[Alva, Duke of], a general of the armies of Charles V. and Philip of Spain; his career as a general was uniformly successful, but as a governor his cruelty was merciless, especially as the viceroy of Philip in the Low Countries, "very busy cutting off high heads in Brabant, and stirring up the Dutch to such fury as was needful for exploding Spain and him" (1508-1582).
[Alvara`do, Pedro de], one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico, and comrade of Cortez; was appointed Governor of Guatemala by Charles V. as a reward for his valiant services in the interest of Spain; was a generous man as well as a brave.
[Alvarez, Francesco], a Portuguese who, in the 15th century, visited Abyssinia and wrote an account of it.
[Alvarez, Don José], the most distinguished of Spanish sculptors, born near Cordova, and patronised by Napoleon, who presented him with a gold medal, but to whom, for his treatment of his country, he conceived so great an aversion, that he would never model a bust of him (1768-1827).
[Alviano], an eminent Venetian general, distinguished himself in the defence of the republic against the Emperor Maximilian (1455-1515).
[Amadeus, Lake], a lake in the centre of Australia, subject to an almost total drying-up at times.
[Amade`us V.], count of Savoy, surnamed the Great from his wisdom and success as a ruler (1249-1323).
[Amadeus VIII.], 1st duke of Savoy, increased his dominions, and retired into a monastery on the death of his wife; he was elected Pope as Felix V., but was not acknowledged by the Church (1383-1451).
[Amadeus I.], of Spain, 2nd son of Victor Emmanuel of Italy, elected king of Spain in 1870, but abdicated in 1873 (1845-1890).
[Am`adis de Gaul], a celebrated romance in prose, written partly in Spanish and partly in French by different romancers of the 15th century; the first four books were regarded by Cervantes as a masterpiece. The hero of the book, Amadis, surnamed the Knight of the Lion, stands for a type of a constant and deferential lover, as well as a model knight-errant, of whom Don Quixote is the caricature.