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.
1–21 of 21 terms · L
Clear filtersLagash
a Sumerian city-state in southern Mesopotamia, near modern Tell al-Hiba in Iraq.
Lancastrian
connected with the royal house descended from John of Gaunt.
land redistribution
The transfer of land from existing owners to other cultivators; Communist campaigns combined social change and mobilisation with coercion and violence.
Lapis lazuli
a deep blue semi-precious stone traded across ancient Asia.
League of Nations
an international organization created after the First World War to prevent future wars.
Lebensraum
the Nazi idea of acquiring 'living space' in Eastern Europe through conquest, settlement, and racial displacement.
Legalism
a Chinese tradition of statecraft that emphasised clear laws, central authority, rewards, punishments and administrative control.
Legalist
relating to Legalism, especially policies built around law, reward, punishment and centralised state power.
legitimacy
the accepted right of a ruler, law, or institution to exercise authority.
levée en masse
the mass mobilisation decree that called French citizens into national service in 1793.
Lex Hortensia
the 287 BCE Roman law that made decisions of the Plebeian Council binding on all citizens.
liberal
in this story, a political tradition emphasizing constitutional government, rights, markets, and international rules rather than one political party label.
liberation
the freeing of occupied territory or oppressed people from hostile control.
Libyan
relating to peoples and ruling groups from the western desert and Libya who became influential in later Egypt.
Limited Test Ban Treaty
the 1963 treaty that banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater and in space.
literacy tests
reading or interpretation tests used to obstruct voter registration.
Lombard
a Germanic people and kingdom that ruled much of Italy before Charlemagne conquered them in 774.
Lombards
a Germanic people who entered Italy in 568 CE and helped create a long-lasting pattern of political fragmentation.
Longshan
a late Neolithic culture of northern China marked by walled settlements, social hierarchy, and fine black pottery.
Louisiana Purchase
the 1803 U.S. purchase of Louisiana from France, doubling the size of the country.
Luftwaffe
Nazi Germany’s air force, commanded by Hermann Goering during the Battle of Britain.
