Medieval Europe

Medieval Europe

Period of history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE to the start of the Renaissance in the 14th century, also known as the Middle Ages.

Antiquity

A period encompassing Greek history from Homer’s work in the 8th century BCE to the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE.

Feudalism

A hierarchical system in Medieval Europe where land was exchanged for work and protection from nobility to peasants or serfs.

Manorialism

A system related to Feudalism in which serfs were dependent on their land and lords for sustenance.

Serfdom

The state of being a serf in the Feudal system, characterized by dependency on a lord and laboring on his land.

Papacy

The office of the pope, a significant authority figure in Medieval Europe, providing leadership even after the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Crusades

A series of religious wars from 1096 CE to 1291 CE between Christians and Muslims over holy lands.

Avignon Papacy (Babylonian Captivity)

Period from 1309-1377 when the Roman-Catholic popes resided in Avignon, France due to political turmoil in Rome.

The Great Schism

A division from 1378-1417 among cardinals disputing the legitimacy of popes, weakening the papacy.

Conciliar Movement

A movement asserting that church councils hold authority over the pope, highlighted by the Councils of Pisa and Basel.

John Wycliffe

A theologian and church reformer in the late 14th century, precursor to the Protestant Reformation.

John Huss

A church reformer influenced by Wycliffe, focused on the Great Schism and reform in Bohemia.

Medieval Universities

Institutions of higher education in the Middle Ages teaching subjects categorized into the trivium and quadrivium.

Trivium

The lower section of medieval liberal arts, comprising grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

Quadrivium

The upper section of education in liberal arts, consisting of arithmetic, astronomy, music, and geometry.

Scholasticism

Philosophical and theological approach in Medieval Europe aimed at resolving philosophical and religious questions.

Guilds

Trade associations of artists and merchants that cooperated for mutual benefit and protection.

Burghers

Middle-class citizens in towns, approximately between peasants and nobles, often merchants or artisans.

The Hundred Years War

A series of conflicts between England and France over feudal land and succession of the French crown from 1337-1453.

The Black Death or Bubonic Plague

A devastating pandemic from 1346 to 1353 that killed about 1/3 to 1/2 of Europe's population, significantly impacting Feudalism.