Feudalism

Feudalism

the social system of the Middle Ages where land was exchanged for loyalty or services

Fief

a plot of land given by a lord to a vassal

Vassal

a person who received a

fief (land) from their lord (can be

a Noble or a Knight)

Middle Ages

time period in Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire until 1400s

Monarch

a single ruler of a country, typically a king or queen

Serf

a peasant who is tied to the land of their lord’s manor and cannot leave

Social Mobility

the ability to move up in the social hierarchy

Manor

the lord’s estate that would include a village, farmland, housing for peasants and serfs, and the lord’s home

Manorialism

the economic system of the Middle Ages. Led to self sufficiency and a decrease in trade

Agrarian

having to do with farming (ex: the Middle Ages had an agrarian economy)