History key terms

Accepting another ruler’s authority and agreeing to obey them.

An institution whose members pay subscriptions to support a shared collection of books they can use or borrow.

Money paid by one government to another to support an agreed policy or action.

Farming mainly to provide food for the farming household, with little surplus available to sell or store.

A residential area on the outskirts of a town or city.

The order in which people are entitled to inherit the throne.

A dispute over who should become ruler after the previous ruler dies.

Alexander’s generals and other rulers who competed for control of his empire after his death in 323 BC.

The border region of Czechoslovakia containing a large German-speaking population, ceded to Germany under the Munich Agreement in 1938.

A strategically important waterway in Egypt linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, providing a shorter shipping route between Europe and Asia.

The 1956 confrontation following Egypt's takeover of the Suez Canal, in which British, French and Israeli military action faced international condemnation and American financial pressure forced Britain to halt its invasion.

The right to vote in elections.

A campaigner for women’s voting rights associated with militant methods, particularly the WSPU.

Campaigners for women’s voting rights associated particularly with the militant methods of the Women’s Social and Political Union.

A campaigner for women’s voting rights associated with peaceful, lawful methods, particularly the NUWSS.

Campaigners for women’s voting rights associated particularly with the lawful, non-violent methods of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies.

The 1764 British law that reduced the duty on imported molasses but strengthened enforcement to collect revenue from colonial trade.

‘Universal peace’: Akbar’s principle of peaceful relations and tolerance between different religious communities.

A Muslim ruler exercising political and military authority. Seljuk sultans recognised the Abbasid caliph but held real governing power themselves.

A high-level meeting between political leaders to discuss important international issues.

Laws restricting clothing, materials and colours according to social rank, intended to preserve status distinctions and restrain extravagant spending.

A Lakota religious ceremony held at summer gatherings, expressing sacrifice and renewing connections between people and the spiritual and natural world.

The two main branches of Islam. These religious identities became important political divisions in Iraq, but neither community held a single political viewpoint.

The movement in which Sunni tribal groups, including former insurgents, cooperated with US forces against Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Associated fighters became known as the Sons of Iraq.

A branch of Islam represented in this period by the Abbasid caliphs and the Seljuk rulers. Unlike the Shia Fatimids, the Abbasids did not claim the special spiritual insight of an imam.

A follower of the Sunni branch of Islam. Aurangzeb was a Sunni Muslim and promoted Sunni religious scholars and their interpretation of Islamic law.

Followers of the other main branch of Islam. Saddam Hussein was a Sunni Muslim.

The Latin nickname meaning ‘proud’ or ‘arrogant’, given to Lucius Tarquinius in the Roman historical tradition.

An explanation of illness involving forces beyond nature, such as divine or spiritual powers.

A country with exceptional military, economic and political power, able to influence events internationally.