Villars \vi-'lar\, Claude-Louis-Hector, duke de (b. May 8, 1653, Moulins, France—d. June 17, 1734, Turin, Sardinia) French soldier. He distinguished himself in France’s war against the Dutch (1672-78) and in the War of the Grand Alliance. After leading French forces to early victories in the War of the Spanish Succession, he was made a marshal of France (1702) and a duke (1705). He continued successful military cam¬ paigns in Germany (1705-08), inflicted heavy losses on the duke of Mar¬ lborough’s forces at Malplaquet (1709), and defeated Eugene of Savoy at Denain (1712). He served on the regency council for the young Louis XV. At the outbreak of the War of the Polish Succession, he was given the exceptional title of marshal general of France (1733) and sent to attack Austrian lands in northern Italy.
Villella \vi-'le-lo\, Edward (b. Oct. 1, 1936, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He trained at the School of American Ballet and joined the New York City Ballet in 1957, becom¬ ing a principal dancer in 1960. He danced leading roles in many of George Balanchine’s ballets, notably The Prodigal Son (1960), displaying a powerful technique. After retiring from dancing in 1983, he became artistic director of Ballet Oklahoma (1983-86). In 1986 he founded the Miami City Ballet, where he contin¬ ues as artistic director.
Villemin \vel-'ma n \ / Jean Anto¬ ine (b. Jan. 28, 1827, Prey, Vosges,
France—d. Oct. 6, 1892, Paris) French physician. As an army doctor, he observed that healthy young men often developed tuberculosis (TB) liv¬ ing in the close quarters of the barracks. Aware that a similar disease in horses was transmitted by inoculation, he gave TB to rabbits by inocu¬ lating them with material from sick humans and cows, proving that it was
an infectious disease. His contagion theory, published in 1867, was ini¬ tially ignored but was later corroborated by other scientists’ experiments.
Villiers, George See 1st Duke of Buckingham
Villon \ve-'yo n , ve-Ton\, Francois orig. Francois de Montcorbier or Francois des Loges (b. 1431, Paris, France—d. after 1463) French lyric poet. Villon was a rigorously trained scholar who led a life of crimi¬ nal excess; he killed a priest in 1455, then joined a criminal organization and became involved in robbery, theft, and brawling. Incarcerated several times, in 1462 he received a death sentence that was commuted to ban¬ ishment. He was never heard from again. His works, published posthu¬ mously, include the poem Le Petit testament (1489), which takes the form of ironic bequests to friends and acquaintances; Le Testament (1489), which reviews his life with great emotional and poetic depth; and vari¬ ous ballades, chansons, and rondeaux. His themes range from drunken¬ ness and prostitution to a humble ballade-prayer to the Virgin written at his mother’s request. Villon’s verse makes a direct, unsentimental appeal to the emotions but also displays remarkable control of rhyme and dis¬ ciplined composition.
Vilnius Vvil-ne-9s\ City (pop., 2001: 542,287), capital of Lithuania. Founded in the 10th century, it became the capital of Lithuania in 1323. It was destroyed in 1377 by the Teutonic Knights but was rebuilt. Vilnius passed to Russia in 1795, and for several centuries was a noted European centre for Jewish learning. It was occupied by the Germans in World Wars I and II and suffered heavy damage. From 1920 to 1939 it was part of Poland; taken by Soviet troops in 1939, it was restored to Lithuania, which the Soviets annexed in 1940. One result of the World War II German occupation was the decimation of the city’s Jewish population, which dropped from 80,000 in 1941 to 6,000 in 1945. In 1991 it became the capital of the newly independent Lithuania. An important industrial cen¬ tre, it also has many historic buildings representing Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles of architecture.
Vilnius dispute Conflict between Poland and Lithuania over posses¬ sion of the city of Vilnius. After World War I, the new Lithuanian gov¬ ernment established itself at Vilnius. It was forced out by Soviet forces in 1919, and the city was then occupied by Polish forces (1919) and again by the Soviets, which ceded it to Lithuania in 1920. An armistice was arranged by the League of Nations, but Poland took Vilnius in 1920 and controlled the city and its surrounding region until they were restored to Lithuania in 1939.
Vilyuy River or Viliui \vil-'yii-e\ River River, east-central Siberia. The longest tributary of the Lena River, it is 1,647 mi (2,650 km) long. It joins the Lena about 200 mi (320 km) northwest of Yakutsk. It is navi¬ gable for about 900 mi (1,450 km). In 1954 rich diamond deposits were discovered near the river.
Vina del Mar \'ben-ya-del- , mar\ City (pop., 2002 prelim: 330,000), central Chile. It is a residential suburb of Valparaiso. Located on the Pacific Ocean, Vina del Mar is a resort city with a gaming casino, beaches, muse¬ ums, and theatres. Army and navy garrisons and petroleum depots add to the city’s economic base.
Vinaya Pitaka Vvi-no-yo-'pi-to-koX Oldest and smallest division of the Tripitaka. It lays out the 227 rules of monastic life for bhiksus, along with an account of the occasion that led the Buddha to formulate the rule. It varies less from school to school than does the Suita Pitaka or the Abhidhamma Pitaka. It includes an exposition of the rules, which are divided into classes according to the severity of the punishment for breaking them; texts that deal with such matters as admission to and expulsion from the order; and a classified digest of the rules in the other Vinaya texts.
Vincennes \va n -'sen\ ware Pottery made at Vincennes, France, from 1740 until 1756 (three years after it had become the royal manufactory), when the enterprise moved to Sevres, near Versailles. Typical Vincennes pottery included biscuit (white, unglazed soft-paste) figures and soft-paste flowers on wire stems or applied to vases. From 1756 to 1770 pottery continued to be made at Vincennes, both tin-glazed earthenware (offi¬ cially) and soft-paste porcelain (clandestinely, in defiance of a Sevres monopoly). See also Sevres porcelain.
Vincent de Paul, Saint (b. April 24, 1581, Pouy, France—d. Sept. 27, 1660, Paris; canonized 1737; feast day September 27) French reli¬ gious leader. Educated by the Franciscans at Dax, he was ordained in 1600 and graduated from the University of Toulouse in 1604. It is said that he
Villella in The Prodigal Son.
MARTHA SWOPE
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Vincent of Beauvais ► vipassana I 2007
was captured at sea by Barbary pirates but escaped. In 1625 he founded the Congregation of the Mission (also called Lazarists or Vincentians) in Paris as a preaching and teaching order. He also established the Confra¬ ternities of Charity, associations of lay women who nursed the sick. With St. Louise de Maxillae he cofounded the Daughters of Charity (Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul).
Vincent of Beauvais \bo-'va\ (b. 1190, Beauvais?, France—d. 1264, Paris) French scholar and encyclopaedist. A Dominican priest (c. 1220), he became lector and chaplain to the court of King Louis IX. By 1244 he had compiled Speculum majus (“Great Mirror”), an 80-book compendium of knowledge that included human history from the Creation to the time of Louis IX, natural history and science known to the West, and a com¬ pendium of European literature, law, politics, and economics. His work influenced scholars and poets up to the 18th century. See also encyclo¬ paedia.