Middle ages Flashcards
Middle Ages
lasted from about 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 noble, who was known as a vassal
Lord
any nobleman, member of a 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
loyalty to the lord; vassals could tax the peasants on the land and keep the proceeds; vassals also received a portion of the crops that the peasants produced
Feudalism
the way society was organized in Western Europe during the Middle Ages; existed from the 800s to the 1400s; consisted of Kings, Nobles, Knights, and Peasants
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
