Medieval Europe and the Aztec Empire

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing key concepts, social structures, religious figures, and historical events related to Medieval Europe, the Aztec Empire, and the Spanish Conquest.

Feudalism

A medieval European social and political system based on land ownership, loyalty, military service, and mutual obligations between monarchs, nobles, and commoners.

Serfs

Peasants legally tied to the medieval manor who farmed the land, owed rents and labour to the lord, and possessed limited freedom to leave.

Chivalry

A medieval code of conduct followed by knights that emphasised ideals such as courage and loyalty.

Manor

A large agricultural estate controlled by a lord, typically containing a manor house, peasant cottages, farmland, pastures, woodland, a church, and shared resources.

Three-field system

An agricultural practice where one field grew autumn-sown crops (wheat or rye), a second grew spring-sown crops (oats or barley), and the third was left fallow to restore soil fertility.

Aztec Empire (Mexica)

An Indigenous civilisation that established a dominant empire in central Mexico during the 1400s and early 1500s through agriculture, trade, warfare, and collecting tribute.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, founded around 1325 on an island in Lake Texcoco, featuring causeways, canals, and the main religious temple, Templo Mayor.

Chinampas

Artificial, fixed raised farming plots built in shallow lake areas using mud, vegetation, and securing trees to create fertile agricultural land.

Montezuma II

The supreme Aztec emperor from 1502 to 1520 who directed political, military, and religious affairs until taken hostage and killed during the Spanish conquest.

Huitzilopochtli

The Aztec god associated with the sun and warfare.

Tlaloc

The Aztec deity governing rain, water, and agriculture.

Xipe Totec

The Aztec god linked to springtime and new crops.

Quetzalcoatl

The Aztec deity associated with nature, earth, and air.

Tezcatlipoca

The Aztec god of the night sky, recognised as the giver and taker of all life on Earth.

Mictlantecuhtli

The Aztec god who ruled over the dead.

Xiuhtecuhtli

The Aztec god of fire.

Tlaxcalans

An Indigenous group hostile to Aztec rule that formed a vital military alliance with Hernán Cortés, providing soldiers and local knowledge.

Siege of Tenochtitlan

A military blockade in which Spanish forces and Indigenous allies cut off supplies and attacked the Aztec capital, resulting in its fall in August 1521.

Primary sources

Historical evidence or documents created during the specific time period under study or produced by individuals directly involved in the events.

Secondary sources

Historical accounts, analyses, or interpretations produced at a later date to examine and explain the past.