Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Sigismund II

(Encyclopedia)Sigismund II or Sigismund Augustus, 1520–72, king of Poland (1548–72). Crowned in 1530 to assure his succession, he assumed the royal functions at the death of his father, Sigismund I. By the Unio...

Marenzio, Luca

(Encyclopedia)Marenzio, Luca lo͞oˈkä märĕnˈtsēō [key], 1553–1599, Italian composer, in whose works the Renaissance madrigal reached its peak of development. He served the Gonzaga family in Mantua, the Med...

Piłsudski, Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Piłsudski, Joseph yo͞oˈzĕf pēlˌso͞otˈskē [key], 1867–1935, Polish general and politician. He was exiled (1887–92) to Siberia for an alleged attempt on the life of Czar Alexander III, who ...

Kaunas

(Encyclopedia)Kaunas kouˈnäs [key], Pol. Kowno, Rus. Kovno, city (1993 pop. 429,000), in Lithuania, on the Neman River. It is a river port and an industrial center with industries producing machinery, chemicals, ...

polonaise

(Encyclopedia)polonaise pŏlˌənāzˈ, ōˌ– [key], Polish national dance, in moderate 3–4 time and of slow, stately movements. It evolved from peasant and court processions and ceremonies of the late 16th cen...

Vyazma

(Encyclopedia)Vyazma vyäzˈmə [key], city (1989 pop. 59,000), N central European Russia, on the Vyazma River, a tributary of the Dnieper. Founded in the 9th cent., Vyazma became an important trade and military ce...

vodka

(Encyclopedia)vodka vŏdˈkə [key], traditional spirituous drink of Russia, the Baltic states, and Poland; it is now consumed internationally. The best vodka is distilled from rye and barley malt, but the cheaper ...

Libeskind, Daniel

(Encyclopedia)Libeskind, Daniel, 1946–, American architect, b. Łódź, Poland. He moved to the United States in 1959, becoming a citizen in 1965. He has held a number of teaching posts, notably at the Cranbrook ...

Neustria

(Encyclopedia)Neustria no͞osˈtrēə [key], western portion of the kingdom of the Franks in the 6th, 7th, and 8th cent., during the rule of the Merovingians. It comprised the Seine and Loire country and the region...

Piekary Śląskie

(Encyclopedia)Piekary Śląskie pyĕkäˈrĭ shlôNˈskyĕ [key], town (1992 est. pop. 68,400), Śląskie prov., S Poland, in the Katowice mining and industrial region. Its manufactures include mining equipment and...