Medieval Europe: Feudal System, Church, and Key Events

Franks

Germanic tribe that controlled much of Western Europe after the fall of Rome

Germanic Tribes

Groups that invaded the Western Roman Empire and contributed to its fall

Dark Ages

Period after the fall of Rome when learning, trade, and strong government declined

Decentralization

Power spread among many local rulers instead of a central government

Feudalism

System where land was exchanged for loyalty and military service

Fief

Land granted by a lord to a vassal

Vassal

A noble who receives land from a lord in exchange for loyalty and military service

Knight

Armored warrior who fought for a lord in the feudal system

Serf

Peasant tied to the land who worked for a lord

Manor

Large estate controlled by a lord where serfs lived and worked

Three Field System

Farming method dividing land into three parts to increase food production

Guild

Organization of merchants or artisans that controlled trade and quality of work

Commercial Revolution

Expansion of trade, banking, and business in medieval Europe

University

School of higher learning created in medieval Europe

Vernacular

Common language spoken by ordinary people instead of Latin

Clergy

Church officials such as priests, bishops, and monks

Monastery

Religious community where monks lived and worked

Tithe

A tax of one-tenth of income paid to the Church

Roman Catholic Church

Main Christian church in Western Europe

Eastern Orthodox Church

Christian church that developed in the Byzantine Empire

Patriarch

Leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church

Popes

Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church

Christendom

All Christian lands and people in Europe

Excommunication

Being banned from the Church and its religious services

Interdict

Church punishment stopping religious services in a region

Simony

The buying or selling of church positions

Lay Investiture

The practice of kings appointing church officials

Papal Curia

The group of advisors who assist the Pope in running the Church

Concordat of Worms

Agreement that ended the conflict over lay investiture

Great Schism

Split between the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054

Scholastics

Medieval scholars who used reason and religion to understand faith

Thomas Aquinas

Famous scholastic who combined Christian theology with philosophy

Inquisition

Church courts that punished heresy

Byzantine Empire

Eastern Roman Empire that continued after the fall of Rome

Constantinople

Capital city of the Byzantine Empire

Justinian

Byzantine emperor who tried to restore the Roman Empire

Justinian's Code

Collection of Roman laws organized under Justinian

Hagia Sophia

Large church built in Constantinople by Justinian

Holy Roman Empire

Empire in central Europe led by German rulers

Charlemagne

Frankish king crowned emperor who united much of Western Europe

Secular

Non-religious authority or government

Magna Carta

Document signed in 1215 limiting the power of the English king

Parliament

England's lawmaking body

Estates-General

Legislative assembly in France representing the three social classes

William the Conqueror

Norman ruler who conquered England in 1066

Crusades

Religious wars between Christians and Muslims over the Holy Land

Palestine (Holy Land)

Region sacred to Christians, Jews, and Muslims

Bubonic Plague

Deadly disease that killed millions in Europe in the 1300s

Hundred Years' War

Long war between England and France from 1337-1453

Joan of Arc

French heroine who helped lead France to victory in the Hundred Years' War

Cathedral

Large and important church building

Serfdom

System where peasants were tied to the land and served a lord