Medieval Period Study Guide

Clovis

King of the Franks

Medieval

Middle Ages

Sacrament

Sacred rites of the Church

Secular

Worldly things

Interdict

Order excluding an entire town from the church

Vassal

Lords who pledged service to greater Lords

Knight

Mounted Warrior

Chivalry

Code of conduct for knights

Manor

Lord's Estate

Serf

Peasants who were bound to the land

Tournament

Knights engaged in mock battles

Fief

Estate

Feudal Contract

Lord granting his vassal an estate

Friar

Monks who traveled to preach

Canon Law

Laws of the church

Excommunication

Banned from the church

St. Francis of Assisi

Founded the Franciscan Order of Priests

Troubadours

Wandering musicians who sang about Knights

Feudalism

Loosely organized system of rule

Benedictine Rule

Vows by monks and nuns dedicated to the church

Charter

Document that set the rights and privileges of a town

Capital

Money for investment

Partnerships

Groups of merchants working together

Tenant Farmers

Paid rent for their land

Middle Class

Ranked between the nobles and peasants

Guilds

Associations of merchants and artisans

Apprentice

Trainee

Journeymen

Salaried workers

Infantry

Soldiers on foot

Calvary

Soldiers on horseback

Charlemagne

United Western Europe

Franks

Germanic tribes that conquered parts of the Roman Empire

Vikings

Raiders, conquerors and explorers from Scandinavia(Norway/Sweden/Denmark)

Magyars

Nomadic people who settled in Hungary

Charles Martel

Defeated Muslim invaders in France