Vandals. Germans fleeing Huns, invaded Gaul, Spain 409 and Africa 429-534. Sacked Rome 455. Arians, persecuted other Christians. Routed by Byzantines 533.

Vanderbilt. 19C US Railroad magnate family. Founded university.

Vanderlyn, John. 1775-1852. US Neoclassical artist. Ariadne 1812.

Varangian Guard. 977-15C. Byzantine infantry recruited from Scandinavia and later England.

Varangians. ‘Rus’. 9-10C. Norse conquerors of Russia, hence name.

Varèse, Edgard. 1883-1965. French composer of dissonant electronic music. Hyperprism 1923.

Vargas, Getúlio. 1883-1954. Dictatorial Brazilian president by revolution 1930-45, 51-. Modernization.

Varro, Marcus. 116-27BC. Prolific Roman scholar, satirist. 600 books. “Know thyself”.

Vasa. 1523-1818. Swedish dynasty. Ruled Poland 1587-1668. Dominated 17C Baltic.

Vasarely, Victor. 1908-97. Hungarian/French Op art kinetic painter.

Vasari, Giorgio. 1511-74. Italian Mannerist painter, architect, writer. Coined term Renaissance. Painters Lives 1550. Uffizi Palace architect.

Vassal. Feudal holder of a fief in exchange for services.

Vatican. 1146 Palace begun. 1377 Principal Papal residence. 11,000 rooms; world’s largest residence. 1929 Sovereign. Lateran Treaty.

Vatican City. 1929 State established by Lateran Treaty.

Vatican Councils. 1870 Papal Infallibility. 1962 Modified liturgy. Ecumenicalism.

Vauban, Sébastien de. 1633-1707. French military engineer. Invented trenches 1673, socket bayonet 1688.

Vaucreuil, Cavagnal, Marquis de. 1698-1765. Governor of New France. Surrendered to Britain 1760. Seven Years War.

Vaughan Williams, Ralph. 1872-1958. English Nationalist composer of symphonies, ballads, songs. Combined folk idiom with 16C polyphony. Sea 1910. Pastoral Symphony 1922.

Vauquelin. Chromium 1797. Beryllium 1798.

Veblen, Thorstein. 1857-1929. US sociologist. Theory of the Leisure Class 1899-“conspicuous consumption”.

Veche. 10C-1510. Russian democratic city council abolished by Mongols.

Vedanta. Philosophy of Hinduism from 6C BC Upanishads. Developed by Sankara 7C and Ramanuja 11C.

Vedas. 15C BC. Sacred texts of Hinduism. Upanishads.

Vega Carpio, Lope Felix de. 1562-1635. “Father” of Spanish drama. 1800 plays. Italian form to Spanish poetry.

Vehmgericht. 14-15C. German tribunals.

469 more results ...