MEDIEVAL HISTORY VOCABULARY FOR CHAPTER 6
A NEW AGE IN EUROPE
Renaissance: the period of the rebirth of learning in Europe between about 1300 and 1600
humanism: a system of thought that focuses on the nature, ideals, and achievements of human
beings, rather than on the divine
Reformation: the effort to change or reform the Roman Catholic Church, which led to the
establishment of Protestant churches
Protestant: referring to Christian religions that grew out of the Reformation
Age of Exploration: the period of European exploration overseas from about 1400 to 1600
Cape of Good Hope: the southern tip of Africa
Northwest Passage: a sea route through North America
Strait of Magellan: a waterway near the southern tip of South America
circumnavigate: to sail or fly completely around something, such as earth
divine right of kings: the belief that the authority of kings comes directly from God
absolute monarch: a king or queen with complete authority over the government and people in
a kingdom
Versailles: the palace built for the French king Louis XIV
Elizabethan Age: a golden age of English history when Elizabeth I was queen, 1558-1603
tsar: the Russian emperor
conquistador: a Spanish conqueror in the Americas
Hernan Cortes: the Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztecs
encomienda: a system in which the Spanish king gave Spanish settlers the right to the labor of
the Native Americans who lived in a particular area
Francisco Pizarro: the Spanish conquistador who conquered the Incas