maximus

(Encyclopedia)pontifex maximus pŏnˈtĭfĕks măkˈsĭməs [key], highest priest of Roman religion and official head of the college of pontifices. As the chief administrator of religious affairs he regulated the c...

Caractacus

(Encyclopedia)Caractacus kərădˈək [key], fl. a.d. 50, British king; son of Cymbeline. After the Roman invasion of a.d. 43, he led British resistance until defeated in a.d. 50. He was captured and taken to Rome....

Wels

(Encyclopedia)Wels vĕls [key], city (1991 pop. 52,594), Upper Austria province, W Austria, on the Traun River. It is an industrial and rail center and an agricultural market. Manufactures include agricultural mach...

Fugger

(Encyclopedia)Fugger fo͝ogˈər [key], German family of merchant princes. The foundation of their wealth was laid by Hans Fugger, allegedly a weaver, who moved to Augsburg in 1367. His descendants built up the fam...

Octavia

(Encyclopedia)Octavia ŏktāˈvēə [key]. 1 d. 11 b.c., Roman matron, sister of Emperor Augustus and wife of Marc Antony, her second husband. For some years, she helped maintain peace between her brother and her h...

pragmatic sanction

(Encyclopedia)pragmatic sanction, decision of state dealing with a matter of great importance to a community or a whole state and having the force of fundamental law. The term originated in Roman law and was used o...

Macedon

(Encyclopedia)Macedon măsˈədŏn [key], ancient country, roughly equivalent to the modern region of Macedonia. In the history of Greek culture Macedon had its single significance in producing the conquerors and a...

Rudolf I

(Encyclopedia)Rudolf I or Rudolf of Hapsburg ro͞oˈdŏlf [key], 1218–91, German king (1273–91), first king of the Hapsburg dynasty. Rudolf's election as king ended the interregnum (1250–73), during which tim...