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BASIL - 17 reference results
Basil herb information
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basil
basil, any plant of the genus Ocimum, tender herbs or small shrubs of the family Labiatae (mint family), mostly of Old World warm regions and cultivated for the aromatic leaves. The basil of Keats's "Isabella" (and of Boccaccio's story) is the common or sweet basil (O. basilicum), once considered medicinal. This is the species usually used for seasoning; it is grown commercially chiefly in the Mediterranean area. There are also the holy basil, venerated in India; the bush basil; and related plants sometimes called basil. Basil is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Lamiales, family Labiatae.
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Zaharoff, Sir Basil
Zaharoff, Sir Basil (Basileios Zacharias), 1850-1936, international financier and munitions manufacturer, b. Anatolia, Turkey, probably of Greek-Russian parents, educated in England. His name is best known in connection with the Vickers-Armstrong munitions firm, of which he was director and chairman. For his services to the Allies during World War I, Zaharoff was knighted by George V and decorated by the French government. He was, however, popularly known as the "mystery man of Europe" and was accused of fomenting warfare and of secret political intrigue through his association with European statesmen, notably Lloyd George, and through his reputed holdings in Krupp, Skoda, and other munitions firms.
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Liddell Hart, Sir Basil Henry
Liddell Hart, Sir Basil Henry, 1895-1970, English author and military strategist, b. Paris. His education at Cambridge was interrupted by World War I, in which he served (1914-18) and was twice wounded. Retiring from the army as a captain in 1927, he was military correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph (1925-35) and the London Times (1935-39). He was an early advocate of mechanized warfare, and his thinking had a profound effect upon the German high command prior to World War II. He also evolved a number of infantry tactics and training methods that were adopted by the British army. From 1937 to 1938 he was personal adviser to the British war minister, Leslie Hore-Belisha, and suggested a program of reorganization and reform that was partly instituted. He was knighted in 1966. In later years, he developed a strategic theory known as "an indirect approach." Among his numerous books are Sherman: Soldier, Realist, American (1929), The Future of Infantry (1933), A History of the World War, 1914-1918 (1934), The German Generals Talk (1948), The Tanks (1959), Deterrent or Defence (1961), and A History of the Second World War (1970). He edited The Rommel Papers (1953).

See his memoirs (2 vol., 1965-66).

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Hart, Basil Henry Liddell
Hart, Basil Henry Liddell: see Liddell Hart, Basil Henry.
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Hall, Basil
Hall, Basil, 1788-1844, British naval officer and traveler. In the service from 1802 to 1823, he commanded vessels on scientific assignments and voyages of exploration. He wrote of them in his Account of a Voyage of Discovery to the West Coast of Corea and the Great Loo-Choo (1818); in Extracts from a Journal Written on the Coasts of Chile, Peru, and Mexico (2 vol., 1823, repr. 1968); and in Fragments of Voyages and Travels (1831-33), in three series, each series in three volumes. After leaving the navy he traveled in the United States, his Travels in North America (3 vol., 1829) forming a valuable description of America.
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Brookeborough, Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount
Brookeborough, Basil Stanlake Brooke, 1st Viscount, 1888-1973, Northern Irish politician. After serving in the cavalry in World War I he was elected to the Senate of the first Northern Ireland Parliament (1921). He resigned the following year to lead the Ulster special constabulary against the Irish Republican Army's border raids in Fermanagh. Reelected (1929) as a Unionist member of Stormont, he served as minister of agriculture (1933-41), minister of commerce (1941-45), and prime minister (1943-63). A staunch advocate of Protestant dominance in Ulster, he remained opposed to any reconciliation with the Republic of Ireland. Created Viscount Brookeborough in 1952, he continued to sit at Stormont until 1968.
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Basil, Saint
Basil, Saint: see Basil the Great, Saint.
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Basil the Great, Saint
Basil the Great, Saint, c.330-379, Greek prelate, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Doctor of the Church and one of the Four Fathers of the Greek Church. He was a brother of St. Gregory of Nyssa. In his student days at Athens he knew Julian, later Roman emperor, and began his lifelong friendship with St. Gregory Nazianzen. Converted to the religious life by his sister, St. Macrina, he withdrew (c.357) to a retreat in Pontus. There he wrote much of the Longer Rule and of the Shorter Rule; on these the life of the Basilian monks is based. Through his rules Basil was a spiritual ancestor of St. Benedict. As counselor (365) and successor (370) of Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea and head of most of the church in Asia Minor, Basil established Nicene orthodoxy over Arianism in the Byzantine East. His revision of the liturgy is occasionally used in the Byzantine rite. His works On the Holy Ghost and Against Eunomius are elegant, acute defenses of the Catholic system. In the West his feast is June 14.

See his letters tr. by R. J. Deferrari (4 vol., 1926-34); studies by G. L. Prestige (1956), E. Amand de Mendieta (1965), and M. G. Murphy (1971).

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Basil III
Basil III, Russian ruler: see Vasily III.
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Basil II
Basil II, c.958-1025, Byzantine emperor (976-1025), surnamed Bulgaroktonos [Bulgar slayer]. With his brother, Constantine VIII, he nominally succeeded his father, Romanus II, in 963, but had no share in the government during the rule of the usurping generals Nicephorus II (963-69) and John I (969-76). Primarily a soldier, Basil exercised virtually sole rule from 976, while his debauched brother was emperor only in name. Basil suppressed (976-89) a series of revolts of the great landowners led by Bardus Sclerus and revived and strengthened the laws directed against them by Romanus I. He annexed (1018) Bulgaria, although leaving it some measure of autonomy, and later extended the eastern frontier of his empire to the Caucasus. During his reign the schism between the Roman and the Eastern churches widened. Basil was succeeded by Constantine VIII (reigned 1025-28) and by Constantine's daughter Zoë.
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Basil I
Basil I (Basil the Macedonian), c.813-886, Byzantine emperor (867-86). His ancestors probably were Armenians or Slavs who settled in Macedonia. He became (c.856) the favorite of Emperor Michael III. In 886, Basil, with the aid of Michael, assassinated Michael's uncle and chief minister, Bardas, and was made coemperor. Michael's feeling toward Basil began to change and in 867 Basil had him murdered and had himself proclaimed emperor. Thus the Macedonian dynasty of the East, which lasted until 1056, was founded. A capable ruler, Basil reformed the finances; modernized the law of Justinian I by introducing a new code, the Basilica; protected the poorer classes; and restored the military prestige of the empire. Byzantine art and architecture entered their second golden age during his rule. A major event of his reign was the dissension between the Roman and the Eastern churches. In order to prevent an open break, Basil restored (867) to the patriarchate Ignatius of Constantinople, who had been deposed in favor of Photius. On Ignatius' death, Basil reinstated (877) Photius, causing strained relations but not a full break with Rome. Basil in 865 had divorced his wife and married the mistress of Michael III. He was succeeded by his son Leo VI.
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basil

Herb consisting of the dried leaves of Ocimum basilicum, an annual herb of the mint family, native to India and Iran. The dried large-leaf varieties have a fragrant aroma faintly reminiscent of anise, with a warm, sweet, aromatic, mildly pungent flavour. The dried leaves of common basil are less fragrant and more pungent. Basil is widely grown as a kitchen herb. Tea made from basil leaves is a stimulant. The heart-shaped basil leaf is a symbol of love in Italy.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Liddell Hart, Sir Basil (Henry)

(born Oct. 31, 1895, Paris, France—died Jan. 29, 1970, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Eng.) British military historian and strategist. He left Cambridge University to join the British army at the outbreak of World War I and retired as a captain in 1927. He was an early advocate of air power and mechanized tank warfare. He wrote for London newspapers from 1925 to 1945. His writings on strategy, which emphasized the elements of mobility and surprise, were more influential in Germany than in France or England; his “expanding torrent” theory of attack became the basis for German blitzkrieg warfare in 1939–41. The author of more than 30 books, he was knighted in 1966.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Basil the Great, Saint

St. Basil, detail of a mosaic, 12th century; in the Palatine Chapel, Palermo, Sicily, Italy.

(born AD 329, Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia—died Jan. 1, 379, Caesarea; Western feast day January 2; Eastern feast day January 1) Early church father. Born into a Christian family in Cappadocia, he studied at Caesarea, Constantinople, and Athens and later established a monastic settlement on the family estate at Annesi. He opposed Arianism, which was supported by the emperor Valens and his own bishop Dianius, and organized resistance to it after 365. He succeeded Eusebius as bishop of Caesarea in 370. He died shortly after Valens, whose death in battle opened the way for the victory of Basil's cause. More than 300 of his letters survive; several of his Canonical Epistles have become part of canon law in Eastern Orthodoxy.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Basil II
known as Basil Bulgaroctonus (“Slayer of the Bulgars”)

(born 957/958—died Dec. 15, 1025) Byzantine emperor (976–1025). Crowned coemperor with his brother in 960, he had to exile the grand chamberlain (985) and defeat rival generals (989) in order to gain the authority to rule. Basil became one of the strongest Byzantine emperors, winning territory in the Balkans, Mesopotamia, Armenia, and Georgia. He was noted for his victory (1014) in the war with Bulgaria, which ended with his blinding all the soldiers in the defeated Bulgarian army. He increased his domestic authority by attacking the landed interests of the military aristocracy and of the church. Because Basil left no able successor, the gains of his rule were soon undone.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Basil I
known as Basil the Macedonian

(born 826/835, Thrace—died Aug. 29, 886) Byzantine emperor (867–86) and founder of the Macedonian dynasty. Born into a peasant family in Macedonia, he won employment in official circles in Constantinople and was made chamberlain by the reigning emperor, Michael III. He became coemperor with Michael in 866 and murdered him the next year. Basil won victories against Muslim forces along the eastern borders of Asia Minor and asserted control over Slavs in the Balkans. He gained ground in southern Italy but lost Syracuse (878) and other key cities in Sicily to the Muslims. He also formulated the Greek legal code known as the Basilica. In later life Basil showed signs of madness.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
The beauty and bounty of basil. (The herb garden).
May 01, 2002; Basil is considered one of the most widely used herbs in the world, and it is touted as the most popular herb in America. Here at...
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Basil isn't bashful. (recipes)
Aug 01, 1986; Basil isn't bashful Full of summer's fragrance, basil is an ancient herb that's more popular than ever. Once relegated to Italian...
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GOURMET GARDENER; A Bouquet of Many Basils
Jul 01, 1999; Basil reaches its peak this month, the vivid green, semi-glossy leaves exuding their distinct bouquet--part cinnamon, anise and...
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Favorite herb: growing and cooking with the tastiest types of basil.
May 01, 2003; Basil smells like summer. Take a deep whiff of its distinctive spicy-sweet scent and you can almost taste the juicy tomato slices...
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Basil I
Jan 01, 2004; Basil I The Byzantine emperor Basil I (ca. 812-886), also known as Basil the Macedonian, ruled from 867 to 886. Despite his...
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