Power: Monarchy and Democracy in Britain c.1000 to 1485

Vocabulary review covering the English feudal system, key monarchs, and the evolution of political power from c.1000 to 1485.

Feudal system

A strict hierarchy organizing society where political and economic power resided with those at the top of the pyramid.

Vassal

Any member of society who had obligations to another person within the feudal structure.

Thegn

A term meaning servant or attendant; their role was to serve noblemen or the king in Anglo-Saxon society.

Edward the Confessor

The Anglo-Saxon king whose reign began in 1042 and who ruled England prior to the Norman invasion.

William of Malmesbury

A medieval monk who, in 1125, described the migration of Norman French people as the habitation of outsiders and the dominion of foreigners.

Magna Carta

A document associated with the struggles over power during the reign of King John.

Simon de Montfort

An individual noted for his role and importance in the emergence of Parliament during the reigns of Henry III and Edward I.

Richard II

The monarch whose deposition occurred in 1389 during a period of power struggles.

Wars of the Roses

A series of conflicts representing struggles over power in late medieval England.

Norman invasion

The 1066 event that led to the transfer of power from Saxons to Normans at all levels of society and the establishment of the Norman monarchy.

Peasantry

The segment of society comprising the vast majority of people who lived in the countryside and were bound to their feudal lord.

Earls

A rank in the Anglo-Saxon social hierarchy positioned above the thegns.

Parliament

An institution that emerged during the reigns of Henry III and Edward I.

Hierarchy

The structural organization of England in 1066 where power and riches were concentrated among the elite at the top.

Exile

One of the important keywords identified for the study of power and challenges to authority.

Heir

A key vocabulary term relating to the succession of power in the British monarchy.

Revolt

A keyword denoting a challenge to power or the methods used to change hands.