Charles

Charles

Charles ♂ From a Germanic word, karl, meaning ‘free man’, akin to Old English ceorl ‘man’. The name, Latin form Carolus, owed its popularity in medieval Europe to the Frankish leader Charlemagne (?742–814), who in 800 established himself as Holy Roman Emperor. His name (Latin Carolus Magnus) means ‘Charles the Great’. Carolus—or Karl, the German form—was a common name among Frankish leaders, including Charlemagne's grandfather Charles Martel (688–741). Charles is the French form. The name occurs occasionally in medieval Britain as Karolus or Carolus; it had a certain vogue in West Yorkshire from the 1400s, particularly among gentry families. The form Charles was chosen by Mary Queen of Scots (1542–87), who had been brought up in France, for her son, Charles James (1566–1625), who became King James VI of Scotland and, from 1603, James I of England. His son and grandson both reigned as King Charles, and the name thus became established in the 17th century both in the Stuart royal house and among English and Scottish supporters of the Stuart monarchy. In the 18th century it was to some extent favoured, along with James, by Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Stuarts, opposed to the Hanoverian monarchy, especially in the Highlands of Scotland. In the 19th century the popularity of the name was further enhanced by romanticization of the story of ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, leader of the 1745 rebellion.

Cognates: Irish: Séarlas. Scottish Gaelic: Teàrlach. Welsh: Siarl. German: Karl, Carl. Dutch: Karel, C(h)arel. Scandinavian: Karl. French: Charles. Spanish: Carlos. Catalan: Carles. Portuguese: Carlos. Italian: Carlo. Polish: Karol. Czech: Karel. Finnish: Kaarle. Hungarian: Károly. Lithuanian: Karolis.

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Charles." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Charles." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Charles1.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Charles." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Charles1.html

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Charles

Charles (Charles Philip Arthur George), 1948-, prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and heir apparent to the British throne. He was created prince of Wales in 1958 and invested at Caernarvon Castle in 1969. He graduated from Cambridge in 1971 and served in the Royal Navy (1971-76).

In 1981 he married Lady Diana Frances Spencer (see Diana , princess of Wales). Their children, next in line to succeed him, are Prince William (b. 1982) and Prince Henry (b. 1984). Following the separation of Charles and Diana in 1992, the deterioration of their personal relationship became the subject of intense, sometimes lurid, media coverage. By the time of their divorce (1996) and her death (Aug., 1997) in a Paris car crash, the sympathies of the British public appeared deeply divided between Charles and Diana.

Charles has been an outspoken critic of contemporary architecture and has sought to bring Britain's architectural heritage to the attention of the nation. He wrote A Vision of Britain (1989), which became a television documentary. He is also an advocate for inner-city reform and environmental issues. In 2005 he married Camilla Parker Bowles, who had long been his mistress; she became the duchess of Cornwall.

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"Charles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Charles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-CharlesEng.html

"Charles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-CharlesEng.html

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De Boville (or Bovillus or Bovelles), Charles (ca. 1470-ca. 1553)

De Boville (or Bovillus or Bovelles), Charles (ca. 1470-ca. 1553)

A French mathematician and philologist who also wrote on occult philosophy. He was born in Saucourt, Picardy, France, around 1470, the son of an aristocrat. He was educated in Paris, traveled across Europe, and became a priest. De Boville promulgated in his work De sensu the opinion held in ancient times that the world is alive, an idea also imagined by Felix Nogaret. (Twentieth-century books on this theme include The Living Universe, by Sir Francis Younghusband (1933), and The Earth is Alive, by François Derrey (1968).) Other works by De Boville include his Lettres, the Life of Raymond Lully, Traite des douze nombres, and Trois Dialogues sur l'Immortalitè de l'Ame, le Rèsurrection, et la Fin du Monde. He died in Noyon, France, about 1553.

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"De Boville (or Bovillus or Bovelles), Charles (ca. 1470-ca. 1553)." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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"De Boville (or Bovillus or Bovelles), Charles (ca. 1470-ca. 1553)." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403801309.html

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Charles

Charles Devon. Carmes [sic] 1086 (DB), Charles 1244. Possibly ‘rock-court’. Cornish carn + *lys.

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A. D. MILLS. "Charles." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

A. D. MILLS. "Charles." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Charles.html

A. D. MILLS. "Charles." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Charles.html

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Charles

Charles ♂ Germanic.

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Charles." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Charles." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Charles.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Charles." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Charles.html

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Charles

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"Charles." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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"Charles." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Charles.html

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