APWH CH 11 - New Civilization Emerges in Western Europe

Middle Ages

the period in western European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the 15th century.

manorialism

rural system of reciprocal relations between landlords and their peasant laborers during the Middle Ages; peasants exchanged labor for use of land and protection.

serfs

peasant agricultural laborers within the manorial system.

three-field system

practice of dividing land into thirds, rotating between two different crops and pasturage—an improvement making use of manure.

Charlemagne

Carolingian monarch who established large empire in France and Germany circa 800.

Holy Roman emperors

political heirs to Charlemagne’s empire in northern Italy and Germany; claimed title of emperor but failed to develop centralized monarchy.

vassals

members of the military elite who received land or a benefice from a lord in return for military service and loyalty.

William the Conqueror

invaded England from Normandy in 1066; established tight feudal system and centralized monarchy in England.

Magna Carta

Great charter issued by King John of England in 1215; represented principle of mutual limits and obligations between rulers and feudal aristocracy and the supremacy of law.

parliaments

bodies representing privileged groups; institutionalized the principle that kings ruled with the advice and consent of their subjects.

three estates

the three social groups considered most powerful in Western countries: church, nobles, and urban leaders.

Hundred Years War

conflict between England and France (1337–1453).

Pope Urban II

organized the first Crusade in 1095; appealed to Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim control.

Gregory VII

11th-century pope who attempted to free the church from secular control; quarreled with Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV over practice of lay investiture of bishops.

scholasticism

dominant medieval philosophical approach; so called because of its base in the schools or universities; based on use of logic to resolve theological problems.

gothic

an architectural style that developed during the Middle Ages in western Europe; featured pointed arches and flying buttresses as external supports on main walls.

guilds

associations of workers in the same occupation in a single city; stressed security and mutual control; limited membership, regulated apprenticeship, guaranteed good workmanship; held a privileged place in cities.

Black Death

bubonic plague that struck Europe in the 14th century; significantly reduced Europe’s population; affected social structure.