Social and Cultural Evolution in the Middle Ages

Vocabulary flashcards covering the social structure, urban development, cultural institutions, and artistic eras across the Middle Ages.

Serfs (Siervos)

Peasants in the Early Middle Ages who placed themselves under the protection of landowning nobles with castles, paying for that protection with their labor and part of their harvest.

Fiefs (Feudos)

Territories defended by lords alongside nobles of lower rank during the Early Middle Ages.

Vassals (Vasallos)

Nobles of a lower category who became subordinate to lords to defend territories.

Burgos

Cities that grew in population during the Late Middle Ages as peasants left feudal isolation, and whose residents dedicated themselves to craftsmanship and commerce.

Byzantine Empire

An empire that maintained Roman tradition while adopting Greek culture and language.

The Church (Western Europe)

A powerful institution that kept society united and controlled culture, into which invading peoples converted to Christianity.

Romanesque (Románico)

A religious art style that flourished during the High Middle Ages (Plena Edad Media).

Gothic (Gótico)

A religious art style that characterized the Late Middle Ages (Baja Edad Media).

Renaissance (Renacimiento)

A movement emerging at the end of the Middle Ages driven by interest in Greco-Roman antiquity, causing a transformation in ideas and culture that transitioned into the Modern Age.