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| Alexei I of Russia the Antichrist @Wikipedia |
the Antichrist
" . . . He is perhaps best known, however, for the affair of Patriarch Nikon and the Church schism which occurred during his reign. Aleksei was a pious and kind man who gave richly to the poor and homeless, and in the early part of his reign he warmly supported the activity of the "Zealots," especially that of his close personal friend Nikon. Nikon's abrasive personality and court intrigues then drew the two apart, and drew Aleksei away from the reformers' spiritual activities, until after 1667 many disciples of the Zealots who turned Old Believers called Aleksei the 'Antichrist.'" (Flofovsky. Ways of Russian Theology)
the Most Quiet, the Most Peaceful, the Quietest
"Despite of evidently good nature, he was quick-tempered and frequently fought. At one of sessions of Duma he drove out his father-in-law Miloslavsky from the room by beating and kicks. However he quickly calmed down and was not vindictive. . . From contemporaries he received a nickname of 'the Quietest' in spite of the fact, that during the time of his reign there was not a year without distempers and wars. . . ." (Russia the Great)
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| Alexei Razumovsky the Night Emperor @Wikipedia |
the King of the Suburbs.
the Emperor for the Night, the Night Emperor
"The new empress made no secret of her love affair; she openly held hands with Razumovsky and kissed him in public. Razumovsky served the empress every night with such devotion that court wags called him the 'Night Emperor.'. . . " (Herman. Sex with the Queen: 141)
the Nocturnal Emperor:
"Elisabeth's private life could not have been more different from her sixteenth-century unmarried English namesake. Instead of a pretense of virginity, the empress preferred a simulation of marriage to Razumovsky, who soon became known in Russia as the Noctural Emperor. . . ." (Monter. The Rise of Female Kings in Europe, 1300-1800: 193)
the Great: " . . . [T]he epithet of great was applied perhaps to his stature, rather than to his exploits. By the indulgence of the Angeli, he was appointed governor or duke of Trebizond: his birth gave him ambition, the revolution independence; and without changing his title, he reigned in peace from Sinope to the Phasis, along the coast of the Black Sea. . . ." (The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol 7: 327)
--" . . . Thus the Angeli ceased out of the land, and Alexius V regained in their stead. He is less frequently named by the chroniclers under his family name of Ducas, than under his nickname of 'Murtzuphlus,' drawn from the bushy overhanging eyebrows which formed the most prominent feature of his countenance."
--"Murtzuphlus means 'downcast' or 'depressed.' Alexius's real name was Ducas, but since he had unusually bushy eyebrows that gave him a permanently despondent look, he was universally known by the nickname Murtzuphlus." (Brownworth: 255) (See also [75])
the Warrior, Battler, Battle-Giver (Sp. el Batallador)
--"An accomplished soldier and a true crusader, known by the nickname, the battler (el batallador), he will always be remembered as the conqueror of Zaragoza. . . ." (O'Callaghan: 222)
--" . . . By his successes during these twenty years, Alfonso earned for himself the warlike surname of El Batallador--The Battle-giver. In nine-and-twenty successive battles he defeated the Moorish hosts; and over all Europe he was celebrated as the champion of the Christian faith against the Infidels of Spain. Tudela, Saragossa, Tarragona, and Daroca were all conquered by him. He trebled the size of Aragon; and he carried his banners farther south of the Ebro than any Christian prince had done before him. . . ." (Chambers and Chamebrs, Vol. 5: 90)
the Catholic:
the Chaste: " . . . In the course of his long reign . . . very early abolished the ignominious tribute of 100 virgins. From this circumstance is derived, by some historians, his surname of the Chaste; attributed by others to his having made a solemn vow of virginity, and observed it, even in marriage. This vow, and the austere temper in which it probably originated, had considerable influence over Alfonso's life. He so deeply resented his sister Ximena's private marriage with a subject, the Count of Saldanha, that he shut her up in a convent; and putting out her husband's eyes, sentenced him to perpetual imprisonment. . . ." (Busk: 13)
the Chaste:
the Chaste:
the Minstrel:
Alfons II of Barcelona
the Candid:
the Franc
the Free
the Magnanimous
the Magnificent.
the Great: " . . . [A]lfonso III was extending his dominion over a considerable part of Portugal, and earning the surname of the Great, equally by his conquests, his clemency, his charity, and his fervent devotion. . . ." (Busk: 17)
the Benign: "Despite the urgings of Juan Manuel, Alfonso IV of Aragon preferred to remain aloof from these intra-peninsular conflicts. History has bestowed upon him the sobriquet, the benign, which, while attesting to his affability, also suggests a lack of decision. . . ." (O'Callaghan)
the Monk: " . . . Alfonso seems to have been totally unfit to govern, rendered himself odious to the nation, and, after a reign of five years and seven months, abdicated the throne in favor of his brother, Ramiro, and took the habit of a monk in the monastery of Sahagun, careless of the future welfare of his wife and only son. The inconsistency of his disposition soon leading him to repent of his resolution, he abandoned his retreat, and again claimed the crown. Having been worsted by Don Ramiro, he was imprisoned with his wife, and the three sons of his predecessor, Fruela, who had taken part in the insurrection, in the monastery of St. Julien, near Leon. Here they were kept during the remaining of their lives, the deposed king and the princes having been also punished with the loss of their eyes. . . ." (George: 41)
the Magnanimous:
--"Because of his patronage of the arts he became known as Alfonso the Magnanimous. . . ." (Matthews)
--" . . . After the death of Joanna in 1435, Alfonso, King of Aragon and Sicily, who had no claim to the crown beyond what he derived through a bastard branch of the old Norman dynasty, conquered Naples, expelled Count Rene of Anjou, and established himself in this new kingdom, which he preferred to those he had inherited by right. Alfonso, surnamed the Magnanimous, was one of the most brilliant and romantic personages of the fifteenth century. Historians are never weary of relating his victories over Caldora and Francesco Sforza, the coup-de-main by which he expelled his rival Rene, and the fascination which he exercised in Milan, while a captive, over the jealous spirit of Filippo Maria Visconti. . . ." (Renaissance in Italy: The Age of the Despots: 445)
the Wise: "The words and deed of the very best and wisest princes and governors of state make clear what great value they attach to studies of learning and to the erudition derived therefrom. Here the Spaniard Alfonso, King of Aragon, Sicily, Sardinia and Naples shines above all, as he exceeds all kings of his age in wisdom. For that reason the epithet 'the wise' is attributed to him. When his most important duties allowed it, he devoted himself with heart and soul to good learning, and enjoyed conversation with learned men. . . ." (Christian Humanism: Essays in Honour of Arjo Vanderjagt: 407)
Alfonso V of Leon.
the Noble:
the Young, the Younger:
the Conqueror of Toledo:
the Emperor of Two Religions:
the Emperor:
the Child-King (Sp. Rey Nino):
the Noble:
the Noble and Good:
Alfonso IX of Leon [Ref1]
the Babbler (Sp. Baboso, Bavos):
the Astronomer:
the Father of Castilian Prose:
the Wise:
--"Alfonso X, surnamed the Wise, King of Castillo and of Leon. . . A patron of science and lover of astronomy. He compiled a complete digest of Roman, feudal and canon law, and had drawn up the astronomical tables called Alfonsine Tables. By his liberality and example he gave a great impulse to Spanish literature. For his intercourse with Jews and Arab, his independence towards the Pope and his free disposal of the clerical revenues, he has been stigmatised as an Atheist. To him is attributed the well-known remark that had he been present at the creation of the world he would have proposed some improvements. Father Lenfant adds the pious lie that 'The king had scarcely pronounced this blasphemy when a thunderbolt fell and reduced his wife and two children to ashes.'. . . " (Wheeler: 13)
--"The Emperor is commonly distinguished by the surname of the Wise; but the Spanish word sabio will equally bear the interpretation of the learned, and it was probably very much in this sense that it was given him. He owed it partly to his having usurped the whole legislative fame, which, at most, he was only entitled to have shared with his father. The part he really could claim in the code of the las siete partidas, viz. the spirit he infused into it, in direct opposition to his sainted father's principles, might have procured him the reputation of learning, but certainly not of wisdom, from enlightened judges. . . ." (Busk: 39)
--" . . . A patron of Castilian literature and historiography, and of the arts, he initiated the study of music at Salamanca University . . . Alfonso, though in many ways an unsatisfactory monarch, founded Spanish historiography in the vernacular and is sometimes called the father of Castilian prose. He was fond of music, the patron of many troubadours, and established a course in music at the university of Salamanca. . . ." (Whent)
--" . . . Alfonso the Wise, known as a benefactor of Toledo's scholars, was acclaimed also as the greatest apostle of Islamic learning, the compiler of astronomical (the Alphonsine) tables, an authority on chess and other games, and the author of numerous literary, historical, and scientific works. . . ." (Bozeman: 425)
the Avenger:
the Uhlan King:
Duque de Toledo: Alfonso XIII's incognito name when he vacationed in Deauville, France in 1922.
Monsieur Lamy
the African (Sp. el Africano):
--"Alfonso XIII, also known as El Africano or the African, was the King of Spain from 1886 until the proclamation of the Second Republic in 1931. . . ." (Google Arts & Culture)
--the African (Sp. el Africano): so-called " . . . for starting the war in Morocco. . . ." (cademaser)
the Angel of Mercy (by the English):
the Charitable War Postmaster (by the English):
the Disinherited: " . . . Alfonso X [of Castile] died in 1284, and in his will made Alfonso and Ferdinand de la Cerda his heirs. . . At length, when it became the interest of the king of Aragon to embarrass the king of Castile, he set the princes of La Cerda at liberty. They were proclaimed at Badajoz and Talavera; but being unable to maintain themselves in Castile, they passed into France in the reign of Philip the Fair. Sancho had died and had been succeeded by his own son. The kings of Portugal and Aragon, being now invited to act as mediators between the ruling and the proscribed branches of the family, gave a decisive sentence in favor of the former, stipulating only that three cities should be ceded to Alfonso to aid him in maintaining the dignity of his birth. Alfonso at first refused, but afterward, deserted by all his defenders, he accepted the terms, and from this time received the surname of the Disinherited. He died in 1325, leaving two sons. . . "(The New American Cyclopaedia: 234)
el Niño:
the Good (Sp. el Bueno):
--" . . . Moroccan and Granadan forces consequently besieged Tarifa in 1294, but Alfonso Perez de Guzman, who, by his heroism gained the sobriquet, el bueno, successfully held off the attack until the arrival of Castilian and Catalan ships forced the besiegers to retire. . . ." (O'Callaghan: 397)
--" . . . The one great deed of arms, in ten years of wretched strife, was the taking of Tarifa in 1292. But the conquest of that celebrated town and the maintenance within its walls of the Castilian supremacy, is a glorious incident, not in the life of Sancho the Bravo (sic), but of Guzman, more happily styled the Good. Alonzo Perez de Guzman, an illegitimate son of the Adelantado Mayor of Andalucia, was born in Leon in 1255. Distinguished in war and tourney, a brave and honourable knight, he quitted the court to escape the insults of his legitimate brother, and took service . . . with Yusuf, the king or emperor of Morocco and fought under the Moorish standard with much distinction in Africa. . . Guzman, who had been appointed governor of the fortress (Tarifa), upon its incorporation into the Castilian territories, held the city for Castile; and he refused the bribes and despised the attacks of the invaders (1294). . . Guzman, heirless, but full of glory, was gratified with the admiration of his country, and the strange title, granted under the sign manual of the king, of El Bueno---the Good."(Burke: 315)
the Father of the English People:"Among the other glories of Alfred's reign, was that of raising a maritime power in England, by which he secured the coasts from future invasions. . . His encouragement of commerce and navigation may seem incredible; but he had merchants who traded in the jewels of India. . . ." (A new geographical, historical, and commercial grammar: 184)
the Father of the Navy: "Among the other glories of Alfred's reign, was that of raising a maritime power in England, by which he secured the coasts from future invasions. . . His encouragement of commerce and navigation may seem incredible; but he had merchants who traded in the jewels of India. . . ." (A new geographical, historical, and commercial grammar: 184)
the Great
--"Alfred is the only English king to be honored with the sobriquet 'the Great,' and deservedly so. In addition to his military victories over the Vikings, Alfred reorganized the laws and government of the kingdom and revived learning among the clergy. His greatest fame, however, was as a scholar in his own right. He translated Latin books into English. . . ." (The Origins and Development of the English Language: 83)
--"It is for his valiant defence of his kingdom against a stronger enemy, for securing peace with the Vikings and for his farsighted reforms in the reconstruction of Wessex and beyond, that Alfred - alone of all the English kings and queens - is known as 'the Great'." (British Monarchy Website)
--" . . . [H]is character was so completely amiable and heroic that he was justly distinguished with the epithet of the Great." (A new geographical, historical, and commercial grammar: 185)
Alfred-Guillaume-Gabriel, Comte d'Orsay
the Victorious (Arab. Al-Ghalib, Almudafar, al-Muzaffar): " . . . Upon the first accession of the young caliph (796), indeed, his two uncles, whom Hixem (Hisham I) had vanquished, pardoned, and provided for, revolted, and whilst their rebellion, occupied Al-hakem, Alfonso (II of Asturias) pursued his conquests. But Alhakem so rapidly subdued the insurgents and repulsed the invaders, that he acquired the surname of Almudafar, of The Victorious. One of his rebellious uncles fell in battle, and Alhakem wept over him; the survivor, Abdallah, he forgave; and though he demanded his sons as hostages, he treated them with such kindness, that he gave the hand of his sister Alkinsa to Esfah, the eldest." (Busk: 13)
'Ali Abu-l-Hasan of Granada
the Well-Known.
the Well-Known.
Alice d'Angouleme
the Green Lady of Caerphilly Castle.
the People's Mistress: "Alice Keppel remains in history as the perfect royal mistress. In an age when the House of Lords is to be crammed with "people's peers" she might have earned the position of "People's Mistress"." (Independent)
French actress, singer & courtesan
born Julie-Justine Pilloy
Madame Pilloy
the Modern Aspasia.
Alice de Windsor
Alexander MacDonald
Carrach
Lord of Lochaber:
Lord of Lochaber:
Almanzor.
Al-Mansur ibn Abi Amir: "When al-Hakam died in 976,his son and successor Hisham II was only eleven years old. The Caliphate was ruled by a triumvirate consisting of al-Hakam's prime minister, al-Mushafi; his general, Ghalib al-Nasiri, and the rising star in the bureaucracy, Muhammad Ibn Abi Asmir. Ghalib and Muhammad, both Arabs, deposed the Berber al Mushafi in 978. Three years later, Muhammad deposed his rival and became the undisputed leader of the Caliphate. He assumed the nickname al-Mansur bi'lah: 'Victorious by the grace of God,' and is frequently referred to as Almanzor." (Mathematics in Historical Context:113)
the Blind:
the Lion of Janina: " . . . He . . . later became Pasha of Janina in 1788. His fearless personality earned him the epithet 'Lion of Janina', and he eventually gained control over Albania, as well as Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, and the Morea. He continued exerting his influence, and then Sultan Mahmud II, who was afraid he would become too strong, had him killed in 1822, and Ali (Arslan) Pasha passed away on February 5, 1822, in Janina (now Ioannina in Greece)." (Monarchs)
Alphonse I de Brienne:
Alphonse of Acre:
the Love Prince:
Cardinal d'Albret
Amauri de Montfort, Lord of Montfort l'Amaury
the Strong
Amaury III of Montfort (d.1090)
the Mighty
Amadeo I of Savoy, Count of Savoy, 1047/48 (d.1051/56)
the Tail (It. Coda): "His nickname was acquired after he refused to enter the presence of Emperor Heinrich III at Verona after his retinue ('queue') was refused entry."
Amadeo III of Savoy.
the Crusader: " . . . He led many Savoyard knights alongside his nephew, King Louis VII of France, on the Second Crusade and died in 1148 on Cyprus, where he was buried in the Abbey of the Holy Cross."
the Great: " . . . Amedee V, surnamed the Great . . . is the most glorious name of the House of Savoy. He was famed for his deeds of valor, which read like a chapter from the old romances of chivalry. He is said to have taken part in twenty-two pitched battles and thirty-two sieges. His most famous exploit was his expedition to Rhodes to aid the Knights of St. John in defending the island against the Turks. . . His valor saved Rhodes. . . ." (Catholic World, Vol 27: 771)
the Green Count (It. il Conte Verde)
--"He was given the nickname of Green Count from the colour he chose in 1353 in order to test himself in a tournament. Since then, Green has become the symbolic colour of the count who used it for his clothes, for his furniture and for his armour." (Ivrea Medioevale)
--" . . . Amadeus VI, 'the Green Count,' Aymon's son, was nine years old at his father' death, and ruled first under the regency of his mother. This 'perfect knight' was celebrated for the brilliancy of his court as well as fir his wise administration. In 1366 he set out for Venice with a handful of followers, 'clad all in green,' on the self-imposed mission of uniting the Greek and Roman churches. With this small number he conquered Gallipoli and Messembria, and rescued the Byzantine Emperor at the siege of Varna. He was made Imperial Vicar in perpetuity for himself and his descendants. Constantly appealed to as a successful arbitrator, he concluded the peace between the rival republics of Genoa and Venice after the war of Chioggia. He instituted the 'Order of the Collar of Savoy,' afterwards called 'the Annonciade.'" (Melano Rossi; 193)
--" . . . At a tournament held during the following Christmas season (1353), his elaborate use of green robes and trappings earned him the sobriquet 'Green Count'---a name that would last and an identity that he would continue to cultivate deliberately. . . ." (Clayton-Emmerson: 34)
the Black Count: " . . . Amadeus VII, 'the Red Count,' son of Amadeus VI, 'the Green Count,' was also first called 'the Black Count,' because of the deep mourning he wore in memory of his father. His name was already well known and popular in England and in France by reason of his chivalrous deeds and the conspicuous part he had taken in the tournaments of those countries. His reign promised to be as glorious as that of his father. The voluntary allegiance tendered by Nice and Ventimiglia in 1388 gave him access to the Mediterranean. His death was commonly attributed to a fall from his horse, but there is reason to believe that he was a victim of Court intrigue, and it is not improbable that some slow poison administered by a celebrated charlatan may have hastened his death." (Melano Rossi: 193)
the Red Count (It. il Conte Rosso).
Bizarre Amedee: "Amedee VIII was . . . the first duke of Savoy, the last of the antipopes, the 'bizarre Amedee,' as Voltaire calls him. . . ."
the Gatekeeper of the Alps: " . . . Savoy controlled the roads and passes of the Alps to Italy, so that the Duke of Savoy was nicknamed 'the gatekeeper of the Alps'. . . ." (fotw.net-Savoy)
the Blessed:
the Little
Small
the One-eyed Woman:
Shvibzik (Eng. Imp)
--"In order to insure her safety the Dowager Empress had been separated from the Nicholaeivichi. The Montenegrin Grand Duchesses, known as the 'black peril' because of their devotion to occultism and mysticism, had been responsible for introducing the Empress Alexandra to Rasputin and an attempt on their lives by patriots was feared." (Sole & Gilbert)
--"As they boarded the ship, tensions were high, mainly due to the presence of the wives of Grand Duke Nicholas and his brother Grand Duke Peter. The Montenegrin princesses, known within the family as the ‘Black Peril,’ had never been forgiven by the Dowager for introducing Rasputin to the Russian court." (Norfolk)
Dicorus (Gr. Dikoros, one eye blue and one black)
"Anastasius was nicknamed "Dicorus" (Greek: Δίκορος, "two-pupils"), because his eyes had different colors: one black, one blue." (Byzantine Chronicle)
"Anastasius I, emperor of the east (491-518), was so called because he had been the chief officer whose duty it was to maintain peace and silence in the precincts of the palace." (Brewer. The Historic Note-book: With an Appendix of Battles: 826)
"Silentiarius, Hellenized to silentiarios (Greek: σιλεντιάριος) and Anglicized to silentiary, was the Latin title given to a class of courtiers in the Byzantine imperial court, responsible for order and silence (Latin: silentium) in the Great Palace of Constantinople. In the middle Byzantine period (8th–11th centuries), it was transformed into an honorific court title. Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518) was a decurio of the silentiarii before his accession to the throne." (Wikipedia)
Andoche Junot, Duke of the Abrantes (1771-1813)
the Tempest
"[Junot] was a French soldier...[who] was educated for the law, but in 1792 enlisted in the army as a volunteer, and by his courage won. . . ."
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