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.
361–396 of 797 terms
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.
Magadha
the eastern Ganges kingdom that became the core of Nanda and Mauryan power.
Magna Carta
the 1215 charter that forced King John to acknowledge limits on royal power under law.
Magyars
a mounted people from the Eurasian steppe whose raids shook central and western Europe before the kingdom of Hungary formed.
Mamluks
a military elite and sultanate that ruled Egypt and Syria and ended the main crusader presence in the Levant.
Mandate of Heaven
the Zhou idea that Heaven grants rulers power only while they govern justly.
mandate system
the League of Nations system that assigned former German and Ottoman territories to victorious powers.
Manor
a medieval landed estate where peasants worked fields under a lord's authority.
manorialism
the local estate system that organized much medieval farming, dues, and lordly authority.
Mansa
A royal title used by rulers of the Mali Empire.
Mansabdari system
the Mughal ranking system that tied elite status, pay and military obligation to imperial service.
Marathas
a western Indian power whose resistance and expansion challenged late Mughal authority.
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
the July 1937 clash near Beijing that escalated into full-scale war between Japan and China.
Marduk
the patron god of Babylon, treated by Babylonians as king of the gods.
market reforms
policy changes that expand market incentives, private enterprise, trade, or foreign investment.
Marshall Plan
the American programme of economic aid used to rebuild Western Europe after the Second World War and strengthen it against communist influence.
martial law
A system of exceptional military authority that restricts ordinary civil rights and political activity.
Martyr
a witness who suffers or dies for their faith or cause.
Marxists
people or movements influenced by Karl Marx's ideas about class, capitalism, and socialism.
Mature Harappan
the main urban phase of the Indus Valley civilisation, when its largest cities and shared systems flourished.
Maurya Empire
the ancient Indian empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya that united much of the subcontinent.
Median
relating to Media or the Medes, whose kingdom shaped Persia before Cyrus' rise.
Meiji Restoration
the 1868 political transformation that overthrew Tokugawa rule and centralised power in the emperor's name.
Mein Kampf
Hitler's autobiographical and ideological book, dictated after the failed Beer Hall Putsch.
