Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Bernstorff, Johann Heinrich, Graf von bĕrnsˈtôrf [key], 1862–1939, German diplomat. As ambassador to the United States (1908–17), he tried to conciliate American feelings toward Germany and re...

(Encyclopedia) Hofmannsthal, Hugo von ho͞oˈgō fən hōfˈmänstäl [key], 1874–1929, Austrian dramatist and poet. His first verses were published when he was 16 years old, and his play The Death of Titian (1892...

(Encyclopedia) Tirpitz, Alfred von älˈfrāt fən tĭrˈpĭts [key], 1849–1930, German admiral. His influence on German naval policy began with his study of the recently invented torpedo and his consequent appoin...

(Encyclopedia) Seeckt, Hans von häns fən zākt [key], 1866–1936, German general. He fought in Poland, Serbia, Romania, and Turkey during World War I. In 1920 he was made chief of the Reichswehr—the German army...

(Encyclopedia) Gagern, Heinrich, Freiherr von hīnˈrĭkh frīˈhĕr fən gäˈgərn [key], 1799–1880, German statesman. A Hessian parliamentary leader and leading advocate of German unity, he became (1848) presid...

(Encyclopedia) Yorck von Wartenburg or York von Wartenburg, Ludwig, Graf both: lo͝otˈvĭkh gräf yôrk fən värˈtənbo͝orkh [key], 1759–1830, Prussian army officer. He commanded the Prussian auxiliary corps t...

(Encyclopedia) Starhemberg, Ernst Rüdiger, Graf von gwēˈdōbältˌ [key], 1657–1737, also took part in the defense of Vienna. He was made field marshal and served with distinction in the War of the Spanish Succ...

(Encyclopedia) Dalin, Olof von o͞oˈlôv fən dälēnˈ [key], 1708–63, Swedish historian, poet, and journalist, the foremost figure of the Swedish Enlightenment. In his successful career in the civil service, Da...

(Encyclopedia) Stein, Lorenz von lōˈrĕnts fən shtīn [key], 1815–90, German economist and sociologist. He studied jurisprudence at the Univ. of Kiel and at Paris and taught (1846–51) at the Univ. of Kiel, bu...

(Encyclopedia) Gesner, Konrad von kônˈrät fən gĕsˈnər [key], 1516–65, Swiss scientist and bibliographer. Gesner was noted for his scholarship and erudition in almost every field of knowledge. He lived in Z�...