middle ages Flashcards
middle ages
lasted from 500 to 1500 the period in europe between the fall of the roman empire and the beginning of the Renaissance during this time Europe was divided into many small kingdoms.
Fief
a large area of land that a lord gave to a less wealthy joble who was known as a vassal
Lord
any nobleman member of high ranking class or church official who owned a fief and allowed a person to use part of it usually for agriculture in return for services
Vassal
any individual who agreed to use a portion of a lords land and gave loyalty to the lord vassals could tax the peasents on the land and keep the proceeds vassals also recieved a portion of the crops that the peasents produced
Feudalism
the way society was organized in western europe during the middle ages
monarch
a king or ruler during medieval times monarchs owned land and gave fiefs to nobles in exchange for loyalty
Nobles
high ranking members of Medieval society such as dukes and barons and church officials; the nobility spent much of their time trying to gain new lands or defending their land against the attacks of enemies
Knights
a warrior who wore protective armor during battles; knights were vassals, which meant that in exchange for their service as fighters, they received land from the nobles they served; Knights usually fought on horseback with swords, axes, lances, and shields
Peasants
people who worked the land for their lord and had few rights; peasants often lived in crude huts, slept on straw, and ate simple food
Magna Carta
- a document written in 1215 that established certain rights of English citizens and institutions; the Magna Carta has 63 sections describing the rights of the church, landowners, tenants, merchants, and townspeople; it also sets limits on the actions of the king and other royal officials
