Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/181

* PODBIELSKI. 147 PODOCARPUS. PODBIELSKI, podbe-el'ske, Theophil voK (1814-7U). A Prussian general. He was born at Kopenick, studied at Liegnitz, and entered the army in 1831. He was quartermaster-general of the army in Schleswig and Holstein, held the same post in the war with Austria, after serving as director of the General Department of War, and is best known for his dispatches from the Held in the Franco-Prussian war, when he was again quartermaster-general. Podbielski was ap- pointed inspector-general of artillery after the close of the French campaign. PODBIELSKI, Victor vox (1844—). A German ollicer and statesman, born at Frankfort- on-the-Oder. He was trained for the army in Berlin and in 1802 joined the Eleventh Lancers. During the Franco-German War he served on the general staff of the Tenth Army Corps, later acted as major-general of the Thirty-fourth Cav- alrj' Brigade, and was promoted to be lieutenant- general in 1806. He entered the Reichstag in 1893 and allied himself with the Conservative Party, and in ISO" succeeded von Stephan as head of the Imperial postal service, distinguish- ing his administration by many reforms. In 1898 he was made Privy Councilor, and in 1901 he became Prussian Minister of Agriculture. POD CORN. See Maize. PODESTA, pu-des-ta' (It., power). A term applied to the chief magistrate in the mediicval States of Italy. The office of podesta appears to have been first instituted in the twelfth century, when the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, having for a brief term reestablished the Imperial au- thority in Lombardy, placed officers with almost supreme power over the various towns. When the Lombards afterwards rose in rebellion against Frederick, the office was abrogated, but it was soon revived by themselves. As the chief cause of the appointment of the podesta was the jeal- ousy that existed between the richer citizens and the nobles, he was usually a citizen of some neigh- boring State, who had formed no entangling al- liances. During his term of office he was pro- hibited from cultivating any intimate connec- tions in the city which he governed. The podestft usually held office for a year only, but occasional- ly his power became so great that he secured re- election during a succession of years and was the despotic ruler of the city. PODGORZE, pod-gor'zhc. A tovn in the Crownlnnd of Galicia. Austria, on the right bank of the Vistula, opposite Cracow (Map: Austria, F 1 ). It has brickyards, cement and leather fac- tories, salt works, and a good trade in trimmed lumber and eggs. Population, in 1890. 13.100: in 1000. 18.100, mostly Poles, and more than one-third .Tews. PODIEBRAD, po'dye-brad, Geobge (1420-71). King of Bohemia from 1458 to 1471. He was born at Podiebrad in 1420. the son of a Bohe- mian noble. Herant of Podiebrad and Kunstatt. He adhered to the moderate party of the Hussites during the reign of Sigismund : but when, on the death of that monarch, the Catholic barons { 1438) carried the election of Albert V. of Austria (II. of Germany). Podiebrad allied himself with the I'traquists. who offered the sovereignty of Bo- hemia to Casimir. brother of Ladislas III.. King of Poland. From this time Podiebrad's influence gradually increased, and in 1444 he became the leader of the party of Utraquists, and was made administrator of the realm during the minority of the child King, Ladislas Posthumus, the son of Albert. In 1448 he obtained possession of Prague, and in 1452 was acknowledged Regent by the whole of Bohemia. Ladislas Posthumus died in 1457, and in 1458 Podiebrad was chosen his successor, and was crowned May 7, 1459. He strove to bring about a peaceful settlement of the religious discussions that had desolated the land, and agreed secretly to lead the country back to the Roman Catholic Church. When, however, he failed to fulfill this promise, up- holding the Utraquists, he was excommuni- cated bv Pope Pius II, in 1463 and by the suc- cessor of that pontiff, Paul II,, in 1466. The Catholics of Bohemia were incited to insurrection, and Matthias Corvinus (q.v. ), King of Hungary, the son-in-law of Podiebrad, was induced to in- vade Bohemia. The Hungarians were surrounded at Wilimow, and forced to cease from hostilities. In spite of the magnanimity shown by Podiebrad oa this occasion, Matthias acted falsely toward him, and in the following year had himself crowned King of Bohemia and Margrave of iloravia, Podiebrad instantly summoned the Bo- hemian diet, and proposed to the assembled or- ders that they should take Ladislas, son of Casi- mir IV., King of Poland, as his successor, while his own sons should merely retain the family possessions. By this means he obtained the Poles for allies ; the Emperor Frederick III. also declared in his favor, while his Catholic sub- jects were reconciled to him, so that the Hun- garians found it advisable to conclude a peace. Podiebrad died March 22, 1471. Consult: Jor- dan. Dan Kiinigtum Geonjs von Podiebrad (Leip- zig, 1801 ) ; Bachmann, Biihmcn und seine Xach- harVinde^' unter Gcorg von Podiebrad (Prague, 1878). PODIXTM (Lat.. from Gk.irdSioi', podion, little foot, diminutive of tovs, pons, foot). In classic architecture, a continuous base or pedestal in the form of a wall not broken by steps like the base of a Greek temple, but distinguished, like an enlarged pedestal, merely by a base at the bottom and a corona at the top. It was generally used to support rows of columns, or as the base of a sepulchral or memorial monument. Its name was extended to the basement of the outer wall of the interior of an amphitheatre or circus. PODOCARPUS (Xeo-Lat., from Gk. iroDf, pons, foot -T- Kapiris, karpos. fruit: so called from the thick stalk which, unlike the case of other conifers, supports the fruit), A genus of trees of the natural order Conifers. The leaves, like those of the allied gingko tree, have a remark- able resemblance to the fronds of ferns. The spe- cies are natives of Xew Zealand and the South Sea Islands and the Indian Archipelago. Some of them are valuable timber trees, e.g. Podocarpus cupressina. of Java and the neighboring islands and the South Sea Islands, a beautiful species 50 or SO feet tall, with spreading pendulous branches, and yellow wood that takes a fine polish. Podocarpus Totarra, the totarra or to- tarra pine, is the most valuable timber tree of Xew Zealand, in the southern parts of which country its trunk has been known to attain a di- amter of 12 feet. Its wood is equal to the best Baltic pine in durability and for shipbuilding. The wood of Podocarpus elata, the gagali of the