Venantius Fortunatus: …works of Fortunatus are the Vita S. Martini (“Life of St. Martin”), written at the prompting of his friend Gregory of Tours; his prose biographies of saints (including the Vita Radegundis); and 11 books of poems (with an appendix of 34 poems). His early poems are courtly; they include addresses…

Pier Paolo Pasolini: …and Una vita violenta (1959; A Violent Life). These brutally realistic depictions of the poverty and squalor of slum life in Rome were similar in character to his first film, Accattone (1961), and all three works dealt with the lives of thieves, prostitutes, and other denizens of the Roman underworld.

Italo Svevo: …first novel, Una vita (1892; A Life), was revolutionary in its analytic, introspective treatment of the agonies of an ineffectual hero (a pattern Svevo repeated in subsequent works). A powerful but rambling work, the book was ignored upon its publication. So was its successor, Senilità (1898; As a Man Grows…

Vitaceae, the grape family of flowering plants, in the buckthorn order (Rhamnales), comprising 12 genera of woody plants, most of them tendril-bearing vines. The largest genus, which is pantropic in distribution, is Cissus, containing about 350 species. Vitis, with about 60 to 70 species, is the

Mabel Normand: She then worked for the Vitagraph studio until late 1911, when she returned to Biograph. During this period she played both comic and dramatic roles, sometimes under the studio-assigned name of Muriel Fortescue.

Mabel Normand: She then worked for the Vitagraph studio until late 1911, when she returned to Biograph. During this period she played both comic and dramatic roles, sometimes under the studio-assigned name of Muriel Fortescue.

chemical compound: Historical developments: …was referred to as a vital force.

Madagascar: The Second Republic: Another opposition alliance, the Vital Forces (Forces Vives; FV), was created under the leadership of Albert Zafy, a professor at the University of Madagascar. Demonstrations favouring constitutional change were held, and discussions about a possible revision of the constitution continued without yielding any agreement. In June 1991 the FV…

vital rates, relative frequencies of vital occurrences that affect changes in the size and composition of a population. When calculated per 1,000 inhabitants—as is conventional in vital-statistics publications—they are referred to as crude rates. More refined rates often must be used in the more

vital sign, any of certain basic physiologic measures used in the initial clinical assessment of a patient during a physician’s examination. The vital signs of temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, and blood pressure all reflect the general physiologic state as well as specific disease states.

vital rates, relative frequencies of vital occurrences that affect changes in the size and composition of a population. When calculated per 1,000 inhabitants—as is conventional in vital-statistics publications—they are referred to as crude rates. More refined rates often must be used in the more

Ḥayyim ben Joseph Vital was one of Judaism’s outstanding Kabbalists (expounder of Jewish esoteric or occult doctrine). In Safed, Palestine, in about 1570, Vital became the disciple of Isaac ben Solomon Luria, the leading Kabbalist of his time, and after Luria’s death (1572) Vital professed to be

Vitale da Bologna was an Italian painter of the Bolognese school whose early 14th-century paintings in the International Gothic style show a marked Sienese influence. The first official record of Vitale was in Bologna, where he painted the Odofredi Chapel in the Church of San Francesco. During this

Vitale da Bologna was an Italian painter of the Bolognese school whose early 14th-century paintings in the International Gothic style show a marked Sienese influence. The first official record of Vitale was in Bologna, where he painted the Odofredi Chapel in the Church of San Francesco. During this

Vitale da Bologna was an Italian painter of the Bolognese school whose early 14th-century paintings in the International Gothic style show a marked Sienese influence. The first official record of Vitale was in Bologna, where he painted the Odofredi Chapel in the Church of San Francesco. During this

mathematics: Foundations of geometry: …Christopher Clavius in 1574 and Giordano Vitale in 1680 showed that the postulate is equivalent to asserting that the line equidistant from a straight line is a straight line. In 1693 John Wallis, Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford, attempted a different demonstration, proving that the axiom follows from the…

Vitales, grape order of flowering plants, a basal member in the rosid group of the core eudicots in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (APG III) botanical classification system (see angiosperm). The order consists of the single family Vitaceae, which contains 16 genera and about 770 species, mostly

Giovanni Battista Vitali was a principal Italian composer of chamber music for strings in the period before Arcangelo Corelli. From about 1658, he played the cello in the church of S. Petronio in Bologna. In 1674, he was second and, in 1684, first, music director for Duke Francesco II of Modena.

Saint Vitalian ; feast day January 27) was the pope from 657 to 672. Consecrated as St. Eugenius I’s successor on July 30, 657, Vitalian soon dealt peacefully with monothelitism, a heresy maintaining that Christ had only one will. In 648 the Byzantine emperor Constans II had issued his Typos, an

Saint Vitalian ; feast day January 27) was the pope from 657 to 672. Consecrated as St. Eugenius I’s successor on July 30, 657, Vitalian soon dealt peacefully with monothelitism, a heresy maintaining that Christ had only one will. In 648 the Byzantine emperor Constans II had issued his Typos, an

vitalism, school of scientific thought—the germ of which dates from Aristotle—that attempts (in opposition to mechanism and organicism) to explain the nature of life as resulting from a vital force peculiar to living organisms and different from all other forces found outside living things. This

Pearl Jam: Vitalogy through Pearl Jam: Vitalogy (1994), the group’s third multimillion-selling album, explores longing and loss, and it includes the Grammy-winning single “Spin the Black Circle.” Pearl Jam backed Neil Young on the album Mirror Ball (1995) and then released No Code (1996). The latter album’s stylistic departure disappointed

vitamin, any of several organic substances that are necessary in small quantities for normal health and growth in higher forms of animal life. Vitamins are distinct in several ways from other biologically important compounds such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Although these latter

vitamin A, a fat-soluble alcohol, most abundant in fatty fish and especially in fish-liver oils. Vitamin A is also found in milk fat, eggs, and liver; synthetic vitamin A is added to margarine. Vitamin A is not present in plants, but many vegetables and fruits contain one or more of a class of

vitamin A deficiency, nutritional disorder caused by a deficiency of vitamin A (also called retinol), a fat-soluble compound that is essential for various biological functions, especially vision. Retinaldehydes and retinoic acids are biologically active derivatives from retinol, and 11-cis

nutritional disease: Vitamins: Chronic hypervitaminosis A, usually resulting from a sustained daily intake of 30,000 μg (100,000 IU) for months or years, may result in wide-ranging effects, including loss of bone density and liver damage. Vitamin A toxicity in young infants may be seen in a swelling of the…

vitamin B complex, several vitamins that traditionally have been grouped together because of loose similarities in their properties, their distribution in natural sources, and their physiological functions, which overlap considerably. All the B vitamins, like vitamin C, are soluble in water, in

thiamin, water-soluble organic compound that is necessary for carbohydrate metabolism in both plants and animals. It carries out these functions in its active form, as a component of the coenzyme thiamin pyrophosphate. Thiamin deficiency results in beriberi, a disease characterized by multiple

beriberi, nutritional disorder caused by a deficiency of thiamin (vitamin B1) and characterized by impairment of the nerves and heart. General symptoms include loss of appetite and overall lassitude, digestive irregularities, and a feeling of numbness and weakness in the limbs and extremities. (The

vitamin B12, a complex water-soluble organic compound that is essential to a number of microorganisms and animals, including humans. Vitamin B12 aids in the development of red blood cells in higher animals. The vitamin, which is unique in that it contains a metallic ion, cobalt, has a complex

organometallic compound: Historical developments: …nature are the vitamin B12 coenzyme, which contains a cobalt-carbon (Co―C) bond, and dimethylmercury, H3C―Hg―CH3, which is produced by bacteria to eliminate the toxic metal mercury. However, organometallic compounds are generally unusual in biological processes.

blood disease: Megaloblastic anemias: A deficiency of vitamin B12 leads to disordered production of DNA and hence to the impaired production of red cells. Unlike other vitamins, it is formed not by higher plants but only by certain bacteria and molds and in the rumen (first stomach chamber) of sheep…

riboflavin, a yellow, water-soluble organic compound that occurs abundantly in whey (the watery part of milk) and in egg white. An essential nutrient for animals, it can be synthesized by green plants and by most bacteria and fungi. The greenish yellow fluorescence of whey and egg white is caused

childhood disease and disorder: Malnutrition: Riboflavin deficiency results in lesions of the skin and corners of the mouth, with a peculiar smoothing of the tongue. Beriberi is a consequence of thiamine deficiency. The major clinical features often relate to cardiac impairment. Defects in the functioning of the nervous system also…

niacin, water-soluble vitamin of the B complex. It is also called the pellagra-preventive vitamin because an adequate amount in the diet prevents pellagra, a chronic disease characterized by skin lesions, gastrointestinal disturbance, and nervous symptoms. Niacin is interchangeable in metabolism

vitamin B6, water-soluble organic compound that is an essential micronutrient for microorganisms and animals. It occurs in three forms: pyridoxine (or pyridoxol), pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine. Pyridoxine was first isolated in 1938 and synthesized in 1939. Pyridoxal and pyridoxamine, which were

vitamin C, water-soluble, carbohydrate-like substance that is involved in certain metabolic processes of animals. Although most animals can synthesize vitamin C, it is necessary in the diet of some, including humans and other primates, in order to prevent scurvy, a disease characterized by soreness

scurvy, one of the oldest-known nutritional disorders of humankind, caused by a dietary lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), a nutrient found in many fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly the citrus fruits. Vitamin C is important in the formation of collagen (an element of normal tissues), and

poison: Vitamins and iron pills: Excess vitamin C can lead to kidney stones. Apart from irritation of the skin and respiratory tract, the most severe toxicity of vitamin K excess is the increased destruction of red blood cells, which leads to anemia and the accumulation of bilirubin, one of the products…

vitamin D, any of a group of fat-soluble vitamins important in calcium metabolism in animals. It is formed by ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) of sterols present in the skin. The term vitamin D refers to a family of compounds that are derived from cholesterol. There are two major forms of vitamin

muscle disease: Vitamin D deficiency: A similar mechanism underlies the wasting and weakness associated with lack of vitamin D in which marked atrophy of type 2 fibres may occur. The actions of vitamin D in muscle are not fully understood, but it appears that at least one…

vitamin D: …toxic levels, a condition called hypervitaminosis D. An individual experiencing vitamin D poisoning may complain of weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. In infants and children there may be growth failure. Because vitamin D is involved in the intestinal absorption and mobilization of calcium, this mineral may reach…

rickets: Causes of rickets: …inherited form of rickets is vitamin D-dependent rickets type I (VDDRI), in which a defect in the enzyme that converts calcidiol to calcitriol produces vitamin D deficiency and causes the loss of calcium from bone. Vitamin D-dependent rickets type II (VDDRII) involves loss-of-function mutations in a gene for the vitamin…

rickets: Causes of rickets: Vitamin D-dependent rickets type II (VDDRII) involves loss-of-function mutations in a gene for the vitamin D receptor, with the result that tissues are unable to absorb calcitriol. VDDRII is associated with rickets, hypocalcemia (decreased serum calcium), and in some cases alopecia (baldness). Both VDDRI and…

bone disease: Metabolic bone disease: …a hereditary disorder known as familial hypophosphatemia; the phosphate leak causes low concentration of blood phosphate and, in turn, deficient mineralization of bone tissue, rickets, and osteomalacia. Familial hypophosphatemia is the most common cause of rickets in Europe and the United States. The basic deficiency is treated with high oral…

vitamin D: …plants and better known as ergocalciferol (or calciferol), and vitamin D3, found in animal tissues and often referred to as cholecalciferol. Both of these compounds are inactive precursors of potent metabolites and therefore fall into the category of prohormones. This is true not only for cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol obtained from…

steroid: Sterols and bile acids: …by solar ultraviolet light to cholecalciferol, vitamin D3, which controls calcification of bone by regulating intestinal absorption of calcium. The disease rickets, which results from lack of exposure to sunlight or lack of intake of vitamin D, can be treated by administration of the vitamin or of the corresponding derivative…

nutritional disease: Vitamins: Although deficiency diseases have been described in laboratory animals and humans deprived of single vitamins, in human experience multiple deficiencies are usually present simultaneously. The eight B-complex vitamins function in coordination in numerous enzyme systems and metabolic pathways; thus, a deficiency of one may…

vitamin E, a fat-soluble compound found principally in certain plant oils and the leaves of green vegetables. Wheat-germ oil is a particularly rich source of the vitamin. Vitamin E, first recognized in 1922, was first obtained in a pure form in 1936; it was identified chemically in 1938. A number

vitamin E: Humans with a deficiency of vitamin E display, among other symptoms, a mild anemia. Persons with a chronic deficiency exhibit prolonged malabsorption of fats, as well as mild anemia, unsteadiness (ataxia), and pigmentary changes in the retina. These symptoms respond to prolonged vitamin E treatment. In experimental animals,…

carboxylic acid: Unsaturated aliphatic acids: …diet and, therefore, are called essential fatty acids. (4) Many unsaturated fatty acids are liquids at room temperature, in contrast to the saturated stearic (C18) and arachidic (C20) acids, which are solids. The reason is that the regular nature of the saturated hydrocarbon chains allows the molecules in the solid…

biotin, water-soluble, nitrogen-containing acid essential for growth and well-being in animals and some microorganisms. Biotin is a member of the B complex of vitamins. It functions in the formation and metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. A relatively stable substance, it is widely distributed in

vitamin K, any of several fat-soluble naphthoquinone compounds. Vitamin K (from the Danish word koagulation) is required for the synthesis of several blood clotting factors, including prothrombin and factors VII, IX, and X. A form of vitamin K known as phylloquinone (vitamin K1) is synthesized by

nutritional disease: Vitamin K: Vitamin K deficiency causes impaired clotting of the blood and internal bleeding, even without injury. Due to poor transport of vitamin K across the placenta, newborn infants in developed countries are routinely given the vitamin intramuscularly or orally within six hours of birth to protect…

niacin, water-soluble vitamin of the B complex. It is also called the pellagra-preventive vitamin because an adequate amount in the diet prevents pellagra, a chronic disease characterized by skin lesions, gastrointestinal disturbance, and nervous symptoms. Niacin is interchangeable in metabolism

History of film: Introduction of sound: …a sophisticated sound-on-disc system called Vitaphone, which their representatives attempted to market to Hollywood in 1925. Like De Forest, they were rebuffed by the major studios, but Warner Brothers, then a minor studio in the midst of aggressive expansion, bought both the system and the right to sublease it to…

Cinerama, in motion pictures, a process in which three synchronized movie projectors each project one-third of the picture on a wide, curving screen. Many viewers believe that the screen, which thus annexes their entire field of vision, gives a sense of reality unmatched by the flat screen.

Vitascope, motion-picture projector patented by Thomas Armat in 1895; its principal features are retained in the modern projector: sprocketed film operated with a mechanism (the “Maltese cross”) to stop each frame briefly before the lens, and a loop in the film to ease the strain. The Vitascope was

Hiram Bingham: …revealed the important sites of Vitcos and Espíritu Pampa, a larger ruin that was thoroughly excavated in 1964 by the American archaeologist Gene Savoy, who demonstrated it to be a more likely site for Vilcabamba. Bingham’s publications on South America include Inca Land (1922), Machu Picchu, a Citadel of the…

Fra Angelico: Legacy: …his section on Angelico in Lives of the Most Eminent Italian Painters, Sculptors, & Architects, was largely inaccurate in his biographical data but correctly situated Fra Angelico in the framework of the Renaissance.

Michael was a Romanian national hero, prince of Walachia, who briefly united much of the future national patrimony under his rule. Acceding to the princely throne of Walachia in 1593, Michael submitted in May 1595 to the suzerainty of the prince of Transylvania, Sigismund Báthory, in order to

Vitsyebsk, city and administrative centre of Vitsyebsk oblast (region), northeastern Belarus. It lies along the Western Dvina River at the latter’s confluence with the Luchesa River. Vitsyebsk, first mentioned in 1021, was a major fortress and trading centre and had a stormy history. It passed to

flatworm: Reproduction: …vitellaria, often known as the vitelline glands or yolk glands. The cells of the vitellaria form yolk and eggshell components. In some groups, particularly those that live primarily in water or have an aqueous phase in the life cycle, the eggshell consists of a hardened protein known as sclerotin, or…

flatworm: Reproduction: …vitellaria, often known as the vitelline glands or yolk glands. The cells of the vitellaria form yolk and eggshell components. In some groups, particularly those that live primarily in water or have an aqueous phase in the life cycle, the eggshell consists of a hardened protein known as sclerotin, or…

fertilization: Formation of the fertilization membrane: …of a membrane, called a vitelline membrane, from the egg surface. In the beginning the membrane is very thin; soon, however, it thickens, develops a well-organized molecular structure, and is called the fertilization membrane. At the same time an extensive rearrangement of the molecular structure of the egg surface occurs.…

animal development: Circulatory organs: …the early embryo are the vitelline veins, whose branches spread out between the lateral plate mesoderm and the endoderm, especially the endoderm of the yolk sac, when present. On their way to the heart, the vitelline veins pass through the liver and break up into a system of small channels—the…

Aulus Vitellius was a Roman emperor, the last of Nero’s three short-lived successors. Vitellius was the son of the emperor Claudius’s colleague as censor, Lucius Vitellius, who was also consul three times. Aulus himself became consul in ad 48 and proconsul of Africa (c. 61). The new emperor, Galba,

Artabanus III: …throne by the Roman general Lucius Vitellius. Artabanus withdrew to Hyrcania, but within a year he was summoned by the anti-Roman party, returned, and won back his throne. The struggle had evidently weakened Parthia internally; large areas and some of the great commercial centres seem to have become independent of…

Witelo was a Polish natural scientist and philosopher, best known for his Perspectiva (c. 1274). He studied arts at Paris and canon law at Padua and spent some time at the papal court in Viterbo. One of the first analyses of space perception, the Perspectiva was incorporated into Opticae thesaurus

antipasto: …as seafood salads, stuffed mushrooms, vitello tonnato (cold braised veal in tuna mayonnaise), and the like.

animal reproductive system: Ovaries: …times as a result of vitellogenesis (deposit of yolk). In goldfish, on the other hand, when vitellogenesis commences, the egg has a diameter of 150 microns (0.15 millimetre [0.006 inch]); that of the mature egg is only 500 microns (0.5 millimetre [0.02 inch]). Mammalian eggs contain little yolk and vary…

endocrine system: Reproduction: …(vitellogenesis is the synthesis of vitellogenin, a protein from which the oocyte makes the egg proteins). This neurohormone is stored in either the corpora cardiaca or the corpora allata, depending on the species. Uptake of vitellogenin by the ovary is enhanced by JH. In most insects, JH also stimulates vitellogenin…

Federico Fellini: Early life and influences: …first critical and commercial success, I vitelloni (1953; Spivs or The Young and the Passionate), exhibited little fantasy. Based on his own adolescence in Rimini, it faithfully reflects the boredom of provincial life, which drove him to Rome.

telecommunication: Convolutional encoding: …an efficient decoding algorithm called Viterbi decoding (after its inventor, A.J. Viterbi). In general, the greater the memory (i.e., the more states) used by the encoder, the better the error-correcting performance of the code—but only at the cost of a more complex decoding algorithm. In addition, the larger the number…

Viterbo, city, Lazio (Latium) region, central Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Cimini Mountains, northwest of Rome. Of Etruscan origin, the town was taken by the Romans about 310 bc. In 774 Viterbo was included among the Lombard towns of Tuscany, and it was given by Matilda of Tuscany to

Latin American art: Trends, c. 1970–present: In the 1970s Oswaldo Viteri of Ecuador glued onto wooden boards tiny brightly coloured textile dolls bought from highland Indians. These he then selectively painted dark or left untouched, sometimes regimenting them, other times placing them randomly—thus suggesting how the indigenous population is manipulated by institutional forces.

chaste tree, (Vitex agnus-castus), aromatic shrub of the mint family (Lamiaceae; formerly placed in Verbenaceae), native to Eurasia. Its pliable twigs are used in basketry. Its fruits are used for flavouring and in herbal medicine to treat menstrual cycle problems. The plant gets its name from the

Fiji, country and archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean. It surrounds the Koro Sea about 1,300 miles (2,100 km) north of Auckland, New Zealand. The archipelago consists of some 300 islands and 540 islets scattered over about 1,000,000 square miles (3,000,000 square km). Of the 300 islands, about

Viti Levu, largest island (4,026 square miles [10,429 square km]) of Fiji, west of the Koro Sea in the South Pacific Ocean. Its name means “Great Fiji.” Sighted (1789) by Capt. William Bligh of HMS Bounty, the island is split by a central mountain range with many inactive volcanoes. Tomanivi

viticulture, the cultivation of grapes. See

Cintio Vitier was a Cuban poet, anthologist, critic, and scholar of Cuban poetry. Vitier began as a writer of extremely difficult, hermetic poetry. His poetry until Canto Llano (1954; “Clear Song”) was primarily concerned with the nature of poetry, the function of memory, and the intricate role of

Cintio Vitier was a Cuban poet, anthologist, critic, and scholar of Cuban poetry. Vitier began as a writer of extremely difficult, hermetic poetry. His poetry until Canto Llano (1954; “Clear Song”) was primarily concerned with the nature of poetry, the function of memory, and the intricate role of

vitiligo, patchy loss of melanin pigment from the skin. Though the pigment-making cells of the skin, or melanocytes, are structurally intact, they have lost the ability to synthesize the pigment. The reason for this condition is unclear; research suggests that it may be an autoimmune condition.

Vitim Plateau, gently rolling plateau area of eastern Siberia, in Buryatiya and in Chita oblast (province), eastern Russia. The plateau is drained by the Vitim River and varies in height between 4,000 and 5,250 ft (1,200 and 1,600 m). It consists of a series of granites, granite-gneisses and

Vitim River, river and tributary of the Lena River in eastern Siberia, Russia. It rises on the eastern slopes of the Ikat Mountains near the town of Bagdarin in Buryatiya and flows in a generally northerly direction to join the Lena in a delta at the town of Vitim. It has a length of 1,229 mi

Vitim Plateau, gently rolling plateau area of eastern Siberia, in Buryatiya and in Chita oblast (province), eastern Russia. The plateau is drained by the Vitim River and varies in height between 4,000 and 5,250 ft (1,200 and 1,600 m). It consists of a series of granites, granite-gneisses and

grape, (genus Vitis), genus of about 60 to 80 species of vining plants in the family Vitaceae, native to the north temperate zone, including varieties that may be eaten as table fruit, dried to produce raisins, or crushed to make grape juice or wine. The grape is usually a woody vine, climbing by

grape: Major species: Summer grape (V. aestivalis) is thought to be the oldest American grape cultivar. The fruit is well suited for wine making, but the vine is difficult to cultivate. The thick-skinned muscadine grape (V. rotundifolia) of the southeastern United States is used in artisanal wines and…

Vitaceae: vinifera) and the North American fox grape (V. labrusca), the parent species of most of the cultivated slipskin American grapes. The Boston ivy (q.v.; Parthenocissus tricuspidata) and the Virginia creeper (q.v.; P. quinquefolia) are well-known woody vines common in the eastern United States.

grape: Major species: The thick-skinned muscadine grape (V. rotundifolia) of the southeastern United States is used in artisanal wines and jellies.

grape: Major species: However, it is the European wine grape (Vitis vinifera) that is used to produce most standard or higher quality wines. There are at least 5,000 reported varieties of this grape, which differ from one another in such characteristics as colour, size, and shape of berry; juice composition (including flavour);…

fluoroelastomer: …elastomers such as DuPont’s trademarked Viton (a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene) have become materials of choice for use in aerospace and industrial equipment subjected to severe conditions. However, they have a high density, are swollen by ketones and ethers, are attacked by steam, and become glassy at temperatures…

Vito Genovese was one of the most powerful of American crime syndicate and Mafia bosses from the 1930s to the 1950s and a major influence even from prison, 1959–69. Genovese immigrated from a Neapolitan village to New York City in 1913, joined local gangs, and in the 1920s and ’30s was Lucky

Geraldo Bessa Victor was an Angolan lyric poet whose work expresses the dream of racial harmony and the need to recapture the openness and purity of childhood. Victor’s poetry in Portuguese includes Ecos dispersos (1941; “Scattered Echoes”), Ao som das marimbas (1943; “To the Sound of the

Vitória, city, capital of Espírito Santo estado (state), eastern Brazil. It is situated on the western side of Vitória Island, in Espírito Santo Bay. Founded in 1535 by Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, who was given the original captaincy of Espírito Santo by the Portuguese crown, Vitória attained city

Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of Álava provincia (province), in Basque Country comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northeastern Spain. It is located north of the Vitoria Hills on the Zadorra River, southwest of San Sebastián. Founded as Victoriacum by the Visigothic king Leovigild to celebrate

Vitória da Conquista, city, south-central Bahia estado (state), northeastern Brazil. It is situated in the Batalha Mountains at 3,040 feet (928 metres) above sea level. Elevated to city status in 1891 and formerly called Conquista, the city is the trade and transportation centre for an extensive

Battle of Vitoria, (June 21, 1813), decisive battle of the Peninsular War that finally broke Napoleon’s power in Spain. The battle was fought between a combined English, Spanish, and Portuguese army numbering 72,000 troops and 90 guns under Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, and a French

Francisco de Vitoria was a Spanish theologian best remembered for his defense of the rights of the Indians of the New World against Spanish colonists and for his ideas of the limitations of justifiable warfare. Vitoria was born in the Basque province of Álava. He entered the Dominican order and was

Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of Álava provincia (province), in Basque Country comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northeastern Spain. It is located north of the Vitoria Hills on the Zadorra River, southwest of San Sebastián. Founded as Victoriacum by the Visigothic king Leovigild to celebrate