Year 8 Keywords

Analyse – to examine carefully and in detail so as to identify causes, key factors, possible results, etc.

Ancien Regime – old government.

Assassination – to kill someone, who is usually in a position of power, suddenly or secretively.

Catholic – where there is belief in only one church, the Roman Catholic church, and it is led by the Pope in Rome. Their place of worship is decorated so that worshipers can celebrate God.

Cavalier – a supporter of Charles I during the English Civil Wars. The supporters of Parliament used this term as an insult because it means Spanish horsemen, who had a reputation for wild and cruel.

Cavalry – soldiers who fight on horseback.

Civil War – a war between two or more groups in the same country.

Clergy – religious people.

Conspiracy – where several people plan, or plot, to do something illegal or for a evil purpose.

Constitution – a legal document used to govern a nation.

Democracy – government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is put into the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected representatives under a free electoral system.

Dictator – a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession.

Emperor – a supreme ruler of an empire.

Enlightenment – a philosophical movement. Scientific, intellectual and cultural changes occurred in this period of time. Questions were asked of existing systems of power and traditional ways of life.

Estates System – the system in France where the country is divided into 3 groups. The First Estate were made up of religious people, the Second were nobles and the third were the rest of the country. The latter included peasants which were the majority and the bourgeousie which were the middle class.

Guillotine – a device for beheading a person by means of a heavy blade that is dropped between two posts serving as guides.

History – a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc.

Infantry – soldiers or military units that fight on foot.

Interpretation – The act or process of explaining the meaning of something. You will need to explain why an individual views history in a particular way.

Liberty – the right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one’s own choosing.

Monarchy – where supreme power is held by an individual. Usually a king or queen.

Parliament – an organization which passes laws within a country.

Protestant – a Christian religion which was set up in protest of the Catholic church. Their place of worship is usually plain and simple, so that there are no distractions to praying.

Puritan – these were Protestants who wanted more religious discipline and a simpler way of life. They became a powerful political party in the 17th century.

Rebellion – open, organized, and armed resistance to one’s government or ruler.

Reign of Terror – a period of the French Revolution, from about March, 1793, to July, 1794, during which many persons were ruthlessly executed by the ruling group.

Republic – governments where the leadership is elected.

Revolution – in history, it is generally an overthrow and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed. However, it can also be a period of significant change.

Roundhead – a member of the Parliamentarians or Puritan party during the civil wars of the 17th century. The Cavaliers used this term as an insult because they wore their hair cut short.

Treason– the offence of acting to overthrow one’s government or to harm or kill its sovereign, (usually the king or queen). This can be divided up as treason, (against the leader of the country), and high treason, (against the country).