History key terms

An enslaved person who escaped or attempted to escape from enslavement.

An enslaved person who has escaped and is being sought for recapture.

The purpose something serves or was designed to serve.

A public speech delivered to honour the dead. Pericles’ Funeral Oration also praises Athens and encourages the living to defend it.

An Anglo-Saxon force called up for military service when required, supplementing the professional warriors. Its soldiers varied in training and equipment.

An ancient Roman physician whose writings remained influential in medieval English medicine.

A large sailing ship used for warfare or carrying cargo during the sixteenth century.

Tiered seating areas surrounding a theatre’s yard; in outdoor playhouses, these were roofed.

The radical group comprising Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen, whose influence grew during the Cultural Revolution.

China’s national university entrance examination, restored in 1977 after its suspension during the Cultural Revolution.

An older word for a prison, pronounced ‘jail’.

Charges that prisoners had to pay for aspects of their imprisonment, including fees demanded before release.

A body of soldiers stationed in a castle or other stronghold to defend it and maintain control of the surrounding area.

Partially strangling a victim in order to rob them.

A bacterial infection of damaged tissue that causes tissue death and produces gas within the wound; it is not caused by a poison-gas attack.

A protective covering worn over the face to filter dangerous gases from the air being breathed.

A fortified building controlling an entrance to a castle or town.

The leader of a regional division of the Nazi Party, called a Gau.

A movement campaigning openly against discrimination towards gay people and for freedom, visibility and equal rights, which expanded rapidly after Stonewall in 1969.

The German Democratic Republic: communist East Germany, established in 1949 and closely controlled by the Soviet Union.

A land tax collected by the Anglo-Saxon king; its earlier form, Danegeld, was used to pay off Viking invaders.

A section of DNA that carries instructions affecting how the body develops or functions.

The central area of occupied Poland administered by the Nazis under Hans Frank, separate from Polish territories incorporated into Germany.

The Communist Party’s senior administrative position, which gave Stalin influence over appointments and promotions within the Party.

A coordinated stoppage of work across several industries, rather than a strike confined to one workplace or occupation.

The study of genes and how characteristics, including some disease risks, are inherited.

The 1954 agreements following France’s defeat in Vietnam, providing for a temporary division at the 17th parallel and elections in 1956 to reunite the country.

The deliberate destruction of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

The type of writing, such as biography, history, a private letter or poetry. Different genres shape which details an author selects and how they present them.

Change in an area as wealthier residents and more expensive businesses move in, potentially making it harder for existing residents to afford to remain.