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

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

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

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

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

Velázquez, Diego. 1599-1660. Spanish Naturalist court painter. Old Woman Frying Eggs 1618. Coronation of the Virgin 1641. Philip IV 1644. Surrender of Breda. Borrachos. Venus and Mirror 1655.

Velikovsky, Immanuel. 1895-1979. Russian/US writer of controversial scientific theories. Worlds in Collision 1950.

Vendôme Column. Paris. 1805. Has had statues of Napoleon as Caesar, Henry IV, a Fleur-de-lys, Napoleon in uniform, and now a copy of the original.

Venezuela Boundary Dispute. 19C over border with British Guiana. 1899 Most territory to Britain. Monroe Doctrine.

Verdun. 1916. Battle in which French repulsed the Germans. 750,000 casualties.

Vergennes, Charles, Compte de. 1719-87. French foreign minister. Allied with American revolutionaries. Treaty of Paris 1783.

Verne, Jules. 1828-1905. French Science Fiction fantasy writer. Voyage to the Centre of the Earth 864. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1870. Round the World in 80 Days 1873.

Verona. Raeti. Etruscans. Gauls. 89BC Rome. 489 Ostrogoth. 774 Charlemagne. 1107 Republic. 1164 Veronese League...Lombard League. 1387 Milan. 1405 Venice. 1797 Austria. 1866 Italy.

Verona Congress. 1822. Last Holy Alliance congress. Authorized French intervention in Spanish revolution. British opposed intervention in New Spain. Failure of Congress System.

Verrocchio, Andrea del. 1435-88. Florentine artist. St Thomas and Christ 1467-83. Bartolomeo 1483-8.

Vervins, Treaty. 1598. Spain withdraws support of French Catholic League. Ends Franco-Spanish War. Spanish acquisitions returned to France.

Verwoerd, Hendrik. 1901-66. South African Prime Minister 1958-66. Apartheid. Left Commonwealth 1961. Assassinated.

Vestal Virgins. Chaste Roman guardians of Temple to Vesta, goddess of the hearth.

Vetsera, Maria. -1889. Mistress of Rudolf; died with him.

Viau, Théophile. 1590-1626. French pre-Classical poet, dramatist. Pyramus and Thisbe 1623.

Vichy. Seat of Pétain’s pro-German government, 1940-44 in unoccupied southern France. Source of waters famous since Roman times.

Victorian style. 19C. Neo-Gothic architecture. London Houses of Parliament.

Vidocq, François. 1775-1857. French adventurer, petty criminal. Organizer of Police de Sûreté. Thieves 1837.

Vienna, Congress. 1814-15. Redrew map of Europe after Napoleon. Prussia gains Rhine, Westphalia. Swiss borders and neutrality confirmed. Netherlands created from Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg. Malta and Cape Colony ceded to Britain. Russia gets Poland. Austria trades Netherlands for north Italy. France reduced to 1792 borders. Metternich.

Viète, François. 1540-1603. French mathematician, algebraic notation. Equation theory.

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