Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Decazes, Élie ālēˈ dəkäzˈ [key], 1780–1860, French statesman, a favorite of King Louis XVIII, who made him a duke in 1820. A lawyer and judge, Decazes was made minister of police in 1815 and ...

(Encyclopedia) Boisguilbert, Pierre le Pesant, sieur de pyĕr lə pəzäNˈ syör də bwägēlbĕrˈ [key], 1646–1714, French economist. A local official of Rouen after 1689, he proposed a radical alteration of th...

(Encyclopedia) Chevreuse, Marie de Rohan-Montbazon, duchesse de märēˈ də rōäNˈ-môNbäzôNˈ düshĕsˈ də shəvrözˈ [key], 1600–1679, French beauty and politician, an intimate of the French queen, Anne ...

(Encyclopedia) Clavière, Étienne ātyĕnˈ klävyĕrˈ [key], 1735–93, French financier. A merchant and banker of Geneva, he participated (1782) in the popular revolution at Geneva and was forced to leave when t...

(Encyclopedia) Crémieux, (Isaac) Adolphe ēsäkˈ ädôlfˈ krāmyöˈ [key], 1796–1880, Jewish-French statesman and political writer. A lawyer, he served briefly as minister of justice in the provisional governm...

(Encyclopedia) Quesnel, Pasquier päskyāˈ kĕnĕlˈ [key], 1634–1719, French Jansenist writer. He entered the Congregation of the Oratory in 1657 and was made director of the seminary at Paris in 1662. His editi...

(Encyclopedia) Gramont, Agénor, prince de Bidache, duc de Guiche et de äzhānôrˈ prăNsˈ də bēdäshˈ dük də gēsh ā də grämôNˈ [key], 1819–80, French diplomat. He served as plenipotentiary at Stuttg...

(Encyclopedia) Ferdinand II, d. 1188, Spanish king of León (1157–88), son and successor of Alfonso VII. He invaded Castile and set up a protectorate during the minority (1158–66) of his nephew Alfonso VIII. He ...

(Encyclopedia) Leopold I, 1640–1705, Holy Roman emperor (1658–1705), king of Bohemia (1656–1705) and of Hungary (1655–1705), second son and successor of Ferdinand III. Upon his elder brother's death (1654), ...

(Encyclopedia) Milan (Milan Obrenović) mĭlˈän ōbrĕˈnəvĭch [key], 1854–1901, prince (1868–82) and king (1882–89) of Serbia; grandnephew of Miloš Obrenović. He succeeded his cousin Michael Obrenović ...