Articles from the 1911 Encyclopedia beginning with the letter A

The Abbadides were a Mahommedan dynasty which arose in Spain on the downfall of the western caliphate.

The Abbasids, a dynasty of caliphs in Bagdad, were the second of the two great dynasties of the Mahommedan empire.

The Abbess was the elected Superior of a Convent or community of nuns, solemnly admitted to her office by episcopal benediction.

An extensive multi-page article about the organization and architectural features of the Abbey. Use this index to jump to individual abbeys discussed in this article.

An article about the Abbot, the head and chief governor of a community of monks, from the 1911 edition of a renowned encyclopedia.

Abbreviators were writers in the papal chancery who sketched out and prepared the pope's bulls, briefs and consistorial decrees.

Peter Abelard was a scholastic philosopher and brilliant teacher whose relationship with his student Heloise turned tragic.

The Abencerrages were a family or faction that is said to have held a prominent position in the Moorish kingdom of Granada in the 15th century.

The early accession of Abu-Bekr to Islamism was a fact of great importance.

The Accolade was a ceremony anciently used in conferring knighthood.

Acre's commanding position once meant it afforded the easiest entrance to the interior of Palestine.

Adelard made a special study of Arabian philosophy during his travels, and, on his return to England, brought his knowledge to bear on the current scholasticism of the time.

If ancient Egypt and Ethiopia be excluded, the story of Africa is largely a record of the doings of its Asiatic and European conquerors and colonizers, Abyssinia being the only state which throughout historic times has maintained its independence.

Agincourt is a village of northern France, the site of a famous victory, on the 25th of October 1415, of Henry V. of England over the French.

To agist is, in law, to take cattle to graze, for a renumeration.

The combined or common-field system of husbandry practised by the village community or township may be taken as the starting-point of English agriculture.

Aids were part of the service due to a lord from his men, and appear to have been based upon the principle that they ought to assist him in special emergency or need.

Pierre d'Ailly played an important role in attempting to heal the schism that arose in the Church at the end of the Avignon Papacy.

Though the term Aisle primarily means the wing of a house, it is generally applied in architecture to the lateral divisions of a church or large building.

The chief work of French chronicler Aimoin was a history of the Franks that was much in vogue during the middle ages.

Aachen, or Aix-la-Chapelle, was the site of Charlemagne's favorite palace.

Rabbi Isaac Al-Phasi condensed the Talmud with a special view to practical law.

Alain de Lille was a French theologian and mystic whose numerous poems and varied knowledge caused him to be called Doctor universalis.

Luigi Alamanni was a prolific poet who was involved in political affairs in Florence and served as an ambassador for France.

The Alani were the easternmost division of the Sarmatians, Iranian nomads with some Altaic admixture.

Alaric, King of the Visigoths, was the first Teutonic leader who stood as a conqueror in the city of Rome.

Alaric II was the eighth king of the Goths in Spain, succeeding his to the throne in 485.

After the division of the Roman empire, the lands inhabited by the Albanian race became provinces of the Byzantine empire

The territorial designation of Albany was formerly given to those parts of Scotland to the north of the firths of Clyde and Forth. The title of duke of Albany was first bestowed in 1398 by King Robert III on his brother, Robert Stewart, earl of Fife.

Albategnius compiled new tables of the sun and moon and discovered the movement of the sun's apogee.

Albert I, German King and Duke of Austria, was the founder of the greatness of the house of Habsburg.

Albert I, surnamed The Bear, was the founder of the margraviate of Brandenburg.

Albert was an energetic and warlike prince, whose short reign gave great promise of usefulness for Germany.

Albert III, Duke of Saxony, younger son of Frederick II, was surnamed the Courageous.

Albert III, Elector of Brandenberg, was one of the most prominent princes of the 15th century.

Albert of Aix was the author of a history of the First Crusade that was widely known in the Middle Ages.

Albert married Margaret, but was infatuated with Kunigunde.

Archbishop Albert of Mainz was deeply involved in events of the Reformation.

Albert rejected the order of Teutonic Knights and converted to Protestantism.

Albertus Magnus was the most widely read and most learned man of his time.

Erasmus Alberus was one of Luther's most active helpers in the Reformation.

The Albigenses were Catharist heretics of the south of France

The name Albion was taken by medieval writers from Pliny and Ptolemy.

Gil Alvarez de Albornoz was a cleric, a politician and a soldier.

The Albrets distinguished themselves in the local wars of the Middle Ages.

In the narrow sense of the word, alchemy is the pretended art of making gold and silver, but in its wider and truer significance it stands for the chemistry of the middle ages.

Andrea Alciati was a prolific author of legal works.

Pietro Alcionio - Petrus Alcyonius - Italian Classical Scholar

Alcock was one of the most eminent pre-Reformation divines; he was a man of deep learning and also of great proficiency as an architect.

Alcuin was a celebrated ecclesiastic and man of learning in the 8th century.

Aldhelm was a famous scholar in 7th century England.

Aldred had considerable influence over King Edward the Confessor, and took a prominent part in affairs of state.

The term Ale referred not only to a fermented drink. It also was synonymous with a parish festival or merry-making at which ale was the chief drink.

The Ale-Conner was an officer at the court-leet of ancient English manors.

Aleandro was librarian at the Vatican and headed the opposition to Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms.

Aleman was a prominent member of the council of Basel, and, together with Cardinal Julian, led the party which maintained the supremacy of general councils over the pope's authority

The first line of the counts of Alençon was founded by Yves, lord of Bellesme, who in the middle of the 10th century possessed and fortified the town of Alençon.

Alexander Ales, or Alesius, played an important role in the Reformation in Scotland.

Alexander I was King of Scotland from 1107 to 1124.

Alexander II was King of Scotland from 1214 to 1249.

Alexander II was pope from 1061 to 1073.

Alexander III reigned from 1249 to 1285.

Alexander III was pope from 1159 to 1181.

Alexander IV was pope from 1254 to 1261.

Pope Alexander V was a Franciscan friar before his brief pontificate in 1409.

Pope Alexander VI - Rodrigo Borgia - is the most famously corrupt pope in history.

Alexander of Hales was a monastic, teacher, and theologian who wrote a system of instruction for all the schools in Christendom.

Alexander Nevsky defeated the Swedes at the Battle of the Neva and drove the Teutonic Knights from Russia.

Alexander was elected grand-duke of Lithuania on the death of his father in 1492, and king of Poland on the death of his brother John Albert in 1501.

Founded by Alexander the Great, Alexandria was a Greek center in Egypt. In the early Middle Ages, Alexandria was a center of Arian heresy and underwent invasions by Arabs.

Alexandrine verse is the heroic French verse, used in epic narrative, in tragedy and in the higher comedy. The origins of Alexandrine verse are uncertain, but the term may have derived from 12th-century romances in which Alexander of Macedon was the hero.

The Alexandrists were philosophers of the Renaissance who denied the possibillty of immortality. The name Alexandrists was derived from Alexander of Aphrodisias.

Emperor Alexius Comnenus raised the Empire from a condition of anarchy and decay at a time when it was threatened on all sides by new dangers.

During his short reign Alexius was a puppet of Andronicus Comnenus.

Emperor Alexius III consummated the financial ruin of the state and sank into debauchery.

Emperor Alexius V's short reign occurred during the Latins' seige of Constantinople.

Alfred of Wessex is the only English king to earn the title Great.

The first mention of the word algebra is to be found in the title of a work by Mahommed ben Musa al-Khwarizmi, who flourished about the beginning of the 9th century.

Alger of Liege was a learned French priest who lived in the first half of the 12th century.

The Alhambra is an ancient palace and fortress of the Moorish monarchs of Granada, in southern Spain, occupying a hilly terrace on the south-eastern border of the city of Granada.

Alhazen was an Arabian mathematician of the 11th century.

Ali, fourth of the caliphs or successors of Mahomet, was adopted by Mahomet and educated under his care.

John Allen studied at both Oxford and Cambridge, served in various ecclesiastical and secular positions, in England and Ireland, and met a violent death.

Thomas Allen was famous for his knowledge of antiquity, philosophy and mathematics.

William Allen was an English Catholic who tried to encourage Catholics to keep a low profile in England, but ended up embroiled in a plot against Queen Elizabeth.

Edward Alleyn was a notable English Actor who founded Dulwich College.

An almanac is a book or table containing a calendar of the days, weeks and months of the year, a register of ecclesiastical festivals and saints' days, and a record of various astronomical phenomena.

Dom Francisco de Almeida was the first viceroy of Portuguese India.

The Almogavares were a class of Spanish soldiers, well known during the Christian reconquest of Spain, and much employed as mercenaries in Italy and the Levant, during the 13th and 14th centuries.

The Almohades founded the fifth Moorish dynasty and conquered all northern Africa as far as Egypt, together with Moslem Spain.

The chamber where alms were distributed to the poor.

The Almoravides were a Berber horde from the Sahara which, in the 11th century, founded the fourth dynasty in Morocco.

The term Alms refers to the giving of relief and has its origins in Old English.

An Almshouse was a house built and endowed by private charity for the residence of poor and usually aged people.

The Almuce was a hooded cape of fur, or fur-lined, worn as a choir vestment by certain dignitaries of the Western Church.

Alp Arslan signifies Valiant Lion, a name Mohammed ben da'Ud obtained through his military prowess.

Alphege, or Aelfhea, came of a noble family, but in early life gave up everything for religion.

Alphonse I, also known as Jourdain, controlled the regions between the Pyrenees and the Alps, Auvergne and the sea. His ascendancy was an unmixed good to the country, for during a period of fourteen years art and industry flourished.

Alphonse was the brother of St. Louis, and served as joint regent with Charles of Anjou until his brother's return from Crusade.

Alphonso is the common English spelling of Alfonso, Alonso and Alfonso, which are respectively the Galician, the Leonese and the Castilian forms of Ildefonso, the name of a saint and archbishop of Toledo in the 7th century.

Alphonso is the name of several kings of Spain.

Alphonsus a Sancta Maria, or Alphonso de Cartagena, was bishop of Burgos and author of a history of Spain.

Prospero Alpini was an Italian physician and botanist who seems to have deduced the doctrine of the sexual difference of plants.

The history of the Alps includes the formation of the Swiss Confederation.

From a very early period Alsace has been a disputed territory, and has suffered in the contentions of rival races.

The earliest Christians had no altars, but with the cessation of persecution, wood and stone were used.

Albrecht Altdorfer was a painter, engraver, and city architect.

An alure is a walkway.

Pedro de Alvarado was one of the Spanish leaders in the discovery and conquest of America

Amadis de Gaula is a famous romance that may have been written in Portugal.

Francisco Alvarez went to Abyssinia and published a much-translated account of his travels.

Amalaric was king of the Visigoths and the son of Alaric II.

Amalasuntha was the daughter of Theodoric the Great and became queen of the Ostrogoths for a time.

Amalric is the name of two kings of Jerusalem.

Amalric of Bena taught philosophy and theology at the University of Paris before his works were condemned by the Church.

Amboise owes its celebrity to the imposing chateau which overlooks the Loire from the rocky eminence above the town.

Georges d'Amboise was cardinal and minister of state to King Louis XII of France.

Saint Ambrose was one of the most eminent fathers of the church in the 4th century.

Autpert Ambrose became abbe of St Vincent on the Volturno in the time of Desiderius, king of the Lombards.

Ambrose the Camaldulian was a leading theologian and Hellenist.

Ambrosians is the name given to several religious brotherhoods which at various times since the 14th century have sprung up in and around Milan.

Ambrosiaster is the name given to the unknown author of a commentary on St. Paul's epistles that was originally attributed to St. Ambrose.

Ambrosius Aurelianus was leader of the Britons against the Saxons in the 5th century.

Amis et Amile was an old French romance based on a widespread legend of friendship and sacrifice.

Jost Amman is celebrated chiefly for his engravings on wood.

Bartolomeo Ammanati designed many buildings in Rome, Lucca and Florence.

In his historical writings, Marcellinus Ammianus gives excellent pictures of social and economic problems, and in his attitude to the non-Roman peoples of the empire he is far more broad-minded than writers like Livy and Tacitus.

Scippione Ammirato is best known for a history of Florence he wrote in about 1600.

Greek Philosopher Ammonius Hermiae lived in the fifth century C.E.

Amram was a gaon or head of the Jewish Academy of Sura.

Regarded by Muhammad and others as the most distinguished poet of pre-Islamic times, Amru-ul-Quais was also a soldier.

A life-long supporter of Martin Luther, Nicolaus von Amsdorf took part in founding Jena University

A devout and conscientious churchman, Amyot studied at the university of Paris and was made commander of the order of the Holy Ghost.

Anabaptists were various Protestant sects that denied the validity of infant baptism.

An anachronism is a neglect or falsification, whether wilful or undesigned, of chronological relation.

The founder of the Qaraites, Anan ben David opposed the rabbanite Jews for political as well as theological reasons.

Anastasius was chosen by his predecessor's widow.

Anastasius II was emperor in the 8th century.

It is usual to speak of "the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle"; it would be more correct to say that there are four Anglo-Saxon Chronicles

Anjou is the old name of a French territory, the political origin of which is traced to the ancient Gallic state of the Andes.

Known as the first woman historian for her work The Alexiad, Anna Comnena was an ambitious Byzantine princess.

Anselm became Archbishop of Canterbury with some reluctance.

Antioch was destined to rival Alexandria in Egypt as the chief city of the nearer East.

Archbishop of Florence Antonio Pierozzi had a great reputation for theological learning and sat as papal theologian at the council of Florence.

Thomas Aquinas had great aptitude for philosophy and theology and joined the Dominican order.

Aquitaine is the name of an ancient province in France, the extent of which has varied considerably from time to time.

Aragon is divided by the river Ebro, which flows through it in a south-easterly direction, into two nearly equal parts, known as Trans-ibero and Cis-ibero.

Arnulf's real authority did not extend far beyond the confines of Bavaria, and he contented himself with a nominal recognition of his supremacy by the kings who sprang up in various parts of the Empire.

Arsuf is famous as the scene of a victory of the crusaders under Richard I. of England over the army of Saladin

Whether there was an historic Arthur has been much debated.

By the Arthurian legend we mean the subject-matter of that important body of medieval literature known as the Arthurian cycle.

Assassin, a general term for a secret murderer, was originally the name of a branch of the Shiite sect known as Isma'ilites.

Asser wrote a biography of King Alfred the Great of England.

In spite of his mother's admonitions and prayers, Augustine grew up without any profession of Christian piety or any devotion to Christian principles.

The Rule of St. Augustine was widely adopted by the canons regular, who also began to bind themselves by the vows of poverty, obedience and chastity.

Augustinian is a generic name for religious orders that follow the so-called Rule of St Augustine.

Austrasia signifies the realm of the east.

The Auto-da-Fe was the public ceremony during the course of which the sentences of the Spanish inquisition were read and executed.

Avignon is still encircled by the ramparts built by the popes in the 14th century, which offer one of the finest examples of medieval fortification in existence.