Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) New Sweden, Swedish colony (1638–55), on the Delaware River; included parts of what are now Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. With the support of Swedish statesman Axel Oxenstierna, Admiral Kl...

(Encyclopedia) Feodor III, 1661–82, czar of Russia (1676–82), son and successor of Alexis. Although an invalid, Feodor strove to carry out reforms. In 1681 he abolished the system of precedence among the boyar f...

(Encyclopedia) Walter Sans Avoir, Fr. Gautier Sans-Avoir, d. 1096, French Crusader, known as Walter the Penniless. He joined Peter the Hermit as leader of an army to the Holy Land. In what came to be known as the Po...

(Encyclopedia) Aeneas ēˈnēəs, ĭnēˈ– [key], palsied man whom Peter cured in the Acts of the Apostles. ...

(Encyclopedia) Alexis əlyĭksyāˈ mēkhīˈləvĭch [key], 1629–76, czar of Russia (1645–76), son and successor of Michael. His reign, marked by numerous popular outbreaks, was crucial for the later developmen...

(Encyclopedia) Castro, Inés de, or Inez de Castro both: īˈnĕz də kăsˈtrō, Port. ēnĕshˈ dĭ käshˈtro͝o [key], d. 1355, Spanish noblewoman, a celebrated beauty, and a tragic figure in Portuguese history....

(Encyclopedia) relics, part of the body of a saint or a thing closely connected with the saint in life. In traditional Christian belief they have had great importance, and miracles have often been associated with th...

(Encyclopedia) Malchus mălˈkəs [key], in the New Testament, servant of the high priest; Jesus healed him after Peter cut off his ear. ...

(Encyclopedia) Danilo I (Danilo Petrović-Njegoš) dänēˈlō [key], 1670?–1735, last elected prince-bishop (vladika) of Montenegro (1696–1735) and founder of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty. After coordinating d...

(Encyclopedia) Charles of Valois välwäˈ [key], 1270–1325, French prince and military leader, third son of Philip III and father of Philip VI. He dominated the reign in France of his nephew Louis X. On the excom...