Europe: Vocab

Question 1

A monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the Son of God. Followers of Christianity, known as Christians, believe in one God and have a shared set of beliefs and practices.

Answer 1

Christianity

Question 2

People who are trained and ordained to perform religious ceremonies and lead religious congregations.

Answer 2

Clergy

Question 3

A social class of people who possess a higher status or rank than the general population, typically inherited and associated with titles, land, or wealth.

Answer 3

Nobility

Question 4

The head of the Catholic Church, elected by the College of Cardinals, who is the spiritual leader of Catholics worldwide.

Answer 4

Pope

Question 5

A social and economic system where land was divided up into lordships and then into smaller estates. Serfs were taxed by lords who were taxed by the monarch.

Answer 5

Feudalism

Question 6

A system of feudal land tenure and social and economic organization in medieval Europe. It was based on the granting of a landed estate, known as a manor, to a lord, who in turn divided it among tenants, giving them rights to cultivate the land in exchange for a share of the produce or a fixed rent.

Answer 6

Manorial System

Question 7

A system of servitude in which a person is bound to a parcel of land and required to provide labor and other services to the owner of the land in exchange for protection and the right to use the land.

Answer 7

Serfdom

Question 8

The religious practice of living a solitary life of prayer and contemplation, usually in a monastery or other religious community. It is usually associated with certain religious traditions, such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, and is often practiced by those seeking spiritual enlightenment.

Answer 8

Monks/Monasticism

Question 9

An English charter, originally issued in 1215, established the principle that everybody, including the king, is subject to the law. It is considered one of the most important documents in the development of democracy and human rights.

Answer 9

Magna Carta

Question 10

A devastating pandemic of bubonic plague which spread throughout Europe and parts of Asia in the 14th century, killing an estimated 75-200 million people in a span of four years.

Answer 10

Black Death

Question 11

A period of cooling temperatures that lasted over 500 years (1300-1850).

Answer 11

Little Ice Age

Question 12

A political and religious doctrine which states that a monarch’s power is granted by God and is therefore not subject to earthly authority. It implies that a monarch is responsible only to God and is not accountable to any other power.

Answer 12

Divine Right

Question 13

A form of government in which a ruler has absolute authority over the country and its people, with no checks or balances from any other source.

Answer 13

Absolutism

Question 14

A large, lavish palace complex located in the Île-de-France region of France, near Paris. It was originally built by Louis XIV in the late 17th century and served as the official residence of the French monarchy until the French Revolution. The palace is now a popular tourist attraction and is widely considered to be a symbol of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.

Answer 14

Versailles

Question 15

A 16th-century religious and political movement that aimed to reform the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. It led to the creation of new Protestant denominations and the splitting of Western Christianity into Catholic and Protestant branches.

Answer 15

Protestant Reformation

Question 16

A term used to describe the period of Spanish history between the 8th and 15th centuries, when Christian forces retook control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim Moors. The Reconquista is a major part of Spanish national identity, and the term is often used to refer to the unification of Spain under a single Catholic monarchy.

Answer 16

Reconquista

Question 17

Basic food crops that are grown and consumed in large amounts and form the basis of a population’s diet.

Answer 17

Staple Crops

Question 18

A crop grown to be sold for profit rather than for personal use

Answer 18

Cash Crops

Question 19

An economic system where large-scale cultivation of cash crops is the primary source of income and employment. It is typically characterized by the use of slave labor and the concentration of land ownership in the hands of a small elite.

Answer 19

Plantation Economy

Question 20

An economic system of the 16th and 18 centuries in which governments sought to increase national wealth and power through trade by controlling export and imports and accumulating gold and silver

Answer 20

Mercantilism

Question 21

An era of European economic expansion, colonization, and mercantilism that began in the 16th century and lasted through the mid-18th century. It was characterized by an increase in trade, the rise of financial markets, the emergence of joint-stock companies, and the growth of a global economy.

Answer 21

Commercial Evolution

Question 22

An economic system in which a single entity, usually a government or corporation, controls the production and distribution of goods and services within a given market. This entity has the exclusive right to sell its goods or services within a certain geographical area, and any competitors are excluded from selling their goods in the same area. Monopoly was a common economic system during the period from 1200 to 1750.

Answer 22

Monopoly

Question 23

A business entity in which shares of the company’s stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion to the ownership percentage of the company.

Answer 23

Joint Stock Company

Question 24

A Dutch East India Company established in 1602 that was one of the first multinational corporations in the world. It was a powerful trading company with a monopoly on Dutch trade in Asia and the Pacific. The VOC was responsible for establishing the Dutch presence in the East Indies, trading with local rulers, and establishing colonies.

Answer 24

VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie)

Question 25

A system of labor and land tenure in which a peasant or serf was bound to a hereditary plot of land and obligated to provide labor and services to a lord or landowner in exchange for their right to work the land.

Answer 25

BEIT (serfdom)

Question 26

A term used to describe a network of trading posts or forts set up by a foreign power in order to gain control of trade and resources in a given region. These posts or forts allowed the foreign power to extract goods, labor and information from the native people of the region.

Answer 26

Trading Post Empire

Question 27

A type of small, light sailing ship that was popular in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was primarily used by the Portuguese and Spanish for exploration and trade. It was known for its maneuverability and speed, and was often used in long voyages.

Answer 27

Caravel

Question 28

A type of flat-bottomed cargo ship with a bluff blow and a flat stern, designed for carrying large volumes of cargo in shallow waters. It was widey used in the 16th and 17th centuries for carrying cargo between European ports

Answer 28

Fluyt

Question 29

A large, three- or four-masted sailing ship used by European nations from the 15th to the 17th centuries. It was typically used for trade and exploration, and was heavily armed for protection against pirates.

Answer 29

Galleon

Question 30

A 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided the New World between the two powers, granting Spain exclusive rights to the lands to the west of a north-south line drawn 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands.

Answer 30

Treaty of Tordesillas