Vocabulary terms for the Middle Ages

1. Middle Ages Vocabulary
1. Eurasia- the large landmassthat includesEurope andAsia
2. Topography- referstothe shape and elevationof aregion
3. Middle Ages- a periodthatlastsFROMABOUT 500-1500
4. Medieval - pertainingto,characteristicof,or inthe style of the Middle Ages;anothername forthe Middle Ages
5. Manor - (inEngland) a large estate ownedbya knightorlord
6. Manorialism - an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated
in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe,
and wasslowlyreplacedbythe advent of amoney-basedmarketeconomy
7. Liege- a feudal lordentitledtoallegiance and servicefeudalvassal orsubject
8. Vassals- Lords/nobles of kingsandqueens
9. Chivalry- the code of honorable behaviorforknights
10. Serf- a personin a condition of servitude, required to render services to a lord, commonly attached to the lord's land
and transferredwithitfromone ownertoanother Tiedto the land
11. Tithe- to give or paya tithe,ortenthof, to the church (produce,money, etc)
12. Monastery- a house or place of residence occupied by a community of monks living in seclusion under religious
vows
13. Convent- place where the nunslivedinthe CatholicChurch
14. Epidemic- a disease thatiswidelyspread
15. Monks- religiousmenwholivedapartfromsocietyinisolatedcommunities
16. Benedict- createdthe Benedictine Ruleinthe 500’s for monksto follow
17. Charlemagne- 700’s – a brilliantwarriorandstrongkingthat ledthe Franksin buildingahuge empire
18. Knights- warriorswhofoughton horse back
19. Feudalism- the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in
exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs)
were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in
exchange formilitaryprotection
20. Williamthe conqueror- defeatedthe Englandkinginthe Battle of Hastings
21. Eleanor of Aquitaine- French noblewoman who was one of the most famous people in the Middle Ages- became
Queenof England
22. Haiku- short,three linedpoemsof 17 syllablesthatdescribednature scenes
23. Excommunicate- to cast out of the church
24. Pope Gregory VII- came to powerin 1073- he disapprovedof the bishop,EmperorHenryVII
25. Emperor Henry VI- bishopchosenbythe Holy RomanEmpire in 1073- thisangeredPope GregoryVII
26. Crusades- longseriesof warsbetweenChristiansandMuslimsinSouthwestAsia
27. Holy Land- currentPalestine
28. Pope Urban II- calledonChristiansfromEurope toretake the holylandfromMuslimTurks
29. King Richard I- foughtagainstSaladin inthe Third Crusade- Jerusalemendedupinthe Muslim’shands
30. Clergy- church officials
31. Religiousorder- a group of people who dedicatedtheirlivestoreligionandfollow commonrules
32. Francis of Assisi- son of an Italian merchant- as a young man he gave all of his money and possessions away and left
hisfather’shouse- livedasimple life preaching
33. Friars- monksthatwantedto live insocietyandspreadthe word
34. Thomas Aquinas- philosopher/ professor at the University of Paris- argued that rational thoughts could be used to
explainChristianbeliefsHe wrote anargumenttoprove the existence of God
35. Natural Law- Thomas Aquinascreatedthislaw- itsaidthatthislaw governshow the worldoperated
36. Magna Carta- the documentlistingthe kingcouldnotignore people’srights/itlimitedtheirrights
37. Parliament- Law makingbodyinEurope
38. Hundred Year’sWar- longconflictbetweenEnglandandFrance
39. Joan of Arc- teenage peasantgirl whoralliedthe Frenchtroopsduringthe hundredYear’sWar
40. Black Death/Bubonic plague- deadlyplague thatspreadthroughEurope between 1347-1351
41. Heresy- religiousideasthat opposed acceptedchurchteachings

2. 42. Reconquista- Christiansefforttotake Spainbackfromthe Moors
43. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella- ruled Spain together- brought an end to Reconquista- they led the Spanish
inquisition
44. Spanish Inquisition- organization of persist that looked for and punished anyone in Spain suspected of secretly
practicingoldreligion
45. Indulgences- Roman Catholic Church a partial remission of the temporal punishment, especially purgatorial
atonement,thatisstill due fora sinor sinsafterabsolution