AP Euro Topic 2.6 16th c. Society & Politics Terms and Names (Amsco Bolded)

Primogeniture

A system of inheritance in which the eldest son in a family received all of his father's land.

House of Lords

the upper house of the British parliament whose members are members of the Peerage (established nobility)

House of Commons

Lower House of Parliament including wealthy landowners and rich business leaders that represent the middle class and are elected to office

patriarchal

relating to a society in which men hold the greatest legal and moral authority

dowry

money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage

La Querelle des Femmes

Literally, "the question of women," a literary debate which began amongst intellectual elites and religious leaders around 1500 about the nature and status of women

Black Death

A deadly plague that swept through Europe, first between 1347 and 1351 and multiple outbreaks after through the 1600s.

Carnival

a festival marked by merrymaking and processions that happens just before the season of Lent.

penance

voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for (make up for) some wrongdoing or sin.

blood sports

Events such as bull-baiting, bear-baiting and cockfighting that involved inflicting violence and bloodshed on animals and that were popular entertainment with European masses. (grrr)

Charivari

Degrading public rituals (often a parade where the offender rides backwards on a donkey) used by village communities to police personal behavior and maintain moral standards. Often done on a man whose wife had cheated on him.

stocks

public punishment where offender sat on a bench with ankles closed in holes for several hours while passers-by threw garbage at them.

pillory

public punishment where offender stood with hands and head locked in a wooden bar for hours while passers-by threw garbage at them.

pranger

public punishment where an offender's neck and feet were chained together, leaving them standing in an uncomfortable half kneeling position for hours.

flogging

Also called whipping, a public punishment where an offender is beaten with a whip, usually accompanying being chained to pillory. The event attracted many spectators.

branding

Searing of the skin with a mark that indicates a person does not believe in the same things as the community, or committed a terrible crime or sin.

maleficium

harm believed to be caused by Witches in their attempt to please the Devil.

Malleus Maleficarum

German book published in 1487 outlining the nature and appearance of witches. Became the go-to book for determining guilt in a Witchcraft Trial.

Laura Cereta

A radical feminist in her time (1469-1499) who had enough education to write about her ideas. She defended women's right and ability to be scholars. She wrote a series of letters defending this.

peerage

Lords or Ladies, with a nobility rank that is higher than knighthood