Alaungpaya Dynasty, the last ruling dynasty (1752–1885) of Myanmar (Burma). The dynasty’s collapse in the face of British imperial might marked the end of Myanmar sovereignty for more than 60 years. (Some authorities limit the name Konbaung dynasty to the period beginning with King Bodawpaya in

click beetle: Major genera and species: The eyed elator (Alaus oculatus), a North American click beetle, grows to 45 mm (over 1.75 inches) long and has two large black-and-white eyelike spots on the prothorax, a region behind the head.

Álava, provincia, northern Spain. Álava is the southernmost of the three Basque Country provincias of northern Spain and is located mainly on the southern slope of the Pyrenees Range. It is bounded by the Ebro River (southwest) and surrounds the enclaves of Treviño and Orduña belonging to Burgos

Miguel Ricardo de Álava y Esquivel was a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars and statesman. Álava was an aide-de-camp to the duke of Wellington and the Spanish commissary at the duke’s headquarters during the Peninsular War. On the restoration of Ferdinand VII to the throne of Spain, he lost favour

Bozorg Alavi was one of the leading prose writers of 20th-century Persian literature. Alavi was educated in Iran, and in 1922 he was sent to Berlin, where he learned German and translated a number of German works into Persian. Upon returning to Iran, he taught at the Industrial College of Tehrān

Bozorg Alavi was one of the leading prose writers of 20th-century Persian literature. Alavi was educated in Iran, and in 1922 he was sent to Berlin, where he learned German and translated a number of German works into Persian. Upon returning to Iran, he taught at the Industrial College of Tehrān

Alawite, any member of a minority esoteric sect of Islam living chiefly in Syria. The Assad family that ruled Syria from 1971 to 2024 are Alawites and made the community politically dominant there, although the state and its policies were largely secular under Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar

al-Rashīd: …and thus formally establishing the ʿAlawī dynasty. From Fès he proceeded to conquer the north, plundered and razed the Dila monastery, and seized control of Morocco’s Atlantic seaboard from its ruling marabouts. Turning his attention southwest, he occupied Marrakech in 1669 and conquered the Sous region and the Anti-Atlas Mountains.

history of Arabia: The Zaydīs and ʿAlawīs: …Ibāḍite domination, and founded the ʿAlawite (ʿAlawī) Sayyid house, which was instrumental in spreading the Shāfiʿite (Shāfiʿī) school of Islamic law to India, Indonesia, and East Africa.

Alawite, any member of a minority esoteric sect of Islam living chiefly in Syria. The Assad family that ruled Syria from 1971 to 2024 are Alawites and made the community politically dominant there, although the state and its policies were largely secular under Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar

al-Rashīd: …and thus formally establishing the ʿAlawī dynasty. From Fès he proceeded to conquer the north, plundered and razed the Dila monastery, and seized control of Morocco’s Atlantic seaboard from its ruling marabouts. Turning his attention southwest, he occupied Marrakech in 1669 and conquered the Sous region and the Anti-Atlas Mountains.

history of Arabia: The Zaydīs and ʿAlawīs: …Ibāḍite domination, and founded the ʿAlawite (ʿAlawī) Sayyid house, which was instrumental in spreading the Shāfiʿite (Shāfiʿī) school of Islamic law to India, Indonesia, and East Africa.

Alawite, any member of a minority esoteric sect of Islam living chiefly in Syria. The Assad family that ruled Syria from 1971 to 2024 are Alawites and made the community politically dominant there, although the state and its policies were largely secular under Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar

Gansu: History: In 1956 the Alashan You (Alax You) Qi and Ejina (Ejin) Qi banners in northwestern Gansu were detached and incorporated into the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In 1958 the affixed Ningxia province was separated from Gansu to become the Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia. In 1969 the two…

Tien Shan: …southwest the Hisor (Gissar) and Alay ranges of Tajikistan extend into part of the Tien Shan, making the Alay, Surkhandarya, and Hisor valleys boundaries of the system, along with the Pamirs to the south. The Tien Shan also includes the Shū-Ile Mountains and the Qarataū Range, which extend far to…

Hindu temple, sacred space in Hinduism for devotional worship of Hindu deities. Temples are considered to be homes for deities and powerful locations where the divine and human realms are bridged. Unlike in places of worship in many Western religions, attendance at a Hindu temple is not a ritual

alaya-vijnana, key concept of the Vijnanavada (“Consciousness-affirming”) or Yogachara school of Mahayana Buddhism. Since that school maintains that no external reality exists, while retaining the position that knowledge, and therefore a knowable, exists, it assumes that knowledge itself is the

Ibn an-Nafīs was an Arab physician who first described the pulmonary circulation of the blood. In finding that the wall between the right and left ventricles of the heart is solid and without pores, he disputed Galen’s view that the blood passes directly from the right to the left side of the

Anatolia: Seljuq expansion: …I (1211–20) and ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Kay-Qubādh I (1220–37), the Anatolian Seljuqs achieved the zenith of their power. Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Kay-Khusraw I reunified the Seljuq state and began to expand at the expense of what was left of the Byzantine Empire in the west and north. His most important achievements included…

Anatolia: Seljuq expansion: …I (1211–20) and ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Kay-Qubādh I (1220–37), the Anatolian Seljuqs achieved the zenith of their power. Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Kay-Khusraw I reunified the Seljuq state and began to expand at the expense of what was left of the Byzantine Empire in the west and north. His most important achievements included…

Anatolia: Division and decline: …IV (1248–65) and ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Kay-Qubādh II (1249–57) were installed east of the Kızıl. From this point onward the Seljuq sultans were essentially figureheads, while real power remained in the hands of administrators such as Shams al-Dīn Iṣfahānī (1246–49), Jalāl al-Dīn Qaraṭāy (1249–54), and especially Muʿīn al-Dīn Sulaymān Parvāna (1261–77).

Anatolia: Division and decline: …is recorded that ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Kay-Qubādh III (1298–1303) was put to death by order of Ghazan, the Mongol khan, the fate of his son Ghiyās̄ al-Dīn Masʿūd III, who assumed the rule in 1307, is obscure. Though some sources mention the existence of Seljuq scions in later years in various…

Avicenna: Life and education: At Eṣfahān, under ʿAlā al-Dawlah, he found the stability and security that had eluded him. If Avicenna could be said to have had any halcyon days, they occurred during his time at Eṣfahān, where he was insulated from political intrigues and could hold his own scholars’ court every…

Aladdin, hero of one of the best-known stories in The Thousand and One Nights. The son of a deceased Chinese tailor and his poor widow, Aladdin is a lazy, careless boy who meets an African magician claiming to be his uncle. The magician brings Aladdin to the mouth of a cave and bids him enter and

Ghūrid sultanate: Its founder was ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Ḥusayn.

Khwārezm-Shāh dynasty: ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muḥammad (reigned 1200–20), the penultimate Khwārezm-Shāh, created a short-lived empire that stretched from the borders of India to those of Anatolia. The empire did not endure, however; the Mongol army of Genghis Khan conquered Transoxania in 1220. The last Khwārezm-Shāh, Jalāl al-Dīn Mingburnu…

Iraq: The later Abbasids (1152–1258): …was killed by the Khwārezm-Shah ʿAlāʾ al-Din Tekish (1172–1200), the ruler of the province lying along the lower course of the Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River) in Central Asia. When Tekish insisted on greater formal recognition from the caliph a few years later, al-Nāṣir refused, and inconclusive fighting broke out…

ʿAṭā Malek Joveynī was a Persian historian. Joveynī was the first of several brilliant representatives of Persian historiography who flourished during the period of Mongol domination in Iran (1220–1336). Born into a well-known and highly respected family of governors and civil servants, Joveynī

India: External and internal rivalries: …the new sultan, ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Aḥmad II (reigned 1436–58). Even though Aḥmad II had to face a rebellion by one of his brothers, a precedent was set for a rule of primogeniture, which seemed to alleviate the problem of succession disputes for the rest of the century. Unfortunately for later…

Ghūrid sultanate: Its founder was ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Ḥusayn.

alb, liturgical vestment worn in some services by Roman Catholic officiants, some Anglicans, and some Lutherans. A symbol of purity, it is a full-length, long-sleeved, usually white linen tunic secured at the waist by a cord or belt called a cincture. The alb is typically worn under other garments,

Bahrain: Economy: The government-owned Aluminum Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), one of the world’s largest aluminum smelters, and Bapco have been profitable, but this has provided less incentive for privatization. Bahrain has remained the most important commercial and financial centre in the gulf, although it has faced growing competition from the…

Alba, town, Piedmont regione, northwestern Italy, lying along the Tanaro River southeast of Turin. It occupies the site of the Roman Alba Pompeia, which was probably founded by Pompeius Strabo (consul, 89 bce) when he constructed the road from Aquae Statiellae (Acqui Terme) to Augusta Taurinorum

Alba, judeƫ (county), western Romania, occupying an area of 2,410 square miles (6,242 square km). The Western Carpathians rise above the settled areas in intermontane valleys. The county is drained westward by the Mureş River and its tributaries. Neolithic artifacts have been found at Alba Iulia

Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), regional bloc, organized in 2004, that aims for social, political, and economic integration in Latin America and the Caribbean. ALBA, which means “dawn” in Spanish, was conceived by Venezuelan Pres. Hugo Chávez and was created by Venezuela

Alba, the kingdom formed by the union of the Picts and Scots under Kenneth I MacAlpin in 843. Their territory, ranging from modern Argyll and Bute to Caithness, across much of southern and central Scotland, was one of the few areas in the British Isles to withstand the invasions of the Vikings. The

alba, in the music of the troubadours, the 11th- and 12th-century poet-musicians of southern France, a song of lament for lovers parting at dawn or of a watchman’s warning to lovers at dawn. A song of the latter type sometimes takes the form of a dialogue between a watchman and a lover. Some

Alba Fucens, ancient fortified hilltop town of the Aequi in central Italy. It was settled by Rome as a Latin colony in 303 bc and was important for its domination of the Via Valeria, which linked Rome with the Adriatic Sea. Alba Fucens was situated on a hill with three distinct summits, all of

Alba Iulia, city, capital of Alba judeƫ (county), west-central Romania. It lies along the Mureş River, 170 miles (270 km) northwest of Bucharest. One of the oldest settlements in Romania, the site was selected by the Romans for a military camp. The remains of Apulum, an important city in Roman

Alba Longa, ancient city of Latium, Italy, in the Alban Hills about 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Rome, near present Castel Gandolfo. Tradition attributes its founding (c. 1152 bce) to Ascanius, the son of the legendary Aeneas, thus making it, according to legend at least, the oldest Latin city,

Alex Salmond: …a new pro-independence party, the Alba Party, to run candidates, including himself, in the May 2021 elections for the Scottish Parliament. The announcement came only days after a report by a committee of members of the Scottish Parliament found that the government’s investigation of Salmond’s conduct had been “seriously flawed.”…

Székesfehérvár, city with county status and seat of Fejér megye (county), west-central Hungary. One of the oldest cities in Hungary, it is located on the northeastern fringe of the Bakony Mountains, southwest of Budapest. A Roman settlement, Herculea, superseded an earlier Celtic village on the

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3er duque de Alba was a Spanish soldier and statesman famous for his conquest of Portugal (1580) and notorious for his tyranny as governor-general of the Netherlands (1567–73). In the Netherlands he instituted the Council of Troubles (nicknamed the Council of

Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3er duque de Alba was a Spanish soldier and statesman famous for his conquest of Portugal (1580) and notorious for his tyranny as governor-general of the Netherlands (1567–73). In the Netherlands he instituted the Council of Troubles (nicknamed the Council of

PetroCaribe: …component of PetroCaribe is the ALBA-Caribe Fund, which is available to member countries to be used for social programs and development projects such as the construction of refineries and power plants and the development of alternative sources of energy.

Albacete, provincia (province) in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Castile–La Mancha, southeast-central Spain. It occupies the southeastern end of the Meseta Central (plateau). Albacete is the driest interior province of the Iberian Peninsula, with about 14 inches (350 mm) average

Albacete, city, capital of Albacete provincia (province), in the Castile-La Mancha comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), southeast-central Spain. Albacete is located in the historic La Mancha region, on the Don Juan River at its juncture with the María Cristina Canal. Of Moorish origin

Romy Schneider was a German film actress. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) The popular Sissi series of movies about the Austro-Hungarian royal family brought the daughter of actor Wolf Albach-Retty and 1930s film star Magda Schneider popular recognition throughout the

albacore, (species Thunnus alalunga), large oceanic fish noted for its fine flesh. The bluefin tuna (T. thynnus) is also sometimes called albacore. See

Károly Kerényi: …mythology, and founded the periodical Albae Vigiliae to disseminate anthropological studies. His many works on classical mythology include Die antike Religion (1940; “Ancient Religion”) and Die Mythologie der Griechen (1951; “Mythology of the Greeks”).

Granada: …of the city is the Albaicín (Albayzin) quarter, the oldest section of Granada, with its narrow cobbled streets and cármenes (Moorish-style houses). Albaicín is bounded to the south by the Darro River, and on the other side of the river is the hill upon which stands the famous Moorish palace…

Isaac Albalag was a Jewish philosopher who rendered a Hebrew translation of parts of the Maqāṣid al-falāsifah (“Aims of the Philosophers”), a review of doctrines of earlier thinkers by the Arabic philosopher al-Ghazālī, to which Albalag added his own views and comments. In defending philosophy

Alban Hills, volcanic area in the Lazio (Latium) regione (region) of central Italy, southeast of Rome. The hills consist of an outer circle, 6–8 miles (10–13 km) in diameter, rising to 3,113 feet (949 metres) at Mount Cavo, and an inner crater rim, about 1.5 miles (2 km) across, rising to 3,136

Saint Alban ; feast day June 22) was the first British martyr. According to the historian Bede, he served in the Roman army and was converted to Christianity by a fugitive priest whom he sheltered and with whom he exchanged clothes, so that he was martyred in the priest’s place (c. 304; other dates

Latin American art: Latin American themes: …in Quito in 1783, when Vicente Albán created idealized portraits of indigenous and Latin American-born Spanish people in their typical costume. In his set of six paintings titled Fruits of Ecuador, both people and fruits are labeled. Similarly, about 1790–1800 an anonymous artist from Bolivia rendered pairs of different ethnic…

amphibian: Annotated classification: Batrachia †Family Albanerpetodonidae (albanerpetodontids) Middle Jurassic to Lower Miocene. A peg and socket syphyseal articulation of the mandible. 1 genus and several species. Order Anura (frogs and toads) Middle Jurassic to present. A single frontoparietal and no lacrimal bone in skull; ilium elongated and oriented

Anthony Albanese is an Australian politician who became the 31st prime minister of Australia in May 2022 at the head of the first Labor government to rule the country since 2013. The only son of a single mother of Irish descent, Albanese grew up in public housing in Camperdown, an inner-western

Anthony Albanese is an Australian politician who became the 31st prime minister of Australia in May 2022 at the head of the first Labor government to rule the country since 2013. The only son of a single mother of Irish descent, Albanese grew up in public housing in Camperdown, an inner-western

Albania: From Illyria to Albania: …Ptolemy of Alexandria, of the Albanoi tribe, which inhabited what is now central Albania. From a single tribe the name spread to include the rest of the country as Arbëri and, finally, Albania. The genesis of Albanian nationality apparently occurred at this time as the Albanian people became aware that…

Johann Winckelmann: …and, later, secretary to Cardinal Albani, who had one of the great private collections of classical art. Winckelmann’s position and influential patronage gave him access to the art treasures of Rome and the freedom to develop his talents as art critic and consultant to visitors from among the European nobility.…

Alban Hills, volcanic area in the Lazio (Latium) regione (region) of central Italy, southeast of Rome. The hills consist of an outer circle, 6–8 miles (10–13 km) in diameter, rising to 3,113 feet (949 metres) at Mount Cavo, and an inner crater rim, about 1.5 miles (2 km) across, rising to 3,136

Francesco Albani was an Italian painter, one of the 17th-century Bolognese masters trained in the studio of the Carracci. He assisted Guido Reni in a number of major decorative cycles, including that of the Chapel of the Annunciation (1609–12) in the Quirinal Palace and the choir (1612–14) of Santa

Clement XI was the pope from 1700 to 1721. Of noble birth, Albani received an impressive education in the classics, theology, and canon law, after which he successively became governor of the Italian cities of Rieti and Orvieto. Pope Alexander VIII made him cardinal deacon in 1690, and he was

Alban Hills, volcanic area in the Lazio (Latium) regione (region) of central Italy, southeast of Rome. The hills consist of an outer circle, 6–8 miles (10–13 km) in diameter, rising to 3,113 feet (949 metres) at Mount Cavo, and an inner crater rim, about 1.5 miles (2 km) across, rising to 3,136

Albania, country in southern Europe, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto, the southern entrance to the Adriatic Sea. The capital city is Tirana (Tiranë). Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë—often taken to mean “sons of eagles,” though it may well

national flag consisting of a red field (background) with a black two-headed eagle in its centre. Its width-to-length ratio is 5 to 7.On November 28, 1443, the national hero of Albania, a prince known as Skanderbeg (George Kastrioti), raised his flag over the fortress of Krujë in defiance of the

history of Albania, a survey of the important events and people in the history of Albania from ancient times to the present. The origins of the Albanian people are not definitely known, but data drawn from history and from archaeological and anthropological studies have led some researchers to

Albania: From Illyria to Albania: Iconoclastic Controversy, detached the Albanian church from the Roman pope and placed it under the patriarch of Constantinople. When the Christian church split in 1054 between the East and Rome, southern Albania retained its tie to Constantinople while northern Albania reverted to the jurisdiction of Rome. This split in…

Albania, country in southern Europe, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto, the southern entrance to the Adriatic Sea. The capital city is Tirana (Tiranë). Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë—often taken to mean “sons of eagles,” though it may well

Albania, country in southern Europe, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto, the southern entrance to the Adriatic Sea. The capital city is Tirana (Tiranë). Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë—often taken to mean “sons of eagles,” though it may well

Albania, country in southern Europe, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto, the southern entrance to the Adriatic Sea. The capital city is Tirana (Tiranë). Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë—often taken to mean “sons of eagles,” though it may well

Albania, country in southern Europe, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto, the southern entrance to the Adriatic Sea. The capital city is Tirana (Tiranë). Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë—often taken to mean “sons of eagles,” though it may well

Kosovo: Ethnic groups: The Albanian share of the population rose from about half in 1946 to about four-fifths by the 1990s. Meanwhile, the proportion of Serbs fell to less than one-fifth. After the Kosovo conflict of 1998–99, additional Serbs emigrated. Thus, in the early 21st century, the population makeup…

Albania: Relief: The North Albanian Alps, an extension of the Dinaric Alps, cover the northern part of the country. With elevations approaching 8,900 feet (2,700 metres), this is the most rugged part of the country. It is heavily forested and sparsely populated.

Enver Hoxha: …communists helped Hoxha found the Albanian Communist Party (afterward called the Party of Labour). Hoxha became first secretary of the party’s Central Committee and political commissar of the communist-dominated Army of National Liberation. He was prime minister of Albania from its liberation in 1944 until 1954, simultaneously holding the ministry…

Albanian language, Indo-European language spoken in Albania and by smaller numbers of ethnic Albanians in other parts of the southern Balkans, along the east coast of Italy and in Sicily, in southern Greece, and in Germany, Sweden, the United States, Ukraine, and Belgium. Albanian is the only

Albanian League, first Albanian nationalist organization. Formed at Prizren (now in Kosovo) on July 1, 1878, the league, initially supported by the Ottoman Turks, tried to influence the Congress of Berlin, which was formulating a peace settlement following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 and which

Albanian literature, the body of written works produced in the Albanian language. The Ottoman Empire, which ruled Albania from the 15th to the early 20th century, prohibited publications in Albanian, an edict that became a serious obstacle to the development of literature in that language. Books in

Albania: From Illyria to Albania: Iconoclastic Controversy, detached the Albanian church from the Roman pope and placed it under the patriarch of Constantinople. When the Christian church split in 1054 between the East and Rome, southern Albania retained its tie to Constantinople while northern Albania reverted to the jurisdiction of Rome. This split in…

Enver Hoxha: …communists helped Hoxha found the Albanian Communist Party (afterward called the Party of Labour). Hoxha became first secretary of the party’s Central Committee and political commissar of the communist-dominated Army of National Liberation. He was prime minister of Albania from its liberation in 1944 until 1954, simultaneously holding the ministry…

Albania: Political process: …Human Rights Party, and the Albanian Republican Party. There are also several agrarian, ecological, and socialist parties.

Enver Hoxha: …communists helped Hoxha found the Albanian Communist Party (afterward called the Party of Labour). Hoxha became first secretary of the party’s Central Committee and political commissar of the communist-dominated Army of National Liberation. He was prime minister of Albania from its liberation in 1944 until 1954, simultaneously holding the ministry…

Ismail Kadare: Albanian Spring: The Anatomy of Tyranny), which expresses his views on Albanian politics and government between 1944 and 1990.

Francesco Albani was an Italian painter, one of the 17th-century Bolognese masters trained in the studio of the Carracci. He assisted Guido Reni in a number of major decorative cycles, including that of the Chapel of the Annunciation (1609–12) in the Quirinal Palace and the choir (1612–14) of Santa

Lake Albano, crater lake in the Alban Hills (Colli Albani), southeast of Rome. Elliptical in shape, formed by the fusion of two ancient volcanic craters, it lies 961 feet (293 m) above sea level and has an area of 2 square miles (5 square km) and a maximum depth of 558 feet (170 m). It is fed by

Lake Albano, crater lake in the Alban Hills (Colli Albani), southeast of Rome. Elliptical in shape, formed by the fusion of two ancient volcanic craters, it lies 961 feet (293 m) above sea level and has an area of 2 square miles (5 square km) and a maximum depth of 558 feet (170 m). It is fed by

Albania: From Illyria to Albania: …Ptolemy of Alexandria, of the Albanoi tribe, which inhabited what is now central Albania. From a single tribe the name spread to include the rest of the country as Arbëri and, finally, Albania. The genesis of Albanian nationality apparently occurred at this time as the Albanian people became aware that…

Albany, city, seat (1851) of Linn county, western Oregon, U.S., in the Willamette Valley, at the juncture of the Willamette and Calapooia rivers, 26 miles (42 km) south of Salem. Established in 1848 by Walter and Thomas Monteith and named for the New York state capital, it became a shipping point

Albany, county, east-central New York state, U.S., bordered by the Mohawk River to the northeast and the Hudson River to the east. The terrain rises from the Hudson valley lowlands in the east to the Helderberg Mountains in the centre of the county; Alcove Reservoir is in the south. Parklands

Albany, city, seat (1853) of Dougherty county, southwestern Georgia, U.S. It lies along the Flint River at the head of navigation, about 90 miles (145 km) southeast of Columbus. Founded in 1836 by Colonel Nelson Tift, it was named for Albany, New York, and was early established as a leading cotton

Albany, southernmost town and seaport of Western Australia. It lies on the northern shore of Princess Royal Harbour, King George Sound. The area was inhabited by the Minang Noongar Aboriginal people for some 18,000 years before it was first encountered by Europeans. During the summer they lived

Albany, city, capital (1797) of the state of New York, U.S., and seat (1683) of Albany county. It lies along the Hudson River, 143 miles (230 km) north of New York City. The heart of a metropolitan area that includes Troy and Schenectady, it is a port city, the northern terminus of the deepwater

Albany Congress, conference in U.S. colonial history (June 19–July 11, 1754) at Albany, New York, that advocated a union of the British colonies in North America for their security and defense against the French, foreshadowing their later unification. Seven colonies—Connecticut, Maryland,

Thurlow Weed: His paper, the Albany Evening Journal, founded in 1830 to support anti-Masonry, became a leading Whig organ.

Western Australian pitcher plant, (Cephalotus follicularis), carnivorous plant, native to damp sandy or swampy terrain in southwestern Australia, the only species in the flowering plant family Cephalotaceae (order Oxalidales). As with most carnivorous plants, the Western Australian pitcher plant is

Albany Congress: …Pennsylvania delegate, presented the so-called Albany Plan of Union, which provided for a loose confederation presided over by a president general and having a limited authority to levy taxes to be paid to a central treasury. Although the plan was approved by the delegates, neither the Crown (jealous of its…

Albany River, river, north central Ontario, Canada, rising in Lake St. Joseph at an elevation of 1,218 ft (371 m) and flowing generally eastward into James Bay. For 250 mi (400 km) of its 610-mi course, the river is navigable, and it served as an important route during the fur-trading days, when

Alexander Stewart, duke of Albany was the second son of James II of Scotland, created duke of Albany in or before 1458. Both he and John, earl of Mar, quarrelled with their brother James III, who imprisoned them in 1479. Mar died, but Albany escaped to carry on a series of intrigues with the

Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley was the cousin and second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, father of King James I of Great Britain and Ireland (James VI of Scotland), and direct ancestor of all subsequent British sovereigns. Darnley was the son of Matthew Stewart, 4th earl of Lennox, whose pretension

Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley was the cousin and second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, father of King James I of Great Britain and Ireland (James VI of Scotland), and direct ancestor of all subsequent British sovereigns. Darnley was the son of Matthew Stewart, 4th earl of Lennox, whose pretension