SET 2 — Norse → High Middle Ages → Church

Norse vs. Vikings

Norse refers broadly to the Scandinavian peoples, while Vikings were Norse people who became raiders, traders, and explorers; mainly 800–1000; Vikings traveled widely by sea for trade, settlement, and raiding; important because their expansion reshaped parts of Europe.

Anglo-Saxon influences

Anglo-Saxon society developed from Germanic peoples who settled in England; mainly 500–1000; they created traditions of local government, common law, Christianity, and royal assemblies; important because these traditions influenced the later development of England.

Norse in East vs. in West

Norse groups traveled east and west for different purposes; mainly 800–1000; eastern routes focused heavily on trade and connections with Byzantium and eastern Europe, while western groups raided and settled in places such as England; important because Norse expansion connected different parts of Europe.

Alfred the “Great”

Anglo-Saxon king of Wessex (871–899); fought Danish invaders and strengthened his kingdom; reorganized the army, built a navy, and reached an agreement with Guthrum in 886; important because he helped preserve and strengthen Anglo-Saxon England.

Common Law

English legal tradition based heavily on customs and past decisions; developed during the Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods; English rulers and courts used established customs rather than only written laws from a legislature; important because common law became a lasting part of the English legal tradition.

High Middle Ages

The period of European growth from about 1000–1300; population and economic growth increased during this time; agriculture, towns, trade, education, monarchies, and the Church expanded; important because it was a major period of growth and development in medieval Europe.

Charlemagne

Frankish ruler (768–814); built a large empire and was crowned emperor in 800; promoted Christianity, education, law, and stronger government; important because he helped combine Germanic, Roman, and Christian traditions.

Norman Conquest

The Norman takeover of England led by William the Conqueror; 1066; William defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings and redistributed English lands to Norman followers; important because it changed English government, language, landholding, and society.

Feudalism

Medieval system of relationships based on land, loyalty, and military service; developed during the early Middle Ages; lords gave land to vassals in exchange for loyalty and military service; important because it helped organize medieval political and military society.

Knights

Mounted warriors who served medieval lords; especially important during the Middle Ages; knights received land or support in exchange for military service and followed systems of loyalty and honor; important because they became a major part of medieval warfare and feudal society.

Manorialism

Medieval economic system centered on the manor, a large agricultural estate; mainly during the Middle Ages; lords controlled manors while peasants worked the land and provided labor or goods; important because it organized much of medieval rural life.

Serfs

Peasants who were legally tied to the land of a lord; mainly during the medieval period; they worked the lord's land and owed labor or goods in exchange for protection and access to resources; important because serfs made up a large part of medieval agricultural society.

Peasant Society

The rural population that worked farms and supported medieval economies; especially during the Middle Ages; peasants produced food, paid obligations, and lived in village communities under local lords; important because agriculture supported the entire medieval social and economic system.

Monarchies and Feudalism

Medieval kings ruled alongside powerful nobles connected through feudal relationships; especially during the Middle Ages; kings gave land and privileges while nobles provided loyalty, military service, and political support; important because monarchs gradually worked to strengthen royal authority over feudal nobles.

Friars

Religious men who lived among ordinary people instead of staying isolated in monasteries; mainly from the 1200s; they preached, taught, helped the poor, and lived by religious vows; important because friars brought Christianity directly into growing medieval towns.

Hildegard of Bingen

German abbess, mystic, and writer (1098–1179); lived during the High Middle Ages; wrote about religion, medicine, nature, and spiritual experiences; important because she shows the intellectual and religious roles women could hold in medieval Europe.

Mystics

Religious people who sought a direct personal experience of God; especially important during the medieval period; mystics described visions, spiritual experiences, and intense religious devotion; important because mysticism shows how medieval people practiced religion beyond formal church rituals.

Universities (1000–1300)

New centers of higher education that developed during the High Middle Ages; mainly 1000–1300; scholars studied subjects such as theology, law, medicine, and philosophy; important because universities helped expand European education and intellectual life.

Lay Religion

Religious beliefs and practices of ordinary Christians who were not clergy; especially during the Middle Ages; laypeople used prayer, pilgrimages, saints, relics, and religious festivals to practice their faith; important because religion shaped everyday life for most medieval Europeans.

Holy Land

The region around Jerusalem and other places connected to biblical Christianity; especially important during the Middle Ages; Christians, Muslims, and Jews all considered parts of the region religiously important; important because control of the Holy Land became a major source of religious and political conflict.

Pope Urban II

Pope (1088–1099); called for the First Crusade in 1095; encouraged Western Christians to fight for the Holy Land after an appeal from the Byzantine emperor; important because his call launched the First Crusade.

Holy War (1096–1291)

The Crusades were military campaigns connected to religion and the struggle for the Holy Land; 1096–1291; Western Christians fought to capture or defend important Christian sites in the eastern Mediterranean; important because the Crusades increased conflict and contact among Western Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic world.

Great Schism

The division of the Western Church caused by rival popes; 1378–1417; competing popes ruled from Rome and Avignon while different regions supported different leaders; important because it weakened confidence in papal authority and created a major crisis in the medieval Church.