Key terms

• Renaissance


  A historical period that originated in Italy in the 14th century, known for the revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning
• Feudalism


  A system of land ownership where a King or lord granted land to peasants in exchange for labour
• Hierarchy


  A system where people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or rank
• Mortality


  Death, especially on a large scale
• Nobility


  A person in the upper ruling in class in society, usually because of money, power, or family connections
• Humanism


  A system of belief that is centred around humans, their welfare, and their individual values
• City-state


  A city that has its own independent government and can make its own political decisions, like Italian city-states in the Renaissance (Genoa, Florence, Venice)
• Urbanization


  The process of making an area more like a city
• Capitalism


  An economic system where individuals own businesses and can make a profit
• Democracy


  A system of government where citizens have the right to vote for their political leaders and have a voice in government decision making
• Ethnocentrism


  Belief that one's own culture is superior to all others
• Secular


  Something that is non-religious
• Quality of life


  The sense of safety, comfort, health, and happiness that a person has in their life
• Imperialism


  A policy of extending a country's power and influence through negotiations or military force
• Heresy


  A belief or opinion that goes against what is taught by an organized religion
• Cortes


  The Spanish parliament, a group of nobles who were selected by the King to form the government
• Nahuatl


  The language of the Aztec people
• Tenochtitlan


  The capital city of the Aztec empire, located on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco
• Oral tradition


  Traditional knowledge that is passed on through stories from elders to younger generations
• Conquistador


  Soldiers and explorers for the Spanish empire in the 16th century
• Militarism


  The belief that a country should maintain a strong military and use it to advance its national interests
• Tribute


  Money or goods paid to a government on a regular basis, used by the Aztec to collect goods and people for human sacrifice from their conquered territories
• Colonialism


  A political system where a powerful country takes over other smaller countries to take advantage of their natural resources
• Slavery


  When a person, and/or their labour, is owned by another person
• Omen


  A sign that is thought to fortell the future, often signifying change
• Alliance


  A relationship or union based on a common goal and mutual benefit
• Massacre


  A deliberately violent murder of a large number of people
• Adaptation


  The process of change by which people can become better suited to changes in their living conditions
• Mestizo


  A person of mixed heritage
• daimyo


  Feudal landlord of a region in Japan
• isolation


  Being alone and having no relationships, for a country it means that you do not have alliances or trade with any nations
• archipelago


  A group of islands that are close together
• Shogun


  The leader of the military government in Japan who held the most power over the country (even more than the emperor)
• samurai


  A member of the nobility in Japan, often a soldier that worked for a daimyo
• assimilate


  To be absorbed into a larger group, often by giving up unique aspects of identity
• sovereignty


  The freedom of a country or political unit to be independent and govern itself without outside control
• coup


  A sudden and violent overthrow of a government
• representative government


  A government system where citizens elect people to represent them and make decisions
• modernization


  To become modern
• Emperor


  A leader of a country, had less real power than the Shogun until the Meiji period when the Emperor took back the power