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Napoleonic Wars

(Encyclopedia)Napoleonic Wars, 1803–15, the wars waged by or against France under Napoleon I. For a discussion of them see under Napoleon I. ...

Dutch Wars

(Encyclopedia)Dutch Wars, series of conflicts between the English and Dutch during the mid to late 17th cent. The wars had their roots in the Anglo-Dutch commercial rivalry, although the last of the three wars was ...

Bishops' Wars

(Encyclopedia)Bishops' Wars, two brief campaigns (1639 and 1640) of the Scots against Charles I of England. When Charles attempted to strengthen episcopacy in Scotland by imposing (1637) the English Book of Common ...

Saronic Gulf

(Encyclopedia)Saronic Gulf sərŏˈnĭk [key], arm of the Aegean Sea, indenting SE Greece and separated from the Gulf of Corinth by the Isthmus of Corinth. The Saronic Gulf is the eastern terminus of the Corinth Ca...

Mexico, Gulf of

(Encyclopedia)Mexico, Gulf of, arm of the Atlantic Ocean, c.700,000 sq mi (1,813,000 sq km), SE North America. The Gulf stretches more than 1,100 mi (1,770 km) from west to east and c.800 mi (1,290 km) from north t...

Firdausi

(Encyclopedia)Firdausi or Ferdowsi both: fərdouˈsē [key], c.940–1020, principal Persian poet, author of the Shah Namah [the book of kings], the great Persian epic. His original name was Abul Kasim Mansur; he i...

Haifa

(Encyclopedia)Haifa hīˈfä [key], city, NW Israel, a port on the Mediterranean Sea, at the foot of Mt. Ca...

commando

(Encyclopedia)commando, small, elite military raiding and assault unit or soldier. Although the word was coined in the Boer War (1899–1902), the role is as old as battles themselves. In 1940, when the British org...

Themistocles

(Encyclopedia)Themistocles thəmĭsˈtəklēz [key], c.525–462 b.c., Athenian statesman and naval commander. He was elected one of the three archons in 493 b.c. In succeeding years many of his rivals were elimina...
 

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