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glossary of proper names of the Alps. Maximilian was succeeded by his grandson Charles V, who became King of Spain as well. maximinus Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus (c.173–238), Roman emperor (235–238). Born in Thrace and from a humble background, Maximinus rose to become a seasoned military com- mander and led an army rebellion against the young emperor Alexander Severus, who was abandoned by his own troops and murdered. Hated by the aristocratic Senate, Maximinus faced numerous rebellions and conspiracies, which he ruthlessly sup- pressed, until he was eventually murdered by his own troops. moses Old Testament Hebrew leader who led the Jews out of their captivity in Egypt to ‘the promised land’. nabis Ruler of Sparta (207–192 bc), ruthless in his determin- ation to return Sparta to its former glory. After a period of successful territorial expansionism, Nabis was attacked by the Romans in alliance with his other enemies. Decisively beaten by Philopoemen, he nevertheless managed to hold on to the city of Sparta before being murdered by a group of Aetolians who were supposedly coming to his aid. niger, gaius pescennius (c.140–194) Roman governor of Syria, who proclaimed himself emperor after the murder of Perti- nax in 193, and was defeated and killed by the forces of Septimius Severus in 194. oliverotto Oliverotto Euffreducci (c.1475–1502). Mercen- ary commander who took power in Fermo in 1502 and used ruthless force to eliminate his enemies. Oliverotto was killed by Borgia at Senigallia in 1502. orco, remirro de Ramiro de Lorqua (c.1452–1502). Mili- tary commander in the service of Cesare Borgia. After being involved in many military campaigns on Borgia’s behalf, he was given the governorship of the Romagna in 1501. Arrested on corruption charges, he was beheaded in 1502. orsini One of the two powerful Roman families (the other was the Colonna) whose feuding dominated political life in Rome from the second half of the thirteenth century to the end of the fifteenth. Both families had mercenary armies. Cesare Borgia used the Orsini army in his early campaigns but broke with them when he suspected them of conspiring against him. He later invited the