McKay Chapter 11 TPE's AP European History

Twenty-five vocabulary flashcards reviewing major people, events, and concepts of late medieval Europe, from climate crises and the Black Death to cultural works and church conflicts.

Little Ice Age

A period c. 1300–1450 when European climate turned colder and wetter, damaging harvests and setting the stage for later crises.

Great Famine

Severe food shortages from 1315–1322 caused by relentless bad weather, leaving Europeans malnourished and vulnerable to disease.

Black Death

The mid-14th-century plague that swept Europe, killing an estimated 75–200 million people.

Giovanni Boccaccio

Italian author of The Decameron who described the spread and social impact of the Black Death.

The Decameron

Boccaccio’s 14th-century collection of 100 stories, framed by characters fleeing the plague-ravaged city of Florence.

Inflation

A general rise in prices and decline in purchasing power, often triggered by shortages or increased demand.

Flagellants

Groups who publicly whipped themselves, believing the plague was divine punishment requiring penance.

Dance of Death

Medieval allegory showing people of every social class dancing with skeletons, reminding all of life’s fragility.

Hundred Years' War

A 116-year conflict (1337–1453) between England and France over territories and the French crown.

Longbow

Powerful English bow whose rapid rate of fire helped secure victories such as Crécy and Agincourt.

Battle of Agincourt

1415 engagement in which English forces, though outnumbered, defeated France largely through effective longbow use.

Joan of Arc

French peasant girl who, claiming divine voices, inspired French armies and aided the eventual coronation of Charles VII.

Dauphin

Title given to the heir apparent—the eldest son—of the king of France.

Heresy

Belief or opinion that contradicts established church doctrine.

Parliament

Originally a royal advisory council in England that evolved into a law-making body representing various estates.

Avignon

French city where popes resided from 1309–1376, distancing the papacy from Rome.

Babylonian Captivity

Nickname for the Avignon papacy, when popes were viewed as being under French influence (1309–1376).

Great Schism

Crisis (1378–1417) when rival popes simultaneously ruled from Rome and Avignon, dividing Western Christendom.

Conciliarists

Reformers who argued that church councils, not the pope alone, held supreme authority during the Great Schism.

John Wyclif

English theologian who challenged papal authority and promoted vernacular Bible translations; early forerunner of Protestantism.

Jan Hus

Czech priest influenced by Wyclif who demanded scripture in Czech and criticized church corruption; executed for heresy.

Jacquerie

Violent 1358 peasant revolt in northern France fueled by war taxes and social discontent.

English Peasants' Revolt

1381 uprising by English laborers opposing new taxes and demanding better wages and freedoms.

Guilds

Associations of artisans or merchants regulating trade quality, training, and member welfare in medieval towns.

Vernacular

A region’s everyday spoken language, such as English, French, or Czech, instead of scholarly Latin.