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John VIII, Byzantine emperor

(Encyclopedia)John VIII (John Palaeologus), 1390–1448, Byzantine emperor (1425–48), son and successor of Manuel II. When he acceded, the Byzantine Empire had been reduced by the Turks to the city of Constantino...

Henry II, king of England

(Encyclopedia)Henry II, 1133–89, king of England (1154–89), son of Matilda, queen of England, and Geoffrey IV, count of Anjou. He was the founder of the Angevin, or Plantagenet, line in England and one of the a...

Fontaine, Pierre François Léonard

(Encyclopedia)Fontaine, Pierre François Léonard pyĕr fräNswäˈ lāōnärˈ fôNtĕnˈ [key], 1762–1853, French architect. He was known chiefly for the work which, beginning in 1794, he did jointly with Charl...

Flanders, French

(Encyclopedia)Flanders, French, region of N France, on the North Sea and along the Belgian border. It is coextensive with Nord dept. The area is studded with important industrial cities and historic towns and was o...

Russell

(Encyclopedia)Russell, English noble family. It first appeared prominently in the reign of Henry VIII when John Russell, 1st earl of Bedford, 1486?–1555, rose to military and diplomatic importance. He was lord hi...

Crémieux, (Isaac) Adolphe

(Encyclopedia)Crémieux, (Isaac) Adolphe ēsäkˈ ädôlfˈ krāmyöˈ [key], 1796–1880, Jewish-French statesman and political writer. A lawyer, he served briefly as minister of justice in the provisional governm...

Concorde, Place de la

(Encyclopedia)Concorde, Place de la pläs də lä kôNkôrdˈ [key], large square, Paris, France. It is bounded by the Tuileries gardens; the Champs Élysées; the Seine River; and a facade of buildings divided by ...

Decazes, Élie

(Encyclopedia)Decazes, Élie ālēˈ dəkäzˈ [key], 1780–1860, French statesman, a favorite of King Louis XVIII, who made him a duke in 1820. A lawyer and judge, Decazes was made minister of police in 1815 and ...

Montgomery, Gabriel, seigneur de Lorges, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Montgomery, Gabriel, seigneur de Lorges, comte de gäbrēĕlˈ sānyörˈ də lôrzh kôNt də môNgômərēˈ [key], c.1530–1574, French soldier. Captain of the Scottish guards of King Henry II of ...

Religion, Wars of

(Encyclopedia)Religion, Wars of, 1562–98, series of civil wars in France, also known as the Huguenot Wars. The immediate issue was the French Protestants' struggle for freedom of worship and the right of establis...
 

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