Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) division of labor, in economics, the specialization of the functions and roles involved in production. Division of labor is closely tied with the standardization of production, the introduction and pe...

(Encyclopedia) Montpellier, University of, at Montpellier, France; founded 1220 by Cardinal Conrad and confirmed by papal bull. The university was suppressed during the French Revolution and replaced by faculties of...

(Encyclopedia) Dionysius of Halicarnassus hălˌĭkärnăsˈəs [key], fl. late 1st cent. b.c., Greek rhetorician and historian. He taught at Rome and was one of the most celebrated of ancient critics. Among his ext...

(Encyclopedia) Albert of Brandenburg, 1490–1568, grand master of the Teutonic Knights (1511–25), first duke of Prussia (1525–68); grandson of Elector Albert Achilles of Brandenburg. In 1525 he became a Protest...

(Encyclopedia) Riga, Treaty of, either of two peace treaties signed at Riga, Latvia. By the Treaty of Riga of 1920, between the USSR and Latvia, the USSR recognized Latvian independence. The Treaty of Riga of 1921, ...

(Encyclopedia) John of Gaunt [Mid. Eng. Gaunt=Ghent, his birthplace], 1340–99, duke of Lancaster; fourth son of Edward III of England. He married (1359) Blanche, heiress of Lancaster, and through her became earl (...

(Encyclopedia) Thomas of Erceldoune ûrˈsəldo͞onˌ [key], fl. 1220?–1297?, Scottish seer and poet, also known as Thomas the Rhymer and Thomas Learmont. Evidence of his existence is founded on the mention of his...

(Encyclopedia) Charles of Blois (Charles of Châtillon) blwä, shätēyôNˈ [key], c.1319–1364, duke of Brittany; nephew of Philip VI of France. He was one of the chief participants in the War of the Breton Succe...

(Encyclopedia) League of Nations, former international organization, established by the peace treaties that ended World War I. Like its successor, the United Nations, its purpose was the promotion of international p...

(Encyclopedia) Vienna, Congress of, Sept., 1814–June, 1815, one of the most important international conferences in European history, called to remake Europe after the downfall of Napoleon I. Although the territo...