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Zápolya, Stephen

(Encyclopedia)Zápolya, Stephen zäˈpôlyŏ [key], d. 1499, palatine (regent) of Hungary (1492–99), of a noble Hungarian family. An able general of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, he fought against the Ottoma...

Braganza

(Encyclopedia)Braganza brəgänˈzä [key], royal house that ruled Portugal from 1640 to 1910 and Brazil from 1822 to 1889. It took its name from the castle of Braganza or Bragança. The line was descended from Alf...

Baliol, Edward de

(Encyclopedia)Baliol, Edward de bālˈyəl [key], d. 1363, king of Scotland, son of John de Baliol (d. 1315). Having secured English support for his claim to the Scottish throne, he invaded Scotland in 1332 and was...

Diane de France

(Encyclopedia)Diane de France dyän də fräNs [key], 1538–1619, duchess of Angoulême; illegitimate daughter of King Henry II of France. She was legitimized in 1547. She was married to François, eldest son of C...

Stratford, John de

(Encyclopedia)Stratford, John de, d. 1348, English ecclesiastic, archbishop of Canterbury, 1333–48. A doctor of civil and canon law, he was a legal adviser to the court of Edward II and several times an emissary ...

Erskine, John, 1509–91, Scottish reformer

(Encyclopedia)Erskine, John, 1509–91, Scottish reformer, called Erskine of Dun. After several years on the Continent he returned to Scotland, where he introduced the study of Greek in Scottish schools. He was the...

York, Edmund of Langley, duke of

(Encyclopedia)York, Edmund of Langley, duke of, 1341–1402, fifth son of Edward III of England. He was made (1362) earl of Cambridge, served on expeditions to Spain and France, and married (1372) Isabel, daughter ...

hostage

(Encyclopedia)hostage, person held by another as a guarantee that certain actions or promises will or will not be carried out. During periods of internal turmoil, insurgents often seize hostages; recent examples in...

René

(Encyclopedia)René rənāˈ [key], 1409–80, king of Naples (1435–80; rival claimant to Alfonso V of Aragón and Ferdinand I of Naples), duke of Anjou, Bar, and Lorraine, count of Provence. He was also called R...
 

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