| A | B |
|---|
| Renaissance | great period of "rebirth" in art |
| Henry VIII | King of England; rejected the Catholic Church and formed the Church of England; father of Elizabeth I |
| Elizabeth I | Queen who ruled England for 44 years after the death of her father |
| William Shakespeare | English dramatist and poet; considered one of the greatest writers in the English language; wrote "Julius Caesar" and "Romeo and Juliet" |
| Johan Gutenberg | created a printing press with movable type; this invention made books easier to buy and sell |
| Leonardo Da Vinci | Italian Renaissance artist who painted "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa"; he was also an engineer |
| Indulgence | release from the punishment for a sin; often offered in exchange for money by Catholic priests |
| Martin Luther | a German monk who became one of the most famous critics of the Catholic Church and selling indulgences |
| 95 Theses | Martin Luther's ideas that he posted on a church door which questioned the Catholic Church |
| Reformation | a religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches |
| Middle Ages | the period between the Fall of the Roman Empire and 1500 A.D. |
| Feudalism | a political and social system that developed during the Middle Ages; nobles offered protection and land in return for service |
| Lord | a powerful landowner |
| Vassal | a noble who swore to serve |
| Serf | a person who lived and worked on the manor of a lord or vassal |
| Manor | a large estate |
| Qin Shihuangdi | ruler of China who united China for the first time; built road and canals and began the Great Wall of China; ordered the construction of the Terra Cotta Soldiers; also imposed a standard system of laws |
| Hinduism | a religion and philosophy developed in ancient India |
| Reincarnation | the rebirth of the soul or spirit in different bodies over time |
| Caste | a hereditary social class among Hindus; still used in India today |
| Karma | in Hindu belief |
| Buddhism | religion that grew out of Hinduism; teaches that the way to find enlightenment is to give up all desires; created by Siddhartha (the Buddha) |
| Enlightenment | a state of perfect wisdom in which one understands basic truths about the universe |
| Eightfold Path | a set of guidelines in Buddhism for how to escape suffering and achieve enlightenment |
| Asoka | Indian emperor who converted to Buddhism after witnessing the horrors of war; broadcast his beliefs on inscribed stones and pillars |
| Ghana | the first West African kingdom based on the gold and salt trade |
| Sundiata | Mali's first great leader |
| Islam | the religious faith of Muslims |
| Jesus Christ | prophet of Christianity |
| Abrahamic Religions | religions that originated from the story of Abraham; includes Christianity |
