History: The Crisis of Rome, Byzantium, and Medieval Europe

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the crisis of the Roman Empire, the rise of Byzantium, the emergence of Islam, and the feudal structure of Western Europe.

Commodus

The son of Marcus Aurelius whose reign (180-192) marked the end of the 'Five Good Emperors' period and the beginning of the Roman crisis.

Megalomania

An excessive desire for the magnification and demonstration of one's own power, which characterized the rule of Emperor Commodus.

Inflation

The increase in prices for goods and services as the purchasing power of money decreases, which severely worsened during the 3rd-century Roman crisis.

Septimius Severus

A professional soldier who won the struggle for power in 193 and transformed Rome into a military dictatorship.

Confiscation

The seizure of property by the state, often used by emperors like Septimius Severus against wealthy senators to fund the army.

Curiales

Merchants and medium-sized landowners in the later Roman Empire who were burdened with the duty of financing state construction and events.

Colonus

Free farmers who worked the land of large estate owners and eventually lost their freedom due to debts during the economic crisis.

Cyprian's Plague

A deadly epidemic that lasted from 249 to 262, significantly reducing the population of Alexandria by $62 \%$ and weakening the Roman Empire.

Tetrarchy

A system of government established by Diocletian in 293 where the Roman Empire was divided into four parts ruled by two Augusti and two Caesars.

Dominate

A new form of government established by Diocletian where the emperor's power became absolute and the state relied on heavy bureaucracy.

Manichaeism

A religion founded by Mani in the 3rd century that taught a struggle between good (light) and evil (darkness).

Labarum

A military standard introduced by Constantine the Great featuring the monogram of Jesus Christ ($\chi$ and $\rho$).

Edict of Milan

A decree issued in 313 that equalized all religions in the Roman Empire and ended the mass persecution of Christians.

Iconoclasm

A religious movement in the 8th and 9th centuries in Byzantium that opposed the veneration of icons and led to social division.

Justinian I

A Byzantine emperor (527-565) whose reign is considered the 'Golden Age' of the empire, known for codifying law and building the Hagia Sophia.

Great Migration of Peoples

A global migration of tribes from the 2nd century BC to the 7th century AD that caused the ethnic and political transformation of Europe.

Vandalism

The senseless destruction of cultural monuments, named after the Germanic Vandal tribe that sacked Rome in 455.

Beneficium

Land granted by a Frankish senior to a vassal for temporary use specifically in exchange for military service.

Feud

A piece of land granted by a king to a subordinate in exchange for service and loyalty, which later became hereditary.

Carolingian Renaissance

A cultural and educational revival in the Frankish Empire under Charlemagne (768-814) characterized by the opening of schools and copying of scripts.

Dromon

A fast wooden warship used by the Byzantine navy, often equipped with Greek fire and manned by 100 to 300 people.

Great Schism of 1054

The final split of the Christian world into the Latin (Catholic) and Greek (Orthodox) churches.

Jihad

An Arabic word meaning 'striving' or 'struggle' on the path of Allah, sometimes used in the sense of armed struggle for the spread of Islam.

Hijra

The migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622, marking the starting point of the Islamic calendar.

Arabesque

A style of Islamic art featuring complex geometric patterns and floral motifs, used because depicting living beings was prohibited.

Astrolabe

An early scientific instrument used by Muslims to calculate time and determine the direction of Mecca.

Sunni

The largest branch of Islam that recognizes the first four caliphs as legitimate and follows the Sunnah (the example of Muhammad).

Shia

A branch of Islam whose followers (Ali's party) believe that only the descendants of Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali, should lead the Muslim community.