Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) capitularies kəpĭchˈo͝olĕrˌēz [key], decrees and written commands of the Carolingian kings of the Franks, so called because they were divided into capitula, or chapters. Both legislative and ad...

(Encyclopedia) Vizcarra, Martín (Martín Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo), 1963–, Peruvian political leader. A civil engineer, he worked from 1992 to 2010 in his family's construction business. As a member of the Alianz...

(Encyclopedia) Gourlay, Robert Fleming go͝orˈlē [key], 1778–1863, Scottish writer and agitator, b. Fifeshire. He emigrated to Upper Canada (Ontario) in 1817 and at Kingston attempted to establish himself as a l...

(Encyclopedia) Fourteenth Amendment, addition to the U.S. Constitution, adopted 1868. The amendment comprises five sections. Section 2 provides for apportionment of membership in the House of Representatives on th...

(Encyclopedia) administrative law, law governing the powers and processes of administrative agencies. The term is sometimes used also of law (i.e., rules, regulations) developed by agencies in the course of their op...

(Encyclopedia) audiencia oudyānˈsyä [key], royal court of justice in Spain and the Spanish Empire, varying greatly in its form and function but having some administrative as well as judicial capacity. Use of the ...

(Encyclopedia) Cardoso, Fernando Henrique fərnäNˈdo͞o ānrēˈkə kärdōˈso͞o [key], 1931–, Brazilian sociologist and politician, president of Brazil (1995–2002), b. Rio de Janeiro. Originally a sociology...

(Encyclopedia) Cayman Islands kāˈmən [key], British dependency (2015 est. pop. 60,000), 100 sq mi (259 sq km), comprising three low-lying islands in the West Indies. George Town, the capital and chief port, is on...

(Encyclopedia) hundred, in English history, a subdivision of a shire, first mentioned in the 10th cent. and surviving as a unit of local government into the 19th cent. It is thought that in origin the hundred compri...

(Encyclopedia) Areopagus ărēŏpˈəgəs [key] [Gr.,=hill of Ares], rocky hill, 370 ft (113 m) high, NW of the Acropolis of Athens, famous as the sacred meeting place of the prime council of Athens. This council, a...