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Ghelderode, Michel de

(Encyclopedia)Ghelderode, Michel de mēshĕlˈ də gĕldərōdˈ [key], 1898–1962, Belgian dramatist. He wrote in French and is noted for his colorful and avant-garde plays. He lived in obscurity until 1949, when...

Guébriant, Jean Baptiste Budes, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Guébriant, Jean Baptiste Budes, comte de zhäN bätēstˈ büd kôNt də gābrēäNˈ [key], 1602–43, marshal of France and general in the Thirty Years War. He commanded the French auxiliaries of B...

Louis XIV, king of France

(Encyclopedia)Louis XIV, 1638–1715, king of France (1643–1715), son and successor of King Louis XIII. Although he had a series of mistresses, Louis XIV finally came under the influence of Mme de Maintenon, wh...

Daubenton, Louis Jean Marie

(Encyclopedia)Daubenton, Louis Jean Marie lwē zhäN märēˈ dōbäNtôNˈ [key], 1716–1800, French naturalist. He was a professor at the Collège de France from 1778; his work touched many fields—comparative ...

Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien

(Encyclopedia)Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien sävēnyăNˈ sēränōˈ də bĕrzhəräkˈ [key], 1619–55, French novelist. Satirizing the customs and beliefs of his time, he wrote two fantastic romances about visit...

Bourdonnais, Louis de la

(Encyclopedia)Bourdonnais, Louis de la (Louis-Charles Mahé de la Bourdonnais), 1795–1840, French chess player, b. La Réunion. A pupil of Alexandre Deschappelles, he defeated his mentor in 1821 and from then unt...

Port Royal Sound

(Encyclopedia)Port Royal Sound, arm of the Atlantic Ocean, between St. Helena and Parris islands to the north and Hilton Head Island to the south, in S S.C.; it receives the Broad River. The sound was named in 1562...

League

(Encyclopedia)League or Holy League, in French history, organization of Roman Catholics, aimed at the suppression of Protestantism and Protestant political influence in France. It was foreshadowed as early as 1561 ...

Vincennes, Jean Baptiste Bissot, sieur de

(Encyclopedia)Vincennes, Jean Baptiste Bissot, sieur de fräNswäˈ märēˈ [key], 1700–1736, b. Montreal, was called François Margane after his godfather and uncle. He served as a cadet under his father from 1...

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