Elizabethan Times Glossary Flashcards
Abdicate
When a monarch gives up their throne
Accession
The time when an individual becomes a monarch
Allegory
Writing or art containing metaphorical symbols that have hidden moral or political meanings
Alms
Charity given to the poor. Almshouses are houses provided for poor people to live in.
Ambassador
The official representative of a foreign ruler at the Court.
Arable land
Land used for growing crops
Armada
A fleet of warships
Astrolabe
An instrument used by navigators to calculate latitude
Beacon
A fire set up in a high position as a warning. A chain had been built across England prior to the Armada
Broadside
A firing of all the guns from one side of a warship
Bull
A decree issued by the Pope
Bureaucracy
A system of government involving lots of departments and paper work
Burgess
An inhabitant of a town or borough who represented that place as an MP
Calvinist
Protestant followers of John Calvin of Geneva
Censorship
To block something from being read heard or seen usually by the government
Census
A population count
Chaplain
A clergyman attached to the private chapel of a prominent person
Circumnavigation
To travel all the way around the circumference (of the world)
Clergy
Churchmen, including priests, bishops and archbishops
Colony
An area ruled over by another country
Conspiracy
A secret plan to do something unlawful or harmful
Court
The residence of the monarch and their household
Courtiers
Members of the royal court who attended and advised the Queen
Cult
A system of devotional worship directed towards a particular figure
Culverins
A type of cannon used on English ships that was light, easy to reload and had a long range
Dearth
When food is so scarce and expensive that it threatens famine
Death warrant
An official order for the execution of a condemned person. It had to be signed by the monarch then authenticated with the Royal Seal and then delivered to the place of execution
Debasement
To reduce the amount of precious metal in a coin
Dynasty
A ruling family
Empire
An extensive group of colonies ruled over by a single more powerful county.
Enclosure
The division of land, including the village common land, into separate fields with hedges, allowing a change from arable to sheep farming
Episcopal
A church hierarchy structured around bishops
Excommunicated
To be expelled from the Church
Flax
A plant used to make linen
Galleon
A large ship especially used by Spain either as a warship or for trading
Galley
A type of ship with sails and oars
Gauntlet
An armoured glove worn by a soldier
Gentry
Well born families who owned land but did not have titles and so were below the rank of nobility
Great chain of being
An idea that everything in the universe has its place in a rigid hierarchy