World History Vocabulary: Middle Ages to Age of Exploration

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical terms, movements, and figures from the Middle Ages through the Age of Exploration.

Middle Ages

The historical period in European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance.

Constantinople/Istanbul

The capital of the Byzantine Empire, which was captured in 1453 and became the imperial capital of the Ottoman Empire under the name Istanbul.

Ottoman Turks

A Turkish-speaking imperial dynasty and group that established the Ottoman Empire and conquered Constantinople in 1453.

Feudalism

A medieval political and social system in which nobles were granted lands by monarchs in exchange for military service, and serfs worked the land.

Renaissance

A period of European cultural, artistic, and intellectual rebirth starting in Italy that marked the transition from the medieval to the modern world.

Medici Family

A prominent Italian banking family and political dynasty in Florence who served as major financial patrons of Renaissance art and humanism.

Humanism

An intellectual and cultural movement of the Renaissance that emphasized secular learning, human achievement, and the study of classical texts.

Printing Press - Gutenberg Press

A movable-type mechanical printing device developed by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440 that revolutionized the mass production and circulation of written works.

Reformation and Counter Reformation

The 16th-century religious movement that protested Catholic doctrines and established Protestant churches, followed by the Catholic Church's own internal reforms.

Martin Luther

A German monk and theologian whose 95 Theses criticized church practices, such as the sale of indulgences, and launched the Protestant Reformation.

Conquistadors

Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who colonized and conquered territories across the Americas during the 16th century.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, human populations, diseases, culture, and ideas between the Americas and the Eastern Hemisphere after 1492.