Medieval Vocabulary

Middle Ages

a time period ranging from 500 to 1500 CE

Medieval

related to the Middle Ages

Monk

a man who was dedicated to his religion and lived in an isolated community

Monastery

a community of monks

Missionary

someone who tries to convert others to a particular religion

Christendom

large community of Christians spread across the world

Charlemagne

Charlemagne leader of the Franks who united many European tribes in a single empire

Knight

soldiers who fought on horseback

Chivalry

the code of conduct in medieval Europe that showed the qualities expected of a knight, such as courage, honor, and courtesy

Fief

a plot of land estate granted by a lord to a vassal

Vassal

a person who is receiving something in exchange for loyalty and support. This could be a knight who received land in exchange for supporting a noble or a nobleman who received land from other noblemen in return for their services.

Feudalism

Feudalism a social system in which nobles governed land farmed by peasants

William the Conqueror

A French noble who conquered England in the Norman Invasion and spread the concept of feudalism

Manor

a large agricultural estate that was owned by a lord or knight

Serf

someone who lived and worked on a manor that could not leave without the lord’s permission, legally bound to the land

Guild

Guild associations formed by groups of specialized workers, workers practicing the same craft that joined together to protect their economic interests

Excommunicate

to remove someone from the church

Secular

nonreligious

Crusades

Crusades series of wars between Muslims and Christians over control of Palestine

Holy Land

land around Palestine that is significant to Jews, Christians, and Muslims

Clergy

church officials, people who are trained and ordained for religious services

Gothic

Gothic new building style of the Middle Ages that combined religious symbolism with engineering advances, usually used to build cathedrals

Natural Law

the belief from Thomas Aquinas that God created a law to govern how the world operated

Pilgrimage

journey undertaken to workshop at a religious place

Magna Carta

the Great Charter that required the King of England to respect certain rights of the people

Parliament

an assembly of representatives who make laws, a law-making group that was formed to advise the King of England and limit his power

Common law

a body of law that has developed from custom and from judges’ decisions rather than from laws passed by a lawmaking assembly

Hundred Years’ War

Hundred Years’ War a conflict between England and France about who should be king that lasted over 100 years

Black Death

a deadly plague that killed roughly 25 million Europeans between 1347 and 1351

Peasants’ Revolt

Peasants’ Revolt unsuccessful revolt by peasants against feudal lords in England in 1381

Reconquista

the process of the Christian kingdoms taking Spain back from the Moors

Inquisition

an organization of priests that punished anyone in Spain (and later Portugal) who was not Christian