Chapter 10 – The Later Middle Ages, Section 3 – Christianity and Medieval Society

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about Christianity and Medieval Society.

Clergy

Church officials and their teachings were very influential in medieval European culture and politics.

Pilgrimages

Journeys to holy sites in Jerusalem, Rome, Compostela (northwestern Spain), and Canterbury (England).

Cluny

A town in France where a group of monks started a monastery in the early 900s, followed a strict schedule of prayers and religious services.

Religious Order

A group of people who dedicate their lives to religion and follow common rules.

Convents

Communities of nuns that appeared across Europe.

Friars

People who belonged to religious orders but lived and worked among the general public.

Mendicants

Another name for Friars, from a Latin word for beggars

Dominicans

A religious order founded in the early 1200s, members were friars.

Franciscans

A religious order founded in the early 1200s, members were friars.

Gothic Architecture

A dramatic new style used by Europeans to build cathedrals beginning in the 1100s. Featured tall structures, buttresses, and stained glass windows.

Buttresses

Supports for Gothic churches, enabling taller structures and larger windows.

Universities

Some of the earliest universities were created by the church, with most teachers being members of the clergy.

Thomas Aquinas

A Dominican philosopher and teacher at the University of Paris, argued that rational thought could be used to support Christian beliefs.

Natural Law

Aquinas believed that God had created a law that governed how the world operated.

Cluniac monks

The changes at Cluny led to the creation of a religious order