World History EH Semester 1 Finals PART 2

Wergeld

"Money for a man." Germanic legal concept where a wrongdoer paid a fine to the family of the injured/killed person to prevent blood feuds. Value varied by social status.

Trial by Ordeal

Germanic method of determining guilt based on divine intervention (e.g. holding a red-hot iron), if the accused healed unharmed they were innocent.

Clovis

First Germanic ruler to convert to Catholic Christianity (around 500 CE). Significance: Established a bond between the Franks and the Roman Catholic Church.

Charlemagne

Powerful Frankish king crowned "Emperor of the Romans" in 800 CE. Significance: Symbolized the fusion of Roman, Christian, and Germanic elements, expanded the Frankish Empire.

Missi Dominici

"Messengers of the lord king." Officials sent by Charlemagne to inspect local districts and ensure counts were executing the king's wishes. Significance: An attempt to centralize power.

Feudalism

Political and military system based on land ownership and loyalty. A Lord grants a Fief (land) to a Vassal in exchange for military service and protection.

Manorialism

Economic system of the Middle Ages. The manor (lord's estate) was a self-sufficient community where serfs worked the land in exchange for protection. Distinct from Feudalism (which is political).

Subinfeudation

The practice of a vassal granting parts of their fief to their own vassals, creating a complex hierarchy of loyalty.

Serf

A peasant bound to the lord's land. They could not leave without permission but were not slaves (could not be bought/sold).

Demesne

The portion of the manor land retained by the lord for his own use, worked by serfs.

Three-field system

Agricultural innovation where 1/3 of land is left fallow (resting) while 2/3 are planted (one with spring grains, one with winter grains). Significance: Increased food production, leading to population growth in the High Middle Ages.

Guilds

Associations of people with the same business or trade (e.g. merchants, craftspeople). They set standards for quality, prices, and methods of production.

Commercial Capitalism

Economic system in the High Middle Ages where people invested in trade and goods for profit, moving away from the barter economy.

Bourgeois (Burghers)

The new middle class of merchants and artisans who lived in walled towns (bourgs). They challenged the traditional feudal order.

Investiture Conflict

Struggle between Pope Gregory VII and King Henry IV over who had the right to appoint (invest) church officials like bishops. Significance: Established the Church's power over religious appointments.

Pope Innocent III

Pope during the height of papal power (13th century). Used the interdict to force kings to obey his will.

Cistercians

A strict monastic order formed by monks who thought Benedictine monasteries lacked discipline. They lived simple lives and took religion to the people outside the monastery.

Franciscans

Founded by St. Francis of Assisi. Took vows of absolute poverty and lived among the people (not in monasteries) to preach repentance.

Dominicans

Founded by Dominic de Guzmán. Focused on defending Church teachings against heresy (The Inquisition).

Papal Inquisition

A church court established to find and try heretics (people who denied church doctrines). Usage of torture to save souls.

The Crusades

Series of holy wars between Christians and Muslims for control of the Holy Land (Jerusalem). Impact: Increased trade between East and West, weakened feudalism.

Pope Urban II

Pope who called for the First Crusade in 1095 at the Council of Clermont, promising forgiveness of sins for those who fought.

First Crusade

(1096-1099) The only militarily successful crusade for Christians, captured Jerusalem and established four Crusader states.

Fourth Crusade

(1204) Crusaders never reached the Holy Land, instead they sacked the Christian city of Constantinople. Significance: Deepened the split between Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Saint Benedict

Founded the Benedictine order of monks. Wrote the "Rule of Saint Benedict" which established the basic form of monastic life (prayer and manual labor).

Vikings

Germanic warriors/shipbuilders from Scandinavia. Their invasions in the 9th/10th centuries destabilized Europe, leading people to turn to local lords for protection (rise of Feudalism).

Chivalry

A code of ethics that knights were supposed to uphold. Included treating captives as guests and fighting for glory rather than material reward.

Heresy

The holding of religious beliefs different from the official teachings of the Church.

Relics

Bones of saints or objects connected to saints, believed to provide a connection between the earthly world and God.

Theodoric

King of the Ostrogoths (Italy). Kept the Roman structure of government but used separate systems for Romans and Ostrogoths.

Carolingian Empire

The empire expanded by Charlemagne. Known for the "Carolingian Renaissance" (revival of learning and culture).

Great Schism (1054)

The official split between the Roman Catholic Church (West) and the Eastern Orthodox Church (East).

Saladin

Muslim leader who recaptured Jerusalem in 1187 (Third Crusade). Negotiated a truce allowing Christian pilgrims access to the city.

Peter the Hermit

Leader of the "Peasants' Crusade" an undisciplined mob that marched before the First Crusade and was massacred by the Turks.

Liberal Arts

The curriculum in medieval universities, consisting of grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.

Fief

The grant of land made to a vassal, the primary source of wealth and power in the feudal system.

Vassal

A man who served a lord in a military capacity in return for land.

Fall of Rome (476 CE)

Collapse of the Western Roman Empire due to invasions, economic trouble, and political instability. Marked the start of the Middle Ages.

Dark Age

(Early Middle Ages approx 500-1000 CE) Period of demographic, cultural, and economic decline in Western Europe following the decline of the Roman Empire.

Indo-Europeans

Group of nomadic peoples who migrated from the steppe region, their languages are the ancestors of many modern languages (including Greek, Latin, Persian, Sanskrit, German).

Commune

An association of townspeople who swore an oath to defend their liberties against a lord. A key step in the rise of self-governing medieval cities.

Sacraments

Christian rites (like baptism, marriage, communion) seen as essential for salvation. The Church controlled access to these, giving them power over the people.

Canon Law

The body of laws governing the religious practices of a Christian church.

Diocese

A church district controlled by a bishop.

Monasticism

Practice of living the life of a monk/nun, separated from the world to pursue a life of prayer and dedication to God.

Abbot

The head of a monastery.

Lay Investiture

The practice of kings and nobles appointing church officials. This was the core issue of the Investiture Conflict.

Interdict

A decree by the Pope that forbade priests from giving the sacraments of the Church to the people of a specific group/region. Used to pressure rulers.