🇪🇺 Medieval Europe

Feudalism

Decentralized political system based on relationships between monarchs, nobles, vassals, and military service.

Manorialism

Economic system in which peasants worked agricultural estates controlled by lords.

Monarch

King or queen who ruled a kingdom but often had limited direct control over local nobles.

Nobility

European elite who controlled land and often provided military service.

Vassal

Person who received land or protection from a lord in exchange for loyalty and service.

Serfs

Peasants legally tied to the land who owed labor and payments to a lord.

Peasants

Lower-status agricultural workers who made up most of Europe's population.

Catholic Church

Dominant Western European religious institution that influenced politics, education, law, and society.

Pope

Leader of the Western Catholic Church.

Crusades

Series of religiously motivated military campaigns involving European Christians and the eastern Mediterranean.

Pope Urban II

Pope who called for the First Crusade in 1095.

Crusades and Cultural Exchange

Increased contact between Europe and the Islamic world exposed Europeans to goods, technologies, and knowledge.

Three-Field System

Agricultural method dividing land into three sections and rotating crops to improve productivity.

Agricultural Revolution

Increased agricultural productivity helped Europe's population and towns grow.

Magna Carta

1215 document that limited the English king's authority and reinforced certain rights of nobles.

King John

English king forced to accept the Magna Carta in 1215.

Parliament

Representative political institution that developed in England and gained authority over taxation and lawmaking.

Bourgeoisie

Urban middle class of merchants, artisans, and businesspeople.

Urbanization

Growth of European towns caused by agricultural surpluses and expanding trade.

Great Schism

Split between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity in 1054.

Black Death

Devastating plague pandemic that killed a large portion of Europe's population in the 14th century.

Bubonic Plague

Disease caused by bacteria transmitted primarily through fleas and rodents.

Black Death Effects

Labor shortages, population decline, economic disruption, and changes in social relationships.

Little Ice Age

Period of cooler climate that affected agriculture and food production in parts of Europe.

Antisemitism

Prejudice and discrimination against Jewish communities, which increased in parts of medieval Europe.

Thomas Aquinas

Christian philosopher who combined Aristotelian philosophy with Catholic theology.

Medieval Universities

Institutions of higher learning that expanded in Europe and focused on theology, law, medicine, and philosophy.

Holy Roman Empire

Loose political collection of territories in central Europe with an elected emperor.

European Political Decentralization

Power was divided among monarchs, nobles, local rulers, cities, and the Church.