Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Henry the Navigator, 1394–1460, prince of Portugal, patron of exploration. Because he fought with extraordinary valor in the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta (1415), he was created duke of Viseu by his ...

(Encyclopedia) Rasputin, Grigori Yefimovich răspyo͞oˈtĭn, Rus. grĭgôˈrē yĭfēˈməvĭch rəspo͞oˈtyĭn [key], 1869–1916, Russian holy man and courtier, a notorious figure at the court of Czar Nicholas I...

(Encyclopedia) Linacre or Lynaker, Thomas both: lĭˈnəkər [key], 1460?–1524, English humanist and physician. He took the degree of doctor of medicine at the Univ. of Padua, returned to England c.1492, and becam...

(Encyclopedia) Obadiah ōˌbədīˈə [key], in the Bible. 1 Prophet, author of the book of Obadiah. 2 Ahab's major-domo. 3 Descendant of David. 4 One of David's mighty men. 5 Prince under Jehoshaphat. 6 Repairer of...

(Encyclopedia) Magdalen Islands ēl-də-lä-mädlĕnˈ [key], group of nine main islands and numerous islets (1991 pop. 13,991), Que., Canada, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence N of Prince Edward Island. They were discove...

(Encyclopedia) Oldcastle, Sir John, 1378?–1417, English leader of Lollardry. He married the heiress of Lord Cobham in 1408 and was known as “the good Lord Cobham.” Under the rule of Henry IV he performed valua...

(Encyclopedia) Otto I, 1815–67, first king of the Hellenes (1833–62). The second son of King Louis I of Bavaria, he was chosen (1832) by a conference of European powers at London to rule newly independent Greece...

(Encyclopedia) Peter II, 1648–1706, king of Portugal (1683–1706), younger son of John IV; brother and successor of Alfonso VI. In 1667, he seized power from his incompetent brother and ruled the country as princ...

(Encyclopedia) Montecucculi or Montecuccoli, Raimondo, conte di rīmōnˈdō kōnˈtā dē mōnˌtāko͞okˈko͞olē, –kōlē [key], 1609–80, Italian military commander in the service of the Holy Roman Empire. H...

(Encyclopedia) Bressanone brās-sänôˈnā [key], Ger. Brixen, town, Trentino–Alto Adige, N Italy, on the...