Middle Ages Flashcards
Monastery
A religious community of monks who have given up their possessions to devote themselves to a life of prayer and worship.
Franks
Germanic people who settled in the roman province of Gaul. Established a great empire there.
Lord
In charge of a manor
a person who controlled land and could therefore grant Estates to vassals.
Fief
An estate granted to a vassal by a lord under the feudal system
Vassal
A person who received a grant of land from the Lord in exchange for a pledge of loyalty and services
Knight
An armored warrior who fought on horseback
Serf
A medieval peasant legally bound to live on a Lord’s estate
Manor
A Lord’s estate in feudal Europe
Tithe
A family’s payment of 10% of it’s income to a church
Feudalism
A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land
Middle Ages
The era in European history that followed the fall of the Roman empire, aka the medieval period.
Carolingian dynasty
The Family that ruled the Franks from 751 to 987
St. Benedict
An Italian monk, wrote a book describing a strict yet practical set of rules for monasteries
Scandinavia
A wintery, wooded region in northern Europe. Where the Vikings are from. Now consists of Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
Chivalry
A code of behavior for knights in medieval Europe, stressing ideals such as courage, loyalty, and devotion.
Troubadour
A medieval poet and musician who traveled from place to place, entertaining people with songs of country love.
Tournament
A mock battle between groups of knights
Epic Poems
Poems that recounted a heroes deeds and adventures.
Trebuchet
A machine used in siege warfare for hurling large stones or other missiles.
Siege
A military operation in which the enemy forces surround the castle cutting off the essential supplies, compelling the surrender of those inside.
Viking
Seafaring pirates and traders who rated and settled in many parts of Northwest Europe
Tortoise
Sheltered soldiers from falling arrows.
Battering Ram
Swung like a pendulum to crack Castlewalls or to knock down drawbridges
Illuminated manuscript
The giant fancy letter at the beginning of a page.
Reliquary Box
A box used for relics. The popes remains were sometimes buried in it.
Book of Hours
A book filled with prayers and psalms, had the canonical hours of the day.
Clergy
A body of officials who perform religious services.
Sacrament
One of the Christian ceremonies in which God’s grace is transmitted to people
Holy Roman Empire
An empire established in Europe in the 10th century A.D., originally consisting mainly in lands of what is now Germany and Italy.
Lay investiture
The appointment of religious officials by Kings or Nobles
Canon law
The body of laws governing the religious practices of a Christian church
Tithe
A family’s payment of one tenth of it’s income to a church
Secular
Concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters
Treaty of Verdun
Divided Charlemagne’s empire between his three sons after he died.
Holy Grail
Was said to be the cup used at the last supper of Jesus Christ.
Guinevere
Arthur’s beloved wife that goes and has an affair with Lancelot.
Camelot
King Arthur’s kingdom
King Arthur
Main protagonists of Arthurian tales.
Charlemagne
Charles the great, built an empire greater then any known since the Roman times.
