EGANA, JuAN ( 709- IS30 ) A Spanish-American statesman and author. He was horn in Lima, Peru, and was educated at the College of Santo Toribio. where he was made a tutor in philosophy. Ile practiced law at Santiago, Chile; became one of the leaders of the Revo lution of ISIO, and was elected a member of the first Chilean Congress. After the defeat of the Chilean army at Raneagua. in IS14. he was im prisoned by the Spaniards on the island of .Juan Fernandez, but was liberated through the victory of San Alartin at Chacabuco in I517, when he was again elected to the Congress of Chile, of which he became President in 1823. He was considered one of the best writers of his day, and his literary works, published in ten volumes, in clude poems and educational text-book:, as well as numerous essays on legal, political. and various other subjects. Ili: ('artas Pchn•nehas were translated into English by their author, under the title of Pchnenchan Letters (1ti10).
EGr'BERT, or ECGBERHT.( ?-839). A king of the English. Ile was the son of Eahlmund. a king of Kent, and was descended from the early kings of the \Vest Saxons. In his youth he was compelled to flee' from England to avoid the hostility of Beohrtric, King of Wessex. and took
refuge at the Court of Charles the Great. Here he remained probably for some thirteen years, until. in SO2, he became King of the West Saxons. For the first thirteen years of his reign nothing is known of his acts. In SI3 he conquered and laid waste Cornwall. Between S25 and S29 he subdued all the other kings in England. be ginning with the ruler of Mercia, the most powerful rival of Wessex. and was recognized as Bretwalda. Kent, Sussex, and Essex were added to his kingdom and were ruled by his sons or nobles as under-kings. Northumbria, Alercia, and East Anglia were permitted to retain their self•government on acknowledging the suprem acy of the West-Saxon King. For the first time Egbert brought all of the English peoples under one overlord. In his last years he had to contend against the Danes. by whom, he was. defeated in 833, and over Whom he was vic torious in S37. Consult: .1nglo-Sa.ron Chronicle (where the dates, however. are given wrougly1; Green, The Eakin!, of Enght»,1 (London and New York, I5511; id.. The Conquest of Englaml (London and New York, 18S3).