Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Broederlam, Melchior mĕlˈkhēôr bröˈdərläm [key], active c.1381–1409, Franco-Flemish painter. Broederlam was among the first practitioners of the International Gothic style (see Gothic archit...

(Encyclopedia) Braudel, Fernand, 1902–85, French historian. He studied under Lucien Febvre and was a founder of the Annales school of historiography. As a German prisoner-of-war during World War II, he wrote his m...

(Encyclopedia) anti-hero, principal character of a modern literary or dramatic work who lacks the attributes of the traditional protagonist or hero. The anti-hero's lack of courage, honesty, or grace, his weaknesses...

(Encyclopedia) Five Forks, crossroads near Dinwiddie Courthouse, SW of Petersburg, Va. The last important battle of the Civil War was fought there on Apr. 1, 1865. Philip H. Sheridan, leading his own and Gouverneur ...

(Encyclopedia) Anne (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise), 1950–, British princess, only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh. She was educated at Benenden School. In 1973 she married a Brit...

(Encyclopedia) Praguerie prägərēˈ [key], 1440, revolt against King Charles VII of France, so called in allusion to the Hussite uprising in Prague. It was led by several great feudal lords, including the comte de...

(Encyclopedia) saraband sârˈəbănd [key], dance of Asian origin that first appeared in Spain in the 16th cent. At that time it was characterized by alternate 3–4 and 3–8 meter and was accompanied by castanets...

(Encyclopedia) Elgin, town, Moray, NE Scotland, on the Lossie River. Lossiemouth is its port. Elgin is the market town for Moray's farm belt. Woolen textiles are manuf...

(Encyclopedia) Leicester, Robert Dudley, earl of lĕsˈtər [key], 1532?–1588, English courtier and favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. A younger son of John Dudley, duke of Northumberland, he was early brought into th...

(Encyclopedia) Farnese färnāˈzā [key], Italian noble family that ruled Parma and Piacenza from 1545 to 1731. In the 12th cent. the Farnese held several fiefs in Latium. They became one of the most prominent fami...