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Massasoit

(Encyclopedia)Massasoit măsˌəsoiˈĭt, măsˈəsoitˌ [key], c.1580–1661, chief of the Wampanoag. His name was Ousamequin (spelled in various ways); Massasoit is a title of leadership. One of the most powerful...

Kirchner, Leon

(Encyclopedia)Kirchner, Leon, 1919–2009, American composer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. Kirchner studied at the Univ. of California, Berkeley, with Ernest Bloch, Arnold Schoenberg, and Roger Sessions. Although he used many...

Szymanowski, Karol

(Encyclopedia)Szymanowski, Karol käˈrôl shĭmänôfˈskē [key], 1882–1937, Polish composer; studied in Berlin and Warsaw. His early works show marked German, French, and Russian influences, but in his later c...

William II, king of Sicily

(Encyclopedia)William II (William the Good), c.1153–1189, king of Sicily (1166–89), son and successor of William I. He married (1177) Joan, daughter of Henry II of England. As an ally of Pope Alexander III and ...

Conrad III, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire

(Encyclopedia)Conrad III, c.1093–1152, German king (1138–52), son of Frederick, duke of Swabia, and Agnes, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV; first of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He joined his brother Frede...

Djokovic, Novak

(Encyclopedia)Djokovic, Novak, 1987–, Serbian tennis player, b. Belgrade. He began winning European championships at age 14, and played in his first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open, in 2005. He won the...

Duane, William John

(Encyclopedia)Duane, William John, 1780–1865, U.S. Secretary of Treasury (June–Sept., 1833), b. Clonmel, Ireland. He emigrated (1796) to Philadelphia with his father, William Duane (1760–1835), and assisted h...

Consulate

(Encyclopedia)Consulate, 1799–1804, in French history, form of government established after the coup of 18 Brumaire (Nov. 9–10, 1799), which ended the Directory. Three consuls were appointed to rule France—Na...

Andronicus II

(Encyclopedia)Andronicus II (Andronicus Palaeologus) pālēŏlˈəgəs [key], 1258–1332, Byzantine emperor (1282–1328), son and successor of Michael VIII. He devoted himself chiefly to church affairs, renewing ...

Godiva, Lady

(Encyclopedia)Godiva, Lady gōdīˈvə [key], fl. c.1040–80, wife of Leofric, earl of Mercia; famous for her legendary ride through the city of Coventry. She was a benefactor of several monasteries, especially th...