Unit 1A Vocab

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Black Death/Bubonic Plague

Black Death/Bubonic Plague

A bacterial disease that devastated many areas of the world. It’s arrival in Europe in 1348 led to the deaths of millions and a profound change in society.

Constantinople

A city first established by the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 300’s CE. It was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and later the Ottoman Empire.

Urban

Of, or pertaining to cities.

Rural

Of, or pertaining to the countryside.

Flagellants

An extremist Catholic religious movement that believed that physical punishment of the flesh (whipping) could atone for the sins of man. They believed the plague was a punishment from God.

Ghetto

Originally it referred to a specific section of a European city where Jews were allowed to reside. It was often walled off from Christian areas.

Pogrom

Term for periodic violent attacks on the Jewish population. They were especially prominent in Eastern Europe (Russia).

anti-Semitism

The hatred of the Jewish population.

first-hand

Something directly witnessed or experienced by the person relating it.

second-hand

Something explained by someone who did not directly witness or experience it.

Florentine

Of, or pertaining to the Italian city of Florence.

Vernacular

Any language spoken by the general population of a region, as opposed to Latin, the language of the Church and education.

siege

A military tactic where an enemy is completely surrounded and starved into submission.

Balkan Peninsula

The vast region of southeastern Europe that includes nations such as Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, and Serbia.

Antiquity

Of, or pertaining to anything ancient, or to a period of ancient history

Middle Ages

The European historical era followed the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE and the beginning of the Renaissance (1400’s).

medieval

A synonym for the Middle Ages.

transcribe

The action of copying by hand something written.

literate

The ability to read.

illiterate

Lacking the ability to read

secular

Anything that is not religious in its character or purpose.

classical

Of, or pertaining to ancient Greece and/or ancient Rome.

Italian Renaissance

A distinct period in the 1400’s and 1500’s in which there was a renewed interest in culture, art, and learning.

papal / papacy

Of, or pertaining to the office of the Pope of the Catholic Church.

lion’s share

An expression that means the biggest and best portion of something.

Doge

The title held by the man elected as ruling prince of the city of Venice.

textile

Of, or pertaining to cloth or to the production of cloth.

Medici

A powerful, wealthy family that dominated the politics of the city of Florence for much of the Renaissance.

Humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement that rejected medieval focus on religious causes for all events and looked to Greek and Roman values for inspiration. Humanists emphasized the potential and goodness of man and sought rational ways to solve human problems.

oligarchy

Any government dominated by a few wealthy people.

S’forza

A powerful, wealthy family that dominated the politics of the city of Milan.

mercenary

A soldier who fights for anyone who pays for their services.

patron

Someone who supports the arts or a specific artist.

liberal arts

Courses of study that focus on man and his accomplishments.

skepticism

The philosophical belief that certain knowledge is impossible, to doubt.