KS3 History Vocabulary

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers essential history terms from the KS3 History Learning Journal, including time periods, government structures, historical concepts, and evidence analysis.

Decade

Period of ten years

Century

Period of one hundred years

Millennium

Period of one thousand years

Chronological

Events organised in the order in which they occurred

Dark Ages

Period between the Romans leaving Britain in AD $410$ and $1066$

Medieval

Period between the Norman Conquest in $1066$ and $1485$

Early Modern

Period from the arrival of the Tudors in $1485$ and about $1800$

Modern

Period from about $1800$ to the present

Century numbering (Example)

$1348$ is in the $1300s$ but it is the $14th$ century

Monarch

A king or queen, a ruler of a country

Divine Right of Kings

Belief that a king or queen gets their authority to rule from God

Constitutional monarchy

A king or queen gets their authority to rule from their people, often controlled by a parliament and/or constitution (written set of rules)

Democracy

A government where the people have a say in how the country is run, e.g. by voting for a representative

Republic

A government in which there is no monarch, e.g. under Cromwell

Emperor

A ruler of an Empire, i.e. an area of more than one country

Cause

Something that brings about a result

Consequence

Something that happens as a result of something else

Change

Making or becoming different

Continuity

Staying the same

Short-term

Occurring over/involving a relatively short period of time, e.g. a year

Long-term

Occurring over/involving a relatively long period of time, e.g. century

Economic

To do with money, goods and resources

Political

To do with the government and the decisions it makes

Social

To do with the type of society or how it works

Religious

To do with religion, e.g. Christianity, Islam

Scientific

To do with science and usually based on evidence, not just belief or superstition

Source

A piece of evidence from the time period

Interpretation

A way of explaining a set of historical facts, usually written by a historian

Fact

Something that is known or proved to be true, e.g. a date

Opinion

A view or judgement formed on something

Inference

Something you can learn from a source, which goes beyond the surface detail of what it says and on to what it suggests

Useful

Way in which a source can help a historian in an enquiry, usually based on the source’s content and provenance

Content

What is written or shown in a source

Provenance

Information about the background or origin of a source, e.g. its NOP

NOP

Nature, Origin, Purpose

Nature

What type of source, e.g. letter, painting

Origin

Who wrote/made the source? When? Where?

Purpose

Why was the source made?