The Franks (Latin: Franci or gens Francorum) were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as populating a broad strip of land on the right bank of the Lower and Middle Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a kingdom on Roman-held soil that was acknowledged by the Romans after 357. In the climate of the collapse of imperial authority in the West, the Frankish tribes were united under the Merovingians and conquered all of Gaul except Septimania in the 6th century. The Salian political elite was one of the most active forces in spreading Christianity over western Europe. The Franks had created one of the most strong and stable barbaric kingdoms.
The Merovingian dynasty, descended from the Salians, founded one of the Germanic monarchies which replaced the Western Roman Empire from the fifth century. The Frankish state consolidated its hold over large parts of western Europe by the end of the eighth century, developing into the Carolingian Empire which dominated most of Western Europe. This empire would gradually evolve into France and the Holy Roman Empire.
Frank Alexander (May 25, 1879 – September 8, 1937) was an American silent film comedian and actor. Alexander, who was morbidly obese (350 pounds), was best known for playing villains in the films of Larry Semon, who are often the father of Semon's love interest.
He is best known to contemporary audiences for portraying a villainous interpretation of Uncle Henry, eventually proclaimed "Prince of Whales" upon reaching the Emerald City in Semon's Wizard of Oz. He was also part of the comedy team called "A Ton Of Fun" with two other large actors, Kewpie Ross and Hilliard Karr.
Richard M. Roberts's article in Classic Images listed the top ten ingredients of a Larry Semon film, which began with these four:
He was proclaimed at the time as one of the three fattest actors ever to appear on the screen, with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle as one of the others.
Christian Alexander (born Christian Ivanov Ivanov, April 14, 1990 in Athens) is an American actor, best known for his role as Kiefer Bauer on the American daytime drama General Hospital.
Born to Bulgarian parents in Athens, Alexander is a graduate of Beverly Hills High School. He formerly competed in gymnastics. Alexander has appeared in a number of television series, most notably over sixty episodes of General Hospital from June 18, 2009 to April 6, 2010. In 2011, he was cast in ABC Family's The Lying Game.
Alexander Ring (born 9 April 1991) is a Finnish footballer who plays as a midfielder for German Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, on loan from HJK, and the Finland national team.
He moved to Germany with his family when aged three, and grew up there and in Belgium. Ring went through the ranks of Bayer 04 Leverkusen before returning to Finland with his family in 2008. He signed for HJK's reserve team Klubi-04 in 2009, and represented them until being promoted to the first team, and signed full professional contract with the club in August 2010. However, Ring was loaned out to the now defunct Tampere United for the rest of that season. He returned to HJK after the season, and was established as the first choice holding midfielder for HJK in early 2011.
On 26 September 2011 he signed a contract extension with HJK, keeping him in the Finnish capital until 2015. During December 2011 it was rumored that German Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach were interested in signing the young Finn for approximately 1 million euros. On 5 January 2012 it was announced that Mönchengladbach had signed Ring on loan until the summer 2013, with having an option to buy at the end of the season.
Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας, Aléxandros ho Mégas from the Greek αλέξω alexo "to defend, help" + ανήρ aner "man"), was a king of Macedon, a state in northern ancient Greece. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander was tutored by Aristotle until the age of 16. By the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Himalayas. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of history's most successful commanders.
Alexander succeeded his father, Philip II of Macedon, to the throne in 336 BC after Philip was assassinated. Upon Philip's death, Alexander inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. He was awarded the generalship of Greece and used this authority to launch his father's military expansion plans. In 334 BC, he invaded Persian-ruled Asia Minor and began a series of campaigns that lasted ten years. Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles, most notably the battles of Issus and Gaugamela. He subsequently overthrew the Persian King Darius III and conquered the entirety of the Persian Empire. At that point, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River.