Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/378

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CONSTANCE. 320 CONSTANT. vhicli then (April. 141.'j). uiuler the lead of Jean tie Gerson (q.v. ), declared itself the high- est authority of Christendom and above the Pope. John was deposed and condemned to imprison- ment for life. Gregory XII. voluntarily with- drew, and Benedict XIII. was deposed and re- tired to Spain, where he sjient the remainder of his life, without power or influence. The elec- tion of a new Pope was temporarily postponed. Huss was condennied after a turbulent trial, and burned at the cicy gate, July 0, 1415. Jerome of Prague was also condenmed and jjerished at the stake, May 30, 141G. The movement for re- form came to nothing. A begiiming had been made, when the cardinals, with the' help of the French, succeeded (Xovember, 1417) in elect- ing Otto Colonna (ilartin V.) Pope, who brought the proceedings to an end with some slight concessions. Consult: Riehtenthal, Kronik des Koii:::iliiims in Konstanz (Augsburg, 1533; new ed. Tubingen, 1882) : Leufant, History of the Council of Constance (Eng. trans., London, 1730) ; Finke, Forschnnficn iind Quellen zur (ieschichte des Konstanzer Konzils (Paderborn, 1889). See John XVIII. ; Geegoky XII.; Benedict XIII.: Martin V.; Hu.s.s, John; Jerome of PR.GrE. CONSTANCE, Lake (named from the city of Constance. Ger. Konstanz, or Kostnitz, Lat. Constantia ; German Bodensee, formerly Bodem- see, Bodnicnsee, Bodmansee, from the castle of Bodnian on its shores, AIL. Lacus Podamicus, Mare Podanum, Lat. Lacus Brigantinus, Lacus Vencfus et Acronius). A lake of glacial ori- gin, situated at the north base of the Alps and forming a portion of the boundary be- tween Switzerland and Austria ( Vorarlbei'g) on the south, and the German States of Baden, A'iirttemberg, and Bavaria on the north (ilap: Switzerland, D 1 ) . It is on the course of the Rhine, which enters from the south and flows out in a westerly direction. Lake Constance ex- tends northwest and southeast, and at its north- west end forks into a northern prolongation known as Ueberlinger See, which has a broad con- nection with the main lake; and into a southern fork, called the Lower Lake (Untersee), for- merly known as the Zeller See. connected with the main lake by a narrow channel, GOO to 1600 feet wide, and only two and one-half miles long. The outlet of the lake is at the foot of this arm. The height of its surface is about 1300 feet above sea-level ; the length of the lake is about 40 miles: the greatest breadth about nine miles; the length of shore line IGO miles, and the area 208 square miles. The greatest depth is 90G feet. The water of the lake is subject to sudden rises of from three to twelve feet, due to the melting of the snows, ^^'hile the Rhine from the south is the main affluent, a number of minor streams discharge into the lake, nearly all of them on the northeast side. Among these tributaries are the Bregenzer Ach. Leblach, Argen, Schussen, Stein- ach. Ach of Uhldingen. and Stockach. The lower lake is covered with ice nearly every winter, but it is only rarely, in an extreme win- ter, that the surface of the main lake becomes frozen. The lake contains twenty-six varieties of fish, among them salmon and salmon trout, and twenty-two species of shell-fish. The shores are hilly and picturesque. The land is produc- tive and in great part under cultivation, but extensive woodlands still remain. Lake Con- stance formerly extended much fartlier south than at present, and even within historic times, 3n the fourth century, it extended as far as Rheineck (Kheinegg). The towns on the shores of Lake Constance are Bregenz. Lindau, Fried- richshafcn, I'eberlingen, Constance, Arbou, and Rorschach. Steamboats navigate the lake, and railways follow its shores. CON'STANS. In the old romances, a King of r.ritiiin, and grandfather of Arthui". CONSTANS, Flavius Juluis. A Roman Emperor ( a.u. 337-50). He was the j'oungest son of Constantine the Great (by Fausta), and was born ..n. 323 (or 320). He was made Crown Prince (Cwsar) in 333, and became Em- peror together w-itli his brothers Constantine and Constantius, on the death of their father in a.u. 337. Constans received the government of Italy, Illyrieum, and Africa. In 340. however, war broke out between the brothers and Constantine was killed near .^quilcia. Constans now ruled also his brother's dominions. He was killed by a. soldier of the self-proclaimed Emperor, JMag- nentius, January, 350. CONSTANS, koN'stilN', Jean Antoine Er- nest (1833 — ). A French statesman, born at Beziers. He was appointed Under-Secretary of State in the Freycinet Cabinet in 1879, and w-as JSIinister of the Interior in the Frevcinet and Ferry Cabinets (1880 and 1881). After serving for one year as Governor-General of Indo-China. he was compelled in 1887 to resign this position as incompatible with his duties as a Deputy. From 1889 to 1892 he was again Minister of the Interior (in the Cabinets of Tirard and Freyci- net ) , and during this period his vigorous meas- ures served to overthrow Boulangism. In 1887 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, and in the following year received an appointment as Ambassador to Constantinople. CONSTANT, koN'stiiN', Jean Joseph Ben- jamin (1845-1902). A French painter, born in Paris, June 10, 1845. In 1866 he obtained a municipal prize entitling him to free instruction in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and he was besides this a pupil of Cabanel. In 1872 he went to IMorocco, where he painted a series of Oriental scenes, which brought him great reputation. Among his chief works of this character are the "Last Rebels" (now in the Luxembourg Gal- lery), and the "Thirst," and "Les Cherifas." His large canvas. "The Entrance of Mahomet II. into Constantinople," received a medal in 1876. All these w'orks show him to be a fine colorist and a master of technique. After 1880, however, he changed his maimer, devoting himself to mural decorations and to portraits. The most prominent examples of the former are a great plafond in the Hotel-de-Ville. Paris, entitled "Paris Convoking the World." and his paint- ings in the New Sorbonne, representing "Litera- ture," "The Sciences," and the "Academy of Paris," He painte<l important mural decorations in other cities of France, and was equally dis- tinguished as a portrait painter, A good ex- ample of his portraiture is "Mon Fils Andre," which tool; the medal of honor at the Salon in 1896. Constant was made Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1894. and died on May 26. 1902. He vi-^ited the T'nited States several times, and painted a number of portraits, now in private possession. The Metropolitan Museum of New