Download KS3 Year 7 Key Words - Aylsham High School

History Department
Key Words
Abbey- a large monastery
AD- stands for Anno Domini which means ‘in
the year of the Lord’. It is used for the dates
after the birth of Christ
Agricultural- things to do with farming
Anglo-Saxons- Invaders from Germany who
ruled from about 500 to 1066
Archbishop- a powerful church leader
Archers- members of the army who used long
bows/cross bows to fire arrows at the enemy
Bailey- A large courtyard surrounded by a
fence, part of a castle
Baron- a powerful lord who was granted land
by the king (see Feudal System)
Battle- a single fight between two or more
armies, it could last from a few hours to
several days
BC- Before Christ; BC years are counted
backwards from the birth of Christ, so 200BC
came before 100BC
Bubonic- One of the two types of plague in
the Black Death
Cavalry- a section of an army on horseback
usually leads the charge in a battle
Census- an official count of the population as
a country
Charter- a written agreement or set of
promises
Chivalry- a special code of behaviour for
knights
Chronological order- the order in which
events happened, starting with the earliest
Church Court- A court usually for priests,
which gave lighter sentences
Church- This can mean one building or an
entire Christian community, such as the
Roman Catholic Church
Civil War- war that takes place within a
country between two different groups
Clergy- all the people appointed to do
religious duties e.g. priests, monks, nuns
House of Commons- representatives of
ordinary people in Parliament
Concentric Castle- A type of medieval castle
with rounded towers and different height
walls, it was easier to defend
Key Stage 3: Year 7
Constable- a man in charge ofa group of
watchmen, whose job was keeping law and
order in a town or village
Continuity- the unbroken and consistent
existence of something over time
Disbanded- broken up as a group
Disease- illness or sickness, usually caused by
infection
Dowry- money or gifts given to a husband by
his wife’s family after marriage
Earl- a powerful noble man
Evidence- information that helps a person to
form an opinion
Excommunicated- this is when someone is
banned from going to church or being a part
of the Christian religion- a terrible punishment
usually given by the Pope, in the Middle Ages
as it meant you would go to hell when you
died.
Feudal system- a system of dividing up the
land; men received land in return for offering
to fight for their lord or king
Flagellants- People who whipped themselves
in order to ask God for forgiveness for their
sins
Freeman- a person who is free from his duties
to his lord
Fyrd- King Harold’s ordinary/part-time
soldiers
Heir- the next in line to the throne
Homage- a promise of loyalty to the king
Housecarl- King Harold’s best professional
soldiers
Industrial Revolution- the time of great
change when people began to make goods in
factories using machines
Infer- to suggest
Interpretation- explaining the meaning of
something
Intolerance- lack of respect for people who
are different in some way
Invade- to bring an army into a country to try
and control it
Isolated- left in a dangerous position without
enough help
History Department
Key Words
Jury- a group of people who decide of a
person is guilty or innocent of a crime
Keep- The strongest part of a castle
Knights- men who promised to fight for their
lord
Lance- a weapon; a long spear usually tipped
with steel
Latin- an ancient Roman language, still
popular in the Middle Ages
Leeches- blood-sucking creatures (they look
like slugs) used in medieval medicine
Looting- stealing
Loyalty- faithfulness; if a person promised
loyalty, they promised to support someone
Manufacturer- a factory owner or someone
who produces goods
Manuscripts- Books written by hand by
monks
Massacred- A large number of people killed
Medieval / Middle Ages- a period of time,
usually from around AD 1000-1500
Monarch- the King or Queen
Monastery- A building where monks live
Monk- a man who has dedicated his life to
worshipping God
Motte- a large mound of earth on which a
keep of a castle is usually built
Negotiate- to discuss until you reach an
agreement
Norman- a man from Normandy, Northern
France
Ordeal- a medieval way of finding out if a
person was guilty of a crime or not
Pardons- special letters that forgive a person
for a crime
Parliament- the body of Lords and Commons
set up to rule the country with the king
Patriotic- Loyal to your own country
Pilgrim- a person who makes a journey to a
Holy place
Pilgrimage- a religious journey
Pneumonic- one of the two types of plague in
the Black Death, it affected the lungs
Key Stage 3: Year 7
Poll tax- a tax that everyone pays; people all
paid the same amount no matter what they
could afford
Pope- the head/leader of the Catholic Church
Reign- a period of time that a king rules the
country for
Retreating- an army that is retreating is going
back because they realise they cannot win the
battle
Revolt- another word for rebellion or uprising
Saint- a person who, after they have died, is
considered by the Church to be especially
good
Sanctuary- a safe place, such as a church
Shield wall- a long line of shields linked
together in battle
Shrine- a Holy place visited by pilgrims, often
the tomb of a saint
Significant- important
Sinner- someone who does something against
the laws of the Church
Source- a piece of evidence
Spears- long pointed weapons
Treason- to do something against the
monarch such as try and take over or kill them
Tudor Rose- the emblem (symbol) created by
Henry Tudor (Henry VII) that is a mixture of
the white York rose and the red Lancaster
rose
Vikings- invaders from Denmark, Sweden or
Norway
Villein- a peasant
War- a state of ongoing conflict between
different countries or different groups within
a country; it is made up of many battles and
can last for years.
Witan- before the Normans arrived in
England, this was a group of the most
important bishops and earls who advised the
king
Workhouse- a place where poor people were
forced to live and work if they wanted to be
given food, clothing and shelter