ap euro midterm definitions

Black Death

Deadly plague that killed one-third of Europe’s population (1347–1351); caused economic and social upheaval

Giovanni Boccaccio / The Decameron

Italian writer who described life during the plague, offering insight into medieval society

Flagellants

Radical Christians who whipped themselves to atone for sins and stop the plague

Hundred Years’ War

1337–1453 conflict between England and France over land and succession

Agincourt

1415 English victory using longbows against French knights

Avignon Papacy

Period when popes lived in Avignon (1309–1376), weakening papal authority

Great Schism

1378–1417 division with multiple popes

Jacquerie

1358 French peasant revolt over taxes and war suffering

English Peasants’ Revolt

1381 uprising against serfdom and taxation

Guild

Medieval associations regulating crafts, quality, and training

Vernacular

Everyday spoken language replacing Latin

Dante / Divine Comedy

Epic poem on sin and salvation shaping Italian language

Chaucer / Canterbury Tales

English literary work promoting vernacular

Mercantilism

Economic system focused on state wealth and gold

Peace of Utrecht

Ended War of Spanish Succession and French expansion

Constitutionalism

Government limited by law balancing power and rights

Republicanism

Government without a monarch, power in elected representatives

Peace of Westphalia

Ended Thirty Years’ War and religious warfare

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason and progress

Socialism

Advocated cooperation, planning, and equality

Marxism

Karl Marx’s theory calling for worker revolution

Estates General

French legislative body representing three estates

National Assembly

First revolutionary legislature (1789–1791)

Reign of Terror

1793–1794 mass executions under Robespierre

Napoleonic Code

1804 legal code emphasizing equality and property rights

Enclosure

Privatization of common land in England

Proletariat

Industrial working class

Nationalism

Belief in shared identity and independent state