The Middle Ages Flashcards
Feudal system
The order of importance for medieval people.
Middle Ages/medieval period
The time after the fall of the Roman Empire
Demesne
The land the king/lord used for his own purposes?
Vassals
They were the kings followers. They had titles such as lord, earl, count, bishop or abbey.
Knights
Knights rode into battle on horseback and fought for their lord.
Serf
A peasant who was tied to the lord and his land.
Freeman
A peasant who was not tied to anything, and could go where he wants.
Manor
The large house where a lord would live.
Tithe
The taxes paid to the church.
Commons
The commons were where the peasants animals all grazed together.
Open-field system
This was a method where the land was split in two. One half was the commons, and crops were grown in the other half. Each field was divided into strips. Each peasant family had a strip.
Fallow
When the soil was resting
Crop rotation
This was the method of growing crops used by the medieval people.
One year they would grow wheat and barley, the next oats, and the next year the field would be fallow.
Pottage
A food eaten by the medieval peasants. It was made of vegetable soup with porridge.
Bailiff
The man that The Lord put in charge of law and order.
