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100 Social Studies Terms for 7th Grade Social Studies: The Medieval World
Roman & Byzantine Empire
1. Three Roman architectural and engineering achievements are the dome, arch,
and aqueduct.
2. Roman roads were traveled for thousands of miles and connected the empire’s
population of 50 million.
3. Roman stoics were known for bearing great pain and suffering bravely.
4. The concept that there is a universal order built into nature that can guide moral
thinking is called natural law.
5. After years of persecution, Christians spread their beliefs throughout the Roman
Empire when Emperor Constantine (312-337 A.D.) promoted Christianity,
allowed Romans the freedom to follow any religion and strengthened the power
of the church within the state.
6. The Eastern Orthodox Church began as the church of the Byzantine Empire and
was a major Christian religious center.
7. Emperor Justinian I (527-565 A.D.) improved public works, built the Hagia
Sophia, and created a systematic body of law known as the Justinian Code.
8. Empress Theodora, wife of Emperor Justinian I, convinced him to put down a
rebellion in 532 A.D.
9. An icon is a type of religious image painted on a small wooden panel and
considered sacred by Eastern Orthodox Christians.
10. Cultural, political, and religious differences led to a schism, or split, between the
Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church by 1054 A.D.
Medieval Europe
11. Feudalism is a system of social order where people pledge loyalty to a landholder
or lord in return for protection.
12. Pope Leo III crowned the leader of the Franks, Charlemagne, as the Holy Roman
emperor in 800 C.E.
13. The belief that God gives monarchs the right to rule is called the divine right of
kings.
14. Chivalry is the medieval knight’s code of ideal behavior, including bravery,
loyalty, and respect for women.
15. The Crusades were a series of religious wars launched against Muslims by
European Christians.
16. The Roman Catholic Church is the Christian church headed by the pope of
Rome.
17. A guild is an organization of people who work in the same craft or trade.
18. A body of rulings made by judges that became part of a nation’s legal system is
known as common law.
19. The Magna Carta, or Great Charter, was a written agreement from 1215 that
limited the English king’s power and strengthened the rights of nobles.
20. Between 1337 and 1453, the English and French fought a series of wars known as
the 100 Years’ War that weakened feudalism in both countries.
21. Joan of Arc was a 17-year-old French peasant who led the French army to
victory during the 100’s Years’ War. She was captured and burned at the stake by
her enemies, but 500 years later the Roman Catholic Church made her a saint.
Islam
22. Muhammad (570- 632 C.E.) is known as a prophet and was the founder of the
faith of Islam, one of the world’s major monotheistic religions.
23. A mosque is a Muslim place of worship.
24. The Qur’an (Koran) is the holy book of the religion of Islam.
25. The Five Pillars of Faith are the most basic acts of worship for Muslims and
include faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and making a pilgrimage to Makkah
(Mecca).
26. Jihad represents Muslims’ struggle with challenges within themselves and the
world as they strive to please Allah, or God.
27. A Muslim ruler who claims religious authority to rule is a caliph.
28. The collection of Islamic law developed from the Qur’an and the Sunnah is called
shari’ah.
29. Algebra is a branch of mathematics that solves problems involving unknown
numbers that was developed by the mathematician al-Khwarizmi in the 9th
century.
30. Ibn Sina was a Persian who became Islam’s most famous philosopher during the
11th century.
Medieval Africa
31. The Sahara is a vast desert in Northern Africa that spreads across 3,500,000
square miles.
32. Ibn Battuta was a Muslim historian whose account of crossing the Sahara in
1352 with a trade caravan described the difficulty of traders’ journeys.
33. Mansa Musa was a king of Mali who practiced Islam and whose lavish hajj, or
pilgrimage, in 1324 created respect for Mali as an important empire.
34. Inheritance based on a woman’s family line is known as matrilineal.
35. Inheritance based on a man’s family line is known as patrilineal.
36. Three well-known types of West African textiles, or woven cloth, are stamped
fabrics, story fabrics, and kente cloth.
37. A griot is a verbal poet-musician who is a historical record keeper for their
people.
Imperial China
38. Marco Polo was an Italian traveler who was appointed by Kublai Khan to
perform inspection tours throughout China for 17 years. Tales of his travels
encouraged Europeans interests in trade with China.
39. Zheng He was an adviser to Emperor Chengzu who was sent on sea expeditions
from 1405-1434 to parade China’s power, give gifts, and collect tribute from
foreign nations.
40. The invention of paper (2nd century C.E.) and woodblock printing (7th century
C.E.) made written materials widely available and spread learning throughout
China.
41. Gunpowder is an explosive powder made of saltpeter and other materials,
developed by the Chinese and used in weaponry.
42. A junk is a type of boat with a flat bottom and bamboo matting sails that could
carry several hundred men and many trade items.
43. Chinese emperors based their right to govern on the Mandate of Heaven.
44. A warlord is a military leader operating outside the control of the government.
45. The Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.) welcomed foreign contacts, used the Silk
Road, and was characterized by aristocratic rule.
46. Kublai Khan was a Mongol leader who captured the imperial capital and became
the emperor of China in 1279, beginning the Yuan Dynasty.
Medieval Japan
47. Shinto is a religion of early Japan, which teaches of divine spirits called kami.
48. Prince Shotoku encouraged Buddhism in Japan and the spread of Chinese
culture.
49. In 604, the Seventeen Article Constitution was written that was based on
Confucian ideals.
50. Members of the powerful warrior class were called samurai, which means “those
who serve”.
51. Japanese poetry, such as haiku and tanka expressed an appreciation for beauty
and nature.
52. Amida Buddhists believed they could enter paradise by relying on the mercy of
Amida Buddha.
53. Zen Buddhism stressed self-reliance and achieving enlightenment through
meditation.
54. Seppuku was an honorable way of committing suicide if one was disgraced.
55. The best-known writer during the Heian period was Murasaki Shikibu, who
wrote The Tale of Genji.
56. The Fujiwara family was a wealthy family in Japan who exercised power in the
government by advising emperors.
Maya
57. Mesoamerica is the region extending from modern-day Mexico through Central
America.
58. The Olmecs were a tribe in the Americas who made big stone heads.
59. Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming technique in which vegetation is cut
away and burned to clear land for growing crops.
60. The Mayan calendar was based on the solar year.
61. One architectural achievement of the Mayans was the corbel vault, based on a
narrow, triangle shaped arch.
Aztec
62. A mercenary is a soldier who is paid to fight for another country or group.
63. As ruler of the Aztecs, Montezuma was considered to be semi divine.
64. Maize is a type of corn that was the mainstay of the Aztec diet.
Inca
65. Machu Picchu is an Incan city that exists one and a half miles high on a
mountaintop in Peru.
66. An ayllu is a clan that was the basis of Incan society.
67. Young girls who were selected to study Inca religion were called Chosen
Women.
68. Inca priests practiced a type of brain surgery called trephination.
Renaissance
69. Humanism is a philosophy that balances religious faith with belief in the power
of the human mind.
70. A patron is a person who gives money to support the arts.
71. Venice is a city in Italy that is built on water.
72. Florentine statesman Niccolo Machiavelli wrote an account of politics and
government called The Prince.
73. That which is secular relates to earthly life, rather than to religion.
74. Nicolaus Copernicus theorized that the sun was the center of the universe.
75. William Shakespeare was a renowned poet and playwright whose writings
strongly influenced the English language.
76. Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, scientist, and inventor who embodied the spirit
of the Renaissance.
77. Isabella I united Spain under Catholic rule and encouraged exploration.
78. Elizabeth I strengthened England’s economy and ruled during it’s Golden Age.
Reformation
79. Protestants are Christians who broke away from the Catholic Church.
80. Indulgences are a grant by the Catholic Church that released a person from
punishment of sins.
81. Heresy is a belief that contradicts the official teachings of a religion or church.
82. Doctrine is the official teachings of a religion or church.
83. A religious grouping within a larger faith is called a denomination.
84. The Inquisition was a judicial body established by the Catholic Church to combat
heresy and other forms or religious error.
85. Nationalism is identification with, and devotion to, the interests of one’s nation.
86. The Puritans were Protestants who wanted to “purify” the Anglican Church of
Catholic elements.
87. A list of arguments, called the Ninety-Five Theses were written by a priest named
Martin Luther against indulgences and other church abuses.
88. Calvinism was based on salvation from grace and following strict rules on good
behavior.
89. Missionaries are people who work to spread a religion and gain converts.
Age of Exploration, Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment
90. The New World was the name given by Europeans to the Americas, which were
unknown in Europe before the voyages of Christopher Columbus.
91. Explorers sought a northwest passage through North America that would
connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
92. Ferdinand Magellan found this passage, or strait, along the coast of S. America
and his crew was the first to circumnavigate the globe.
93. The Scientific Revolution was a major shift in thinking between 1500 and 1700,
in which modern science emerged as a new way of gaining knowledge about the
natural world.
94. Rationalism is a belief in reason and logic as the primary source of knowledge.
95. Mary Wollstonecraft was an Enlightenment writer who supported education and
equal rights for women.
96. Thomas Hobbes’ philosophy on government was that only a ruler with absolute
authority could maintain order in society.
97. Capitalism is an economic system based on investment of money (capital) for
profit.
98. The separation of powers is the division of powers among separate branches of
government which was created by the Baron de Montesquieu.
99. Voltaire’s writings encouraged government by law, free speech, and religious
tolerance.
100. In John Locke’s writings, he favored a constitutional monarchy in which the
monarch’s powers are limited by a constitution.