Elba Island off the western coast of Italy, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Occupy¬ ing an area of 86 sq mi (223 sq km), it is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. France obtained Elba from Rome in 1802. When Napoleon abdicated in May 1814, he was exiled to Elba. The island was recognized as an independent principality with Napoleon as its ruler until February 1815, when he returned to France to begin the Hundred Days. Thereafter Elba was restored to Tuscany.
Elbe Vel-boN River Czech Labe Vla-be\ ancient Albis River, central Europe. One of the continent’s major waterways, it rises in the Krkonose (Giant) Mountains on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland and flows southwest across Bohemia. It then flows northwest across Germany and empties into the North Sea near Cuxhaven. From 1945 to 1990 it formed part of the boundary between East and West Germany. It is 724 mi ( 1 , 1 65 km) long and connected by canals with the Baltic Sea, the Havel River and Berlin, the Ruhr industrial region, and the Rhine River. It is navi¬ gable for 1,000-ton barges as far upstream as Prague through the Vltava River. Hamburg, Ger., is 55 mi (88 km) upstream from its mouth.
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Elbrus \el-'briis. Mount Peak, Caucasus Mountains, southwestern Rus¬ sia. The highest peak in the Caucasus, it is an extinct volcano with twin cones reaching elevations of 18,510 ft (5,642 m) and 18,356 ft (5,595 m). There are many mineral springs along its descending streams, while 53 sq mi (138 sq km) of Elbrus is covered by 22 glaciers. It is a major cen¬ tre for mountaineering and tourism.
Elburz \el-'burz\ Mountains Mountain range, northern Iran. It is 560 mi (900 km) long and extends along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, from which it is separated by a narrow coastal lowland. It includes Iran’s highest peak, Mount Damavand (Demavend), at 18,605 ft (5,671 m). The forests of the Elburz cover some 12,500 sq mi (32,400 sq km). The Hyrcanian tigers for which they were famous are now rare, but other wild cats, including the leopard and the lynx, are still numerous.
elder Any of about 20-30 species, mainly shrubs and small trees, that make up the genus Sambucus, in the honeysuckle family. Most are native to forested temperate or subtropical areas. Elders are important as garden shrubs, as forest plants, and for their berries (elderberries), which provide food for wildlife and are used for wines, jellies, pies, and folk medi¬ cines. Elders have divided leaves and flat, roundish clusters of tiny, yellowish-white, saucer-shaped flowers. The American, or sweet, elder (5. canadensis) of North America is the most important spe¬ cies horticulturally.
elder, box See box elder
Elder, John (b. March 8, 1824,
Glasgow, Scot.—d. Sept. 17, 1869,
London, Eng.) Scottish marine engi¬ neer. In 1854 he developed the marine compound steam engine (using both high- and low-pressure steam), which enabled seagoing vessels to save 30-40% of the coal they had been burning and helped make practical long voyages on which refueling was impossible.
Eldridge, (David) Roy (b. Jan. 30, 1911, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.—d. Feb. 26, 1989, Valley Stream, N.Y.) U.S. trumpeter, one of the most vital and creative jazz musicians of the swing era. He was influenced by saxo¬ phonists such as Coleman Hawkins and developed a fast, nimble technique matched with harmonic sophistication. He played with Fletcher Henderson (1935-36) and was featured with the big bands of Gene Krupa and Artie Shaw in the 1940s. (A nickname reflecting his stature, “Little Jazz,” was also the title of a record he made with Shaw). The dominant voice on his instrument in the swing style, he exerted a strong influence on bebop musi¬ cians.
Eleanor of Aquitaine (b. c. 1122—d. April 1, 1204, Fontevrault, Anjou, Fr.) Queen consort of Louis VII of France (1137-80) and Henry II of England (1152-89), the most powerful woman of 12th-century Europe. She inherited the duchy of Aquitaine and married the heir to the French throne. Beautiful, capricious, and strong-willed, she accompanied Louis on the Second Crusade (1147-49), and her conduct aroused his jealousy. The marriage was annulled (1152), and she married Henry Plantagenet, soon to be Henry II; the marriage united England, Normandy, and west¬ ern France under his rule. She bore Henry five sons, including the future kings Richard I the Lionheart and John Lackland, and three daughters who married into other royal houses. Her court at Poitiers became a centre of culture, fostering the poetry of the troubadours. She may have spurred her sons to revolt against Henry (1173); when the rebellion failed she was captured and confined until his death (1189). She was active in govern¬ ment during the reign of Richard I, ruling during his crusade to the Holy Land and ransoming him from Austria. After Richard died (1199) and John became king, she saved Anjou and Aquitaine for John against French threats, then retired to the monastery at Fontevrault.
Eleanor of Castile (b. 1246—d. Nov. 28, 1290, Harby, Nottingham¬ shire, Eng.) Queen consort of Edward I of England. Daughter of the king of Castile, she brought Edward title to Gascony on their marriage in 1254, and she was sent to France for safety during the baronial rebellion (1264-
65). She joined Edward on a crusade to the Holy Land (1270-73), and legend says she saved his life by sucking poison from a dagger wound. On her death, Edward erected Eleanor Crosses at each place where her coffin rested en route to London.
Eleaticism V.el-e-'a-to-.si-zomX School of pre-Socratic philosophy that flourished in the 5th century bc. It took its name from the Greek colony of Elea (Velia) in southern Italy. It is distinguished by its radical MONISM— i.e., its doctrine of the One, according to which all that exists is a static plenum of Being as such, and nothing exists that stands either in contrast or in contradiction to Being. Thus, all differentiation, motion, and change must be illusory. Its literary sources consist of fragments (most less than 10 lines long) preserved by later Classical authors: 19 from Parmenides, 4 from his pupil Zeno of Elea, and 10 from another pupil, Melissus (fl. 5th century bc). See also pre-Socratics.
Eleazar \,el-e- l a-zor\ ben Judah of Worms orig. Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymos (b. 1160, Mainz, Franconia—d. 1238, Worms) German Jewish mystic and Talmudic scholar. His wife and daughters were killed by Crusaders in 1196, but he nevertheless contin¬ ued to teach a doctrine of love of humanity. After studying with Judah ben Samuel, to whom he was related, he became a rabbi at Worms (1201). Eleazar attempted to unify the mysticism of the Kabbala with the Talmud. His greatest work was his ethical code, Rokeah (1505). He believed that God himself was unknowable but that the kavod, a ruling angel that was an emanation from God, was knowable. His writings are a major source of information on medieval Hasidism.
election Formal process by which voters make their political choices on public issues or candidates for public office. The use of elections in the modern era dates to the emergence of representative government in Europe and North America since the 17th century. Regular elections serve to hold leaders accountable for their performance and permit an exchange of influence between the governors and the governed. The availability of alternatives is a necessary condition. Votes may be secret or public. See also ELECTORAL SYSTEM, PARTY SYSTEM, PLEBISCITE, PRIMARY ELECTION, REFERENDUM AND INITIATIVE.