Video: Medieval Europe Vocabulary

A vocabulary set featuring key medieval and early modern European history terms with concise definitions.

Middle Ages

The period in European history roughly from the 5th to the late 15th century, between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance.

Franks

A Germanic people who established a powerful kingdom in Gaul; later rulers included Clovis and Charlemagne.

Monastery

A religious community where monks live, worship, and work.

Secular

Concerned with worldly rather than spiritual matters; non-church related.

Donation of Pepin

742–754 donation by Pepin the Short granting lands to the pope, creating the Papal States.

Papal States

Territories in central Italy under direct papal control.

Carolingian Dynasty

Frankish ruling dynasty founded by Pepin the Short, including Charlemagne.

Charlemagne

King of the Franks, crowned Emperor in 800; unified much of Western Europe and promoted learning.

Vikings

Norse seafarers who raided and settled across Europe during the 8th–11th centuries.

Magyar

Nomadic tribes from the steppes who invaded Europe; established a Hungarian kingdom.

Feudalism

A system where lords grant land to vassals in exchange for military service and loyalty.

Lord

Landowner who grants fiefs to vassals in a feudal system.

Fief

Land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for service.

Vassal

Recipient of a fief who owes loyalty and service to a lord.

Knight

Mounted warrior who serves a lord in exchange for land or pay; bound by chivalry.

Serf

Peasant bound to the land who provides labor to the lord and cannot freely leave.

Manor (Manorialism)

The lord’s estate; economic and social center of feudal life with peasants working the land.

Tithe

One-tenth of a peasant’s income or produce paid to the church.

Chivalry

Code of conduct for knights emphasizing bravery, honor, loyalty, and defense of the weak.

Tournament

Structured combat events where knights trained and entertained audiences.

Troubadour

Medieval poet-musician who sang about courtly love and chivalry.

Bishop

Senior clergy member who oversees a diocese and church affairs.

Peter

Apostle regarded as the first pope in Catholic tradition; foundational to church authority.

Pope

Head of the Catholic Church and bishop of Rome.

Clergy

Body of ordained church officials including bishops, priests, and deacons.

Sacrament

Sacred rites of the Church, such as baptism and Eucharist.

Canon Law

The body of church laws and regulations governing the Church.

Holy Roman Empire

A multi-ethnic empire in Central Europe, led by emperors, seen as a continuation of the Roman Empire in the West.

Lay Investiture

Practice of secular rulers appointing bishops, leading to church-state conflicts.

Simony

Buying or selling church offices or sacraments.

Gothic

Architectural style featuring pointed arches, flying buttresses, and tall cathedrals.

Urban II

Pope who called for the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont in 1095.

Crusade

Religious wars sanctioned by the Church to reclaim the Holy Land.

Saladin

Muslim leader who recaptured Jerusalem during the Third Crusade and united Muslim powers.

Richard the Lionhearted

King of England who led Crusader forces during the Third Crusade.

Reconquista

Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rulers, completed in 1492.

Inquisition

Church tribunal system established to root out heresy and enforce orthodoxy.

Three-field System

Agricultural rotation using three fields to improve yields (two cropped, one fallow).

Guild

Association of artisans or merchants controlling trade, training, and standards.

Commercial Revolution

Economic expansion in medieval and early modern Europe, with growth of towns, trade, and banking.

Burgher

A town dweller and member of the urban middle class.

Vernacular

The everyday language spoken by ordinary people, as opposed to Latin.

Thomas Aquinas

Scholastic theologian who reconciled faith and reason; key figure in Scholasticism.

Scholastics

Medieval philosophers who used dialectical methods to resolve theological questions.

Avignon

French city where the papacy resided during the Avignon Papacy (1309–1377).

Great Schism

Division in Western Christianity with rival popes in Rome and Avignon (14th–15th centuries).

John Wycliffe

English reformer who criticized papal authority and promoted Bible translation into English.

Jan Hus

Czech reformer whose ideas influenced the Hussite movement; condemned at the Council of Constance.

Bubonic Plague

The Black Death; pandemic in the 14th century that killed millions and reshaped society.

William the Conqueror

Duke of Normandy who conquered England in 1066; established Norman rule and feudal system.

Henry II

King of England who advanced common law and royal legal reforms; conflict with Becket.

Common Law

A legal system based on court decisions and precedent rather than royal decree.

Magna Carta

1215 charter limiting royal power and protecting certain rights of nobles and free men.

Parliament

English representative assembly created to advise the king; evolved to a bicameral body.

Hugh Capet

Count who founded the Capetian dynasty, elected king in 987, expanding royal power.

Philip II

King of France (Philip Augustus) who strengthened the monarchy and expanded territory.

Estates-General

French representative assembly of three estates (clergy, nobility, commoners) summoned by the king.

Hundred Years’ War

Conflicted struggle between England and France (1337–1453) over the French throne.

Joan of Arc

French peasant heroine who led forces at Orléans; later captured and executed; later canonized.