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Penda

(Encyclopedia)Penda, d. 654, king of Mercia (c.632–654). A noble of the Mercian royal house, he fought (629) the king of Wessex for lands along the Severn River. He then allied himself with Cadwallon of Wales, de...

Pepin of Landen

(Encyclopedia)Pepin of Landen (Pepin I), d. 639?, mayor of the palace of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia. With Arnulf, bishop of Metz, he called in King Clotaire II of Neustria to overthrow (613) Queen Brunhilda ...

Mary of Modena

(Encyclopedia)Mary of Modena mŏdˈĭnə [key], 1658–1718, queen consort of James II of England; daughter of Alfonso IV, duke of Modena. Her marriage (1673) to James, then duke of York, was brought about through ...

Leyster, Judith

(Encyclopedia)Leyster, Judith, 1609–60, painter of Holland's 17th-century “golden age,” one of the few women artists prior to the late 19th cent. whose work has been recognized. She is thought to have studied...

Ludwig, Christa

(Encyclopedia)Ludwig, Christa lo͞otˈvĭkh [key], 1928–, German mezzo-soprano, b. Berlin. The daughter of opera singers, she debuted (1946) as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus at the Frankfurt State Opera and ...

Louis II, king of Hungary and Bohemia

(Encyclopedia)Louis II, 1506–26, king of Hungary and Bohemia (1516–26), son and successor of Uladislaus II. He was the last of the Jagiello dynasty in the two kingdoms. In the face of intensified attacks by Sul...

plebs

(Encyclopedia)plebs plĭbēˈənz [key] [Lat. plebs=people], general body of Roman citizens, as distinct from the patrician class. They lacked, at first, most of the patrician rights, but with the establishment of ...

Sunderland, Charles Spencer, 3d earl of

(Encyclopedia)Sunderland, Charles Spencer, 3d earl of, 1674–1722, English statesman; son of the 2d earl. His marriage (1700) to a daughter of the 1st duke of Marlborough brought him a secretaryship of state (1706...

Adelaide, empress consort of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I

(Encyclopedia)Adelaide äˈdĕlhīt [key], c.931–999, empress consort of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, daughter of King Rudolf II of Arles. After the death (950) of her first husband, King Lothair of Italy, she was ...

Bellerophon

(Encyclopedia)Bellerophon bəlĕrˈəfŏn, –fən [key], in Greek mythology, son of Glaucus (3;) originally called Hipponoüs. He changed his name after he murdered a countryman and was forced to flee to exile. He...