OCR GCSE History B key terms

Religious beliefs judged to be contrary to the official teachings of the Church.

The Spanish expedition leader who entered Tenochtitlan in 1519 and dealt directly with Moctezuma.

A system in which people are arranged in ranks with unequal power, rights and status.

An offence against the monarch or state, such as plotting to kill or overthrow the monarch.

Robbing travellers on roads, usually through threats or violence.

A name used historically for India, particularly northern India in the context of Babur’s conquests.

The circumstances at a particular time that help explain people's choices and actions.

An investigation of a question about the past that uses historical evidence to reach a reasoned answer.

Information from physical remains or historical sources used to support a statement about the past.

The extent to which a historical place mattered, judged through its role, influence or consequences in a particular context.

An explanation or representation of the past produced by selecting and making sense of evidence.

A distinct stage in the development or use of a site.

A place studied to understand the past through its physical remains and other historical sources.

Material used to investigate the past. A historic site can itself be a source, alongside other historical evidence.

A place whose buildings, physical remains and surroundings provide evidence of past human activity.

A quick attack followed by withdrawal before the enemy can organise an effective response.

The carefully promoted image of Hitler as an exceptional leader who embodied Germany’s strength and interests.

The Nazi youth movement as a whole, and also the name of its specific branch for boys aged 14–18.

Human immunodeficiency virus: a virus that damages the immune system and can lead to AIDS.

A collection of valuable objects, such as coins or jewellery, deliberately hidden or buried together.

The systematic persecution and murder of approximately six million European Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators.

The spear believed by some crusaders to have pierced Jesus’ side during the crucifixion, reportedly discovered at Antioch in June 1098.

A formal act acknowledging another person as one’s lord, normally involving obligations of loyalty and service.

A policy allowing Ireland to have its own parliament to manage domestic affairs while remaining within the United Kingdom.

A US law signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 that allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of public land and gain ownership after living on and improving it for five years.

A settler who claimed land under the Homestead Acts and worked to gain ownership by living on and improving it.

Prejudice, hostility or discrimination directed towards gay people.