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 92 terms · T
Clear filtersTaliban
the Islamist movement that ruled Afghanistan before 2001 and returned to power in 2021.
tariffs
taxes on imported or exported goods, often used to shape trade and state revenue.
Tatars
a steppe confederation that rivalled Temujin before being defeated during Mongol unification.
Tenochtitlan
the island capital of the Aztec Empire, located where central Mexico City stands today.
Tepanec
a Nahua people whose city of Azcapotzalco dominated the Valley of Mexico before the rise of the Aztec Empire.
terrorism
political violence aimed at civilians or symbolic targets to create fear and pressure governments.
Tet Offensive
the 1968 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attacks across South Vietnam that transformed perceptions of the Vietnam War.
Tetrarchy
Diocletian's system of four rulers sharing imperial authority across different regions.
The Act of Supremacy
the 1559 statute that restored royal authority over the Church of England under Elizabeth I.
The Act of Uniformity
the 1559 statute that required use of a common form of Protestant worship in England.
The Babington Plot
the 1586 Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth I and place Mary Queen of Scots on the throne.
the Barcid family
the Carthaginian family and faction around Hamilcar Barca and his successors in Iberia.
the Behistun Inscription
Darius I's monumental inscription explaining his seizure of power and defeat of revolts.
The Black Death
the devastating plague pandemic that swept Europe from 1347 and killed a large share of the population.
the Blitz
Germany’s sustained bombing campaign against London and other British cities from 1940 to 1941.
the Boshin War
the 1868-1869 civil war that ended Tokugawa military rule.
the Century of Humiliation
a Chinese historical memory of the era when foreign powers and internal weakness reduced China's sovereignty.
The Confederacy
the common name for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.
the Congress of Vienna
the diplomatic conference that reshaped Europe after Napoleon's defeat.
the Consulate
the government Napoleon established after 18 Brumaire, with himself as First Consul.
the Continental System
Napoleon's continent-wide attempt to block British trade after 1806.
The Convention of Peking
the 1860 settlement that confirmed and expanded foreign concessions after the Second Opium War.
The Cyrus Cylinder
a Babylonian royal inscription presenting Cyrus as a restorer after his conquest of Babylon.
the Directory
the five-person executive government that ruled France from 1795 until Napoleon's coup.
the emperor
Japan's sovereign institution, used by Meiji leaders as the central symbol of national authority.
The Essex Rebellion
the failed 1601 uprising led by Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, against Elizabeth I's government.
the First Opium War
the war in which Britain defeated Qing China after Lin Zexu's suppression of opium at Canton.
the First Punic War
the first war between Rome and Carthage, fought mainly over Sicily from 264 to 241 BCE.
The first revelations
the first messages Muhammad is believed in Islamic tradition to have received from God.
the Five Wounds of Christ
a Catholic devotional symbol referring to Christ's wounds from the crucifixion.
the Grande Armée
Napoleon's main field army, especially the large multinational force used in major campaigns.
The Great Heathen Army
a large Viking army that invaded Anglo-Saxon England in 865 and turned raiding into sustained conquest and settlement.
The Great Terror
Stalin's campaign of arrests, show trials, torture, and executions across the Soviet Union from 1936 to 1938.
the Harrying of the North
William I's brutal 1069-70 campaign of devastation against rebellion in northern England.
the Holy Roman Empire
a loose central European imperial structure that lasted for centuries before its dissolution in 1806.
the Hundred Days
Napoleon's brief return to power in 1815 between exile on Elba and defeat after Waterloo.
