Y8 History Key Terms

Question 1

Significance

Answer 1

A term used by historians to describe an event or person that is important, memorable, unique or relevant.

Question 2

Monarch

Answer 2

King or Queen, head of the state.

Question 3

Dynasty

Answer 3

A series of Kings or Queens belonging to the same family.

Question 4

Catholic

Answer 4

A type of Christian that follows the Pope in Rome, and prays to Saints.

Question 5

Protestant

Answer 5

A type of Christian that rejects the authority of the Pope and believes salvation comes through Jesus alone.

Question 6

Excommunication

Answer 6

The act of excluding someone from the Catholic Church and condemning their soul to hell. Authority of the Pope.

Question 7

Reformation

Answer 7

Religious revolution that took place in Europe in the 16th Century, leading to many countries becoming Protestant

Question 8

Heretic

Answer 8

A person considered a criminal for their religious beliefs.

Question 9

Divine Right of Kings

Answer 9

Belief that Kings represented God on Earth and had the right to rule

Question 10

Absolute power

Answer 10

The complete control over almost all aspects of life that English Kings enjoyed before the Magna Carta.

Question 11

Tyranny

Answer 11

Single-handedly ruling a country without help or advice

Question 12

Parliament

Answer 12

Institution that represents the people of England in charge of debating, making, and changing laws. Had powers over taxation.

Question 13

Puritan

Answer 13

An extreme kind of protestant

Question 14

Tax

Answer 14

Money that people have to pay to the government, used to run the country and fight wars.

Question 15

Petition

Answer 15

Written document asking someone in power for change, usually signed by many people

Question 16

Civil War

Answer 16

A war between people within the same country

Question 17

Traitor

Answer 17

Someone who commits a crime against King or country, punishable by death.

Question 18

Industrial

Answer 18

Relating to goods made in factories, usually very efficiently and cheaply

Question 19

Revolution

Answer 19

A period of great change, in which an old system is replaced with a new one

Question 20

Population Boom

Answer 20

A time when the population of a country grows very quickly due to higher birth rate, lower death rate, or immigration.

Question 21

Urbanisation

Answer 21

The movement of people from the country to the city due to job opportunities and better quality of life, causing cities to grow

Question 22

Raw material

Answer 22

Materials that harvested directly from the ground

Question 23

Manufactured good

Answer 23

A product that is made in a factory

Question 24

Steam power

Answer 24

Main source of power during the Industrial Revolution, usually from burning coal

Question 25

Colony

Answer 25

A country under control of a coloniser, usually must give up part of its resources and its men may be expected to fight for the coloniser.

Question 26

Empire

Answer 26

A group of territories and people ruled over by an Emperor, who usually appoints people to help him/her rule.

Question 27

Resource

Answer 27

A material that is considered valuable for a particular purpose, such as construction, consumption or luxury

Question 28

Exploitation

Answer 28

When a country unfairly takes advantage of people or resources in order to benefit from it.

Question 29

Missionary

Answer 29

people whose job it is to spread Christianity to other countries

Question 30

Sepoy

Answer 30

An Indian soldier that fought for the British. Prevented from becoming an officer.

Question 31

British Raj

Answer 31

Period from 1858 to 1947 when India was ruled directly by the British monarchy as a result of the Sepoy Rebellion.

Question 32

Viceroy

Answer 32

The person who ruled over India on behalf of the King or Queen

Question 33

Scramble for Africa

Answer 33

Period of time in the late 19th Century when European countries rushed to conquer as much of Africa as possible.

Question 34

Potato Famine

Answer 34

Period of mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1852, caused by a disease that affected the potato on which the Irish were dependant.

Question 35

Emigration

Answer 35

When people leave a country for another, usually as a result of a catastrophic event or lack of job opportunities.

Question 36

Social Darwinism

Answer 36

The belief that white Europeans white people were a superior race, and therefore had evolved to be more powerful and civilised than non-whites.

Question 37

Eugenics

Answer 37

Was the practice of improving the human race by keeping races ‘pure’ and preventing the inter-mixing of different people

Question 38

Plantations

Answer 38

Large scale farms in the Caribbean and American colonies where slaves cultivated tobacco, sugar and cotton

Question 39

Middle passage

Answer 39

The part of the slave triangle connecting Africa to the Americas. Up to 400 slaves were packed onto ships, where the death rate could reach 25%.