Middle Ages Vocab

Medieval

term for the Middle Ages, a period between the fall of Rome (500ish) and the Renaissance (1400ish)

manor

A large estate, often including farms and a village, ruled by a lord.

serf

A peasant worker who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord

fallow

a field left unplanted to let the soil rest for a season

fief

land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service

steward

someone who manages a fief for a lord

vassal

a person who swears loyalty and service to a higher lord in return for property (a fief)

knight

a European noble who served as a mounted warrior, lived by a code called chivalry

chivalry

Code of conduct for knights during the Middle Ages (bravery, loyalty, gallantry towards women)

apprentice

a young person learning a trade from a master

feudalism

social system where land is given in return for loyalty and service

daimyo

A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai

Mongols

nomadic people from central Asia who created a large empire in the 1200s under Genghis Khan

Samurai

Class of warriors in feudal Japan who pledged loyalty to a noble in return for land and lived by a code called Bushido

Shogun

a military leader who ruled feudal Japan in the emperor's name