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.
1–19 of 19 terms · K
Clear filtersKalinga War
Ashoka's brutal conquest of Kalinga, remembered as the shock that changed his public language of rule.
Keraits
a powerful steppe confederation first allied with Temujin and later defeated by him.
KGB
the Soviet security and intelligence agency central to surveillance, repression, and state control.
Khanate
a state or territory ruled by a khan, especially in Mongol and Turkic political traditions.
Khazar Khaganate
a Turkic-led steppe empire that controlled key Volga and Caspian trade routes before Rus expansion weakened it.
Khazars
a Turkic-speaking people whose khaganate dominated steppe and river routes east of the Dnieper.
Khwarezmian Empire
a powerful Central Asian and Iranian empire destroyed by Genghis Khan after a diplomatic crisis.
Kievan Rus
a medieval state centered on Kyiv, linking Slavic, Norse, Byzantine, and steppe worlds.
Kim Dynasty
North Korea's ruling family line, beginning with Kim Il Sung and continuing through his descendants.
kingdom
a political realm ruled by a king or queen.
Kingship
the institution and ideas surrounding rule by a king.
Kish
an early Mesopotamian city near modern Tell al-Uhaymir in Iraq, often linked with early kingship.
Knight
a mounted warrior in medieval Europe, often tied to noble status, landholding, military service, and ideals of chivalry.
Korean War
the 1950-1953 war between North Korea and South Korea, involving China, the United States, and UN forces.
Kosovo crisis
the 1998–1999 conflict and humanitarian emergency in Kosovo that led to NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia.
Kristallnacht
the Nazi-organised pogrom of 9–10 November 1938 against Jews across Germany and Austria.
kulaks
a Soviet label for supposedly wealthier peasants targeted during collectivisation.
Kuomintang
The Chinese Nationalist Party, which led the Republic of China government and fought the Communists for national power.
Kwantung Army
the Japanese army command in Manchuria that seized increasing political initiative in the 1930s.
