Unit 6: Medieval-Renaissance Europe Flashcards
Feudalism Definition
a political, military, and social system based on landownership in which workers do agricultural labor for the landowner in exchange for a portion of their crops and the landowner provides military protection
Holy Roman Empire Definition
an empire that originated in Germany under Charlemagne (800 CE) and extended loosely throughout Western Europe into France, named as a reference to the past power of the Roman Empire and the unifying force of the Catholic Church
Knight Definition
an appointed soldier on horseback who served a lord on a manor during the Middle Ages; a warrior of noble birth who pledged loyalty to their lord
Low Countries Definition
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg in coastal northwestern Europe
Manorialism Definition
a political system in which peasant farmers depended on the land and protection of a lord (manorial system); an economic system that describes how peasants create and produce products that keep manors self-sufficient
Medieval Definition
relating to the Middle Ages in Europe
Middle Ages Definition
a period from the fifth to fifteenth centuries in Europe, from the fall of the Roman Empire through the Renaissance; a period in European history that lasted from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century to the Renaissance, or the voyages of Christopher Columbus, in the fifteenth century
Postclassical Definition
period of time in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, from about 500 CE to 1500 CE
Roman Empire Definition
the large centralized government controlled by an emperor in Rome that included the Mediterranean region, northern Africa, and Western Asia
Serf Definition
a peasant farmworker under the feudal system in Europe
Three-field System Definition
a crop rotation cycle in which fields are planted with different crops every year for a period of three years and one of those years is left fallow (without planting)
Vassal Definition
an individual who was appointed to serve a lord as a soldier during the Middle Ages; a medieval landowner who swears loyalty in exchange for a fief
Vikings Definition
northern European seafaring people who raided, traded, and traveled throughout different parts of Europe from the eighth to the eleventh centuries
Fief Definition
a piece of property designated by a lord or vassal for a serf to use to support themselves in exchange for service or obligation to the lord or vassal; an estate owned by a lord
Lord Definition
a feudal superior, especially the proprietor of a manor house
Abbey Definition
similar to a monastery; a building where monks, nuns, or other religious devotees reside
Commendation Definition
an act of praise or promotion
Excommunicate Definition
to exclude from the Church and Church-associated activities
Fealty Definition
the serfs’ or vassals’ rent or payment due to the lord in a feudal system
Homage Definition
a formal demonstration of devotion and allegiance
Truce of God Definition
a medieval Church declaration of peace on designated days, universally banning warfare among participating European territories
Anti-semitism Definition
prejudice against Jewish people
Bubonic Plague Definition
referred to as the Black Death during the Middle Ages; a deadly pandemic of a bacteria in the 1300s that caused the population of Europe to drop by 30–60 percent
City-state Definition
an independently ruled city that acts as the political, social, and economic center of the surrounding territory
Crusades Definition
religious wars during the Middle Ages sanctioned by the Catholic Church to expand Christianity into the Holy Lands; a series of military and religious movements by European Christians seeking to conquer Muslim lands associated with the life of Jesus, expand Christianity, and suppress heresy in Europe
Knighthood Definition
a title of honor given by a monarch to a soldier based on loyalty and service to his country
Monastery Definition
a building where monks reside, practice, and teach religious doctrine
Page Definition
the lowest rank toward knighthood
Renaissance Definition
the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century European era focused on renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman ideals; an era in European history from 1340 to 1620 in which people began to show a greater interest in the arts and sciences
Squire Definition
a rank higher than page and working toward knighthood
Clergy Definition
the individuals who are ordained, or authorized, by a church to perform particular functions
Devolve Definition
referring to a power system in which authority is delegated
Great Schism of 1054 Definition
a split in the Christian church, forming the Western church and the Eastern church; also called the East-West Schism by historians
Iconography Definition
the power of images, visuals, and pictures
Nationalism Definition
an intense pride in one’s nation
Papacy Definition
relating to the authority and influence of the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the pope
Papal States Definition
a series of territories on the Italian peninsula that were under the direct rule of the pope for nearly 1,000 years until they became part of the new nation of Italy in 1870
Centralization Definition
the concentration of power under one major government
Constitutional Monarchy Definition
a system of government that has a monarch who is mainly a figurehead of the state and a legislative body (such as a parliament) that is in charge of the government
Nation-state Definition
an autonomous, self-governing entity that exerts political power inside and beyond its territorial borders
Parliament Definition
a legislative body of government
Precedent Definition
past court rulings that guide future court proceedings
Confederation Definition
a group or collection of political units that are loosely aligned
Duchy Definition
a medieval political unit ruled by a duke or duchess
Fiefdom Definition
the land granted by a powerful noble or member of the ruling class to a lower member of the nobility in exchange for service and loyalty
Permafrost Definition
a layer of land that is permanently frozen
Tribute Definition
a payment to a leader in the form of labor, goods, or money
Centralized Definition
power concentrated in one main place or individual
Decentralized Definition
power distributed to many places or individuals
Feudal Monarch Definition
a powerful landholding lord who governs a fief
Illuminated Manuscript Definition
a book created by hand before the invention of the movable type printing press in Europe; the name comes from the practice of illustrating these books in elaborate ways
Manor Definition
the home of the lord, surrounding buildings, and lands
Peasants Definition
the lowest class of society in a feudal system
Tithe Definition
a 10 percent tax paid by peasants to lords; a tax where the Church required Christians to pay an amount equal to one-tenth of their income
Benedictine Rule Definition
a series of rules developed by Benedict to regulate monastic life including emphasis on obedience, poverty, and chastity and to set clear divisions of the day into periods of worship, work, and study
Canon Law Definition
a body of laws created by a specific church
Convent Definition
a building or complex of buildings that served as a home, religious center, and workplace for nuns
Friar Definition
a monastic who traveled across wide areas to convert nonbelievers to Christianity during the Middle Ages rather than remain confined within a monastery
Heresy Definition
the beliefs or opinions contrary to conventional doctrine
Interdict Definition
the practice by the Roman Catholic Church for excommunicating an entire region or kingdom because local leaders refuse to follow Church law
Papal Supremacy Definition
the claim made by popes during the Middle Ages that they had ultimate authority over all secular rulers because they were “God’s representative on Earth”
Simony Definition
the selling of church office positions
Abbess Definition
a woman who headed a convent of nuns
Aristocracy Definition
government in which political power rests with a group of small, privileged elites
Desolate Definition
empty and bare
Destitute Definition
not having the basic needs of life
Monastic Definition
relating to monasteries
Monk Definition
a member of a religious organization of men living a contemplative and restrictive lifestyle
Noble Definition
a member of aristocracy
Nun Definition
a member of a religious organization of women living a contemplative and restrictive lifestyle
Tenet Definition
principle of a group or organization
Chivalry Definition
informal code of conduct for medieval knights
Colonialism Definition
when a country takes control of another country by sending settlers to the area
Franks Definition
a Germanic tribe living in Gaul that conquered part of Roman Empire
Shi’ite Definition
a division of Islam that believes the leader of the faith must be a descendant of the prophet Muhammad
Sunni Definition
a division of Islam that believes the leader of the faith should be selected by an elite group of followers and does not have to be a member of the prophet Muhammad’s family
Atone Definition
to make up for something bad or for one’s sins
Chronology Definition
an arrangement of events or items in the order they happened
Indulgence Definition
the Roman Catholic practice of absolving someone of their sin based on something they did while alive; the Roman Catholic Church at times offered indulgences as things that could be purchased or gained through holy acts
Pilgrimage Definition
a journey to a distant area often made by people in searching for greater meaning in their lives
Roman Catholic Church Definition
the religious institution that dominated Europe beginning approximately in the sixth century; prior to 1517, it was the official religion in most European states
Sequencing Definition
the practice of putting items in order to make meaning of them; historians usually apply sequencing to an order of events
Carolingian Dynasty Definition
the descendants of Charles Martel who ruled as kings of the Frankish realm
Germanic Tribes Definition
the peoples that lived in what is now called Eastern Europe and Scandinavia
Inculturation Definition
the missionary practice of adapting Christian beliefs and teachings by blending them with local culture