History & Biography
Storia, Storici E Biografie Varie · 158 articles · Principal contributors · All subjectsHistorical Treatises (Trattazioni storiche)
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Abasgi
ABASGI. - Aborigines of the western Caucasus, living in the region between the Singames and the Pityus: semi-dependent on Rome since the… -
Ad Bestias
AD BESTIAS. - Among the Romans the damnatio or datio ad b. was the penalty inflicted on parricides, murderers, seditious persons, arsonists… -
Adelphi, Society Of The (ADELFI, SOCIETÀ DEGLI)
ADELPHI, Society Of The. - A secret society that arose in France, according to some in 1804, through the work of Col. Oudet, Gen. Lafayette… -
Agrarian Land Register (CATASTO AGRARIO)
AGRARIAN LAND REGISTER. - It is the inventory of landed property for fiscal and civil purposes. Its usefulness was recognized by the… -
Alamanni
ALAMANNI. - Also called Alemanni or Suebi, they were one of the great Germanic tribes that later formed the kingdom of the Eastern Franks… -
Alani
ALANI. - A nomadic people of Scythian race. At the time when they appear in history they were living between the Caspian Sea and Lake Aral.… -
Anglo-Saxons (ANGLOSASSONI)
ANGLO-SAXONS. - From the name "Saxones," given to the Germanic invaders of Britain, and from "Angli," later predominantly used, Paul the… -
Annunziata, Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (ANNUNZIATA, ORDINE CAVALLERESCO DELLA S.M.A)
ANNUNZIATA, Order of the Most Holy Annunciation. - The Supreme Order of the Most Holy A., among the oldest in Europe, was the highest of… -
Antipodes (ANTIPODI)
ANTIPODES. - Those who inhabit a part of the earth diametrically opposite to a given place. Therefore, to admit the existence of the… -
Apostolines (Apostolic Friars) (APOSTOLINI (FRATI APOSTOLICI))
APOSTOLINES (APOSTOLIC FRIARS). - A religious congregation of the 15th century, so called by the people because its members, renouncing the… -
Aquitania
AQUITANIA. - A natural region of southwestern France, bounded by the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and the Atlantic Ocean, already inhabited… -
Aragona
ARAGONA. - Region of north-eastern Spain. It is among the most mountainous regions of Spain because, bounded to the north by the Pyrenees… -
Asia Minor (Ἀσία ἡ ἐλάττων, ἡ μικρά Ἀσία) (ASIA MINORE. ('ΑΣΊΑ Ἡ ἘΛΆΤΤΩΝ, Ἡ ΜΙΚΡΆ ἈΣΊΑ))
ASIA MINOR (Ἀσία ἡ ἐλάττων, ἡ μικρά Ἀσία). - A rather late designation (4th century AD: cf. Orosius, I, 2) that preceded in learned usage… -
Asiatic Civilization, East (ORIENTE ASIATICO, CIVILTÀ DELL')
ASIATIC CIVILIZATION, East. - The peoples who constituted the civilization of Asia and wove its historical fabric are China in the east,… -
Aspromonte, Battle of (ASPROMONTE, SCONTRO DI)
ASPROMONTE, Battle of. - The tortuous attitude of the Rattazzi cabinet, which seemed to promise, if not support, at least benevolent… -
Athens (Ἀθ/νχ) (ATENE ('ΑΘ/ΝΧΙ))
ATHENS (Ἀθ/νχ). - Capital of Attica and of the present Kingdom of Greece. SUMMARY: I. A. in antiquity. - II. A. in the Bible. - III.… -
Athos, Mount (ATHOS, MONTE)
ATHOS, MOUNT. - It is the easternmost of the three peninsulas that extend southward from the Chalcidian peninsula. It is almost 50 km long… -
Auto Da Fé
AUTO DA FÉ. - According to our lexicographers the a. d. f., a Spanish-Portuguese phrase, would be "the execution of a sentence of the… -
Àvari
ÀVARI. - Of Mongol race, coming from the Asian plateau, with a marked affinity to the Huns, the A. turned, a little after the middle of the… -
Avignon Exile (ESILIO D'AVIGNONE)
AVIGNON EXILE. - It is customary to unjustly compare to the exile of the Hebrews in Babylon the sojourn in Avignon (1305-76) of the popes… -
Bagratids (BAGRATIDI)
BAGRATIDS. - A powerful dynasty of Armenian princes, knights of the Armenian crown, having the prerogative of crowning the king. In the… -
Barbarians (BARBARI)
BARBARIANS. - The word, Greek in origin, at first meant the stammerers, that is, those who spoke a language different from Greek, and was… -
Bartolomeo, Night of Saint (BARTOLOMEO, NOTTE DI SAN)
BARTOLOMEO, NIGHT OF SAINT. - It is one of the episodes, perhaps the cruelest, that bloodied France during the wars of religion. Besides… -
Battle of Castelfidardo (CASTELFIDARDO, BATTAGLIA DI)
BATTLE OF CASTELFIDARDO. - The medieval village near Ancona gave its name to the engagement fought at the locality of Crocette, between… -
Battle of Mentana (MENTANA, BATTAGLIA DI)
BATTLE OF MENTANA. - This locality gave its name to the engagement with which, on Nov. 3, 1867, at the twilight of the Papal State, there… -
Bavari
BAVARIANS. - Of Marcomannic stock (v. MARCOMANNI) from the great Germanic stem and coming from the territory of present-day Bohemia, the… -
Bessi
BESSI. - A population of Thracian stock living in the time of Strabo on the plain between the mountain groups of the Haemus (Balkans) and… -
Borgofranco
BORGOFRANCO. - Also called Villanova or Villafranca, it is a medieval settlement, surrounded by walls and ditches, generally of square or… -
Boxers, Society of (BOXERS, SÈTTA DEI)
BOXERS, Society of. - To the very numerous secret sects of China there was added after 1898 the so-called "Society of Good and Sincere… -
Burgundians (BURGUNDI)
BURGUNDIANS. - The first mention of the B. is in Pliny (Nat. Hist., IV, 99), before their settling beyond the Vistula. Of perhaps… -
Campenses
CAMPENSES. - Nickname given by St. Jerome (Ep., XV) to the Catholics of Antioch who were partisans of Bishop Meletius, persecuted by Valens… -
Candia (Crete) (CANDIA (CRETA))
CANDIA (CRETE). - A Greek island which, even among its many ancient Hellenic memories, also preserves many Christian historical records… -
Cappadocia
CAPPADOCIA. - A Roman province situated on the plateau of Anatolia, with the free city of Caesarea (today Kayseri) as its capital. Its… -
Carboneria
CARBONERIA.- A secret political and pseudo-religious society which, having appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, had a vast… -
Carroccio
CARROCCIO. - A special war chariot, used in the Middle Ages, whose primary purpose was to carry the banner of the city. Some cities gave it… -
Castel Gandolfo (CASTELGANDOLFO)
CASTEL GANDOLFO. - The small town that dominates Lake Albano from the top of the volcanic crater in which the lake is gathered now has… -
Castel Sant'Angelo
CASTEL SANT'ANGELO. - In Rome, on the right bank of the Tiber, facing the Campus Martius, Hadrian had the new mausoleum built for the… -
Castro, War of (CASTRO, GUERRA DI)
CASTRO, War of. - Pope Paul III had granted to his relatives, the Farnese, in addition to the possession of Parma, also that of a small… -
Catalogues of Popes and Bishops (CATALOGHI DI PAPI E DI VESCOVI)
CATALOGUES OF POPES AND BISHOPS. - Early on, the custom arose in individual churches of keeping an official list of the series of bishops.… -
Catholic League (LEGA CATTOLICA)
CATHOLIC LEAGUE. - An association of Catholics, established in France in 1576 to resist Protestantism and to give the policy of the State a… -
Catholic Reformation (RIFORMA CATTOLICA)
CATHOLIC REFORM. - The Catholic Reform of the 16th century is the Church's return to an ideal of Christian life through intimate renewal.… -
Chaldeans (CALDEI)
CHALDEANS. - This is the name given, from the region of ancient Chaldea where they dwell, to the Syrian Catholics converted from… -
Chartophylax
CHARTOPHYLAX. - A dignitary of the Byzantine Church, called, under Andronikos the Younger, also "Magnus c.", who was originally the… -
Cilicia
CILICIA. - A vast region in the south-eastern corner of Asia Minor. The long Taurus chain with its high peak Bulgar Dağ (3500 m.) separates… -
Clerical and Clericalism (CLERICALE E CLERICALISMO)
CLERICAL AND CLERICALISM. - "Clerical" is one of those adjectives that are periodically coined to be used in a derogatory sense, as… -
Collegia Funeraticia
COLLEGIA FUNERATICIA. - Term coined by Theodor Mommsen (De Collegii, p. 91) to designate certain "Confraternities" or ancient Roman… -
Communalies (COMUNALIE)
COMMUNALIES. - Also called communa, consorterie, partecipare, università, vicine, they are remnants of collective property that, owing to… -
Commune (La) of Paris (COMUNE (LA) DI PARIGI)
COMMUNE (La) of Paris. - Revolutionary movement (18 March-27 May 1871) directed by the "Central Committee of the National Guard." It is… -
Conclusion (CONCLUSIONE)
CONCLUSIONE. - The great historical fact of the Crusades thus came to an end, with the closing of the Middle Ages and the strengthening of… -
Convention of September (CONVENZIONE DI SETTEMBRE)
CONVENTION OF SEPTEMBER. - An Italo-French diplomatic act signed in Paris on September 15, 1864, in order to find a settlement, even if… -
Crusade, Bull of the (CROCIATA, BOLLA DELLA)
CRUSADE, Bull of the. - A pontifical document containing the favors, privileges and indults granted to the kings of Spain for the faithful… -
Crusades (CROCIATE)
CRUSADES. - The movement for the expansion of the Faith and of the new Romano-Germanic civilization culminates, while the feudal regime is… -
Curtensian System (CURTENSE, SISTEMA)
CURTENSIAN SYSTEM. - This is the medieval economic and administrative system that governed the curtes, which consisted of a territorial… -
Dacia
DACIA. - Under this name in the imperial age was included a vast region of central Europe between Sarmatia and Germany, which was roughly… -
Dantesque Apostolate (APOSTOLATO DANTESCO)
DANTESQUE APOSTOLATE. - Under this name, at the inspiration and urging of a learned man of letters from Monsampolo, Nicola Gaetani… -
Defensor Civitatis
DEFENSOR CIVITATIS. - A civic magistrate for the defense of the humble classes against the abuses and excessive power of local magistrates.… -
Dodecanese (DODECANESO)
DODECANESE. - Gruppo di 14 isole (alcuni ne escludevano 2, cioè Rodi e Castelrosso, cosicché si avevano 12 isole secondo il rigore del… -
Domus Culta
DOMUS CULTA. - The impoverishment of the revenues of the Roman Church, caused by the ill will of the Eastern emperors, the granting of… -
Ecclesiastical Property (BENI ECCLESIASTICI)
ECCLESIASTICAL PROPERTY. - This is the name given to temporal goods (whether corporeal, such as movable and immovable property, or… -
Edict of Milan (EDITTO DI MILANO)
EDICT OF MILAN. - After the victory over Maxentius in 312, the emperors Constantine and Licinius met in Milan in the first months of 313.… -
Emancipation, Act of (EMANCIPAZIONE, ATTO DI)
EMANCIPATION, Act of. - It concerns the repeal of the laws that in Great Britain and Ireland placed Catholics in a state of legal and… -
Empire of the East (ORIENTE, IMPERO D')
EMPIRE OF THE EAST. - I. ROMAN EMPIRE OF THE EAST. - The Byzantine Empire, which historically has always been called and ought to be called… -
Ems, Punctuation of (EMS, PUNTAZIONE DI)
EMS, Punctuation of. - This is the name given to the declaration made by the Rhenish episcopate on the occasion of the erection of the… -
Encyclopédie
ENCYCLOPÉDIE. - In the history of culture, this term is customarily used to designate, without further specification, the E. ou… -
Eucharistic Congresses (CONGRESSI EUCARISTICI)
EUCHARISTIC CONGRESSES. - Eucharistic congresses are gatherings of the clergy and the Christian people, for the purpose of publicly… -
Feudalism (FEUDALESIMO)
FEUDALISM. - I. HISTORY. - It is the socio-political regime prevailing in Western and Central Europe during the Middle Ages. Purely formal… -
Franchi
FRANCHI. - The prehistory of the F. before their entry into Gaul is unknown. One can only infer a previous settlement of theirs on the… -
Franciscan Question (QUESTIONE FRANCESCANA)
FRANCISCAN QUESTION. - Under this name passes the question of the biographical sources of St. Francis, and particularly of the legend known… -
Freemasonry (MASSONERIA)
FREEMASONRY. - A secret society of a cosmopolitan and initiatory character, which arose with the aim of uniting men of all nations in… -
Frisi (Frisoni)
FRISI (FRISONI). - A people of Germanic stock which, ever since it is mentioned in history, has been settled on the shores of the North Sea… -
Galata
GALATA. - European suburb to the east of Istanbul. From the 8th century the term had designated one of the quarters of Constantinople, also… -
Gaul (GALLIA)
GAUL. - Thus the ancients called the country comprised between the Mediterranean, the Alps, the Rhine, the Ocean, and the Pyrenees, which… -
Gepids (GEPIDI)
GEPIDS. - A people of Gothic stock who, around the middle of the 3rd century A.D., descended from the Baltic regions toward the… -
Gulfa (Isfahan) (GULFÀ (ISPAHÂN))
GULFA (ISFAHAN). - City of an Armenian colony of the Persian Empire. When in 1605 the Persian shah 'Abbâs conquered Greater Armenia, he… -
Hellenism (ELLENISMO)
HELLENISM. - Name coined by J. G. Droysen (in his history on the subject, between 1836 and 1877) to designate the entire historical period… -
Hellenists ('Ελληνισταί) (ELLENISTI ('ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΤΑΊ))
HELLENISTS ('Ελληνισταί). - This name designated the Jews of the diaspora (Acts 2:11; 6:1) who lived outside Palestine and spoke Greek. We… -
Heraldry (ARALDICA)
HERALDRY. - An auxiliary science of history. It derives from the word "herald," because it was the heralds' task precisely to recognize the… -
Historia Augusta (Scriptores Historiae Augustae) (STORIA AUGUSTA (SCRIPTORES HISTORIAE AUGUSTAE))
HISTORIA AUGUSTA (Scriptores Historiae Augustae). - It is a collection of biographies, variously manipulated, of the emperors and caesars… -
Holy Alliance (SANTA ALLEANZA)
HOLY ALLIANCE. - In September 1815 the Tsar Alexander I of Russia, whose mystical temperament is well known, personally drafted - albeit… -
Holy Roman Empire (SACRO ROMANO IMPERO)
HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE. - I. IMPERO CAROLINGIO. - It was founded by Charlemagne, king of the Franks, of the Lombards and patrician of Rome, when… -
Hundred Years' War (GUERRA DEI CENTO ANNI)
HUNDRED YEARS' WAR. - In 1336 Edward III of England, who had at first recognized the new king of France, Philip VI of Valois, laid claim to… -
Huns (UNNI)
HUNS. - The reports of Western writers about this people are scanty and uncertain, nor is much better to be gathered from the Chinese… -
Illuminati
ILLUMINATI. - A secret society with an ethico-political-religious basis, founded in Germany in the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt on 1 May… -
Innocentian Curia (CURIA INNOCENZIANA)
INNOCENTIAN CURIA. - Innocent XII, after having abolished various privileged judicatures by the constitution Romanus Pontifex curae of 17… -
Invention of the Holy Cross (INVENZIONE DELLA SANTA CROCE)
INVENTION OF THE HOLY CROSS. - The reliable information about the wood of the Cross goes back to the middle of the 4th century. St. Cyril… -
Investitures, Investiture Controversy (INVESTITURE, LOTTA DELLE)
INVESTITURES, Investiture Controversy. - It is the struggle between the Roman Church and the Empire over the conferral of ecclesiastical… -
Istria
ISTRIA. - I. HISTORY. - The characteristic inhabited sites in prehistoric Istria are the castellieri, which appear in the Bronze Age; they… -
Italian Risorgimento (RISORGIMENTO ITALIANO)
ITALIAN RISORGIMENTO. - The very term R. brings us back to the literary and > (photo National Photo Cabinet) > RISORGIMENTO ITALIANO - A… -
Italo-Albanians (ITALO-ALBANESI)
ITALO-ALBANIANS. - This is the name given to those Italian citizens who live in the municipalities (more than a hundred) whose Albanian… -
Kabylia
KABYLIA. - A region entirely included within the two dioceses of Algeria and Constantine, inhabited by a population of about 1,250,000… -
Katholikos
KATHOLIKOS. - In Eastern ecclesiastical law, k. means the delegate for the universality of causes. The title was probably given from the… -
Kulturkampf (= "Struggle for Civilization") (KULTURKAMPF (= « LOTTA PER LA CIVILTÀ »))
KULTURKAMPF (= "Struggle for Civilization"). - Under this name was camouflaged a violent legal and police persecution perpetrated by… -
Kyiv (KIEV)
KYIV. - Capital city of Ukraine, metropolis of the Byzantine rite and bishopric of the Latin rite. I. THE METROPOLITANATE OF THE BYZANTINE… -
Labaro
LABARO. - It is the standard caused to be made by the emperor Constantine himself, after he had had the vision of a luminous cross with the… -
Lebanon (LIBANO)
LEBANON. - A state that proclaimed itself independent on Nov. 26, 1941, and comprising the southwestern part of Syria. It takes its name… -
Legio Fulminata
LEGIO FULMINATA. - It was the XII Roman legion, which after taking part in the siege of Jerusalem under Vespasian was sent to be stationed… -
Lepanto
LEPANTO. - L., in Greek Naúpaktos, is a city and port of Greece, on the northern coast of the strait that separates the Gulf of Patras from… -
Liechtenstein
LIECHTENSTEIN. - A tiny state (159 sq. km.) enclosed between the frontiers of Austria (Vorarlberg) and Switzerland (St. Gallen and… -
Liechtenstein, Alois von
LIECHTENSTEIN, Alois von. - Opponent of liberalism, leader of the Catholic social movement in Austria, b. 18 Nov. 1846 in Prague, d. 25… -
Lombard League (LEGA LOMBARDA)
LOMBARD LEAGUE. - Taking advantage of the absence of Frederick Barbarossa, the cities of Cremona, Bergamo, Brescia, Mantua and Ferrara… -
Lombards (LONGOBARDI)
LOMBARDS. - They are considered as belonging to the group of the Eastern Germans. The origin of the name (Langobardi, not Longobardi as is… -
Lucania
LUCANIA - Convent of Montescaglioso rebuilt by Charles II of Anjou in 1484. considerably revised edition of J. Henten's Bible. L. also… -
Mafriano
MAFRIANO. - A high dignitary of the Jacobite Church. In Syriac, m. means "he who bears fruit," and the title was applied to the dignity… -
Magna Carta Libertatum (MAGNA CHARTA LIBERTATUM)
MAGNA CARTA LIBERTATUM. - This name designates the basic act of English constitutional life issued by King John Lackland on June 19, 1215,… -
Mahdi
MAHDI. - As a religious concept, v. ISLÂM; for the leader of the anti-English revolution in Egypt v. EGITTO. -
Malabaresi
MALABARESI. - This is the name given to the Christians of the Syro-Oriental rite inhabiting the southwestern coast of India called Malabar,… -
Marcomanni
MARCOMANNI. - A Germanic population whose history can be traced during the Roman Empire. The etymology of the name is universally accepted… -
Maronites (MARONITI)
MARONITES. - A Christian people of Syrian origin, distributed especially in the Republic of Lebanon, in Syria, Palestine, Cyprus and Egypt.… -
Merovingians (MEROVINGI)
MEROVINGIANS. - I. HISTORY. - Dynasty that ruled the Franks from the 5th to the 8th century. Of the tribe of the Salian Franks, after… -
Mesopotamia
MESOPOTAMIA. - Region comprised between the mountains (Kafiari) of Armenia in the north, the Zagros in the east, and the Syro-Arabian… -
Middle Ages (MEDIOEVO)
MIDDLE AGES. - Term used in the historiography of European civilization to indicate the centuries that ran between antiquity and the modern… -
Military and Hospitaller Orders (ORDINI CAVALLERESCHI ED OSPITALIERI)
KNIGHTLY AND HOSPITALLER ORDERS. - In its original sense "ordo militaris," corresponding to "ordo ecclesiasticus," that is, to the clergy,… -
Monachism (MONACHISMO)
MONACHISM. - From the verb μονάζω ("I live solitary") comes the word μονάζων; the more frequent one, μοναχος, comes from the perfect… -
Monita Secreta
MONITA SECRETA. — A code of instructions attributed to the Jesuit Superior General C. Aquaviva and addressed to superiors, concerning the… -
Navarra
NAVARRA. - A historical region of Spain, roughly corresponding to the present-day Spanish province of the same name, together with the… -
Neo-Guelphism (NEOGUELFISMO)
NEO-GUELPHISM. - The antecedents of N. must be sought in Romanticism, which asserted itself in various ways in the new culture and the new… -
Nepotism (NEPOTISMO)
NEPOTISM. - Term designating the excessive favor shown by certain pontiffs toward members of their own family through the granting of… -
Normans (NORMANNI)
NORMANS. - I. THE SCANDINAVIAN ORIGINS. - The Scandinavian peoples do not enter history until the end of the 8th century, when the "men of… -
Papal States (STATO PONTIFICIO)
PAPAL STATE. - The first nucleus of the P. S. was the Duchy of Rome. The duke, who represented Byzantine supremacy and resided on the… -
Pataría (PATARIA)
PATARÍA. — Under this name is meant a politico-religious movement that took place in Milan in the second half of the 11th century, in the… -
Patricius Of The Romans (PATRIZIO DEI ROMANI)
PATRICIUS OF THE ROMANS. - This dignity appears in Rome in the 8th century and lasts there with various interruptions until the 12th… -
Peace of God (PACE DI DIO)
PEACE OF GOD. - The disintegration of the Carolingian Empire brought about the fading of that program of peace and justice which… -
Persecutions Against Christians (PERSECUZIONI CONTRO I CRISTIANI)
PERSECUTIONS AGAINST CHRISTIANS. - This expression designates the harassments that the Church suffered at the hands of the Roman Empire,… -
Plombières, Congress of (PLOMBIÈRES, CONVEGNO DI)
PLOMBIÈRES, CONGRESS OF. - The personal policy of Napoleon III, tending on the one hand to ensure the triumph of the principle of… -
Priest Gianni (Prete Janni) (PRETE GIANNI (PRETE JANNI))
PRIEST GIANNI (PRETE JANNI). - Throughout the Middle Ages, particularly after the 13th century, the legend of the existence of the… -
Renaissance (RINASCIMENTO)
RENAISSANCE. - The concept designated by the word "R." (or rebirth) is commonly applied to the period of Italian history extending roughly… -
Rugi
RUGI. — A Germanic population that apparently came from Scandinavia (Jordanes, Getica, 25) to settle on the coasts of western Prussia. It… -
Ruthenians (RUTENI)
RUTHENIANS. - In the terminology of the Roman Curia and of the Royal Chancery of Poland, from the Middle Ages the term R. designated the… -
Sanfedismo
SANFEDISMO. - The Jacobin invasion of 1796-98 was far from arousing in Italy the universal enthusiasm of which liberal historiography… -
Shroud (SINDONE)
SHROUD. - A burial cloth that wrapped the Body of Jesus Christ. Several cloths, preserved in various places, have aspired to this honor… -
Sicilian Vespers (VESPRO SICILIANO)
SICILIAN VESPERS. - This is the name given to the insurrectionary movement that broke out in Sicily in 1282 for complex causes and with… -
Signories and Principalities (SIGNORIE E PRINCIPATI)
SIGNORIES AND PRINCIPALITIES. - The two words, and especially the first, indicate two things linked to one another but in reality quite… -
Silesia (SLESIA)
SILESIA. - Historical region of Central Europe, formerly German and now divided between Poland, which includes almost all of it, and… -
Slavs (SLAVI)
SLAVS. - Collective name of a large Indo-European family. The prehistoric homeland of the Slavs was probably located between the Baltic and… -
Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SOVRANO MILITARE ORDINE DI MALTA)
SOVEREIGN MILITARY ORDER OF MALTA. - It is the oldest, most illustrious, most meritorious of the chivalric orders (v.) and traces its… -
Spielberg
SPIELBERG. - Castle of the city of Brno (Brünn, Brno) in Moravia (Czechoslovakia), famous in the history of the Risorgimento for having… -
Spirituals (SPIRITUALI)
SPIRITUALS. - Extremist current that arose within the Franciscan Order, organized and active from c. 1274 until 1318. I. ORIGIN AND… -
Swabians (SVEVI)
SWABIANS. - The name of Suebi is attributed by classical writers to more than one Germanic stock, and at other times alternates with other… -
Templars (TEMPLARI)
TEMPLARS. - The Order of the Temple owes its origin to Hugh of Payns, who persuaded a group of knights to go to Jerusalem to make safe the… -
The Modern History (IL STORIA MODERNA)
MODERN HISTORY. — Henry VII (1483-1509), by establishing a system of strict economies, did not have to resort to new taxes and could thus… -
The Naval Battle of L (LA BATTAGLIA NAVALE DI L)
THE NAVAL BATTLE OF L. - Selim II, who succeeded his father Suleiman (d. 1566) as grand sultan of Constantinople, immediately showed his… -
Thirty Years' War (GUERRA DEI TRENT'ANNI)
THIRTY YEARS' WAR. - In 1608 the German Protestants formed the Evangelical Union, against which the "Catholic League" arose the following… -
Treaty of W (TRATTATO DI W)
TREATY OF W. - Agreement between the elected emperor Maximilian of Austria and the German estates, established on 7 Aug. 1495 at the Diet… -
Ultramontanism (ULTRAMONTANISMO)
ULTRAMONTANISM. - A word of generic and imprecise meaning, created and used beyond the mountains (France, Germany, England, the Low… -
Union (Protestant) (UNIONE (PROTESTANTE))
UNION (PROTESTANT). - A defensive league concluded in Bavarian Swabia on 16 May 1608 between the representative of the Elector Palatine… -
Valvassor (VALVASSORE)
VALVASSORE. - Usually it means "vassal of a vassal," but the term has had a somewhat different value according to the times and ages. In… -
Vandals (VANDALI)
VANDALS. - A people of Germanic stock, according to the earliest mentions (Pliny, Nat. hist., IV, 99; Tacitus, Germania, 2 and 43) settled… -
Vardapet
VARDAPET. - Also written "vartapet" or "vartaped," it is an ecclesiastical title of the Armenian Church, entailing an office and also a… -
Varones Apostolicos (VARONES APOSTOLICI)
APOSTOLIC MEN. - According to a legend that appeared for the first time toward the end of the 8th century, they are: Torquatus,… -
Vassal (VASSALLO)
VASSAL. - A medieval legal term denoting a free man of low social condition who placed himself in the feudal service of a powerful man who… -
Venasque
VENASQUE. - Ancient diocese in Provence in France, from which the Comtat Venaissin took its name in the Middle Ages; today it is a village… -
Vendi
VENDI. - Slavic populations who inhabited vast regions, comprised between the Elbe and the Oder, and bounded to the north by the Baltic Sea… -
Veneto
VENETO. - It is the entire region comprised between the Alpine arc, Lake Garda, the Mincio, the Po and the Adriatic. It is divided into… -
Wars of Succession (GUERRE DI SUCCESIONE)
WARS OF SUCCESSION. - By the name of W. of S. are meant the three wars concerning Spain, Poland and Austria, which took place in the first… -
Westphalia, Peace of (WESTFALIA, PACE DI)
WESTPHALIA, PEACE OF. - A body of international treaties and internal provisions of the Kingdom of Germany (from this time generally called… -
World War I (GUERRA MONDIALE, I)
WORLD WAR I. - The formal cause of the outbreak of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Habsburg… -
Yazidi (JAZĪDI)
YAZIDI. - Name of populations of Kurdish race and language, professing a religion of their own. Their overall number, progressively… -
Zurich, Treaties of (ZURIGO, TRATTATI DI)
ZURICH, TREATIES OF. - On July 11, 1859, meeting at Villafranca, Napoleon III and Francis Joseph agreed on the cessation of the war that…