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.
1–14 of 14 terms · V
Clear filtersVandal North Africa
the Vandal-ruled kingdom based around Carthage before Justinian's forces reconquered it in 533-534.
Vandals
a Germanic people who crossed into North Africa, captured Carthage, built a naval kingdom, and weakened the Western Roman Empire.
Varangians
Scandinavian-linked traders, warriors, and rulers active along the eastern European river routes.
Vassal
a person who owed loyalty and service to a lord in return for protection, status, or land.
vassalage
a personal bond in which a subordinate lord owed loyalty and service to a more powerful lord.
Viet Cong
the common name for communist-led insurgent forces fighting South Vietnam and the United States.
Viet Minh
the independence front led by Ho Chi Minh that fought Japanese occupation and French colonial rule.
Vietnam War
a Cold War conflict over Vietnam's reunification, involving North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the United States, and allies.
Viking
Scandinavian raiders, traders, settlers, and rulers active across Europe and the North Atlantic.
Vikings
Scandinavian raiders, traders, settlers, and rulers active across Europe and the North Atlantic in the early medieval period.
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
1798-1799 state resolutions opposing the Alien and Sedition Acts and asserting a states' rights theory of constitutional resistance.
Visigoths
a Gothic people who entered the Roman Empire, fought at Adrianople, sacked Rome in 410 CE, and later founded kingdoms in Gaul and Iberia.
voter registration
getting a person onto an official list so they can vote.
Voting Rights Act
the 1965 law strengthening national protection against racial discrimination in voting.
