History key terms

The parliamentary union that took effect in 1707, joining England and Scotland into the kingdom of Great Britain under one Parliament and securing the Protestant Hanoverian succession.

The organisation and management of a household, estate or government, including its people and resources.

Adding other substances to food or drink, often to increase the amount sold or disguise poor quality.

Sexual relations involving a married person and someone other than their spouse.

A person who undertook risky overseas ventures seeking opportunities such as wealth, trade, territory or fame.

A title meaning protector of the church associated with Christ’s burial place in Jerusalem. It is commonly used to describe Godfrey of Bouillon’s position as ruler, although his precise title is disputed.

Athena’s protective breast covering, associated with snakes and the head of Medusa.

A photograph taken from above the ground, useful for examining the arrangement of buildings and their relationship to the surrounding landscape.

An Anglo-Saxon title for a prince of the royal family who could be considered eligible for kingship.

Measures that deliberately improve opportunities for groups disadvantaged by discrimination, for example by encouraging employers to recruit Black applicants.

Communities of African origin dispersed outside Africa, including those created by forced migration through slavery.

A political movement promoting Afrikaner identity, culture and interests, which provided a major foundation for National Party support.

A chemical herbicide sprayed by US forces to destroy vegetation and crops in Vietnam; its use caused lasting environmental damage and serious health effects.

A proposed written constitution developed by the Levellers in several versions between 1647 and 1649, intended to establish rights and make government accountable to the electorate.

A farming organisation in which households pooled land and resources under common management. Early cooperatives retained private landownership; higher-level cooperatives replaced it with collective ownership.

The Persian god associated with wisdom and goodness, whose authority supported Persian royal power.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a condition caused by advanced HIV infection in which damage to the immune system leaves a person vulnerable to serious infections.

The American Indian Movement, founded in Minneapolis in 1968 to challenge discrimination and defend Native American rights, communities and cultures.

A Nazi programme chiefly targeting adults with disabilities in institutions for murder, authorised by Hitler in October 1939. It was distinct from the child killing programme begun in 1939.

An aristocratic Athenian family exiled by the Peisistratid tyrants, which helped bring about Hippias’ removal.

A medieval legal category for someone born outside England who was not an English subject.

Land transferred away from its previous holder.

A British law restricting immigration, passed in 1905 after campaigning in which hostility towards Jewish immigrants played an important part.

Direct taxes collected from non-English residents in England between 1440 and 1487.

A tax imposed on foreign-born residents. The 1440 alien subsidy charged different annual amounts to householders and non-householders, with exemptions for some groups.

A claim, often made against a person or group, that has not necessarily been proved.

Loyalty owed to a ruler or lord.

An agreement between states to cooperate, which may include promises of military assistance under specified conditions.

The body through which the American, British, Soviet and French military commanders exercised joint authority over matters affecting Germany as a whole after its defeat.

A plot assigned to an individual or family. Under the Dawes Act, allotments replaced communal ownership of much reservation land.