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.
37–72 of 92 terms · T
Clear filtersthe Jacobins
a revolutionary political club and network associated with radical republican politics.
the Medes
an Iranian people whose power preceded and then became part of the early Persian Empire.
the Meiji
the reign and reform era associated with Emperor Meiji, lasting from 1868 to 1912.
the Napoleonic Code
Napoleon's civil law code that standardized property, contract, family, and legal equality rules across France.
the Opium Wars
two nineteenth-century wars in which Western powers forced Qing China into wider trade and diplomatic concessions.
the plague
a severe infectious disease outbreak, used here for the epidemic disease behind the Black Death.
the Punic Wars
the three wars fought by Rome and Carthage between 264 and 146 BCE.
the Satsuma Rebellion
the 1877 former-samurai revolt defeated by the Meiji conscript army.
The Second Opium War
the 1856-1860 conflict in which Britain and France forced Qing China into deeper treaty concessions.
the Second Punic War
the war of Hannibal's invasion of Italy and Scipio's victory at Zama, fought from 218 to 201 BCE.
the six states
the six major Warring States that Qin conquered: Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan and Qi.
The Taiping Rebellion
a massive mid-nineteenth-century civil war that devastated Qing China during the same era as the Second Opium War.
The Tennis Court Oath
the June 1789 oath by deputies not to separate until France had a written constitution.
the Terror
the radical phase of the French Revolution marked by emergency government and political executions.
the Thaw
the limited loosening of Soviet repression and censorship after Stalin's death, especially under Nikita Khrushchev.
The Thermidorians
the deputies and politicians who overthrew Robespierre and steered the post-Terror reaction.
the Third Coalition
the 1805 alliance against Napoleon, led on land by Austria and Russia with Britain as a major opponent of France.
the Third Punic War
the final war between Rome and Carthage, ending with Carthage's destruction in 146 BCE.
The Tlaxcalans
the people of Tlaxcala, an independent confederacy that became a decisive ally of Cortes against Tenochtitlan.
the Tokugawa shogunate
the warrior government that ruled Japan from Edo from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration.
The Treaty of Bretigny
the 1360 settlement that granted England major territories in France but failed to create lasting peace.
the Treaty of Kanagawa
the 1854 agreement that opened limited Japanese ports to American vessels.
the Treaty of Nanking
the 1842 treaty that ended the First Opium War and opened the first treaty-port system.
the Treaty of Portsmouth
the 1905 treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War.
The Treaty of Troyes
the 1420 treaty that recognised Henry V as heir to the French throne and disinherited the Dauphin Charles.
theological
relating to the study or argument about God, belief, and doctrine.
Third Crusade
the 1189-1192 campaign led by major European monarchs after Saladin captured Jerusalem.
Third Dynasty of Ur
a Sumerian-led kingdom based at Ur that reunited much of Mesopotamia after the Akkadian collapse.
Third Estate
the estate that represented commoners in old-regime France, from peasants and workers to merchants and lawyers.
Third Plenum
the December 1978 party meeting that shifted China's priority toward reform and economic development.
Thor
a major Norse god associated with thunder, protection, strength, and the hammer Mjolnir.
Three Kingdoms era
the period after the Han collapse when Wei, Shu Han, and Wu competed for legitimacy and control.
Tiananmen Square
the central Beijing square where 1989 protests became a national crisis before military suppression.
Tigris
one of Mesopotamia's two great rivers, flowing through modern Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.
Tokugawa order
the political and social order of Tokugawa Japan before the Meiji Restoration.
Totalitarianism
a form of rule where the state tries to control politics, society, culture, information, and private life.
