Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Henry the Lion, 1129–95, duke of Saxony (1142–80) and of Bavaria (1156–80); son of Henry the Proud. His father died (1139) while engaged in a war to regain his duchies, and it was not until 1142...

(Encyclopedia) Anne of Brittany, 1477–1514, queen of France as consort of Charles VIII from 1491 to 1498 and consort of Louis XII from 1499 until her death. The daughter of Duke Francis II of Brittany, she was hei...

(Encyclopedia) West, Mae, 1893–1980, American stage and movie comedienne, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., as Mary Jane West. The unparalleled mistress of double entendre, West began in burlesque and continued in vaudeville, st...

(Encyclopedia) Beaufort West bōˈfərt [key], town and local municipality, Western Cape prov., S South Africa, in ...

(Encyclopedia) North West, province (2011 pop. 3,509,953), 40,495 sq mi (104,882 sq km), N central South Africa. In 1994, under South Africa's post-apartheid constitution, North West was created from parts of the fo...

(Encyclopedia) Valerian (Publius Licinius Valerianus) vəlērˈēən [key], d. after 260, Roman emperor (253–60). He held important posts, both civil and military, under the emperors Decius and Gallus. After the s...

(Encyclopedia) Louis, Séraphine sāräfēnˈ lwē [key], 1894–1934, French neoprimitive painter. Louis was a shepherdess and kitchen helper who taught herself to paint. Her powerful floral paintings are fantasies...

(Encyclopedia) West Warwick wôrˈwĭk, –ˈĭk [key], town (1990 pop. 29,268), Kent co., central R.I., on the Pawtuxet River; set off from Warwick and inc. 1913. Once important for textile manufacturing, it still ...

(Encyclopedia) Untermeyer, Louis ŭnˈtərmīər [key], 1885–1977, American poet and anthologist, b. New York City. Although a first-rate poet, he is known best for his anthologies, notably Modern American Poetry ...

(Encyclopedia) Valentinian III, 419–55, Roman emperor of the West (425–55). Two years after the death of his uncle, Honorius, he was placed on the throne by his cousin Theodosius II, who deposed the usurper John...