Early Medieval Europe Vocab - Official

Missi dominici

Missi dominici

Men sent out by Charlemagne to check up on the counts

fief

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

Edict of Milan

a proclamation that permanently established religious toleration for Christianity within the Roman Empire in 313 CE.

Einhard

Charlemagne's biographer

Humors Theory

Theory that the body is made up of four fluids.

bloodletting

belief or practice of draining a quantity of blood to cure illness or disease

Romance languages

Any of the languages derived from Latin including Italian, Spanish, French, and Romanian.

476 CE

Official end of Western Roman Empire

800 CE

Charlemagne Crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope

Emperor Constantine

Founded Constantinople; best known for being the first Christian Roman Emperor.

Pope Leo III

Crowned Charlemagne Emperor on Christmas Day, 800

Pope Gregory I

Sent missionaries amoing other tactics to convert the pagan Germanic tribes

Apostles/Disciples

The 12 men Jesus had chosen to help him in his teachings

The Franks

a Germanic tribe that conquered present-day France and neighboring lands in the 400s

Tacitus

A Roman historian who wrote a somewhat positive account of the Germanic tribes.

Treaty of Verdun

an agreement in 843 that ended power struggle of Charlemagne's 3 grandsons after his death and split the Franks into 3 kingdoms

tithe

Church tax collected from Christians in early times that represented one tenth of their income

Aachen

The capital of Charlemagne's empire

vassal

a holder of land by feudal agreement on conditions of loyalty and military service.

squire

a young nobleman acting as an attendant to a knight before becoming a knight himself

Carolingian Renaissance

Charlemagne's efforts led to a modest revival of learning and culture

Lindisfarne

The first recorded Viking attack/raid in Western Europe in 793 CE.

longships

The Viking vessels that made their raiding so effective.

page

The first stage in a knight's training.

feudalism

A political system in which nobles/lords are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Serf

A peasant who is bound to the land of the manor

Monasteries

Christian religious communities centered around pray and work.

Benedict

created the "Rule" which guided life for the monks in the monasteries.

Pax Romana

A period of peace and prosperity throughout the Roman Empire, lasting from 27 B.C. to A.D. 180.

Book of Kells

an example of an illuminated manuscript

primogeniture

the policy or rule where the first born son inherits the title.

bishops

responisible for an area of land, the churches in that area, and act on behalf of the pope.

sacraments

important religious ceremonies such as baptism, marriage, confession, etc...

Chivarly

the code of behavoir which was somewhat, but not really enforced on knights.

ransom

one of the military obligations that vassals and nobles may have to pay.