Wars of the Roses See Wars of the Roses
Warsaw City (pop., 2001 est.: 1,610,471), capital of Poland, on the Vistula River. Founded c. 1300, it flourished as a trade centre, came under Polish control in 1526, and became the capital in 1596. During the late 18th century it expanded rapidly, but it was destroyed in 1794 by the Rus¬ sians. In 1807 it was made the capital of the Duchy of Warsaw by Napo¬ leon. Taken by the Russians in 1813, it was the centre of Polish insurrections in 1830-31 and 1860. It was occupied by the Germans in World War I and again in World War II, when its large Jewish popula¬ tion revolted in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943). The Warsaw Upris¬ ing in 1944 was unsuccessful, and the Germans virtually destroyed the city. Modem Warsaw, rebuilt after the war, now houses government bod¬ ies, including the Sejm (parliament); it is also an industrial and educa¬ tional centre. Among its historic buildings are a 14th-century Gothic cathedral and a medieval castle.
Warsaw, Duchy of or Grand Duchy of Warsaw Independent Polish state (1807-15), created by Napoleon. Established by the Treaties of Tilsit in 1807 after the Poles had helped Napoleon defeat Prussia, it consisted originally of the major portion of the central Polish provinces that Prussia had taken in the 1790s. For Napoleon’s second war against Russia (1812), the Duchy of Warsaw supplied nearly 98,000 men, but Napoleon’s defeat in Russia also sealed the fortunes of the duchy. In 1813 the Russians assumed control of it. Later the Congress of Vienna divided it into three parts: the Grand Duchy of Poznan; the free Republic of Krakow; and the Congress Kingdom of Poland, which was joined to Rus¬ sia by making the Russian emperor its king.
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19-May 16, 1943) Revolt by Pol¬ ish Jews under Nazi occupation against deportation to the Treblinka exter¬ mination camp. By July 1942 the Nazis had herded 500,000 Jews from surrounding areas into the ghetto in Warsaw. Though starvation killed thousands each month, the Nazis began transferring more than 5,000 Jews a day to rural “labour camps.” When word reached the ghetto in early 1943 that the destination was actually the gas chambers at Treblinka, the newly formed Jewish Fighting Organization (ZOB) attacked the Nazis, killing 50 in four days of street fighting and causing the deportations to halt. On April 19 Heinrich Himmler sent 2,000 SS men and army troops to clear the ghetto of its remaining Jews. For four weeks the ZOB and guer¬ rillas fought with pistols and homemade bombs, destroying tanks and killing several hundred Nazis, until their ammunition ran out. Not until May 8 did the Nazis manage to take the ZOB headquarters bunker. Many of the surviving ZOB fighters took their own lives to avoid being cap¬ tured. The battle raged until May 16, when the SS chief declared “The Warsaw Ghetto is no more.” During the 28 days of the uprising, more than 40,000 Jews were either killed or deported.
Warsaw Pact or Warsaw Treaty Organization Military alli¬ ance of the Soviet Union, Albania (until 1968), Bulgaria, Czechoslova¬ kia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania, formed in 1955 in response to West Germany’s entry into NATO. Its terms included a uni¬ fied military command and the stationing of Soviet troops in the other member states. Warsaw Pact troops were called into action to suppress uprisings in Poland (1956), Hungary (1956), and Czechoslovakia (1968). The alliance was dissolved in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, and Soviet troops departed. Several Warsaw Pact members later joined NATO.
Warsaw Uprising (August-October 1944) Insurrection in Warsaw in World War II that failed to prevent the pro-Soviet Polish administration from gaining control of Poland. In July 1944, as Soviet troops approached Warsaw, the Polish underground was encouraged to stage an uprising against the Germans. Though wary of Soviet promises of self- government, the Polish home army of 50,000 troops attacked the weak¬ ened German force and gained control of most of Warsaw in four days.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
wart ► Washington i 2031
German reinforcements then bombarded the city with air and artillery attacks for 63 days. The approaching Red Army halted, and the Soviets refused to allow aid from the Allies to the beleaguered Poles, who were forced to surrender when their supplies ran out in October; the Germans then deported the rest of the city’s population and destroyed most of the city itself. During the fighting, some 300,000 Poles died. By allowing the Polish home army to be eliminated, the Soviets diminished potential resis¬ tance to their establishing political domination of Poland in 1945.
wart or verruca Wo-'rii-koX Well-defined growth on the skin, usually caused by a papillomavirus, which triggers overproduction of epidermal cells. This may lead to a single long-standing wart, profuse local spread (especially in moist areas), or warts in various parts of the body. The most common type is a round bump with a dry, rough surface. Warts are usu¬ ally painless except in pressure areas, such as the sole of the foot (plan¬ tar wart). Genital warts are merely a nuisance unless they become large or numerous enough to interfere with urination, defecation, or childbirth, but some viral strains are associated with cervical cancer. Warts are con¬ sidered contagious. They may be removed by applying acids, cryother¬ apy, electrocautery, or surgery; they sometimes disappear spontaneously.
Warta \'var-ta\ River River, west-central Poland. It rises northwest of Krakow and flows northwest 502 mi (808 km) before joining the Oder River. The Warta is the second longest river lying entirely in Poland; about half of its length is navigable. Its lower course, formerly in Germany, is in a region assigned to Poland by the Potsdam Conference in 1945.
Wartenburg, Johann Yorck von See Johan, Graf Yorck von Wartenburg
warthog Large-headed species (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) of pig (ungulate family Suidae), inhabiting open and lightly forested areas of Africa. Warthogs, about 30 in. (76 cm) high, are blackish or brown, with a coarse mane from the neck to the midback. The male has two pairs of bumps (warts) on the face. Both sexes have tusks. The tusks on the lower jaw are weapons; those on the upper jaw curve upward and inward in a semicircle, growing to more than 24 in. (60 cm) in some males. The long tufted tail is held high when the animal runs. Warthogs live in groups, feeding on grass and other vegetation.
Warwick \'war-ik\ Town and district (pop., 2001: 125,962), adminis¬ trative and historic county of Warwickshire, central England. Known for its historic castle, it grew up at a crossing place on the River Avon and was fortified c. 915. By 1086 it was a royal borough, and William I ordered the castle to be enlarged. The present-day castle dates mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries. With its virtually intact structure and its fine col¬ lections of paintings and armour, the castle has become a major tourist attraction. The town, which grew around the castle, is a market centre and has light industry.
Warwick Vwar-ik\, Earl of orig. Richard Neville (b. Nov. 22, 1428 —d. April 14, 1471, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Eng.) English nobleman influential in the Wars of the Roses. Son of the earl of Salisbury, he became through marriage (1449) the earl of Warwick and acquired vast estates. With his father, he helped the Yorkists win the Battle of St. Albans (1455). Appointed captain of Calais, in 1460 he crossed to England to defeat and capture Henry VI at Northampton. In 1461 he was routed by the Lancas¬ trians, but he recovered to march on London with York’s son Edward, soon crowned Edward IV. Warwick was the virtual ruler during Edward’s early reign (1461-64), but tensions between the two mounted, and in 1469 Warwick engineered a revolt in northern England that forced Edward to flee to Flanders in 1470. Warwick joined the Lancastrians and restored Henry VI to the throne, earning his later nickname “the Kingmaker.” He was killed by Edward’s forces at the Battle of Barnet.