dauphin Vdo-fonV Title of the eldest son of a king of France, the heir apparent to the French crown, from 1350 to 1830. Derived from a per¬ sonal name, dauphin was originally used as a title in the 12th century by French counts in Auvergne and Vienne. The title came to the French crown through the purchase of lands known as the Dauphine in 1349 by Philip VI, who bestowed it on his grandson, the future Charles V. Dauphin came to designate the heir apparent during the reign of Charles V, who gave his son, Charles VI, the title and the Dauphine.
Dauphine \,do-fe-'na\ Historic region and former province, southeast¬ ern France. Occupied by Burgundians and later by Franks, it formed part of the Middle Kingdom of Lothar I after the division of the Carolingian empire in 843 and was part of the kingdom of Arles. It was sold to Philip VI of France and ultimately became an appanage of the eldest son of the French king, who assumed the title (dauphin) attached to the land. The area had a quasi-independent status until it was annexed to France in 1457. Dauphine encompasses portions of the modern administrative regions of Rhone-Alpes and Province-Alpes-Cote d’Azur.
Davao \'da-,vau\ City (pop., 2000: metro, area, 1,147,116), southeast¬ ern Mindanao Island, Philippines. Located at the mouth of the Davao River on Davao Gulf, it is an international port and the leading commer¬ cial centre in the region. It developed as a Japanese colony. Razed dur¬ ing World War II, the rebuilt city is a blend of Spanish, American, and Moorish influences. Largely rural outside its urban core, it is one of the world’s largest cities in area, covering 854 sq mi (2,212 sq km). It is the site of the University of Mindanao (1946).
Davenant Vdav-o-nontX, Sir William or William D'Avenant (b.
1606, Oxford, Eng.—d. April 7, 1668, London) British poet, playwright, and theatre manager. Early works include the comedy The Witts (licensed 1634) and a volume of poems, Madagascar (1638). He was made poet laureate in 1638. Involved in intrigues during the English Civil Wars, he was imprisoned at the Tower of London, where he worked on his verse epic Gondibert (1651). Later he made the first attempt to revive English drama (banned under Oliver Cromwell) and brought the first opera, painted stage sets, and female actress-singer to the English public stage. After the Restoration he continued playwriting and founded a playhouse.
Davenport, John (b. April 1597, Coventry, Warwickshire, Eng.—d. c. March 15, 1670, Boston, Mass.) British-American Puritan clergyman. A vicar in London, he moved to Amsterdam in 1633 and served there as co-pastor of the English Church. In 1637 he left for America with Theo-
philus Eaton (c. 1590-1658) and their followers. They founded a colony at Quinnipiac (New Haven) in 1638; Davenport became pastor of the New Haven church, and Eaton was chosen governor. After failing to prevent New Haven’s union with the Connecticut colony, Davenport left in 1667 to lead the First Church in Boston.
David (b. Bethlehem, Judah—d. c. 962 bc, Jerusalem) Second of the Israelite kings (r. c. 1000-c. 962 bc). David was an aide at the court of Saul until the monarch’s jealousy forced him into outlawry. He became king of Israel on Saul’s death. He captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it his capital, defeated the Philistines, and gained control of many bordering kingdoms. He faced several revolts, including one by his third son, Absalom. He unified all Israel into one kingdom and made Jerusalem both the religious and political centre. He made the name Yahweh the supreme name for the god of Israel, who was worshiped in Jerusalem, and ruled that all other names for God were mere titles or attributes of Yahweh. Though the kingdom split under David’s son and successor Solomon, religious unity endured, and the house of David symbolized the bond between God and Israel. The word MESSIAH comes from hameshiach, the title of kings of the line of David.
David I (b. c. 1082 —d. May 24, 1153, Carlisle, Cumberland, Eng.) King of the Scots (1124-53). The youngest of six sons of Malcolm III Canmore, he became king of Scotland on the death of his brother Alexander I. He created a rudimentary central administration, issued the first Scottish royal coinage, and admitted into Scotland an influential Norman aristocracy. David also reorganized Scottish Christianity to conform with European and English usages and founded many religious communities. He had obtained lands in central England through his marriage to the daughter of an English earl in 1113, and he won title to Northumberland from the future Henry II in 1149.
David II known as David the Builder (b. 1073—d. 1125) King of Georgia (1089-1125). Sometimes known as David III, he became coruler with his father, Giorgi II, in 1089. David defeated the Turks in the Battle of Didgori (1122) and captured Tbilisi. Under his leadership Georgia became the strongest state in Caucasia.
David II (b. March 5, 1324, Dunfermline, Fife, Scot.—d. Feb. 22, 1372, Scotland) King of the Scots from 1329. In keeping with an Anglo-Scottish peace treaty, he was married at age four to the sister of Edward III of England. His reign was marked by conflict with England and a decline in the prestige of the monarchy. He went into exile in France in 1334 after Edward III supported a rival for the throne, and he fought against Edward for the French king Philip VI. David returned to Scotland in 1341 and carried out raids against the English, who captured him in 1346. He was released in 1357 on the promise of ransom, and his offer to trade the Scottish throne for forgiveness of the ransom money was repudiated in Scotland.
David Vda-v3t\, Gerard (b. c. 1460, Oudewater, Neth.—d. Aug. 13, 1523, Bruges) Netherlandish painter. He worked mainly in Bruges, where he entered the painters’ guild in 1484 and became dean in 1501. He
"Virgin and Child with Saints and Donor," panel painting by Gerard David, c. 1505; in the National Gallery, London
COURTESY OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON; PHOTOGRAPH, J.R. FREEMAN & CO. LTD.
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
516 I David ► Davis
became the city’s leading painter after the death of Hans Memling. Most of his works are altarpieces and other panels featuring traditional religious themes, but his best-known paintings, The Judgment of Cambyses and The Flaying of Sisamnes (1498), deal with the theme of justice; they origi¬ nally hung in the town hall of Bruges. His works are among the earliest Flemish paintings to feature the Italian Renaissance iconography of putti (male child angels) and garlands.
David \da-'ved\, Jacques-Louis (b. Aug. 30, 1748, Paris, France—d. Dec. 29, 1825, Brussels) French painter. At 18 he entered the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.
In 1775 he went to Rome and became a proponent of the Neoclas¬ sical style, but also studied the work of such 17th-century painters as Nicolas Poussin and Caravaggio. His work came to epitomize the late 18th-century Neoclassical reaction against the ornate Rococo style.
Among his subjects were classical, historical, and mythological themes; he was also a great portraitist. He became the unchallenged painter of the French Revolution, and later was appointed official portraitist to Napo¬ leon. He was also a founding mem¬ ber of the new Institut de France, which replaced the Royal Academy, and produced commemorative med¬ als and other revolutionary propa¬ ganda. Among his masterpieces is The Death of Marat (1793), an expression of universal tragedy as well as a portrayal of a key event of the French Revolution. His influence on European art was pervasive; his pupils included Antoine-Jean Gros and J.-A.-D. Ingres.