History Grade 10 - Topic 1 Glossary

Ancient:  Belonging to a period of history that is thousands of years in the past.

BC: Before Christ. Used in the Christian calendar to show a particular number of years before the year when Christ is believed to have been born.

Bureaucracy:  A system of government in which there are a large number of state officials who are not elected.

Civilization:  A society, its culture and its way of life during a particular period of time or in a particular part of the world.

Colonize:  To take control of an area or a country that is not your own, especially using force, and send people from your own country to live there.

Conquest:  The act of taking control of a country, city, etc. by force.

Corruption: Dishonest or illegal behaviour, especially of people in authority.

Dynasty:  A series of leaders of a country that all belong to the same family.  For example, the Ming Dynasty (who ruled China from 1368 to 1644). [1]

Emperor: The ruler of an empire.

Empire:  A group of countries that are all controlled by one leading body (a leader or a government).  For example, the Songhai Empire or the Mughal Empire.

Expansion:  An act of increasing or making something increase in size, amount or importance.    

Explorer:  A person who travels to unknown places in order to find out more about them.

Feudalism:  A social system that was used during the Middle Ages in Europe where people had to work and fight for a nobleman where in return, they were given land and protection.

Independence:  Freedom from political control by other countries.

Indigenous:  Belonging to a particular place rather than coming to it from somewhere else.

Kingdom:  A country ruled by a king or queen; an area controlled by a particular person or where a particular thing or idea is important.

Merchants:  A person who buys and sells goods in large quantities, especially one who imports and exports goods.

Middle Ages:  A phrase that describes Europe from the period of the fall of Rome (c. 5th century) to the rise of the Renaissance period (c. 15th century). [2]  This period is also known as the Medieval Period.

Militia: A group of people who are not professional soldiers but who have had military training and can act as an army.

Monastery: A building in which monks (religious male community) live together.

Monopoly:  The complete control of trade in particular goods or the supply of a particular service; a type of goods or a service that is controlled in this way.

Nobleman:  A man that is a member from a family that has a high social rank.

Prosperity:  The state of being successful, especially in making money.

Settler:   A person who goes to live in a new country or region.

Slavery:  Slavery refers to the state of being a slave or the practice of having slaves.

Smelt:  To heat and melt ore (rock that contains metal) in order to obtain the metal it contains. 

Superpower:  Is a country in the world that has significant military, economic or political power, as well as a country that has great influence over other countries.  One could also use the term World Power.

The Renaissance Period:  This period refers to a period where European countries experienced a cultural, political, economic and artistic “rebirth” after the Middle Ages. [3]

Trade:  The exchanging (buying and selling) of good and/or services between people and/or countries.