Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Trajan

(Encyclopedia)Trajan (Marcus Ulpius Trajanus) trāˈjən [key], c.a.d. 53–a.d. 117, Roman emperor (a.d. 98–a.d. 117). Born in Spain, he was the first non-Italian to become head of the empire. Trajan served in t...

Broglie

(Encyclopedia)Broglie brôˈyə, brôglēˈ [key], French noble family of Piedmontese origin, who settled in France in the 17th cent. Victor Maurice, comte de Broglie, 1647–1727, was marshal of France and fought ...

Hapsburg

(Encyclopedia)Hapsburg or Habsburg both: hăpsˈbûrg, Ger. häpsˈbo͝ork [key], ruling house of Austria (1282–1918). In the 19th cent. the Hapsburg position was challenged in Germany by Prussia, in Italy b...

Mauretania

(Encyclopedia)Mauretania môrˌətāˈnēə [key], ancient district of Africa in Roman times. In a vague sense it meant only “the land of the Moors” and lay W of Numidia, but more specifically it usually includ...

Civilis

(Encyclopedia)Civilis (Julius Civilis) sĭvīˈlĭs [key], fl. a.d. 70, Batavian chief who chose the unsettled period at the fall of Nero to raise a revolt in Germany, which quickly spread to Gaul (a.d. 69–70). I...

Marcian

(Encyclopedia)Marcian märˈshən [key], 396–457, Roman emperor of the East (450–57); successor of Theodosius II, whose sister Pulcheria he married in 450. Orthodox in religious affairs, he convoked (451) the C...

Symmachus, Quintus Aurelius

(Encyclopedia)Symmachus, Quintus Aurelius sĭmˈəkəs [key], c.345–c.405, Roman government official and orator. Educated in Gaul, he held several official positions, including the consulship in 391. He is best k...

Ottocar I

(Encyclopedia)Ottocar I pərzhĕmˈĭsəl ôtˈôkär [key], d. 1230, duke (1197–98) and king (1198–1230) of Bohemia. The struggle within the Holy Roman Empire for the imperial crown enabled Ottocar to obtain (...

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...

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...

Browse by Subject