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Lancashire

(Encyclopedia)Lancashire lăngˈkəshĭr, –shər [key], county (1991 pop. 1,365,100), 1,878 sq mi (4,864 sq km), N England, on the Irish Sea. The historical county town is Lancaster, but the county's administrati...

Olaf Guthfrithson

(Encyclopedia)Olaf Guthfrithson sĭtˈrĭkˌsən [key], d. 981, often called Olaf Cuaran, was expelled from Northumbria by Edmund in 944. He returned to rule in Ireland, where he was in 980 defeated at the battle o...

Hanover, former kingdom and province, Germany

(Encyclopedia)Hanover hănˈōvər [key], Ger. Hannover, former independent kingdom and former province of Germany; Lower Saxony, NW Germany. Very irregular in outline, Hanover stretched from the Dutch border and t...

León, region and former kingdom, Spain

(Encyclopedia)León lā-ōnˈ [key], historic region and former kingdom, NW Spain, E of Portugal and Galicia, now part of Castile–León. It includes the provinces of León, Salamanca, and Zamora, named after thei...

Benin, city and former kingdom, Nigeria

(Encyclopedia)Benin bĕnēnˈ [key], city, S Nigeria, a port on the Benin River. Palm nuts and timber are p...

Æthelbald

(Encyclopedia)Æthelbald ĕˈthəlbôld, ăˈ– [key], d. 757, king of Mercia (716–57), grandson of a brother of Penda. He spent years in exile before he became king. A strong ruler, by 731 he controlled all Eng...

Tynemouth

(Encyclopedia)Tynemouth tīnˈməth, tĭnˈ– [key], city (1991 pop. 60,022), North Tyneside metropolitan district, NE England, on the Tyne River. Tynemouth is highly industrialized. Formerly a shipbuilding center...

Alexander II, king of Scotland

(Encyclopedia)Alexander II, 1198–1249, king of Scotland (1214–49), son and successor of William the Lion. He joined the English barons in their revolt against King John of England in 1215. Though he made his pe...

Wessex

(Encyclopedia)Wessex wĕsˈĭks [key], one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England. It may have been settled as early as 495 by Saxons under Cerdic, who is reputed to have landed in Hampshire. Cerdic's grandson, Cea...

York, city, England

(Encyclopedia)York, city and unitary authority (2011 pop. 198,051), N England, at the confluence of the Ouse and Foss rivers. It is located at the historical junction of the three ridings of Yorkshire. York, a rail...