Middle ages Flashcards
a covering of iron worn by knights for protection in battle
armor
a church official who oversaw the work of priests within their district
bishop
a high official of the catholic church who was appointed by the pope; when the pope died, a new leader of the church was chosen by a meeting of___
cardinals
people of the middle ages believed it represented gods rules and teachings; religion was so important during medieval times that the period was known as the “age of faith”
catholic church
where the lord and his knights lived; usually built on a cliff or hilltop in order to make it easier to defend during an attack
castle
qualities of a good knight, including bravery, politeness, respect for women, protection of the weak, and fairness to the enemy; french horsemen
chivalry
an official of the church, such as a priest, bishop of cardinal
clergyman
expeditions sent by the pope to capture the holy land from the muslim turks
crusades
a period of several hundred years during the early middle ages when fear and confusion spread among the people of western europe
dark age
a large piece of land owned by a lord during the middle ages; same as a manor
estate
the act of removing a person from membership in the church because of wrongful actions and or beliefs; you were not allowed into heaven
excommunication
arrangement between lord, vassal, and serf for ownership of land, military service, and protection during the middle ages
feudalism
land given by a lord to a vassal in return for military and other services
fief
holy man who travled from place to place helping the poor and teaching about god
friar
a serious crime of the middle ages in which a person held beliefs that the church felt were wrong; heretics were excommunicated
heresy
a court set up by the roman catholic church to investigate heresy and punish heresy
inquisition
clowns who appeared before a lord and tried to make him laugh with antics, tricks, and jokes
jesters
a contest between knights on horseback; armed with lances, the knights charged at each other in an attempt to knock their opponent of their horse
joust
a person who rules a country; during the early middle ages, they became powerful rulers of new nation-states
king
a man of honor who held a high military rank; only men who were trained in warfare and who showed good personal qualities were chosen by lords to be them; the code of chivalry had to be followed at all times
Knight
a well-to-do noble who owned an estate; they usually lived in a castle, gave land to vassals in return for military service, and used serfs to farm his land
Lord
a large piece of land owned by a lord during the Middle Ages; also called an estate
Manor
it began with the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in 476 and ended with the beginning of the Modern Period in the 1400’s; the main characteristics of the this period were the growth of feudalism and the strong influence of the Roman Catholic Church
Medieval Period
same as Medieval Period
Middle Ages
singers and musicians who entertained lords during the Middle Ages; they played harps, guitars, and flutes
Minstrels
a deep, wide, water-filled ditch that surrounded a castle and helped protect it from attack; people coming and going from the castle used a drawbridge to cross the moat
Moat
a building where monks lived; the head of the monastery was called an “abbot”
Monastery
a man who gave up all of his property and dedicated his life to serving God; they stayed in monasteries where they prayed, worked hard, and lived quiet, serious lives; they copied old Greek and Roman manuscripts, helped the poor and needy, and converted people to Christianity
Monk
a class of rich people; nobles or lords
Nobility
poor people who worked on manors; also called serfs
Peasants
the head of the Roman Catholic Church; chosen at a meeting of cardinals
Pope
a clergyman of the Christian church; in medieval times, almost every manor had them
Priest
poor people who worked for lords during the Middle Ages; they worked long hours, were poorly fed and clothed, and were not allowed to leave the manor
Serfs
a contest or joust between two knights or two groups of knights; they attracted large crowds
Tournaments
wandering minstrels who wrote poems that usually expressed love for a beautiful lady of noble birth; they also wrote about warfare and battle heroes
Troubadours
a noble who was given land by the lord in return for military assistance and other service to the lord
Vassal
