Roman Empire & Middle Ages

Flashcards covering important terms and concepts from the Roman Empire to the Late Middle Ages.

Romanization

The spread of Roman culture, language, law, and infrastructure throughout conquered territories during the Roman Empire.

Pax Romana

A period of relative peace and stability across the Roman Empire from 31 BC to AD 185.

Christianization

The process of spreading Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, especially after Constantine's conversion.

Feudalism

A social system in medieval Europe where peasants worked the land for nobles in exchange for protection.

Serf

A peasant bound to a lord's land in feudal Europe, providing labor in exchange for protection.

Three Orders

A social structure in medieval Europe consisting of those who pray (clergy), those who fight (nobility), and those who work (peasants).

Manorialism

An economic system in which lords managed self-sufficient estates relying on serfs for production.

Agricultural Revolution

A period of increased farming productivity in early medieval Europe due to new tools and techniques.

Commercial Revolution

The growth of trade, banking, and towns in Europe beginning in the 11th century.

Intellectual Revolution

A renewed interest in learning and classical texts, leading to the development of universities.

Scholasticism

A method of learning that emphasized logic and reason to reconcile faith and philosophy.

Public Disputation

Formal debates at medieval universities to defend theses and advance learning.

Great Famine

A widespread European famine from 1315 to 1319 caused by poor weather and crop failures.

Bubonic Plague

A deadly epidemic also known as the Black Death, killing an estimated one-third of Europe's population.

Question of Universals

A philosophical debate about the existence of general ideas (universals) independent of names.

Nominalism

The belief that universals exist only as names or mental constructs, prominent in late scholastic thought.

Covenant

Agreements or religious commitments often referring to moral or spiritual obligations.

Flagellation

Ritual self-punishment by whipping for penance or divine favor, common among medieval believers.

Council of Trent

A church council responding to Protestantism, clarifying doctrine and reforming clergy.

Sola Fide

The doctrine that faith alone justifies, a key principle of the Protestant Reformation.

Heresy

Belief or practice contrary to established Church doctrine, often punishable in medieval Europe.