AP EURO UNIT 1 - KEY TERMS

Great Chain of Being

Medieval belief that everything in the universe has a fixed

Catholic Church

The dominant Christian institution in medieval Europe

Feudalism

Medieval system where land was traded for loyalty and military service

100 Years War

Long conflict (1337-1453) between England and France over the French throne

Plague/Black Death

Deadly disease that killed about a third of Europe's population in the mid-1300s

Flagellants

Religious groups who whipped themselves publicly

Papal

Relating to the Pope or his office

Unam Sanctum

1302 papal document declaring the Pope's authority supreme over kings

Avignon Papacy

Period (1309-1377) when the Pope lived in Avignon

Great Schism

Period when two (then three) rival popes all claimed to be the true pope

Boccaccio - The Decameron

Collection of stories written during the Black Death

Subsistence Farming

Farming that produces just enough to survive

Peasant Revolts

Uprisings by peasants against unfair taxes or labor demands

Nuclear Family

Family unit of parents and children only

Classical

Relating to ancient Greek and Roman culture

Patronage

Wealthy people funding artists or writers in exchange for prestige

Renaissance

The "rebirth" of classical learning

Humanism

Intellectual movement focused on human potential and classical learning

Individualism

Belief in and confidence in personal achievement

Renaissance Art

Art style focused on realism

Mannerism

Later Renaissance art style with exaggerated proportions and dramatic effects

Theology

The study of religious belief

Ecclesiastical

Relating to the church as an institution

Vernacular

The everyday language spoken by common people

Secular

Not religious; relating to worldly matters

Oral Culture

Tradition of passing information through speech before widespread printing/literacy

New Monarchs

Kings and queens (like Ferdinand and Isabella) who centralized royal power

Landed Gentry

Wealthy landowners without noble titles

Aristocracy/Nobles

Hereditary elite class with wealth and land

Merchants

Traders who bought and sold goods

Sovereignty

Supreme authority to govern independently

Politically Decentralized

Power spread among many local rulers instead of one central authority

Politically Centralized

Power concentrated in one strong monarch or government

Compass

Tool showing direction using magnetic north

Sternpost Rudder

Steering device attached to a ship's stern for better control

Portolani

Detailed navigational maps showing coastlines and ports

Quadrant and Astrolabe

Tools used to measure the position of stars for navigation

Lateen Rig

Triangular sail that let ships sail against the wind

Mercantilism

Economic policy of accumulating wealth through trade and colonies

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and profit

Mediterranean Trade

Trade network connecting Europe

Trans-Atlantic Trade

Trade routes across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement dividing New World lands between Spain and Portugal

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants

Triangle Trade

Trade route connecting Europe

Slave Trade

Buying and selling enslaved people

Commercial Revolution

Expansion of trade

Double-Entry Bookkeeping

Accounting method that records every transaction twice for accuracy

Dutch East India Company

Powerful Dutch trading company chartered to trade with Asia

British East India Company

Powerful British trading company chartered to trade with Asia

Commercialization of Agriculture

Shift from subsistence farming to farming for profit and market sale

Enclosure Movement

Process of fencing off common land for private use

Craft Guild

Association of skilled workers/artisans that regulated a trade