Key Concepts of Medieval History

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to Medieval History.

Charter

A written document granting rights, privileges, or freedoms.

Flying buttress

An exterior stone support used in Gothic cathedrals to hold up tall walls and roofs.

Benedictine Rule

A set of guidelines for monks written by St. Benedict emphasizing prayer, work, and obedience.

Knight

A trained warrior who served a lord and followed a code of chivalry.

Magna Carta

A 1215 document that limited the king’s power and protected certain rights of nobles.

Chivalry

A medieval code of conduct stressing bravery, loyalty, honor, and respect for women.

Common law

A legal system based on customs and court decisions rather than written laws.

Guild

An association of craftsmen or merchants that regulated trade and protected members.

Model Parliament

A 1295 English assembly that included nobles, clergy, and commoners.

Troubadour

A medieval poet or musician who wrote about love and chivalry.

Estates General

A French assembly representing the clergy, nobility, and common people.

Manor

A large estate owned by a lord, including villages and farmland.

Concordat of Worms

A 1122 agreement ending the conflict between the pope and the emperor over appointing bishops.

Serf

A peasant bound to the land who worked for a lord in exchange for protection.

Interdict

A Church order that suspended religious services in a region.

Battle of Tours

A 732 battle where Charles Martel stopped Muslim expansion into Western Europe.

Secular

Non-religious; relating to worldly matters.

Autocrat

A ruler with complete and unlimited power.

Patriarch

A high-ranking bishop, especially in Eastern Christianity.

Sacraments

Sacred Christian rituals such as baptism and communion.

Icon

A religious image used in worship, especially in Eastern Christianity.

Scholasticism

A medieval method of learning that used reason and logic to study faith.

Charlemagne

King of the Franks who united much of Western Europe and was crowned emperor in 800.

Alcuin

A scholar who helped Charlemagne improve education during the Carolingian Renaissance.

Vikings

Seafaring warriors and traders from Scandinavia who raided and settled across Europe.

William the Conqueror

Duke of Normandy who conquered England in 1066.

Clovis

King of the Franks who converted to Christianity and united his people.

Henry II

King of England who strengthened royal courts and common law.

Charles Martel

Frankish leader who defeated Muslim forces at the Battle of Tours.

King John

English king forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.

Philip IV

King of France who strengthened royal power, taxed the clergy, and challenged the pope.

Frederick I (Barbarossa)

Holy Roman Emperor who tried to strengthen imperial authority but struggled with nobles and the pope.

Isabella of Castile

Queen who helped unify Spain, strengthened Catholicism, and supported Columbus.

Pope Innocent III

A powerful pope who claimed authority over kings and increased Church influence.

Joan of Arc

French peasant who led troops in the Hundred Years’ War and became a national hero.

Thomas Aquinas

Medieval scholar who used logic and reason to explain Christian beliefs; leader of scholasticism.

Justinian

Byzantine emperor who created Justinian’s Code and expanded the empire.

Saint Louis (Louis IX)

French king known for justice, fairness, and devotion to Christianity.

Theodora

Byzantine empress who helped rule with Justinian and improved women’s rights.

Gregory VII

Pope who reformed the Church and challenged kings during the Investiture Controversy.

Medieval

Referring to the period between ancient and modern times.

Middle Ages

The period from about 500 to 1500 CE in European history.

Dark Ages

A term once used for the early Middle Ages; now considered inaccurate.

Rise of the Frankish Kingdoms

The Franks rose under Clovis, gained power under Charles Martel, and expanded under Charlemagne.

Holy Roman Empire

Began when Charlemagne was crowned emperor by the pope in 800 CE.

Manor economy

A self-sufficient system where peasants worked a lord’s land in exchange for protection.

How a manor economy functioned

Peasants produced food and goods locally while lords provided land and protection.

Feudalism

A system based on land ownership, loyalty, and military service.

Feudal social hierarchy

Kings at the top, followed by nobles, knights, and peasants or serfs.

Feudal society characteristics

Strict hierarchy, land-based wealth, loyalty, and limited social mobility.

Role of the Catholic Church

The Church guided spiritual life, influenced politics, ran schools, and preserved learning.

Norman Invasion

The 1066 invasion of England by William of Normandy, who defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings.

Germany after Charlemagne’s death

After 814, Germany became part of the eastern kingdom where nobles gained power and the Holy Roman Empire developed.

Crusades

A series of religious wars fought by Christians to regain the Holy Land from Muslims.

Results of the Crusades

Increased trade, spread of knowledge, growth of towns, and stronger monarchies in Europe.

Gothic architecture

Style marked by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, tall structures, and stained-glass windows.

Black Death effects

Killed about one-third of Europe’s population, caused labor shortages, higher wages, and weakened feudalism.

Hundred Years’ War causes

English kings claimed the French throne and rivalry existed between England and France.

Hundred Years’ War effects

Growth of national identity, decline of feudalism, use of new weapons, and a stronger France.

Byzantine Empire

A strong eastern empire with centralized rule, Orthodox Christianity, Greek culture, Justinian’s Code, and capital at Constantinople.

Vassal

Lesser lord.

Annul

Cancel or invalidate.

Tithe

Payment to a church equal to one-tenth of a person’s income.

Usury

Practice of lending money with interest.

Excommunication

Exclusion from the Roman Catholic Church.

Vernacular

Everyday language of ordinary people.

Schism

Permanent division in a church.

Fief

An estate granted in exchange for service and loyalty.