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19 Terms
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Middle Ages
the period in western European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the 15th century.
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manorialism
rural system of reciprocal relations between landlords and their peasant laborers during the Middle Ages; peasants exchanged labor for use of land and protection.
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serfs
peasant agricultural laborers within the manorial system.
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three-field system
practice of dividing land into thirds, rotating between two different crops and pasturage—an improvement making use of manure.
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Charlemagne
Carolingian monarch who established large empire in France and Germany circa 800.
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Holy Roman emperors
political heirs to Charlemagne’s empire in northern Italy and Germany; claimed title of emperor but failed to develop centralized monarchy.
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vassals
members of the military elite who received land or a benefice from a lord in return for military service and loyalty.
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William the Conqueror
invaded England from Normandy in 1066; established tight feudal system and centralized monarchy in England.
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Magna Carta
Great charter issued by King John of England in 1215; represented principle of mutual limits and obligations between rulers and feudal aristocracy and the supremacy of law.
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parliaments
bodies representing privileged groups; institutionalized the principle that kings ruled with the advice and consent of their subjects.
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three estates
the three social groups considered most powerful in Western countries: church, nobles, and urban leaders.
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Hundred Years War
conflict between England and France (1337–1453).
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Pope Urban II
organized the first Crusade in 1095; appealed to Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim control.
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Gregory VII
11th-century pope who attempted to free the church from secular control; quarreled with Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV over practice of lay investiture of bishops.
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scholasticism
dominant medieval philosophical approach; so called because of its base in the schools or universities; based on use of logic to resolve theological problems.
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gothic
an architectural style that developed during the Middle Ages in western Europe; featured pointed arches and flying buttresses as external supports on main walls.
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guilds
associations of workers in the same occupation in a single city; stressed security and mutual control; limited membership, regulated apprenticeship, guaranteed good workmanship; held a privileged place in cities.
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Black Death
bubonic plague that struck Europe in the 14th century; significantly reduced Europe’s population; affected social structure.