Auguste, comte de Villiers de L’Isle-Adam was a French poet, dramatist, and short-story writer whose work reflects a revolt against naturalism and a combination of Romantic idealism and cruel sensuality. His hatred of the mediocrity of a materialistic age and his compelling personality made a

Auguste, comte de Villiers de L’Isle-Adam was a French poet, dramatist, and short-story writer whose work reflects a revolt against naturalism and a combination of Romantic idealism and cruel sensuality. His hatred of the mediocrity of a materialistic age and his compelling personality made a

George Villiers, 2nd duke of Buckingham was an English politician, a leading member of King Charles II’s inner circle of ministers known as the Cabal. Although he was brilliant and colourful, Buckingham’s pleasure-seeking, capricious personality prevented him from exercising a decisive influence in

George William Frederick Villiers, 4th earl of Clarendon was a British foreign secretary under four prime ministers at various times from 1853, including the Crimean War period; he was known as “the great Lord Clarendon.” After serving as a customs commissioner in Dublin and Paris, Villiers was

George Villiers, 1st duke of Buckingham was a royal favourite and statesman who virtually ruled England during the last years of King James I and the first years of the reign of Charles I. Buckingham was extremely unpopular, and the failure of his aggressive, erratic foreign policy increased the

Lappeenranta, city, southeastern Finland. Lappeenranta lies at the southern end of Lake Saimaa, northeast of Kotka. It was a major trade centre during the Middle Ages, with a municipal charter granted by Per Brahe, the Swedish governor-general of Finland, in 1649. A border fortress and the

François Villon was one of the greatest French lyric poets. He was known for his life of criminal excess, spending much time in prison or in banishment from medieval Paris. His chief works include Le Lais (Le Petit Testament), Le Grand Testament, and various ballades, chansons, and rondeaux.

Jacques Villon was a French painter and printmaker who was involved in the Cubist movement; later he worked in realistic and abstract styles. Villon was the brother of the artists Suzanne Duchamp, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, and Marcel Duchamp. In 1894 he went to Paris to study law, but, once there, he

villota, type of 16th-century Italian secular song similar to the villanella but having its origins in folk music. The villota has no structural uniformity and usually weaves a popular or street song into its textual and musical fabric. Three features characterize the villota and reveal its utility

villota, type of 16th-century Italian secular song similar to the villanella but having its origins in folk music. The villota has no structural uniformity and usually weaves a popular or street song into its textual and musical fabric. Three features characterize the villota and reveal its utility

digestive system disease: Polyps: …form of polyp is the villous adenoma, often a slowly growing, fernlike structure that spreads along the surface of the colon. It can recur after being locally resected, or it can develop into a cancer.

Kjartan Fløgstad is a Norwegian poet, novelist, and essayist best known for his novel Dalen Portland (1977; “Portland Valley”; Eng. trans. Dollar Road). Before he became a successful writer, Fløgstad was a blue-collar worker and a sailor. He remained sympathetic to the working class in his

villus, in anatomy any of the small, slender, vascular projections that increase the surface area of a membrane. Important villous membranes include the placenta and the mucous-membrane coating of the small intestine. The villi of the small intestine project into the intestinal cavity, greatly

Vilnius, city, capital and largest city of Lithuania, at the confluence of the Neris (Russian: Viliya) and Vilnia rivers. A fortification existed on the site in the 10th century, but it did not begin to develop as a town until the 13th century. In 1323 the town became the capital of Lithuania under

Elijah ben Solomon was the gaon (“excellency”) of Vilna and the outstanding authority in Jewish religious and cultural life in 18th-century Lithuania. Born into a long line of scholars, Elijah traveled among the Jewish communities of Poland and Germany in 1740–45 and then settled in Vilna, which

Vilnius, city, capital and largest city of Lithuania, at the confluence of the Neris (Russian: Viliya) and Vilnia rivers. A fortification existed on the site in the 10th century, but it did not begin to develop as a town until the 13th century. In 1323 the town became the capital of Lithuania under

Vilnius dispute, post-World War I conflict between Poland and Lithuania over possession of the city of Vilnius (Wilno) and its surrounding region. Although the new Lithuanian government established itself at Vilnius in late 1918, it evacuated the city when Soviet forces moved in on January 5, 1919.

Władysław II Jagiełło: Early life: …this subsided when, by the Treaty of Vilnius in 1401, Władysław recognized Vytautas as supreme duke of Lithuania on the condition that Poland and Lithuania be indissolubly united by a common foreign policy.

Sigismund II Augustus: …Sigismund II Augustus concluded the Union of Wilno (Vilnius) in 1561: thereby the Livonian lands, north of the Dvina (Daugava) River, were incorporated directly into Lithuania, while Courland, south of the Dvina, became a secular duchy and Polish fief.

Vilnius, city, capital and largest city of Lithuania, at the confluence of the Neris (Russian: Viliya) and Vilnia rivers. A fortification existed on the site in the 10th century, but it did not begin to develop as a town until the 13th century. In 1323 the town became the capital of Lithuania under

Vilokan, the mythological abode of the Vodou spirits (lwas). Vodou, an African-derived religion, was taken to Haiti during the colonization period (1492–1804) and has maintained many West African religious traditions; among them are those of Benin (formerly Dahomey). Vodouists believe that Vilokan

Vilyuy River, river in east-central Siberia, flowing mainly through Sakha (Yakutiya) in eastern Russia. The longest tributary of the Lena, it has a length of 1,647 miles (2,650 km) and a drainage basin of about 190,000 square miles (491,000 square km). The Vilyuy River rises on the Central Siberian

steel: Induction melting: This is called vacuum induction melting, or VIM. When liquid steel is placed in a vacuum, removal of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen takes place, generating a boil in the crucible. In many cases, the liquid steel is cast directly from the furnace into ingot molds that are placed…

India: Central Asian rulers: …was succeeded by his son Vima, after whom came Kanishka, the most powerful among the Kushan kings, as the dynasty came to be called. The date of Kanishka’s accession is disputed, ranging from 78 to 248. The generally accepted date of 78 is also the basis for an era presumably…

bhūmi: …and will help others), (2) vimalā (“free from impurities”), (3) prabhākarī (“luminous” with the noble doctrine), (4) arciṣmatī (“brilliant,” the rays of his virtue consuming evil passions and ignorance), (5) sudurjayā (“hard to conquer”), (6) abhimukhī (“turning toward” both transmigration and nirvana), (7) dūraṅgamā

Sri Lanka: Kandy and its struggle with European powers: …died under suspicious circumstances, and Konnappu Bandara enthroned himself, proclaiming independence from the Portuguese and taking the regnal name of Vimala Dharma Surya. The demise of Sitawake after Rajasinha’s death left Kandy the only independent Sinhalese kingdom.

Abu: The earlier Vimala Vasahi temple, built about 1031, is simpler and bolder in style. Abu was the headquarters of the Rajputana Agency during the British rule of India; it now has a police-training college. Guru Peak on Mount Abu (5,650 feet [1,722 metres]) is the highest point…

Bunsei: …of the semilegendary Indian sage Vimalakīrti, who is called Yuima Koji by the Japanese (1457; in the Yamato Bunkakan in Nara); and a boldly executed ink drawing of the legendary three monks from a Buddhist tale, “The Laughers of Tiger Valley.” From the late 17th century until the second half…

Vimalakīrti Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. It dates from no later than the 3rd century ce, based on its earliest Chinese translations, and most likely from the 1st or 2nd centuries ce. In the sūtra the layman and householder Vimalakīrti, who is also, significantly, a model bodhisattva, instructs

Vimalakīrti Sūtra, Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. It dates from no later than the 3rd century ce, based on its earliest Chinese translations, and most likely from the 1st or 2nd centuries ce. In the sūtra the layman and householder Vimalakīrti, who is also, significantly, a model bodhisattva, instructs

Khuddaka Nikaya: Vimanavatthu (“Stories of Celestial Mansions”), 85 poems on the happiness of persons reborn in heavenly realms and on the worthy deeds that led to this reward.

Zambia: Cultural institutions: …and other important occasions—and the Vimbuza Healing Dance were both designated UNESCO Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Jean-Baptiste-Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French general who supported the American Revolution by commanding French forces that helped defeat the British in the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia (1781). Rochambeau was originally trained for the church but then entered a cavalry

Rome: The Viminal and Quirinal: Like much of the Esquiline, the adjacent Viminal and Quirinal hills lie in the heart of modern Rome. Heavily built upon and sclerotic with traffic, the former seems almost flattened under the Ministry of the Interior. The ancient Baths of Diocletian (c.…

Frank Martin: …several works, including the oratorio Le Vin herbé (performed 1942). His other major works include the opera Der Sturm (1956; “The Tempest”), the oratorio Golgotha (1949), and Requiem (1973). He also produced a large quantity of instrumental music, including orchestral works and chamber music. Perhaps his best-known work is Petite…

veena, any of several stringed musical instruments of India, including arched harps (before 1000 ce), stick zithers, and lutes. The North Indian version, the bin, is used in classical Hindustani music. Classified as a stick zither, it is about 4 feet (1.2 meters) in length, having a large

Viña del Mar, city and Pacific Ocean resort, central Chile. It is located just northeast of Valparaíso. A large municipal gaming casino, beaches, and a pleasant summer climate attract substantial numbers of domestic and foreign vacationers. Hotels, exclusive clubs, a racecourse, public gardens and

Baltic religion: Cosmology: …saule (literally “this sun”) and viņa saule (literally “the other sun”). The metaphor šī saule symbolizes ordinary everyday human life, while viņa saule indicates the invisible world where the sun goes at night, which is also the abode of the dead.

vinaigrette, small metal perfume container usually made of gold or silver and containing a pierced metal tray beneath which was placed a piece of sponge soaked in an aromatic substance such as vinegar combined with lavender. Vinaigrettes were made as boxes and many more novel forms from the late

vinegar: …becomes a classic cold sauce—vinaigrette—used as a dressing on vegetable salads and served as a sauce with cold cooked vegetables, meats, and fish. Vinegar is also a common ingredient in marinades and is widely used in the pickling of cucumbers and other vegetables.

Gran Chaco: Plant life: …species, among which the notorious vinal (Prosopis ruscifolia) was declared a national plague in Argentina because its thorns, up to a foot in length, created a livestock hazard in the agricultural lands it was invading.

Cuba: Plant and animal life: …of Juventud Island, and the Viñales valley. Desembarco del Granma National Park features a series of verdant limestone terraces that range from 1,180 feet (360 metres) above sea level to 590 feet (180 metres) below. Both Desembarco del Granma and Viñales were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1999.

Robert Indiana: …Indiana lived and worked in Vinalhaven, Maine. He died amid a battle concerning control of his legacy and estate. One lawsuit claimed that Indiana’s caretaker had cut the artist off from his friends and supporters and had illegally authorized the production of a number of uncharacteristic pieces, including sculptures commemorating…

Dawn: …observed two very bright spots, Vinalia Faculae and Cerealia Facula, in Occator crater. The bright spots were highly reflective salts left behind when briny water from an underground reservoir percolated upward and evaporated. The water percolated through fractures left behind when the crater formed 20 million years ago. Since the…

French literature: Drama: …subsidies supported the work of Michel Vinaver and Bernard-Marie Koltès, whose plays are concerned with individuals struggling with the institutional discourses—family, law, politics—of which contemporary consumer society and their own identities are woven. The quick exchanges of Vinaver’s play L’Émission de télévision (1990; The Television Programme, published in Plays) express…

Buddhism: The Pali canon (Tipitaka): …monastic life (Pali and Sanskrit: Vinaya), to the discourses of the Buddha (Pali: Sutta), and subsequently to the interest in scholasticism (Pali: Abhidhamma).

Vinaya Piṭaka, (Pāli and Sanskrit: “Basket of Discipline”), the oldest and smallest of the three sections of the Buddhist canonical Tipiṭaka (“Triple Basket”) and the one that regulates monastic life and the daily affairs of monks and nuns according to rules attributed to the Buddha. It varies less

drug: Anticancer drugs: Vinblastine and vincristine (vinca alkaloids), derived from the periwinkle plant, along with etoposide, act primarily to stop spindle formation within the dividing cell during DNA replication and cell division. These drugs are important agents in the treatment of leukemias, lymphomas, and testicular cancer. Etoposide, a…

periwinkle, in botany, any of various plants of the genus Vinca of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae). The name periwinkle is possibly taken from pervinka, the Russian name of the flower, which in turn is derived from pervi, “first,” as it is one of the first flowers of spring. The lesser periwinkle

periwinkle: The similar greater periwinkle (V. major), with purplish blue flowers, 2.5 to 5 cm across, native to continental Europe, has become naturalized in England.

periwinkle: The lesser periwinkle (V. minor), with lilac-blue flowers, 2 cm (0.75 inch) across, an evergreen, trailing perennial, is native to Europe and is found in the British Isles. Introduced into North America, it is now widespread over much of the eastern continent. The similar greater periwinkle…

malformation: Alteration of floral parts: In the Madagascar periwinkle (Vinca rosea), however, viruses of this type bring about a green colouring in the petals, stamens, and styles; normally the petals are pink and the stamens and styles whitish. There is in this instance a retrograde development of floral parts into foliage leaves.…

Vincennes, town, eastern residential suburb of Paris, Val-de-Marne département, Île-de-France région, north-central France, immediately outside the Paris city limits. The château of Vincennes, which succeeded an earlier fortified hunting lodge on the site, consists of four principal buildings—the

Vincennes, city, seat (1790) of Knox county, southwestern Indiana, U.S., on the Wabash River, 51 miles (82 km) north of Evansville. Indiana’s oldest city, Vincennes figured prominently in early American history from the time of its settlement (1702, or possibly earlier) by French traders on the

Vincennes ware, pottery made at Vincennes, near Paris, from c. 1738, when the factory was probably founded by Robert and Gilles Dubois, until 1756 (three years after it had become the royal manufactory), when the concern moved to Sèvres, near Versailles. After 1756 pottery continued to be made at

Paris: City site: … to the west and the Bois de Vincennes to the east. Moreover, during his reign a large area of land was laid out in promenades and garden squares. Under Mayor Jacques Chirac in the late 20th century, the municipal government initiated efforts to create new parks, and such projects continued…

Vincent gingivitis, acute and painful infection of the tooth margins and gums that is caused by the symbiotic microorganisms Bacillus fusiformis and Borrelia vincentii. The chief symptoms are painful, swollen, bleeding gums; small, painful ulcers covering the gums and tooth margins; and

Brooke Russell Astor: …became the president of the Vincent Astor Foundation. From that time on, she set about providing nearly 100 grants each year to charitable organizations, civic programs, and cultural institutions in New York City, including organizations serving the homeless, programs to build parks in housing projects, and such institutions as the…

St. Vincent de Paul ; canonized 1737; feast day September 27) was a French saint, founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists, or Vincentians) for preaching missions to the peasantry and for educating and training a pastoral clergy. The patron saint of charitable societies, St. Vincent de

Vincent gingivitis, acute and painful infection of the tooth margins and gums that is caused by the symbiotic microorganisms Bacillus fusiformis and Borrelia vincentii. The chief symptoms are painful, swollen, bleeding gums; small, painful ulcers covering the gums and tooth margins; and

St. Vincent Ferrer ; canonized 1455; feast day April 5) was an Aragonese friar and renowned preacher who helped to end the Great Western Schism. In 1367 he entered the Dominican order at Valencia, where he became professor of theology. In 1394 the antipope Benedict XIII made him his confessor and

Vincent gingivitis, acute and painful infection of the tooth margins and gums that is caused by the symbiotic microorganisms Bacillus fusiformis and Borrelia vincentii. The chief symptoms are painful, swollen, bleeding gums; small, painful ulcers covering the gums and tooth margins; and

Vincent gingivitis, acute and painful infection of the tooth margins and gums that is caused by the symbiotic microorganisms Bacillus fusiformis and Borrelia vincentii. The chief symptoms are painful, swollen, bleeding gums; small, painful ulcers covering the gums and tooth margins; and

Vincent Of Beauvais was a French scholar and encyclopaedist whose Speculum majus (“Great Mirror”) was probably the greatest European encyclopaedia up to the 18th century. After he had entered the Dominican order in Paris (c. 1220) and become a priest and theologian, Vincent conceived the idea of

Saint Vincent of Lérins ; feast day May 24) was a Gallo-Roman saint, the chief theologian of the Abbey of Lérins, known especially for his heresiography Commonitoria (“Memoranda”). Supposedly the brother of Lupus of Troyes, Vincent may possibly have been a soldier before joining, before about 425,

Bud Selig: After baseball commissioner Fay Vincent resigned his post in 1992, Selig became the de facto commissioner when his fellow owners selected him to be chairman of the Major League Executive Council. In that capacity, he presided over the contentious 234-day strike by players in 1994–95 that led to…

Gene Vincent American rockabilly singer whose swaggering, black-leather-clad image defined the look of the rock rebel. Discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1955 following a motorcycle accident in which his leg was seriously injured, Vincent tried his hand at country music. In 1956, with record

Dick Cheney: …August 29, 1964, he married Lynne Vincent. While Cheney worked as an aid to Wisconsin Gov. Warren Knowles, his wife received a doctorate in British literature from the University of Wisconsin. She later served as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH; 1986–93), where she was criticized by…

Haiti: U.S. occupation: It elected as president Sténio Joseph Vincent. In August 1934 U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt withdrew the Marines; however, the United States maintained direct fiscal control until 1941 and indirect control over Haiti until 1947. In 1935 a plebiscite extended Vincent’s term to 1941 and amended the constitution so…

Vincentian, member of a Roman Catholic society of priests and brothers founded at Paris in 1625 by St. Vincent de Paul for the purpose of preaching missions to the poor country people and training young men in seminaries for the priesthood. To its original work the congregation has added extensive

Measure for Measure: The play opens with Vincentio, the benevolent duke of Vienna, commissioning his deputy Angelo to govern the city while he travels to Poland. In actuality, the duke remains in Vienna disguised as a friar in order to watch what unfolds. Following the letter of the law, Angelo passes the…

Peter Paul Rubens: Education and early career: Hired by Vincenzo I Gonzaga, duke of Mantua, Rubens proceeded to Mantua, where his chief duties were to make copies of Renaissance paintings, mainly portraits of court beauties. In October 1600 Rubens accompanied the duke to Florence to attend the marriage-by-proxy of Gonzaga’s sister-in-law Marie de Médicis…

Charles Vinci was an American weightlifter who won two Olympic gold medals. A native of Cleveland, Vinci, who stood 4 feet 11 inches (1.5 meters) tall, won seven U.S. weightlifting titles in the bantamweight (56-kg [123.5-pound]) division in 1954–56 and 1958–61. He won Pan American Games titles in

Charles Vinci was an American weightlifter who won two Olympic gold medals. A native of Cleveland, Vinci, who stood 4 feet 11 inches (1.5 meters) tall, won seven U.S. weightlifting titles in the bantamweight (56-kg [123.5-pound]) division in 1954–56 and 1958–61. He won Pan American Games titles in

Leonardo Vinci was an Italian composer who was one of the originators of the Neapolitan style of opera. Among his notable followers were Nicola Porpora, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, and Johann Adolph Hasse. Vinci’s first known work was a comic opera in the Neapolitan dialect, Lo cecato fauzo (1719;

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer whose skill and intelligence, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. His Last Supper (1495–98) and Mona Lisa (c. 1503–19) are among the most widely popular and

Italian literature: Fiction at the turn of the 21st century: …in the microcosm described by Simona Vinci. Her Dei bambini non si sa niente (1997; Eng. trans. What We Don’t Know About Children, or A Game We Play) opens a disturbing window onto the perverse and ultimately deadly private world of a group of children abandoned by their families to…

angiosperm: Significance to humans: such as acute leukemia (vincristine from the Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus; Apocynaceae), and of heart problems (digitalis from foxglove, Digitalis purpurea; Plantaginaceae). Muscle relaxants derived from curare (

numerals and numeral systems: Roman numerals: …a bar (known as the vinculum or virgula) was placed over a number to multiply it by 1,000. This bar also came to represent ordinal numbers. In the early Roman Empire, bars enclosing a number around the top and sides came to mean multiplication by 100,000. The use of the…

France: Charles Martel: …the Neustrians at Amblève (716), Vincy (717), and Soissons (719), he made himself master of northern Francia. He then reestablished Frankish authority in southern Gaul, where the local authorities could not cope with the Islamic threat; he stopped the Muslims near Poitiers (Battle of Tours; 732) and used this opportunity…

Rosamond Vincy, fictional character, the selfish, spoiled, willful wife of Tertius Lydgate in the novel Middlemarch (1871–72) by George

Ventspils, city and port, western Latvia. It lies at the mouth of the Venta River on the Baltic Sea coast. A settlement existed there in the 2nd millennium bc, and by the 10th century ad it was inhabited by Wends (a Slavic people). In 1242 the Teutonic Knights built a castle there, and in 1378 town

astronomical map: Star names and designations: …the Vintage,” now Latinized to Vindemiatrix).

Gaius Julius Vindex was the governor of the Roman province of Lugdunensis (east-central and northern Gaul) who led a revolt in Gaul against the emperor Nero. His rebellion, begun in March 68, was followed by other revolts in Spain, Africa, and Egypt and set in motion a series of events that led to

India: Developments in the Ganges basin: …been assigned to the “Vindhya Neolithic”; for at least one of these, Koldihwa, dates as early as the 7th millennium have been reported. The sites contain circular huts made of timber posts and thatch; associated implements and vessels include stone blades, ground stone axes, bone tools, and crude handmade…

Vindhya Range, broken range of hills forming the southern escarpment of the central upland of India. From Gujarat state on the west, it extends about 675 miles (1,086 km) across Madhya Pradesh state to abut on the Ganges (Ganga) River valley near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The mountains form the

Mirzapur-Vindhyachal: …stairs, along the river; in Vindhyachal is an old temple of Kali, visited by pilgrims.

India: The Deccan: …the founder of the dynasty, Vindhyashakti, extended his power northward as far as Vidisha (near Ujjain). At the end of the 4th century, a collateral line of the Vakatakas was established by Sarvasena in Vatsagulma (Basim, in Akola district), and the northern line helped the southern to conquer Kuntala (southern…

Edmund Burke: Early life: In 1756 he published anonymously A Vindication of Natural Society…, a satirical imitation of the style of Viscount Bolingbroke that was aimed at both the destructive criticism of revealed religion and the contemporary vogue for a “return to Nature.” A contribution to aesthetic theory, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin…

Edward Gibbon: The Decline and Fall: …make a devastating reply in A Vindication of Some Passages in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Chapters of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1779).

James Otis: In September 1762 Otis published A Vindication of the Conduct of the House of Representatives of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in defense of that body’s rebuke of the governor for asking the assembly to pay for ships not authorized by them—though sent to protect New England fisheries against French…

John Wise: Seven years later he published A Vindication of the Government of New England Churches, a work that delineated his liberal concepts concerning both civil and ecclesiastical governments. Strongly influenced by Whig political theory, it had a significant influence on patriot leaders of the American Revolution.

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, trailblazing treatise of feminism (1792) written by British writer and women’s activist Mary Wollstonecraft. The work argues for the empowerment of women in education, politics, society, and marriage. For much of her adult life, the self-educated Wollstonecraft

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, trailblazing treatise of feminism (1792) written by British writer and women’s activist Mary Wollstonecraft. The work argues for the empowerment of women in education, politics, society, and marriage. For much of her adult life, the self-educated Wollstonecraft

Philippe de Mornay, seigneur du Plessis-Marly: Scholars have disputed whether the Vindiciae contra tyrannos (1579; “A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants”), the most famous tract of Protestant political thought of the time, should be attributed to Mornay or to his friend Hubert Languet. The Vindiciae acknowledges a contract between a sovereign and his people: if the…

Manasseh ben Israel: While in England he wrote Vindiciae Judaeorum (1656; “Vindication of the Jews”) in answer to contemporary attacks on Jews, including William Prynne’s Short Demurrer. He returned to Holland in 1657, believing his mission to have been unsuccessful. His efforts, however, initiated the unofficial English acceptance of Jewish settlement and led…

Vindija, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Hrvatsko Zagorje region of Croatia, known for Neanderthal remains found there in the 1970s; Neanderthal DNA has since been successfully isolated from some specimens. The Vindija cave also contains a long, rich sequence of artifacts from the

Vindhya Range, broken range of hills forming the southern escarpment of the central upland of India. From Gujarat state on the west, it extends about 675 miles (1,086 km) across Madhya Pradesh state to abut on the Ganges (Ganga) River valley near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The mountains form the

Vienna, city and Bundesland (federal state), the capital of Austria. Of the country’s nine states, Vienna is the smallest in area but the largest in population. Modern Vienna has undergone several historical incarnations. From 1558 to 1918 it was an imperial city—until 1806 the seat of the Holy

Vendôme, historical town and capital of Loir-et-Cher département, Centre région, north-central France. It lies southwest of Paris and 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Blois. Vendôme stands on the Loir River, which divides and intersects the town. To the south stands a hill on which are ruins of the