period 1 part 2 vocab

Byzantine Empire

(330-1453) The eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived after the fall of the Western Empire at the end of the 5th century C.E. Its capital was Constantinople, named after the Emperor Constantine.

Constantinople

A large, wealthy, and cosmopolitan city at the crossroads for trade between the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and Silk Road; the imperial capital of the Byzantine empire and later the Ottoman Empire (now known as Istanbul)

caesaropapism

A political-religious system in which the secular ruler (emperor) is ALSO considered head of the religious establishment (church) & directs ecclesiastical affairs, as in the Byzantine Empire.

schism

a formal split within a religious organization; any division or separation of an organization/group into hostile factions

iconoclasm

Opposing or even destroying images, especially those set up for religious veneration in the belief that such images represent idol worship.

Orthodoxy, Eastern

The various churches of the Eastern Roman Empire and other associated lands that broke from communion with the Catholic Church in the 11th century

Patriarch

Highest church official in the Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Church

feudalism

Political & social system of medieval W. Europe (and Japan), in which order is maintained through the granting of land & protection in exchange for loyalty and service

manorialism

Self-sufficient economic system of medieval W. Europe, in which serfs were responsible for producing food and handicraft goods on the manor

fealty

An oath of loyalty by a vassal to a lord, promising to perform specified services

fief

A grant of land or title held in fee and subject to feudal obligations

vassal (a.k.a. retainer)

A person who was granted land in return for giving an oath of feudal loyalty & service

serf

Member of the lowest class in European feudal society; considered "bound to the land" owned by a lord

chivalry

A code of conduct and customs in medieval knighthood

Carolingian

Refers to the dynasty of Frankish kings established by Charles Martel and Charlemagne

sacraments

Sacred rites of the Church (ex: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, etc.)

tithe

one tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly collected as a "tax" for the support of the Church and clergy

monasticism

Pertaining to the practices of monks (& nuns) and their manner of life and religious duties

asceticism

rigid self-discipline and avoidance of indulgence, typically for religious reasons

papal primacy

referring to the Pope's (Bishop of Rome's) status as first among the other bishops; places Pope at top of Church hierarchy

papal supremacy

the claim of medieval popes that they had authority over secular rulers (including kings and the Holy Roman Emperor)

lay investiture

The appointment of archbishops, bishops, abbots, and other Church officials by secular rulers

three-field system

A system of crop rotation used to increase yields, in which one-third of agricultural lands lay fallow at a time

Crusades

A series of holy wars from 1095-1270 CE, undertaken by European Christians in attempts to free the Holy Land from Muslim occupation

guilds

Association of workers with the same occupation who regulated prices and set standards for quality of goods

Scholasticism

A philosophical and theological system, associated with St. Thomas Aquinas, devised to reconcile Aristotelian philosophy and Roman Catholic theology in the 13th c.

Gothic architecture

The style of architecture used to build cathedrals in the High Middle Ages; aims to glorify God

Hundred Years War (1337-1453)

Series of conflicts between the landowners in England and France over the succession of the French throne

Reconquista

The movement in which Muslims were driven out of Spain by Christian forces in the 15th c.

pastoralists

nomads who kept herds of livestock on which they depended for most of their food

Mongols

Pastoralist peoples from Central Asia, who once united, ended up creating the largest single land empire in history (during the 12th-15th c.)

yurt

Large circular-shaped tent made of animal skins that is used as a portable dwelling by Central Asia's steppe nomads

shamanism

community faith in traditional societies in which people follow a shaman (who conducts rituals, divination, and healing)

tribute

Money (loyalty payments) paid by one country to another in return for protection

steppe diplomacy

Mongol system of tribal alliances & collection of tribute from conquered peoples

khan

A Mongol ruler

Yuan Dynasty

Refers to the dynasty established by Mongol ruler Kublai Khan in China during the 13th c.

Pax Mongolica

Era of relative peace and stability created by the Mongol Empire

Bubonic Plague

Epidemic disease that spread from Mongol China to/through W. Europe during the 14th century