Key Vocabulary for Medieval and Early Modern Networks of Exchange

Secular

Nonreligious; describes attitudes, ideas, or people that do not have a spiritual basis

Longship

A Viking ship with a flat, shallow bottom that allows navigation in shallow water and permits beach landings, so that the Vikings can raid European cities stealthily

Feudalism

European political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Manorialism

Economic system in Europe based on the manor and lands including a village and surrounding acreage which were administered by a lord. It developed during the Middle Ages to increase agricultural production.

Three field system

System of farming developed in medieval Europe, in which farm land was divided into three fields of equal size and each of these was successively planted with a winter crop, planted with a spring crop, and left unplanted.

Horse collar

Device that allows cultivators to rely on horses to quickly pull heavy plows

Serf

Peasants that are tied to the land and who owe obligations to the lords who operate the land

Caesaropapism

Byzantine concept that emperor (Caesar) holds more authority over the religious leaders (or pope) in his empire

Theme system

System in which the Byzantine Empire was divided into different districts that were each led by a general, who recruited peasants to serve in a military protecting the theme. Peasant soldiers who performed well in battle received their own piece of land as a reward.

Iconoclasm

Refers to the Byzantine practice of not permitting the use of religious imagery (or icons), because of the perception that venerating an object was sinful

Schism

The separation between the two branches of Christianity (Roman Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox church) in 1054

Guild

Organized collection of merchants and workers that specialize in the production of an art, craft, trade, or good / control urban economy of medieval Europe by setting standards for quality of manufactured goods

Crusades

The various expeditions that Roman Catholic Christians mounted in an effort to recapture Palestine and Jerusalem from Muslim authorities

Reconquista

The Christian reconquest of Spain from the Islamic Empire, which starts in the 1060s and ends in 1492

Scholasticism

Medieval attempt of thinkers like St. Thomas of Aquinas to merge the beliefs of Christianity with the logical rigor of Greek philosophy

Relic

Physical remains of saints or religious figures assembled by churches for veneration

Laity

Religious people who attend church but are not part of the church hierarchy

Steppe

Treeless plains of Central Asia and northern Eurasia that have little rain, a flat surface, and coarse grasses that are good for nomads breeding horses and their herds

Khanate

The term for a region under the control of the Mongol Khans, such as the Il-Khanate of Persia or the Khanate of Chaghati

Pax Mongolica

approximately 100 years of peace, religious tolerance, and trade created by the Mongol Empire (approx. 1250-1350)

Stirrup

a key piece of technology which mounted an armored knight onto an armored charger and provided stability to most skilled horsemen (particularly Mongols) who could fight as true cavalry and swing sword or stretch bow without losing his mount

Bubonic plague

Deadly disease that originates in China and is spread to Europe along trade routes in the 1300s, causing 1/3 of population to die

Hanseatic League

Well-developed trade network of trading cities that control trade within northern Europe; prominent in the High Middle Ages (approx. 1000-1250)

Mandarin

Govt official in the Ming dynasty in China that was educated in Confucian teachings and ensured the emperor's policies were carried out in local regions

Eunuch

Govt officials in China who had been castrated and therefore did not pose a political threat to the emperor, so they could work directly with the emperor in the Forbidden City

Renaissance

Means 'rebirth'/started in Italy/focused on ancient Greek and Roman ideas and culture - art, architecture, science, math. Time of renewed interest and advancements in science, art, and education from the 1300's to the 1600's.

Humanism

Renaissance idea that promotes the studying of classical texts and focuses on human potential, rather than church requirements

Little Ice Age

Period of time starting in the year 1300 in which global temperatures declined, making activities like agriculture difficult

Diasporic merchant communities

groups of merchants who have spread or migrated to a new place (ex. Islamic merchants who move to coastal cities in India) who maintain connections to their culture and identity

Camel saddle

specially designed seats or harnesses used for riding camels, which were essential for long-distance trade across harsh terrains, such as the Sahara Desert