Chapter 7 Section 2 Flashcards
Feudalism
A loosely organized system of government in which powerful local lords divided their landholdings among lesser lords.
Vassal
The lesser lords that pledged service and loyalty to the greater lord in exchange for land.
Feudal Contract
An exchange of pledges in which a powerful lord grants his vassal a fief, or estate.
Knight
A European noble who served as a mounted warrior.
Fief
Granted by a powerful lord to a vassal in exchange for service and loyalty. Included peasants to work the land, as well as any towns or buildings on it.
Tournament
A mock battle in which knights would compete against one another to display their fighting skills.
Chivalry
A code of conduct for knights during the Middle Ages.
Troubadour
A wandering poet or singer of medieval Europe.
Manor
A lord’s estate which included one or more villages and the surrounding lands.
Serf
A peasant bound to the lord’s land.
Siege
A way to capture a castle. The enemies would surround the castle and wait until the defenders’ food ran out and they had to surrender. The soldiers could also attack.
Motte and Bailey
An early type of castle developed in the 800s. A keep, or tower was built on a hill called a motte. A wooden bridge connected the motte to the bailey, a courtyard surrounded by a fence.
Catapult
A type of catapult called a trebuchet could hurl stones weighing 600 pounds as far as 1,000 feet.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
She expanded the usual role of medieval women. She was a leading force in European politics for more than 50 years and she even ruled for her son when he was away for the Crusades.
