World History: Late Antiquity through the French Revolution

Vocabulary flashcards covering historical periods, key figures, and major socio-political transformations from Late Antiquity through the era of Napoleon.

Late Antiquity

Transitional era (c. $300-500$) between the classical Roman world and the medieval world, marked by Christianity’s rise, transformations of the Roman Empire, and migrations.

Middle Ages

European historical period (c. $500-1500$) between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Renaissance.

Early Modern Period

Era (c. $1500-1800$) marked by global exploration, centralized states, capitalism, scientific advances, and religious conflict.

Pax Romana

"Roman Peace"; a long period of relative stability and prosperity in the Roman Empire ($27\,BCE-180\,CE$).

Annona civilis

The Roman grain dole; state distribution of grain to Roman citizens, especially in Rome.

Denarius

The standard Roman silver coin used widely in trade.

Third-Century Crisis

Period (c. $235-284$) of political instability, invasions, economic collapse, and civil war in Rome.

Constitutio Antoniniana

An edict ($212\,CE$) granting Roman citizenship to nearly all free inhabitants of the empire.

Tetrarchy / Dominate

Diocletian’s four-ruler system and his more authoritarian style of imperial rule.

Council of Nicaea

A Church council held in $325$ defining orthodox Christian doctrine, especially against Arianism.

Solidus

A stable gold coin introduced under Constantine I.

Battle of Adrianople

A Roman defeat by Goths in $378$ that symbolized weakening Roman military power.

Corpus iuris civilis

Justinian I's codification of Roman law, which served as the foundation of later European legal systems.

Hagia Sophia

A massive cathedral built in Constantinople under the reign of Justinian I.

Foederati

Barbarian groups settled within the Roman Empire in exchange for military service.

Romulus Augustulus

The last Western Roman emperor, who was deposed in $476$.

Pirenne Thesis

Historian Henri Pirenne's argument that Islamic expansion, rather than Germanic invasions, ended the ancient Mediterranean economy and isolated Europe.

Coenobitic Monasticism

Communal monastic life governed by shared rules.

Clovis I

The Frankish king who converted to Christianity and founded Merovingian power.

Justinianic Plague

A major plague pandemic beginning in the $6th$ century.

Charlemagne

Frankish king and emperor who expanded and unified much of Western Europe and oversaw the Carolingian Renaissance.

Manorialism

Rural economic system centered on self-sufficient estates worked by peasants.

Wics or emporia

Early medieval trading towns located in northern Europe.

Great Army

A large Viking force that invaded Anglo-Saxon England in the $9th$ century.

Danegeld

Payments made to Vikings to prevent raids.

Sibling Cultures

The three major interacting civilizations of the medieval Mediterranean world: Byzantium, Islam, and the Latin West.

Gregorian Reform

Papal reforms intended to strengthen Church independence and clerical discipline.

Three Orders

Medieval social theory dividing society into those who pray, those who fight, and those who work.

First Crusade

Military campaign ($1095-1099$) that captured Jerusalem and established crusader states.

Rhineland Massacres

Mass killings of Jews by crusaders, also known as Kiddush ha-Shem ("sanctification of God’s name") through martyrdom.

Commercial Revolution

Expansion of trade, urbanization, and finance in medieval Europe characterized by specialization and monetization.

Feudalism (juridical definition)

A political relationship based on land grants (fiefs) exchanged for loyalty and service.

Scholasticism

A medieval method of learning that used logic to reconcile Christian faith with reason.

Pax Mongolica

A period of stability and trade across Eurasia under Mongol rule.

Black Death

A massive plague outbreak in Eurasia during the $14th$ century caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.

Humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement emphasizing classical learning and human potential.

Sola scriptura

The Protestant principle that scripture alone is the ultimate authority.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and peoples between the Old and New Worlds following the voyages of Christopher Columbus.

Thirty Years’ War

A devastating European religious and political conflict occurring between $1618-1648$.

Treaty of Westphalia

Agreements signed in $1648$ that ended the Thirty Years’ War and established the principle of Westphalian sovereignty.

Absolutism

A system of government where monarchs, such as Louis XIV of France, claim near-total authority.

Scientific Revolution

A major transformation in scientific thought and methods, exemplified by the work of Isaac Newton.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement promoting reason, science, and individual rights, involving figures like Voltaire and Immanuel Kant.

The Great Divergence

The process by which Western Europe industrialized faster than other global regions.

Haitian Revolution

A successful slave revolt that led to the creation of independent Haiti.

Napoleon Bonaparte

French military leader and emperor who spread revolutionary reforms across Europe.