which the Italians called Aleppo. It was conquered by the Saracens in 636; was the seat of a Seljuk sultanate in the 11th and 12th centuries; was plundered by Timur in 1402; in the 15th century became the great emporium of trade between Europe and Asia; was taken by the Turks in 1517; and was nearly destroyed by an earthquake in 1822, when it lost two-thirds of its 250,000 inhabitants. The present inhabitants are Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Jews. In spite of the earthquakes and insurrections, which devastated the city, there is now a great trade there. The chief exports are apples, dyestuffs, cotton, tobacco, wheat, nuts, oil, etc. Pop. about 250,000. It was occupied by British forces in 1918.
ALESSANDRIA, city and capital of the province of Alessandria, Italy; on the river Tanaro. It was built in 1168 for protection against Emperor Frederick I. Its original name, Cæsarea, was changed to Alessandria in honor of Pope Alexander III. It was taken by Sforza, Duke of Milan, in 1522, by Prince Eugene in 1707, and ceded to Savoy in 1713 by the Peace of Utrecht. By the armistice of Alessandria, after the battle of Marengo (1800), all of north Italy as far as the Mincio was ceded to France. It was taken by the Austrians in 1821, and became the headquarters of the Piedmontese in the insurrection of 1848-1849. The richly decorated cathedral was rebuilt in 1823. Pop. about 72,500. The province has an area of 1,980 square miles. Pop. about 900,000. A considerable trade is conducted in linen, silk, and woolen stuffs, hats, and artificial flowers.
ALEUTIAN (a-lū′shi-an) ISLANDS, or CATHERINE ARCHIPELAGO, a group of about 150 islands, extending W. from Alaska peninsula for a distance of 1,650 miles; belongs to Alaska Territory. The principal islands are Umnak and Unalaska. The inhabitants are nearly all Aleuts, a people allied to the Eskimos. These islands were discovered by Bering in 1728. Pop. about 3,000.
ALEWIFE, a North American fish (clupea pseudoharengus) belonging to the same family as the herring and the shad, and closely allied to them. It is caught in seines with the shad, in large quantities, at many places along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Nova Scotia, notably in Chesapeake Bay and the harbor of St. John, N. B. The name is given also to other related species and to fish of other families, as the round pompano of the Bermudas and the allice-shad of England.
ALEXANDER, a name of various ancient writers, philosophers, etc. (1) Alexander of Ægæ; a peripatetic philosopher of the 1st century A. D.; tutor of Nero. (2) Alexander the Ætolian; a Greek poet who lived at Alexandria about 285-247 B. C. (3) Alexander of Aphrodisias, surnamed Exegetes; lived about 200 A. D.; a learned commentator on the works of Aristotle. (4) Alexander Cornelius, surnamed Polyhistor, of the 1st century B. C. The surname Polyhistor was given him on account of his prodigious learning, (5) A Greek rhetorician and poet, surnamed Lychnus; lived about B. C., wrote astronomical and geographical poems. (6) Alexander Numenius; a Greek rhetorician and teacher of elocution, of the 2d century A. D, two of whose works are historically known. (7) A Greek rhetorician of the 2d century A. D., surnamed Peloplaton, who vanquished Herodes Atticus in a rhetorical contest. (8) Alexander Philalethes; a physician of the 1st century B. C. who succeeded Zeuxis as president of the famous Herophilean school of medicine. (9) Saint Alexander (died 326 A. D.); the Patriarch of Alexandria from 312 A. D.; an opponent of Arius; member of the Council of Nice (325 A. D.); commemorated in the calendar Feb. 26. (10) Alexander of Tralles; an eminent physician of Lydia, of the 6th century A. D.; author of two extant Greek works.
ALEXANDER, the name of eight Popes (1) Alexander I., a bishop of Rome about 109 A. D., not then having the title of Pope, but now reckoned in the list. He is supposed to have died a martyr's death.
2. Alexander II., Anselmo Baggio, a native of Milan; he lived for some time at the court of Henry III., and in 1056 or 1057 became Bishop of Lucca. In 1059 he became papal legate at Milan, and, on Oct. 1, 1061, through the zeal of Hildebrand, he was raised to the papal throne.
3. Alexander III. (died in 1181), Rolando Ranuci; Pope 1159-1181. His career is historically important because of his vigorous prosecution, in opposition to Frederick Barbarossa, of the policies begun by Hildebrand. Three anti-Popes, Victor IV., Pascal III. and Calixtus III., had been confirmed in succession by the emperor. Alexander succeeded, and after the decisive victory at Legnano compelled Frederick's submission. The papal struggle was carried on in England by Thomas à Becket, ending in a victory for Alexander. Important changes were made by Alexander III., increasing ecclesiastical powers and privileges.
