Medieval England – Key Vocabulary (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering William’s conquest, feudalism, church power and conflicts, Magna Carta, plague, and the Peasants’ Revolt as described in the video notes.

Hastings (Battle of 1066)

The battle where William of Normandy defeated Harold Godwinson, leading to the Norman conquest and William becoming king.

Feudalism

A hierarchical system in which the king grants land to nobles in exchange for military service and taxes; land is distributed to vassals, with peasants (villeins) working the land.

Villein

A peasant bound to the land in the feudal system, with limited rights and obligations to a lord.

Knight

A mounted warrior who held land from a lord in exchange for military service.

Motte-and-bailey castle

A two-part fortress with a raised earthwork (motte) and an enclosed courtyard (bailey), quick to build and defensible.

Harrying of the North

William’s punitive campaign against northern rebellions, burning houses and crops to crush resistance.

Archbishop of Canterbury

The senior church official in England, head of the English church under the Pope.

Thomas Becket

Archbishop of Canterbury who opposed Henry II’s attempts to control church courts; murdered by knights; later canonized.

Constitution of Clarendon

Henry II’s 1164 attempt to curb church courts and bring church jurisdiction under royal control.

Pope

Head of the Catholic Church; wielded significant authority in medieval England, including excommunications and church policy.

Magna Carta

A 1215 charter forced on King John by the barons, limiting royal power and protecting certain rights; foundational to constitutional law.

Barons

Powerful noblemen who pressured the king to limit his power and were central to the creation of Magna Carta.

King John

unpopular English king whose failures in France and conflict with barons led to Magna Carta and political turmoil.

Poll tax

An tax levied on all adults; a major grievance contributing to the Peasants’ Revolt.

Black Death

The 14th-century plague (1347–1351) spread by fleas on rats, causing massive population loss and social upheaval.

Bubonic plague

Form of plague causing swollen lymph nodes (buboes); common during the Black Death.

Pneumonic plague

Plague affecting the lungs, spread through coughing; highly contagious and deadly.

Septicaemic plague

Plague that infects the bloodstream; rapid, often fatal,sometimes without buboes.

Plague doctor

Medical figure with a beaked mask and long coat; treated plague victims and popularized miasma theory.

Peasants’ Revolt (1381)

Uprising by English peasants against heavy taxation and feudal obligations; suppressed by authorities.