9, 1198. Although he commended Otto to the protection of Pope Innocent III., he forestalled the papal influence upon the imperial election, and when finally Otto revealed his inability to protect his adherents against Philip of Swabia, Adolf forsook the cause of his former protégé and crowned his opponent (1205). He was excommunicated by Pope Innocent III. in 1205, and deposed the same year.
ADOLF I. (1353-90). Archbishop of Mainz; one of the most turbulent and aggressive princes of the Church. In 1371 he was appointed Bishop of Speyer, and two years later, after the death of his rival, John, succeeded to the see of Mainz. When, at the instigation of Charles IV., and with the consent of the Pope, the Landgrave of Thuringia sought to bring about his deposition, Adolf firmly maintained his ground, and upon the outbreak of a schism in the Church obtained the papal sanction of both Clement VII. (Antipope) and Urban VI. His crafty policy eventually secured for him an extraordinary influence.
ADOLF, Wilhelm August Karl Friedrich (1817—). Grand Duke of Luxemburg, previously Duke of Nassau, the eldest son of Duke William of Nassau by his first wife, Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen. He succeeded his father, as Duke of Nassau, August 20, 1839. His anti-progressive policy led in 1848 to a revolt which, however, was speedily suppressed. In the first Schleswig-Holstein War he commanded a brigade of German troops. In the war of 1866, he sided with Austria, and as a result was deprived of his territory. During the illness of King William III. of the Netherlands, Adolf, as next of kin, succeeded to the government of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, the ruler of which he became upon the death of William III. (November 23, 1890).
ADOLPHE, a'dolf. An important novel by Benjamin Constant de Rebecque, published in 1816. It is an analytical romance, based upon Constant's own intimate but finally unhappy relations with Madame de Staël, whom the heroine, Ellénore, somewhat resembled. In the hero, Adolphe, is found an even more realistic presentation of the author's own sentimental experience. An edition of the book in 1890 was published by Anatole France.
ADOL'PHUS, or ADOLPH, of Nassau (1250-98). King of Germany. He was the son of Walram, Count of Nassau. He was elected to succeed Rudolph of Hapsburg, and was crowned King of the Romans (June 24, 1292). Adolphus agreed to assist England in her war with France for a large subsidy, but failed to fulfill his part of the contract. For certain high-handed acts he was summoned before the college of electoral princes, he refused to appear, and was formally deposed in June, 1298, the crown being transferred to Rudolph's son, Albert. Both took the field in person, and Adolphus was killed in the first battle. Consult Preger, Albrecht von Oesterreich und Adolf von Nassau (Leipzig, 1869).
ADOLPHUS FREDERICK (1710-71). Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and, later, King of Sweden. He was elected successor to the Swedish throne in 1743, and became king in 1751, but the royal authority was so circumscribed by the council of the states that he was only a nominal king. In 1769 he offered to resign, but, on some concessions by the nobles, was induced to retain the throne till his death, when his son, Gustavus III., succeeded him.
ADOLPHUS, John (1768-1845). An English historian and lawyer, born in London. He was celebrated in criminal practice, and gained much credit in the defense of Arthur Thistlewood, charged with treason in the Cato Street conspiracy in London, 1820. His best known work is the History of England from the Accession of George III. (7 volumes, 1802-45).
ADONAI, ad'o-na'i or a-do'ni (Heb. lord, or
my lord, in the sense of master). A term
adopted in the Old Testament as the conven-
tional pronunciation of the name of God, which
is written with four consonants, Y H W H,
and which was probably read Yahweh, See Jehovah.
ADO'NAI. See Adonis.
AD'ONA'IS. The title of an elegy written by Shelley in 1821 upon the death of the poet Keats, who is therein likened to Adonis in his untimely end.
AD'ONA'I SHO'MO, See Communistic Societies.
ADO'NI BE'ZEK. See Anoni-Zedek.
ADON'IC VERSE. A dactyl and spondee ( — -^.^1 ) , or dactyl and trochee ( — ^-
~— • I — -^ I ), adapted to light, lively versification,
as in the famous hymn:
Kiili-at a*tlu'r,"etc.
ADONIJAH, ad'6-ni'ja (Heb. Yahweh is
Lord). A son of David and Haggith (1. Kings
ii: 21), born at Hebron. After Absalom's death
he was the natural heir to the throne, and was
supported by Joab and Abiathar. He called to-
gether his sympathizers at a sacred stone near
.Terusalem ( 1. Kings i: 9) , but Benaiah, the cap-
tain of the bodyguard, Zadok, the priest, and
Nathan, the projihet, succeeded by the aid of
Hathsheba in getting the king's consent to the
immediate enthronement of Solomon. Adonijali
sought refuge at the horns of the altar. Solomon
saved his life; but when he afterward demanded
Abishag, David's concubine, for a wife, it was
considered a plot for the throne, and Solomon
ordered Benaiah to kill him.
ADO'NIS (Gk. Ἄδωνις). A youthful hunter, beloved by Aphrodite, but slain by a boar sent, according to one version, by the jealous Ares. Aphrodite descended to the lower world and won from Persephone permission for her favorite to return to the light for a time every year. Another and seemingly older myth makes Aphrodite and Persephone quarrel for the possession of the beautiful infant. Zeus finally decided that he should spend four months with each of the goddesses and four months as he chose. The legends about Adonis have sprung from the rites of the Adonia, a festival celebrated in midsummer. On one day the loving union of Aphrodite and Adonis was represented, and on the other the sorrow caused by his death. All the funeral rites were performed by women about little images of Adonis. A special feature was the "gardens of Adonis," potsherds filled with earth, in which quick-growing plants, such as lettuce and fennel, were sown. After the burial these were thrown into springs. The Adonia was a
