Middle ages study guide

Middle Ages

The period in European history from about 500 to 1500 CE, between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance.

Dark Ages

A term used to describe the early Middle Ages, often implying a time of cultural and economic decline.

Byzantine Empire vs. Western Europe

The Byzantine Empire preserved Roman traditions and Orthodox Christianity, while Western Europe developed feudalism and Roman Catholicism.

Justinian

Byzantine emperor who attempted to restore the Roman Empire and created the Justinian Code of laws.

Feudalism

A political and social system based on land ownership, loyalty, and mutual obligations.

Manor

A self-sufficient estate owned by a lord where peasants lived and worked.

Three Field System

A farming technique that rotated crops for better soil fertility and increased food production.

King

The highest-ranking ruler who granted land to lords in exchange for loyalty.

Lord

A noble who controlled land and gave fiefs to vassals in return for service.

Knight

A warrior who fought on horseback and followed the code of chivalry.

Peasant

A farmer or laborer who worked the land but had some freedoms.

Serf

A peasant legally tied to a lord's land with little personal freedom.

Vassal

A person granted land (a fief) in exchange for military service and loyalty.

Fief

A piece of land given to a vassal by a lord.

Pope

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Jerusalem/Holy Land

A region considered sacred by Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

Pope Urban II

The pope who called for the First Crusade in 1095.

Council of Clermont

A meeting where Pope Urban II urged Christians to take up arms against Muslims in the Holy Land.

Infidel

A term used by Christians to describe non-Christians, especially Muslims during the Crusades.

Crusade/Crusaders

A series of religious wars fought between Christians and Muslims for control of the Holy Land.

Great Schism

The split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054.

Food surplus

The increase in food production that allowed for population growth and urbanization.

Artisans

Skilled workers who made goods by hand.

Guilds

Organizations of workers in the same trade that set prices and standards.

Bourgeoisie

The middle class, including merchants and artisans, who emerged in medieval towns.

Black Death

A deadly plague that swept through Europe in the 14th century, killing millions.

Humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement that emphasized individual potential and classical learning.

Patrons

Wealthy individuals who supported artists and writers during the Renaissance.

One Point Perspective/Vanishing Point

An artistic technique used to create depth and realism.

Chiaroscuro

The use of light and shadow to add dimension to paintings.

Contrapposto

A natural pose in sculpture where the weight is shifted to one leg.

Sfumato

A painting technique that blends colors and tones smoothly.

Proportion

The correct relationship between body parts in art.

Individualism

The focus on individual achievement and expression.

Secularism

A focus on worldly rather than religious matters.

Skepticism

The questioning of traditional beliefs and knowledge.

Martin Luther

The German monk who started the Protestant Reformation by challenging the Catholic Church.

Indulgences

Payments to the Catholic Church in exchange for forgiveness of sins.

Printing Press

An invention by Johann Gutenberg that helped spread Reformation ideas.

Johann Gutenberg

The inventor of the printing press.

95 Theses

Martin Luther's list of arguments against Church practices, especially indulgences.

Protestant

A Christian who broke away from the Catholic Church during the Reformation.

Counter Reformation

The Catholic Church's response to the Reformation, aiming to reform itself and stop Protestant growth.

Vernacular

The everyday language spoken by ordinary people, used instead of Latin in books and religious texts.