A guide to the language of history
History glossary
Understand the people, places and ideas behind the stories. Find a term, read its meaning, then explore it in context.
1–36 of 80 terms · C
Clear filterscadres
party officials or activists responsible for implementing policy, mobilizing people, and enforcing political campaigns.
Caliph
a successor-leader of the Muslim community after Muhammad.
Caliphate
a form of Islamic rule led by a caliph, a political and religious successor figure.
Canals
human-made channels that move water for farming, transport, drainage, or urban supply.
Canton System
the Qing system that restricted most Western maritime trade to Canton.
Capetian
the French royal dynasty descended from Hugh Capet, whose direct male line failed in 1328.
Capitalism
an economic system based on private ownership, wage labor, markets, investment, and profit.
caravel
a small, maneuverable sailing ship used by Portuguese and Spanish explorers in long-distance Atlantic voyages.
Carnelian
a reddish-orange semi-precious stone used for beads and ornaments.
Carolingian
relating to the Frankish dynasty of Charlemagne and his successors.
Carolingian Renaissance
a revival of learning, manuscript copying, church reform and Latin education under Charlemagne and his successors.
Carthaginian
belonging to Carthage, the North African city-state that became Rome's great rival.
cartography
the making and use of maps to understand, claim, or navigate space.
castle
a fortified residence and military site used to project lordly or royal power.
Cathars
a medieval Christian movement in southern France condemned by the Catholic Church as heretical.
Catholic Church
the western Christian church led by the pope in Rome.
Catholicism
the branch of western Christianity led by the pope and centred on the Roman Catholic Church.
Celtic
a broad label for related Iron Age peoples, languages, and cultures across parts of Europe.
Celts
diverse ancient and medieval peoples linked by related languages, art styles, and cultural traditions.
Central Powers
the First World War alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.
Cheka
the early Soviet secret police founded in December 1917 to defend Bolshevik rule.
Chernobyl
the 1986 nuclear disaster that exposed Soviet secrecy, mismanagement, and official distrust.
Chetniks
royalist Serbian fighters in occupied Yugoslavia who opposed both Axis forces and Tito's communist Partisans.
Chinese Civil War
the conflict between Chinese Communists and Nationalists that ended with Communist victory on the mainland in 1949.
Chinese Communist Party
The revolutionary party founded in 1921 that won the mainland civil war and founded the People’s Republic of China.
Choshu
a powerful western Japanese domain that became a centre of anti-shogunal resistance.
Christianity
a religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
Christianization
the spread or adoption of Christianity by individuals, rulers, or societies.
Chu-Han struggle
the civil war between Liu Bang of Han and Xiang Yu of Chu after the Qin collapse.
Church of England
England's national Protestant church, created during the English Reformation.
CIA
the U.S. foreign intelligence agency involved in reconnaissance, analysis and covert action during the Cold War.
citizenship
membership in a political community with recognized rights, duties, and identity.
City-state
an independent city that controls its surrounding land like a small country.
civil disobedience
deliberately breaking an unjust law or rule as a form of political protest.
civil rights
rights that allow people to participate in public life on equal terms.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
the national law banning major forms of discrimination in public services and employment.
