History Exam Review: Roman Empire to Renaissance

This flashcard set is designed to help review key concepts from the Roman Empire's fall through the Renaissance, focusing on critical terms and definitions relevant to the upcoming exam.

Pax Romana

A period of peace and prosperity throughout the Roman Empire lasting from 27 B.C. to A.D. 180.

Inflation

A drastic drop in the value of money coupled with a rise in prices that helped weakened the Roman Empire.

Mercenaries

Foreign soldiers hired by the Roman government due to a decline in loyalty among Roman soldiers.

Diocletian

A reform-minded emperor who divided the Roman Empire into two sections for better management.

Constantine

The emperor who gained control of the Western Roman Empire in A.D. 312 and then the Eastern Empire.

Constantinople

The new capital city established by Constantine, originally Rome, located in present-day Turkey.

Byzantine Empire

The eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived and flourished after the fall of the West.

Huns

Mongol nomads who threatened the Western Roman Empire and pushed Germanic peoples into Roman lands.

Romulus Augustulus

The last Roman emperor, whose fall marked the end of the Western Roman Empire.

Shi’a

A group of Muslims who believed that the caliph should be a descendant of Muhammad.

Sunni

A group of Muslims who believed that the caliph should follow Muhammad's example.

Qur’an

The holy book of Islam, containing the revelations made to the Prophet Muhammad.

Hajj

The pilgrimage to Mecca that is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Justinian Code

A body of civil law that preserved Roman legal principles and influenced the legal systems in Europe.

Hagia Sophia

The crowning religious glory of Justinian’s building program in Constantinople.

Feudalism

The social and political system in Europe during the Middle Ages, involving lords and vassals.

Crusades

Military campaigns to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control, initiated by Pope Urban II.

Humanism

An intellectual movement during the Renaissance that focused on human potential and achievements.

Utopia

An ideal society as depicted by Thomas More in his book of the same name.

Renaissance

A period in European history marked by a revival of art, culture, and learning from the 14th to the 17th century.