Castile-La Mancha Spanish Castilla La Mancha Autonomous community (pop., 2005 est.: 1,894,667) and historic region, central Spain. Established in 1982, it encompasses the provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Albacete and covers an area of 30,681 sq mi (79,463 sq km). Its capital is Toledo. The watershed of the low-lying Toledo Mountains bisects the region; land to the north is drained by the Tagus River, and the plains of La Mancha to the south are drained by the Guadiana. In the 20th century, emigration to Madrid depleted the popula¬ tion. Agriculture dominates the economy. See Castile; Miguel de Cervantes.
Castile-Leon Spanish Castilla y Leon Autonomous community (pop., 2001: 2,456,474) and historic region, northern Spain. Established in 1983, it encompasses the provinces of Valladolid, Burgos, Leon, Sala¬ manca, Zamora, Polencia, and Segovia and covers an area of 36,380 sq mi (94,224 sq km). Its capital is Valladolid. It occupies the elevated Cen¬ tral Plateau and is drained by the Douro River, which bisects the region. The Cantabrian Mountains rise to the north. The area’s population expe¬ rienced periods of decline in the 20th century, with notable emigration from the countryside to the provincial capitals. Its economy is largely agricultural. See also Castile.
Castilho \kash-'tel-yii\, Antonio Feliciano de (b. Jan. 28, 1800, Lisbon—d. June 18, 1875, Lisbon) Portuguese poet. Though blind from childhood, he became a classical scholar and by age 16 was publishing poems, translations, and pedagogical works. With his Obras completas (1837; “Complete Works”), he became a literary figure in Lisbon. As director of the important journal O panorama and later of the major cul¬ tural review Revista universal Lisbonense, he became a central figure in the Portuguese Romantic movement. After 1850 he gradually returned to a genteel traditionalism. His lifeless style so dominated literary taste that it provoked a rebellion by younger writers, and he was dethroned as lit¬ erary arbiter.
Castillo de San Marcos \ka-'ste-yo-da-san-'mar-kos\ National Monument Historic site, northeastern Florida, U.S. Established in 1924, it is the 25-acre (10-hectare) site of the oldest masonry fort in the U.S., built by the Spanish (1672-95) to protect St. Augustine. The fort played an important role in the Spanish-English struggle for the South¬ east (c. 1670-1763). In the 19th century it served as a U.S. military prison.
casting Pouring of molten metal into a mold, where it solidifies into the shape of the mold. The process was well established in the Bronze Age, when it was used to form bronze pieces now found in museums. It is par¬ ticularly valuable for the economical production of complex shapes, rang¬ ing from mass-produced parts for automobiles to one-of-a-kind production of statues, jewelry, or massive machinery. Most steel and iron castings (see cast iron) are poured into silica sand. For metals of lower melting point, such as aluminum or zinc, molds can be made of another metal or of sand. See also die casting, founding, investment casting, lost- wax CASTING, PATTERNMAKING.
castle Medieval European stronghold, generally the fortified dwelling of the king or lord of the territory in which it stood. The castle developed rapidly in western Europe from the 9th century. In form it was somewhat sprawling compared to later fortified buildings. The castle’s enceinte (outer wall) was surrounded by one or more moats, which were crossed by drawbridges that could be raised from the inner side. The gateway itself was heavily protected and often defended by a barbican, or watchtower. One or more baileys, or walled courtyards, surrounded the donjon. The age of the medieval castle came to an end with the increasing use of fire¬ arms in the 15th-16th centuries.
Castle, Vernon and Irene orig. Vernon Blythe and Irene Foote (respectively b. May 2, 1887, Norwich, Norfolk, Eng.—d. Feb. 15, 1918, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.; b. 1893, New Rochelle, N.Y., U.S.—d. Jan. 25, 1969, Eureka Springs, Ark.) U.S. husband-and-wife ballroom dance team. Vernon moved to the U.S. in 1906 and married Irene in 1911. They gained worldwide popularity for their graceful style, and they intro¬ duced such dances as the one-step, fox-trot, turkey trot, castle polka, castle walk, and hesitation waltz and popularized several others. Irene is cred¬ ited with creating the fashion for bobbed hair. Following Vernon’s death in an airplane crash, Irene retired from dancing.
Castlereagh Vka-s3l-,ra\ District (pop., 2001: 66,488), Northern Ire¬ land. Located southeast of Belfast, it was established in 1973. The area was settled in the 14th century by the O’Neill clan of Ulster, from whose main stronghold, Grey Castle (no longer extant), it takes its name. It is closely linked to eastern Belfast, the district seat, where many of its resi¬ dents are employed.
Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, Viscount (b. June 18, 1769, Dub¬ lin, Ire.—d. Aug. 12, 1822, London, Eng.) British politician. He was elected to the Irish Parliament in 1790 and later served in the British Par¬ liament (1794-1805, 1806-22). As chief secretary for Ireland (1798— 1801), Castlereagh singlehandedly forced the Act of Union through the Irish Parliament in 1800. He served as Britain’s secretary for war (1805— 06, 1807-09) and as secretary for foreign affairs and leader of the House of Commons (1812-22). Considered one of the most distinguished for¬ eign secretaries in British history, he played a leading role in bringing together the Grand Alliance that overthrew Napoleon and in deciding the form of the peace settlements at the Congress of Vienna. Beset with para¬ noia and believing that he was being blackmailed, he eventually commit¬ ted suicide.
Castor and Pollux See Dioscuri
castor-oil plant Large plant (Ricinus communis) of the spurge family, probably native to Africa and naturalized throughout the tropics. It is grown commercially for the phar¬ maceutical and industrial uses of its oil and for use in landscape garden¬ ing because of its handsome, giant, fanlike leaves. The bristly, spined, bronze-to-red clusters of fruits are attractive but are often removed
before they mature because of the Castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis). poison concentrated in their mottled, kenneth and brenda formanek/eb inc.
Baldassare Castiglione, detail of a por¬ trait by Raphael, 1516; in the Louvre, Paris
GIRAUDON-ART RESOURCE/EB INC.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
castration ► Catalonia I 349
beanlike seeds. There are hundreds of natural forms and many horticul¬ tural varieties of this species.
castration or neutering Removal of the testes. The procedure stops most production of the hormone testosterone. If done before puberty, it pre¬ vents the development of functioning adult sex organs. Castration after sexual maturity makes the sex organs shrink and stop functioning, ending sperm formation and sexual interest and behaviour. Livestock and pets are castrated to keep them from reproducing (see sterilization) or to create a more docile animal. In humans, castration has been used for both cultural (see eunuch, castrato) and medical (e.g., for testicular cancer) reasons.
castrato \ka-'stra-,to\ Male soprano or alto voice produced as a result of castration before puberty. The castrato voice was introduced in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel in the 16th century, when women were still banned from church choirs as well as the stage. It reached its greatest prominence in 17th- and 18th-century opera. The illegal and inhumane practice of castration, largely practiced in Italy, could produce a treble voice of extraordinary power, attributable to the lung capacity and physi¬ cal bulk of the adult male. The unique tone quality and the ability of intensively trained singers to execute virtuosic passagework made cast- rati the rage among opera audiences and contributed to the spread of Ital¬ ian opera. Most male singers in 18th-century opera were castrati; the most famous bore the stage names Senesino (Francesco Bemardi; died c. 1750), Caffarelli (Gaetano Majorano; 1710-1783), and Farinelli. Castrati sang in the Sistine Chapel choir until 1903.