Module 11: Medieval England

William the Conqueror

King of England from 1060-1087; a powerful French noble who conquered England and brought feudalism.

Henry II

King of England from 1154-1189; married to Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of Richard the Lion-hearted and John.

Common Law

A unified body of law formed from rulings of England's royal judges that serves as the basis for law in many English-speaking countries today.

Magna Carta

'Great Charter' - a document guaranteeing basic political rights in England, drawn up by nobles and approved by King John in 1215.

Borough

A self-governing town.

Parliament

A body of representatives that makes laws for a nation.

Hugh Capet

King of France from 987-996; founded the Capetian dynasty which ruled France for 300 years.

Philip II

First of the great Capetian kings, regained French lands from the English and strengthened the central government of France.

Estates-General

An assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, or social classes, in France.

Avignon

A city in southeastern France that served as the seat of the papacy from 1309 to 1377.

Great Schism

A division in the medieval Roman Catholic Church, during which rival popes were established in Avignon and in Rome.

John Wycliffe

A prominent English philosopher, theologian, church reformer, and Bible translator.

Jan Hus

A professor in Bohemia who taught that the authority of the Bible was higher than that of the pope.

Great Famine

1315-1317, a prolonged period of major crop failures leading to mass starvation in Northern Europe.

Black Death

A deadly disease that spread across Asia and Europe in the mid-14th century, killing millions of people.

Bubonic plague

A highly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, primarily spread by fleas on rodents.

Hundred Years' War

A conflict in which England and France battled on French soil from 1337 to 1453.

Joan of Arc

French soldier and national heroine; rallied French troops during the Hundred Years' War and was burned at the stake for heresy.

Doomsday Book

A record that determined the population and wealth of everyone in William the Conqueror's kingdom for tax purposes.

Magna Carta importance

Established that the king is not above the law and outlined rights such as trial by jury.

Parliament formation

Developed in 1265, combining the great council of nobles with the middle class into a bicameral legislature.

War of the Roses

A series of civil wars for control of the English throne between the Yorks and Lancasters.

Babylonian Captivity

The period from 1309 to 1377 when the papacy was located in Avignon, France.

Council of Constance

A church council in 1414 that resolved the Great Schism by electing Pope Martin V.

Wycliffe and Hus teachings

Both emphasized the Bible as the supreme authority and promoted personal interpretation of scripture.