Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Blücher, Gebhard Leberecht von gĕpˈhärt lāˈbərĕkht fən blüˈkhər [key], 1742–1819, Prussian field marshal, an outstanding military opponent of Napoleon I. An officer in the army of King F...

(Encyclopedia) Laban, Rudolf von fôn läbˈän [key], 1879–1958, Slovakian dancer, choreographer, and dance theorist. After studying in Paris and performing in N Africa, Germany, and Austria, he founded (1910) a ...

(Encyclopedia) Vienna Philharmonic, symphony orchestra in Vienna, Austria, founded 1842 and based at the Weiner Musikverein. The orchestra is a self-governing institution whose members are selected exclusively from ...

(Encyclopedia) Slatin, Rudolf Carl, Freiherr von päˈshä [key], 1857–1932, Austrian adventurer in British and Egyptian service. Called to Egypt by C. G. Gordon, Slatin became governor of Dara (1879) and governor...

(Encyclopedia) Gneisenau, August, Graf Neithardt von ouˈgo͝ost gräf nītˈhärt fən gənīˈzənou [key], 1760–1831, Prussian field marshal. In the Napoleonic Wars he fought at Jena (1806) and, as a major, won...

(Encyclopedia) Welsbach, Carl Auer, Baron von kärl ouˈər bärōnˈ fən vĕlsˈbäkh [key], 1858–1929, Austrian chemist. He discovered the rare earth elements neodymium and praseodymium (1885) and lutetium (c.1...

(Encyclopedia) Stadion, Johann Philipp, Graf von yōˈhän fēˈlĭp gräf fən shtäˈdēôn [key], 1763–1824, Austrian politician. A diplomat, he was made (1805) foreign minister and campaigned for a German upri...

(Encyclopedia) Patkul, Johann Reinhold von yōˈhän rīnˈhôlt fən pätˈko͝ol [key], 1660–1707, Livonian nobleman. He incurred the wrath of Charles XI of Sweden by championing the rights of the Livonian gentr...

(Encyclopedia) Holst, Hermann Eduard von fən hôlst [key], 1841–1904, American historian, b. Livonia (then part of Russia), of German parents. He was barred from Russia because of a pamphlet attacking the czarist...

(Encyclopedia) Martens, Georg Friedrich von gāôrkhˈ frēˈdrĭkh fôn märˈtəns [key], 1756–1821, German writer on international law, b. Hamburg. He was professor of international law at Göttingen (1783–89...