a 19th-century physician known for his seminal contributions to early sexology. He was the personal physician to the Czar. Kaan is primarily known for an early scientific approach to sexology i.e. a scientifically based theoretical study of sex as opposed to earlier fields of erotology—the more practical study of lovemaking. He published his main work Psyc...

a 19th-century physician known for his seminal contributions to early sexology. He was the personal physician to the Czar. Kaan is primarily known for an early scientific approach to sexology i.e. a scientifically based theoretical study of sex as opposed to earlier fields of erotology—the more practical study of lovemaking. He published his main work Psychopathia Sexualis in 1844 in Leipzig in Latin. A direct translation of the title is Psychopathies of Sexuality. In this work he reinterpreted the Christian sexual sins as diseases of the mind.

a German playwright and humorist. Within several years of writing, he practically dominated the German farce stage of his time. At the old Wallner Theater in Berlin and in the great comedy houses throughout Germany there were years when none but his pieces were produced, some of them having runs of hundreds of performances. Nor was it in Germany alone that h...

a German playwright and humorist. Within several years of writing, he practically dominated the German farce stage of his time. At the old Wallner Theater in Berlin and in the great comedy houses throughout Germany there were years when none but his pieces were produced, some of them having runs of hundreds of performances. Nor was it in Germany alone that his plays became famous, for by adaptation and translation they were produced throughout the world.

a German philosopher, who is considered the central figure of modern philosophy. Kant argued that fundamental concepts of the human mind structure human experience, that reason is the source of morality, that aesthetics arises from a faculty of disinterested judgment, that space and time are forms of our understanding, and that the world as it is "in-itself"...

a German philosopher, who is considered the central figure of modern philosophy. Kant argued that fundamental concepts of the human mind structure human experience, that reason is the source of morality, that aesthetics arises from a faculty of disinterested judgment, that space and time are forms of our understanding, and that the world as it is "in-itself" is unknowable. Kant took himself to have effected a Copernican revolution in philosophy, akin to Nicolaus Copernicus' reversal of the age-old belief that the sun revolved around the earth. His beliefs continue to have a major influence on contemporary philosophy, especially the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political theory, and aesthetics.

author of the last great codification of Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch, which is still authoritative for all Jews pertaining to their respective communities. His reputation during the last thirty years of his life was greater than that of almost any other rabbi since Maimonides. The Italian Azariah dei Rossi, though his views differed widely from Kar...

author of the last great codification of Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch, which is still authoritative for all Jews pertaining to their respective communities. His reputation during the last thirty years of his life was greater than that of almost any other rabbi since Maimonides. The Italian Azariah dei Rossi, though his views differed widely from Karo's, collected money among the rich Italian Jews for the purpose of having a work of Karo's printed; and Moses Isserles compelled the recognition of one of Karo's decisions at Kraków, although he had questions on the ruling.

an Irish novelist, born at Thurles in Tipperary, Ireland. Kavanagh's literary career began after the move of her and her mother to London in about 1844, after separating from her father in France. Thereafter she supported herself and her invalid mother, Bridget (a lifelong companion), with her writing career. Her first book was Three Paths (1847), a story fo...

an Irish novelist, born at Thurles in Tipperary, Ireland. Kavanagh's literary career began after the move of her and her mother to London in about 1844, after separating from her father in France. Thereafter she supported herself and her invalid mother, Bridget (a lifelong companion), with her writing career. Her first book was Three Paths (1847), a story for the young; but her first work to attract notice was Madeleine, a Tale of Auvergne (1848), a story of “heroic charity and living faith founded on fact.”

a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill, and became a Irish Catholic priest and a poet. His major work, Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland, more usually translated History of Ireland) was written in Early Modern Irish and completed ...

a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill, and became a Irish Catholic priest and a poet. His major work, Foras Feasa ar Éirinn (Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland, more usually translated History of Ireland) was written in Early Modern Irish and completed ca. 1634.

an English Romantic poet. He was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord George Gordon Byron and Percy Bysshe...

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an English Romantic poet. He was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord George Gordon Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, despite his work having been in publication for only four years before his death.

a Swedish poet and critic. His strong satiric tendency led him into numerous controversies, the chief that with the critic Thomas Thorild, against whom he directed his satire Nytt försök till orimmad vers, where he also sneers at the "raving of Shakespeare" and "the convulsions of more

a Swedish poet and critic. His strong satiric tendency led him into numerous controversies, the chief that with the critic Thomas Thorild, against whom he directed his satire Nytt försök till orimmad vers, where he also sneers at the "raving of Shakespeare" and "the convulsions of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe." His lack of humour detracts from the interest of his polemical writings. His poetical works are partly lyrical, partly dramatic; his plays are based on plots by Gustavus III. The songs interspersed in the four operas which they produced together are wholly the work of Kellgren.

an Irish dramatist and poet. From the 1760s he was employed as a propagandist for the British government, attacking members of the Opposition. After arriving in London in 1760 to work as a staymaker, he soon turned to become a writer and made a living as a journalist. In 1766 he published Thespis, a long poem about the acting profession, which gained him wid...

an Irish dramatist and poet. From the 1760s he was employed as a propagandist for the British government, attacking members of the Opposition. After arriving in London in 1760 to work as a staymaker, he soon turned to become a writer and made a living as a journalist. In 1766 he published Thespis, a long poem about the acting profession, which gained him wide attention. He followed up this success with the novel Memoirs of a Magdalen in 1767. He ultimately became known for his stage plays such as False Delicacy and A Word to the Wise.

an author who wrote in rhyme about Welsh history. Kelton, whose date of birth and ancestry are unclear, is credited with Book of Poetry in Praise of Welshmen (1546) and A Chronicle with a Genealogie declaring that the Brittons and Welshmen are linealiye dyscended from Brute (1547), which was dedicated to Edward VI. He dealt with early British history after t...

an author who wrote in rhyme about Welsh history. Kelton, whose date of birth and ancestry are unclear, is credited with Book of Poetry in Praise of Welshmen (1546) and A Chronicle with a Genealogie declaring that the Brittons and Welshmen are linealiye dyscended from Brute (1547), which was dedicated to Edward VI. He dealt with early British history after the uncritical fashion of Geoffrey of Monmouth, and made no serious effort at scholarship.

an American novelist and Whig politician who served as United States Secretary of the Navy from July 26, 1852 to March 4, 1853, during the administration of President Millard Fillmore, and as a U.S. Representative from Maryland's 4th congressional district. ...

an American novelist and Whig politician who served as United States Secretary of the Navy from July 26, 1852 to March 4, 1853, during the administration of President Millard Fillmore, and as a U.S. Representative from Maryland's 4th congressional district. He was the Speaker of the Maryland State assembly and served several different terms in the assembly. Kennedy helped to lead the effort to end slavery in Maryland, which, as a non-confederate state, was not affected by the Emancipation Proclamation and required a state law to free slaves within its borders and to outlaw the furtherance of the practice.

Walter was a Scottish makar associated with the renaissance court of James IV, perhaps best known as the defendant against William Dunbar in The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie, but his surviving works clearly show him to have been an accomplished "master" in many ge...

Walter was a Scottish makar associated with the renaissance court of James IV, perhaps best known as the defendant against William Dunbar in The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie, but his surviving works clearly show him to have been an accomplished "master" in many genres. It is likely that a significant body of poetry by him has been lost. His most impressive surviving poem is The Passioun. Although Kennedy's surviving works are written in Middle Scots he may also have composed in Gaelic.

a German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his laws of planetary motion, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. These works also provided one of the foundations for more

a German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his laws of planetary motion, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. These works also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation.

a Scottish nobleman and writer. In 1620, Kerr was involved in a fatal quarrel with a young man named Charles Maxwell, who insulted him without provocation as he entered the palace at Newmarket. In a duel that followed, Sir Robert killed Maxwell. Even though Maxwell's friends acquitted Kerr of blame, the king's strict rules for prevention and punishment of d...

a Scottish nobleman and writer. In 1620, Kerr was involved in a fatal quarrel with a young man named Charles Maxwell, who insulted him without provocation as he entered the palace at Newmarket. In a duel that followed, Sir Robert killed Maxwell. Even though Maxwell's friends acquitted Kerr of blame, the king's strict rules for prevention and punishment of duels forced him to flee to Holland, where he remained about a year. During his exile, he collected pictures, for which, like his royal master, he had good taste. He eventually presented those he brought back with him to the prince. He was also distinguished by his literary taste.

a Chinese Protestant Christian evangelist and author from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Agong was baptized by Robert Morrison (the first Protestant missionary to China) at Macau about 1830. After his baptism, he was opposed by his wife, who was devoted to idols. The same year he itinerated about 250 miles across China, accompanied by Liang Fa, teaching and ...

a Chinese Protestant Christian evangelist and author from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Agong was baptized by Robert Morrison (the first Protestant missionary to China) at Macau about 1830. After his baptism, he was opposed by his wife, who was devoted to idols. The same year he itinerated about 250 miles across China, accompanied by Liang Fa, teaching and distributing Christian tracts, which they had written and printed themselves. Heading southwest, they followed the route of one of the public examiners, and passing on from one district to another, they had free access to the young literati, among whom they distributed upwards of 7000 tracts on Christian subjects.

a Norwegian historian, archaeologist and educator. Keyser was most commonly associated with the Theory on immigration to Norway. Keyser was a supporter of the migration theory that the Norse tribes had wandered into Norway from the north and east, a view also shared by Peter Andreas Munch, a former student of Keyser. This theory was inspired in part by the e...

a Norwegian historian, archaeologist and educator. Keyser was most commonly associated with the Theory on immigration to Norway. Keyser was a supporter of the migration theory that the Norse tribes had wandered into Norway from the north and east, a view also shared by Peter Andreas Munch, a former student of Keyser. This theory was inspired in part by the earlier works of Gerhard Schøning. The theory was commonly denounced by many Norwegian historians especially by Ludvig Kristensen Daa. Rudolf Keyser became a knight in the Order of St. Olav in 1847.

a Pashtun poet, warrior and scholar, and chief of the Khattak tribe of the Pashtuns. Khushal preached the union of all Pashtuns, and encouraged revolt against the Mughal Empire promoting Pashtun nationalism through poetry. Khushal was the first Afghan mentor who presents his theories for the unity of the Pashtun tribes against foreign forces and the creation...

a Pashtun poet, warrior and scholar, and chief of the Khattak tribe of the Pashtuns. Khushal preached the union of all Pashtuns, and encouraged revolt against the Mughal Empire promoting Pashtun nationalism through poetry. Khushal was the first Afghan mentor who presents his theories for the unity of the Pashtun tribes against foreign forces and the creation of a nation-state. Khushal wrote many works in Pashto but also a few in Persian. Khushal is considered the "father of Pashto literature" and the national poet of Afghanistan.

a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on organized religion, Christendom, morality, ethics, psychology, and the philosophy of religion, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony and parables. Much of his philosophical work deals w...

a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on organized religion, Christendom, morality, ethics, psychology, and the philosophy of religion, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony and parables. Much of his philosophical work deals with the issues of how one lives as a "single individual", giving priority to concrete human reality over abstract thinking and highlighting the importance of personal choice and commitment. He was against literary critics who defined idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time. Swedenborg, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Fichte, Schelling, Schlegel and Hans Christian Andersen were all "understood" far too quickly by "scholars".

an English poet. Born in London, Killigrew is perhaps best known as the subject of a famous elegy by the poet John Dryden entitled To The Pious Memory of the Accomplish'd Young Lady Mrs. Anne Killigrew (1686). She was however a skilful poet in her own right, and her Poems were published posthumously in 1686. Dryden compared her poetic abilities to the famous...

an English poet. Born in London, Killigrew is perhaps best known as the subject of a famous elegy by the poet John Dryden entitled To The Pious Memory of the Accomplish'd Young Lady Mrs. Anne Killigrew (1686). She was however a skilful poet in her own right, and her Poems were published posthumously in 1686. Dryden compared her poetic abilities to the famous Greek poet of antiquity, Sappho. Killigrew died of smallpox aged 25.

the fifth and youngest son of Robert Killigrew and his wife Mary. He was the younger brother of the dramatist Thomas Killigrew, and became chaplain and almoner to the Duke of York, and master of the Savoy after the Restoration. At the Restoration, he was appointed almoner to the Duke of York and the following year Master of the Savoy. A juvenile play of his,...

the fifth and youngest son of Robert Killigrew and his wife Mary. He was the younger brother of the dramatist Thomas Killigrew, and became chaplain and almoner to the Duke of York, and master of the Savoy after the Restoration. At the Restoration, he was appointed almoner to the Duke of York and the following year Master of the Savoy. A juvenile play of his, The Conspiracy, was printed surreptitiously in 1638, and in an authenticated version in 1653 as Pallantus and Eudora.

the subject of Milton's Lycidas, born in Ireland, a member of a Yorkshire family which had migrated to Ireland. Edward King was admitted a pensioner of Christ's College, Cambridge, on 9 June 1626, and four years later was elected a fellow. Milton, though two years his senior and himself anxious to secure a fellowship, remained throughout on terms of the clos...

the subject of Milton's Lycidas, born in Ireland, a member of a Yorkshire family which had migrated to Ireland. Edward King was admitted a pensioner of Christ's College, Cambridge, on 9 June 1626, and four years later was elected a fellow. Milton, though two years his senior and himself anxious to secure a fellowship, remained throughout on terms of the closest friendship with his rival, whose amiable character seems to have endeared him to the whole college. King served from 1633 to 1634 as praelector and tutor of his college, and was to have entered the church. His career, however, was cut short by the tragedy which inspired Milton's verse. In 1637 he set out for Ireland to visit his family, but on the tenth of August the ship in which he was sailing struck on a rock near the Welsh coast, and King was drowned.

an English poet and bishop. On 6 February 1639 he was made dean of Rochester, and on 6 February 1642, the day after the House of Lords had passed the bill to deprive the bishops of their votes, he became Bishop of Chichester; he was also presented to the rectory of Petworth in Sussex. King wrote many elegies on royal persons and on his private friends, who i...

an English poet and bishop. On 6 February 1639 he was made dean of Rochester, and on 6 February 1642, the day after the House of Lords had passed the bill to deprive the bishops of their votes, he became Bishop of Chichester; he was also presented to the rectory of Petworth in Sussex. King wrote many elegies on royal persons and on his private friends, who included John Donne and Ben Jonson. A selection from his Poems and Psalms was published in 1843.

an English poet. In 1688 he published Reflections upon Mons Varillas's History of Heresy, written with Edward Hannes, a confutation of Antoine Varillas's account of John Wycliffe. In 1699 he published A Journey to London and in 1700 he satirised the Royal Society -- or at least, Sir Hans Sloane, their president -- in two dialogues. Back in London, he publish...

an English poet. In 1688 he published Reflections upon Mons Varillas's History of Heresy, written with Edward Hannes, a confutation of Antoine Varillas's account of John Wycliffe. In 1699 he published A Journey to London and in 1700 he satirised the Royal Society -- or at least, Sir Hans Sloane, their president -- in two dialogues. Back in London, he published some essays and then wrote the Art of Love, a poem; in 1709 imitated Horace in an Art of Cookery; The History of the Heathen Gods, a book composed for schools, was written in 1711. The same year he published Rufinus, a historical essay; and a political poem on Duke of Marlborough and his adherents.

a Danish bishop, poet and hymn-writer born at Slangerup, near Copenhagen. His work marked the high point of Danish baroque poetry. At first he essayed patriotic poems, but later devoted himself almost entirely to writing hymns, and in 1674 the first part of his Aandelige Siunge-Koor ("Spiritual Song Choir") appeared; followed in 1681 by a second part. This w...

a Danish bishop, poet and hymn-writer born at Slangerup, near Copenhagen. His work marked the high point of Danish baroque poetry. At first he essayed patriotic poems, but later devoted himself almost entirely to writing hymns, and in 1674 the first part of his Aandelige Siunge-Koor ("Spiritual Song Choir") appeared; followed in 1681 by a second part. This work consists of a collection of beautiful hymns several of which are still popular in the Danish Church.

a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, historian and novelist. He is particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire. He was a friend and correspondent with Charles Darwin. Kingsley's interest in history is...

a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, historian and novelist. He is particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire. He was a friend and correspondent with Charles Darwin. Kingsley's interest in history is shown in several of his writings, including The Heroes (1856), a children's book about Greek mythology, and several historical novels, of which the best known are Hypatia (1853), Hereward the Wake (1865) and Westward Ho! (1855).

a German poet also noted for his revolutionary activities and his escape from a Prussian prison in Spandau with the help of his friend Carl Schurz. Kinkel's Gedichte first appeared in 1843. His best works were the verse romances, Otto der Schütz, eine rheinische Geschichte in zwölf Abenteuern (1846), and Der Grobschmied von Antwerpen (...

a German poet also noted for his revolutionary activities and his escape from a Prussian prison in Spandau with the help of his friend Carl Schurz. Kinkel's Gedichte first appeared in 1843. His best works were the verse romances, Otto der Schütz, eine rheinische Geschichte in zwölf Abenteuern (1846), and Der Grobschmied von Antwerpen (1868). Among his other works were the tragedy Nimrod (1857), and Geschichte der bildenden Künste bei den christichen Völkern (A history of visual arts among Christians, 1845), Die Ahr: Landschaft, Geschichte und Volksleben (Landscape, history and life of the people along the Ahr, 1845), and Mosaik zur Kunstgeschichte (1876).

an English 18th-century landscape painter, engraver, writer, draughtsman and architect famed for his publications and teaching on linear perspective based on Brook Taylor's mathematics. From an early age he was very studious, but, showing special aptitude as an artist, he settled down to work as a painter in Ipswich and accepted commissions. He was particula...

an English 18th-century landscape painter, engraver, writer, draughtsman and architect famed for his publications and teaching on linear perspective based on Brook Taylor's mathematics. From an early age he was very studious, but, showing special aptitude as an artist, he settled down to work as a painter in Ipswich and accepted commissions. He was particularly interested in Perspective, and began to prepare a Treatise on the subject before discovering the work of Dr. Brook Taylor.

a German Jesuit scholar and polymath who published around 40 major works, most notably in the fields of comparative religion, geology, and medicine. Kircher has been compared to fellow Jesuit Rudjer Boscovich and to more

a German Jesuit scholar and polymath who published around 40 major works, most notably in the fields of comparative religion, geology, and medicine. Kircher has been compared to fellow Jesuit Rudjer Boscovich and to Leonardo da Vinci for his enormous range of interests, and has been honored with the title "Master of a Hundred Arts". He taught for more than forty years at the Roman College, where he set up a wunderkammer. A resurgence of interest in Kircher has occurred within the scholarly community in recent decades.

a minister, Gaelic scholar and folklorist, best known for The Secret Commonwealth, a treatise on fairy folklore, witchcraft, ghosts, and second sight, a type of extrasensory perception described as a phenomenon by the people of the Scottish Highlands. Folklorist Stewart Sanderson and mythologist Marina Warner call Kirk's collection of supernatural tales one ...

a minister, Gaelic scholar and folklorist, best known for The Secret Commonwealth, a treatise on fairy folklore, witchcraft, ghosts, and second sight, a type of extrasensory perception described as a phenomenon by the people of the Scottish Highlands. Folklorist Stewart Sanderson and mythologist Marina Warner call Kirk's collection of supernatural tales one of the most important and significant works on the subject of fairies and second sight.

an English physiologist noted for his reference work "Kirkes' Physiology" which first appeared in 1848. His most original work is a paper in the Transactions of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London (xxxv. 281 ) on "Embolism, or the carrying of blood-clots from the heart to remote parts of the body," a pathological process then just beginning t...

an English physiologist noted for his reference work "Kirkes' Physiology" which first appeared in 1848. His most original work is a paper in the Transactions of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London (xxxv. 281 ) on "Embolism, or the carrying of blood-clots from the heart to remote parts of the body," a pathological process then just beginning to be recognised. Kirkes' main research field was cardiology and vascular disease, and he first described embolism from vegetations in infective endocarditis in 1852. In 1855, he published a paper on apoplexy in Bright's disease, in which he singled out the role played by increased intra-arterial tension in arterial disease.

an American astronomer. Kirkwood was born in Harford County, Maryland to John and Agnes (née Hope) Kirkwood. He graduated in mathematics from the York County Academy in York, Pennsylvania in 1838. After teaching there for five years, he became Principal of the Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and after another five years he moved on to beco...

an American astronomer. Kirkwood was born in Harford County, Maryland to John and Agnes (née Hope) Kirkwood. He graduated in mathematics from the York County Academy in York, Pennsylvania in 1838. After teaching there for five years, he became Principal of the Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and after another five years he moved on to become Principal of the Pottsville Academy in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. In 1851 he became Professor of Mathematics at Delaware College and in 1856 Professor of Mathematics at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he stayed until his retirement in 1886, with the exception of two years, 1865–1867, at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer. Court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, Leo von Klenze was one of the most prominent representatives of Greek revival style. In many of his paintings ancient buildings were depicted. Those served as models for his own architectural projects. Klenze studied ancient architecture during his travels to Ita...

a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer. Court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, Leo von Klenze was one of the most prominent representatives of Greek revival style. In many of his paintings ancient buildings were depicted. Those served as models for his own architectural projects. Klenze studied ancient architecture during his travels to Italy and Greece. He also participated in excavations of ancient buildings in Athens and submitted projects for the restoration of the Acropolis.

a Swedish noblewoman. She was the first woman to give a lecture at a Swedish university. Daughter of the bishop of Gothenburg, Zacharias Klingius, who was ennobled as Klingenstjerna, she was known as "a savant in skirts" for her great learning. She wrote an oration in Latin and gave a lecture at Linköping University, something unique for her gender in the a...

a Swedish noblewoman. She was the first woman to give a lecture at a Swedish university. Daughter of the bishop of Gothenburg, Zacharias Klingius, who was ennobled as Klingenstjerna, she was known as "a savant in skirts" for her great learning. She wrote an oration in Latin and gave a lecture at Linköping University, something unique for her gender in the age and likely the first woman to have done so in Northern Europe. She married an ensign Broman of the Dalregementet.

a German dramatist and novelist. His play Sturm und Drang (1776) gave name to the Sturm und Drang artistic epoch. He was a childhood friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and is often closely associated with Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz. Klinge...

a German dramatist and novelist. His play Sturm und Drang (1776) gave name to the Sturm und Drang artistic epoch. He was a childhood friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and is often closely associated with Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz. Klinger worked as a playwright for the Seylersche Schauspiel-Gesellschaft for two years, but eventually left the Kingdom of Prussia to become a General in the Imperial Russian Army.

a German poet. His best known work is his epic poem Der Messias (“The Messiah”). His service to German literature was to open it up to exploration outside of French models. His enrichment of the poetic vocabulary and his attention to prosody were of great service to the poets that immediately followed him. In freeing German poetry from the exclusive reig...

a German poet. His best known work is his epic poem Der Messias (“The Messiah”). His service to German literature was to open it up to exploration outside of French models. His enrichment of the poetic vocabulary and his attention to prosody were of great service to the poets that immediately followed him. In freeing German poetry from the exclusive reign of the Alexandrine verse, he was the founder of a new era in German literature. Friedrich Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe were artistically indebted to him.

an English clergyman and poet. Knevet was an avowed disciple of George Herbert, and was described as a "learned and spasmodically talented poet". He wrote the play Rhodon and Iris dedicated to Nicholas Bacon and presented it at the Florist's Feast in Norwich on 3 May 1631. In 1633 he authored the MS. Supplement of the Faery Queene in Three Books. In 1637 he...

an English clergyman and poet. Knevet was an avowed disciple of George Herbert, and was described as a "learned and spasmodically talented poet". He wrote the play Rhodon and Iris dedicated to Nicholas Bacon and presented it at the Florist's Feast in Norwich on 3 May 1631. In 1633 he authored the MS. Supplement of the Faery Queene in Three Books. In 1637 he composed Funeral Elegies to Lady Paston and in 1638 travelled with the Paston family to Rome. His Gallery to the Temple was composed in the 1640s. Among his shorter works was a poem dedicated to Sir Charles le Gross. Knevet took Holy Orders and became Rector of Lyng, Norfolk in 1652 and remained there for the rest of his life.

an 18th-century Russian poet. The daughter of Alexander Sumarokov, she was born Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Sumarokov and lived in St. Petersburg. She married Yakov Knyazhnin in 1770. She was one of the first Russian women to have poetry published in Russian journals. Kniazhnina was the hostess of an important literary salon. She was the first Russian woman to w...

an 18th-century Russian poet. The daughter of Alexander Sumarokov, she was born Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Sumarokov and lived in St. Petersburg. She married Yakov Knyazhnin in 1770. She was one of the first Russian women to have poetry published in Russian journals. Kniazhnina was the hostess of an important literary salon. She was the first Russian woman to write an elegy and is considered by Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary to be "the first Russian woman writer" as she, together with Elizaveta Kheraskova and Alexandra Rzhevskaia were the first women to see their works printed in Russian journals.

a German writer, Freemason, and a leading member of the Order of the Illuminati. Knigge's involvement with the Illuminati, support of the advancement of human rights, and a period of serious illness led to the loss of support of his aristocratic sponsors and finally his fortune. Knigge found a measure of financial stability again with a position in Bremen in...

a German writer, Freemason, and a leading member of the Order of the Illuminati. Knigge's involvement with the Illuminati, support of the advancement of human rights, and a period of serious illness led to the loss of support of his aristocratic sponsors and finally his fortune. Knigge found a measure of financial stability again with a position in Bremen in 1790. In Germany, Knigge is best remembered for his book Über den Umgang mit Menschen (On Human Relations), a treatise on the fundamental principles of human relations that has the reputation of being the authoritative guide to behaviour, politeness, and etiquette.

a Quaker children's writer and educationalist. Knight's verses are well crafted and her stories well told, but they exhibit a didacticism that does not suit modern tastes: 'Though these animals [rabbits] are so small,' continued Mrs. Gray, 'they are found very serviceable to man. Their flesh is good to eat, and the soft grey fur, growing close to the skin, i...

a Quaker children's writer and educationalist. Knight's verses are well crafted and her stories well told, but they exhibit a didacticism that does not suit modern tastes: 'Though these animals [rabbits] are so small,' continued Mrs. Gray, 'they are found very serviceable to man. Their flesh is good to eat, and the soft grey fur, growing close to the skin, is made into hats, when mixed with the beautiful fine down of the beaver, a curious animal found in North America.'

an English sailor who fell into Portuguese hands in Brazil, lived for a while with a native Brazilian tribe, and wrote about his adventures after his eventual return to Britain. In 1591 he joined an English privateer, Thomas Cavendish, on a voyage aimed at raiding Portuguese holdings in Brazil. After Cavendish's men had raided the town of Santos and destroye...

an English sailor who fell into Portuguese hands in Brazil, lived for a while with a native Brazilian tribe, and wrote about his adventures after his eventual return to Britain. In 1591 he joined an English privateer, Thomas Cavendish, on a voyage aimed at raiding Portuguese holdings in Brazil. After Cavendish's men had raided the town of Santos and destroyed several Portuguese sugar plantations, they traveled on and eventually left Knivet, who had developed frostbite in the Strait of Magellan, along with nineteen other sick or mutinous men on the then remote island of Ilhabela. Upon return, Knivet wrote his memoir and sold it to Richard Hakluyt, who sold it on to Samuel Purchas.

an English Jesuit controversialist, twice provincial of the Society of Jesus in England. He was ordained priest on 27 March 1606. He entered the Society of Jesus on 2 October the same year, and upon the expiration of his novitiate in 1608 he was appointed penitentiary in Rome. During 1626 he was a missioner in the Suffolk district. He was apprehended in 1629...

an English Jesuit controversialist, twice provincial of the Society of Jesus in England. He was ordained priest on 27 March 1606. He entered the Society of Jesus on 2 October the same year, and upon the expiration of his novitiate in 1608 he was appointed penitentiary in Rome. During 1626 he was a missioner in the Suffolk district. He was apprehended in 1629, and was committed to the Clink prison in Southwark, but at the instance of the queen Henrietta Maria he was released and banished in February 1633.

an English antitrinitarian preacher, imprisoned in 1665. A short paper of arguments for the deity of Christ, sent by Eaton to Chester from Dukinfield, was published by Knowles in 1650, with his own reply. The imprimatur of Porter's pamphlet, entitled ‘A Serious Exercitation,’ is dated 26 December 1650, and by that time Knowles was ‘late preacher at Che...

an English antitrinitarian preacher, imprisoned in 1665. A short paper of arguments for the deity of Christ, sent by Eaton to Chester from Dukinfield, was published by Knowles in 1650, with his own reply. The imprimatur of Porter's pamphlet, entitled ‘A Serious Exercitation,’ is dated 26 December 1650, and by that time Knowles was ‘late preacher at Chester.’ He appears to have returned to Gloucester, for on 19 November 1650 the mayor of that city was directed by the council of state to examine witnesses on oath respecting Knowles's preaching against the divinity of Christ.

the English biographer of Henry Fuseli, and author of works on Naval architecture. Knowles, born in 1781, early in life became a clerk in the surveyor's department of the navy office. He attained the chief clerkship there about 1806, and held this post until 1832...

the English biographer of Henry Fuseli, and author of works on Naval architecture. Knowles, born in 1781, early in life became a clerk in the surveyor's department of the navy office. He attained the chief clerkship there about 1806, and held this post until 1832. He published two or three works on naval matters, including The Elements and Practice of Naval Architecture, 1822. For his scientific researches he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society.

a Scottish clergyman, theologian, and writer who was a leader of the Protestant Reformation and is considered the founder of the Presbyterian denomination in Scotland. He is believed to have been educated at the University of St Andrews and worked as a notary-priest. Influenced by early church reformers such as more

a Scottish clergyman, theologian, and writer who was a leader of the Protestant Reformation and is considered the founder of the Presbyterian denomination in Scotland. He is believed to have been educated at the University of St Andrews and worked as a notary-priest. Influenced by early church reformers such as George Wishart, he joined the movement to reform the Scottish church. He was caught up in the ecclesiastical and political events that involved the murder of Cardinal David Beaton in 1546 and the intervention of the regent of Scotland Mary of Guise. He was taken prisoner by French forces the following year and exiled to England on his release in 1549.

a Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest of the Jodo Shinshu sect known for his haiku poems and journals. He is better known as simply Issa, a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea. He is regarded as one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Basho, Buson and Shiki - "the Great Four, Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki". Reflecting the popularity and interest in Issa as ...

a Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest of the Jodo Shinshu sect known for his haiku poems and journals. He is better known as simply Issa, a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea. He is regarded as one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Basho, Buson and Shiki - "the Great Four, Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki". Reflecting the popularity and interest in Issa as man and poet, Japanese books on Issa outnumber those on Buson, and almost equal in number those on Basho.

a Polish Renaissance poet who established poetic patterns that would become integral to the Polish literary language. He is commonly regarded as the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz, and the greatest Slavic poet prior to the 19th century. Kochanowsk...

a Polish Renaissance poet who established poetic patterns that would become integral to the Polish literary language. He is commonly regarded as the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz, and the greatest Slavic poet prior to the 19th century. Kochanowski never ceased to write in Latin; however, his main achievement was the creation of Polish-language verse forms that made him a classic for his contemporaries and posterity. His first major masterpiece was Odprawa poslów greckich. This was a blank-verse tragedy that recounted an incident leading up to the Trojan War. It was the first tragedy written in Polish, and its theme of the responsibilities of statesmanship continues to resonate to this day.

a Serbian poet born in Austrian Empire. Misunderstood, largely forgotten and often considered a marginal figure in Serbian poetry, criticized for his cryptic style littered with incomprehensible words and obscure metaphors, Koder was nevertheless a unique phenomenon in the 19th century Serbian literature, sometimes cited as the first Serbian modernist. In 18...

a Serbian poet born in Austrian Empire. Misunderstood, largely forgotten and often considered a marginal figure in Serbian poetry, criticized for his cryptic style littered with incomprehensible words and obscure metaphors, Koder was nevertheless a unique phenomenon in the 19th century Serbian literature, sometimes cited as the first Serbian modernist. In 1852, Serbian magazine Svetovid, from Timisoara, published two Koder's poems: Grlica (Turtle Dove) and Leptir (Butterfly). In September 1858 he had almost completed his master poem, Romoranka, for which he unsuccessfully tried to organize a public reading in Belgrade.

a Dutch painter, sculptor, writer and teacher, involved during part of his life in revolutionary activity. He attended Cornelis Kruseman's studio together with other artists of this period, such as Alexander Hugo Bakker Korff, David Bles and Herman ten Kate. Between 1846 and 1851 Koelman lived in Rome, to where he travelled for artistic purposes, but where h...

a Dutch painter, sculptor, writer and teacher, involved during part of his life in revolutionary activity. He attended Cornelis Kruseman's studio together with other artists of this period, such as Alexander Hugo Bakker Korff, David Bles and Herman ten Kate. Between 1846 and 1851 Koelman lived in Rome, to where he travelled for artistic purposes, but where he found himself involved in the revolutionary Roman Republic of 1849, and eventually joined Giuseppe Garibaldi's defence of Rome against the French Army.

a Bohemian Jewish writer. He was born in Mnichovo Hradište, Bohemia, and died in Vienna. Kompert began his literary activity in the Pressburger Zeitung. From 1848 to 1852 he was editor of the Österreichischer Lloyd. As creator of ghetto literature he was called The Auerbach of the ghetto. His stories depicting the life, customs, and manners of the Bohemian...

a Bohemian Jewish writer. He was born in Mnichovo Hradište, Bohemia, and died in Vienna. Kompert began his literary activity in the Pressburger Zeitung. From 1848 to 1852 he was editor of the Österreichischer Lloyd. As creator of ghetto literature he was called The Auerbach of the ghetto. His stories depicting the life, customs, and manners of the Bohemian Jews have become classical and have found many imitators. He draws the transition from the life in the narrow ghetto to the farmer's life in the open field; and he shows the struggles, doubts, and misgivings of those who, yielding to the impulse of modern times, undergo the changes of their newly chosen career.

a Swedish noble, known as a dilettante artist (painter), amateur actor, and poet. Her known paintings include a self-portrait from 1688, a portrait of her sister Aurora, a portrait of the noble Katarina Ebba Horn from 1698 and a portrait of Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. She participated at the amateur theatre of the royal court encouraged by the queen, Ulrika ...

a Swedish noble, known as a dilettante artist (painter), amateur actor, and poet. Her known paintings include a self-portrait from 1688, a portrait of her sister Aurora, a portrait of the noble Katarina Ebba Horn from 1698 and a portrait of Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. She participated at the amateur theatre of the royal court encouraged by the queen, Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark. In the winter of 1683–84, a group of female courtiers performed the Swedish premier of Iphigénie by Racine at court.

an English coffee-grower, explorer and author who spent most of his short adult life in Brazil, writing about his travels, slavery, and other subjects. While in Brazil, he pursued a particular study of the institution of slavery there, travelling widely, and began to write books about his experiences that were published in London. His works are considered th...

an English coffee-grower, explorer and author who spent most of his short adult life in Brazil, writing about his travels, slavery, and other subjects. While in Brazil, he pursued a particular study of the institution of slavery there, travelling widely, and began to write books about his experiences that were published in London. His works are considered the most detailed accounts of north-east Brazil written in English in his period.

a German dramatist and writer who also worked as a consul in Russia and Germany. In 1817, one of Kotzebue's books was burned during the Wartburg festival. He was murdered in 1819 by Karl Ludwig Sand, a militant member of the Burschenschaften. This murder gave Metternich the pretext to issue the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819, which dissolved the Burschenschaften, ...

a German dramatist and writer who also worked as a consul in Russia and Germany. In 1817, one of Kotzebue's books was burned during the Wartburg festival. He was murdered in 1819 by Karl Ludwig Sand, a militant member of the Burschenschaften. This murder gave Metternich the pretext to issue the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819, which dissolved the Burschenschaften, cracked down on the liberal press, and seriously restricted academic freedom in the states of the German Confederation. In 1777, aged sixteen, he enrolled at the University of Jena to study legal science. He continued his studies at the University of Duisburg, graduating in 1780, and practiced initially as a lawyer in Weimar.

a Polish writer and educational activist of the times of the Enlightenment in Poland. His 1784 book Podolanka became the most debated and published Polish novel of that year, and his next book, Wojciech Zdarzynski, is considered to be the first Polish science-fiction novel. His first book published in 1784, was the Podolanka wychowana w stanie natury, zycie ...

a Polish writer and educational activist of the times of the Enlightenment in Poland. His 1784 book Podolanka became the most debated and published Polish novel of that year, and his next book, Wojciech Zdarzynski, is considered to be the first Polish science-fiction novel. His first book published in 1784, was the Podolanka wychowana w stanie natury, zycie i przypadki swoje opisujaca (The Podolian Girl: raised in the natural state, describing her life and events), inspired by French book by Henri Joseph Du Laurens (Imirce, ou la fille de la nature). The main hero, a female, criticizes humanity's efforts to destroy and subordinate nature. In 1785 he published another book, the Wojciech Zdarzyrski zycie i przypadki swoje opisujacy (Wojciech Zdarzynski - life and adventures of himself describing) - about the adventures of a young Pole who uses a balloon to visit a utopian country on the Moon.

the Prince-Bishop of Warmia and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno (thus, Primate of Poland), was Poland's leading Enlightenment poet ("the Prince of Poets"), a critic of the clergy, Poland's La Fontaine, author of the first Polish novel, playwright, journalist, encyclopedist, and translator from French and Greek. His most notable literary works were his Fabl...

the Prince-Bishop of Warmia and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno (thus, Primate of Poland), was Poland's leading Enlightenment poet ("the Prince of Poets"), a critic of the clergy, Poland's La Fontaine, author of the first Polish novel, playwright, journalist, encyclopedist, and translator from French and Greek. His most notable literary works were his Fables and Parables (1779), Satires (1779), and poetic letters and religious lyrics, in which the artistry of his poetic language reached its summit.

a Russian writer. Krasovsky studied at the gymnasium of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. From 1804 through 1813 Krasovsky was the secretary of the St. Petersburg Censorship Committee. In 1801, Krasovsky was one of the founding member of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science, and the Arts He stopped attending meetings in 1805 on...

a Russian writer. Krasovsky studied at the gymnasium of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. From 1804 through 1813 Krasovsky was the secretary of the St. Petersburg Censorship Committee. In 1801, Krasovsky was one of the founding member of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science, and the Arts He stopped attending meetings in 1805 on grounds of ill health, and was expelled from the Society on July 15, 1807. Krasovsky's published work includes a smooth and musical poem, "Winter" (St. Petersburg, 1825), based on his translation of Jean François de Saint-Lambert's poem "Four Seasons".

a German religious reformer, lector of theology at Liegnitz, and colleague of Caspar Schwenckfeld. In particular Krautwald influenced Schwenckfeld's doctrine of the Eucharist. It was unacceptable to Luther, who attacked Krautwald in a pamphlet of 1526. The controversy drew in the Breslau bishop Jakob von Salza, without a resolution in sight. Schwenckfeld cho...

a German religious reformer, lector of theology at Liegnitz, and colleague of Caspar Schwenckfeld. In particular Krautwald influenced Schwenckfeld's doctrine of the Eucharist. It was unacceptable to Luther, who attacked Krautwald in a pamphlet of 1526. The controversy drew in the Breslau bishop Jakob von Salza, without a resolution in sight. Schwenckfeld chose voluntary exile in 1529; but Krautwald was left isolated in an unsatisfactory position.

a Slovene Protestant reformer, writer, pastor, linguist and preacher and regarded as one of the most educated Slovene Protestants of the 16th century. Krelj had a wide linguistic and philologic knowledge: besides Slovene, German and Latin, he knew Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Croatian and Glagolitic literature. Krelj put the central dialect into context of dialect...

a Slovene Protestant reformer, writer, pastor, linguist and preacher and regarded as one of the most educated Slovene Protestants of the 16th century. Krelj had a wide linguistic and philologic knowledge: besides Slovene, German and Latin, he knew Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Croatian and Glagolitic literature. Krelj put the central dialect into context of dialects spoken by Istrians, the inhabitants of the Vipava Valley and Lower Carniolans. He introduced some changes to the Latin script originally adopted by Trubar from the German.

the third permanent Russian ambassador abroad and one of the closest associates of Peter the Great. He was also the tsar's brother-in-law, being married to a sister of Eudoxia Lopukhina. Kurakin was one of the best-educated Russians of his day, and his autobi...

the third permanent Russian ambassador abroad and one of the closest associates of Peter the Great. He was also the tsar's brother-in-law, being married to a sister of Eudoxia Lopukhina. Kurakin was one of the best-educated Russians of his day, and his autobiography, carried down to 1709, is an historical document of the first importance. He intended to write a history of his own times with Peter the Great as the central figure, but got no further than the summary. His vast archive was published in the 19th century, revealing Kurakin as a master of literary style. He is held responsible for introducing many new words to the Russian language.

an English playwright, the author of The Spanish Tragedy, and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama. Although well known in his own time, Kyd fell into obscurity until 1773. The success of Kyd's plays extended to Europe. Versions of The Spanish Tragedy and his Hamlet were popular in Germany and the Net...

an English playwright, the author of The Spanish Tragedy, and one of the most important figures in the development of Elizabethan drama. Although well known in his own time, Kyd fell into obscurity until 1773. The success of Kyd's plays extended to Europe. Versions of The Spanish Tragedy and his Hamlet were popular in Germany and the Netherlands for generations.

a Welsh author and soldier. Kyffin wrote two dedicatory poems to works by Sir Lewis Lewknor. His best known works are the poem The Blessedness of Britayne (1587) an the first translation into English of Terence's comedy Andria (1588). In the same year he was appointed surveyor of the muster rolls to the English army in the Low Countries and in 1592 he was vi...

a Welsh author and soldier. Kyffin wrote two dedicatory poems to works by Sir Lewis Lewknor. His best known works are the poem The Blessedness of Britayne (1587) an the first translation into English of Terence's comedy Andria (1588). In the same year he was appointed surveyor of the muster rolls to the English army in the Low Countries and in 1592 he was vice-treasurer of the ‘old bands’ in Normandy.

an English lawyer, courtier, poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622. He is noted for his translation of Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde into Latin verse (as rime royal, Amorum Troili et Creseidae Libri Quinque, 1639). He also made a Latin translation of Henryson's The Testament of Cresseid. Kynaston also contributed to...

an English lawyer, courtier, poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622. He is noted for his translation of Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde into Latin verse (as rime royal, Amorum Troili et Creseidae Libri Quinque, 1639). He also made a Latin translation of Henryson's The Testament of Cresseid. Kynaston also contributed to the Musæ Aulicæ by Arthur Johnston, a rendering in English verse of Johnston's Latin poems, London, 1635, and was author of an heroic romance in verse.

Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria for the Greek Orthodox Church (1601-1620). He co-authored many letters, homilies and theological essays. At a local Synod in Cairo , he condemned the Latin propaganda against the Christians of Egypt. He approached the Protestant Christians of the West, in order to restrain the activities of proselytism of the Roman Catholic ...

Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria for the Greek Orthodox Church (1601-1620). He co-authored many letters, homilies and theological essays. At a local Synod in Cairo , he condemned the Latin propaganda against the Christians of Egypt. He approached the Protestant Christians of the West, in order to restrain the activities of proselytism of the Roman Catholic monks. He was later condemned for these actions by the former Patriarch of Constantinople, Timothy II. In 1612, he was elected “Supervisor” of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He saw to more general inter-Christian and inter-Church issues. He was elected Patriarch of Constantinople in 1620.