Medieval and Ancient Civilizations: Key Terms and Concepts

Kush

A providence of Egypt

Gupta Empire

The Greatest era of Indian achievement. It reunited northern India under a strong and effective government.

Bushido

An unwritten military code that governed the conduct of the samurai.

Bantu Migration

The migration of the people group who used the Bantu language.

Wu Ti

Drove back the Huns and expanded Chinese territory.

Samurai

Japanese warrior.

Tang Dynasty

2nd golden age in Chinese history, stable govt, expanding empire and trade.

Shintoism

Nature worship.

Polygamy

Having 2 or more wives.

Yamato Clan

Imperial family of Japan arose from this clan.

Asoka

Most famous of Mauryan rulers, expanded the empire to include the southern tip of India.

Shogun

Held real power over Japanese govt.

Byzantine Empire

The Eastern Roman Empire after the Western Roman Empire fell.

Slavs

A group that settled in Eastern Europe after Germanic tribes migrated west.

Qur'an (Koran)

The Islamic people's 'Holy Book'.

Justinian

Created Justinian's code by appointing a commission of 10 scholars to reorganize and condense the body of law.

Five Pillars of Islam

Fundamental acts of worship for Muslims, including declaration of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage.

Eastern Orthodox Church

An organized church that developed within the Byzantine Empire.

Rurik

Established the 1st ruling dynasty of Russia.

Caliphs

Successors of Muhammad.

Icons

Painted images of Christ and the saints.

Muhammad

'Last and greatest prophet of Allah'.

Seljuk Turks

Fierce Islamic warriors who took control of Asia Minor.

Islam

Restored Turkish rule and built a vast empire controlling the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Battle of Tours

France stopped the advance of the Muslims into the west.

Ottoman Turks

Restored Turkish rule and built a vast empire controlling the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Hegira

Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina.

Mosques

Muslim place of worship.

Franks

Germanic people.

Battle of Hastings

William of Normandy defeated Harold of Wessex and established the Norman Dynasty.

Leo I

Persuaded Attila the Hun to spare Rome.

Patrick

Brought the gospel to Ireland.

Clovis

'King of the Franks', conquered + united Frankish tribes into one.

Domesday Book

A survey that collected all taxable property.

Petrine Theory

Theory that Peter and all the Popes are the successors of Christ.

Lay investiture

The belief that nobles had the right to give authority to church officials.

Charles Martel

Won fame by defeating the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in western France.

Hugh Capet

Became king, ending the rule of the Carolingian monarchs.

Purgatory

A place between heaven and hell.

College of Cardinals

Created to ensure that churchmen chose the popes, not nobles.

Charlemagne

The greatest Carolingian king.

Philip II

Became known as the real founder of France.

Seven Sacraments

Baptism, confirmation, penance, Eucharist, matrimony, Holy Orders, and Extreme Unction.

Cardinals

Leaders in the Catholic church.

Treaty of Verdun

Treaty to divide Louis the Pious' kingdom.

Peace of God

Church forbade pillage of its property.

Truce of God

Limited fighting to specific weekdays.

Mass

A Roman Catholic service in which the Eucharist is offered.

Gregory VII

Greatest of reforming popes, believed the church had authority over nobility.

Vikings

Germanic tribes who were feared invaders during the Middle Ages.

The manor

The center of Medieval society, self-contained farming community controlled by a lord.

Serfs

Majority of those living on the manor, provided food in exchange for protection.

Peasants

People in the lower social class, like farmers.

Clergy

Those who took Holy Orders to serve the Church.

Laity

Everyone who isn't part of the Clergy.

Catholic

Means 'universal,' the term of early Christians for the Church.

Alfred the Great

King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886.

Chivalry

A knight's strict code of behavior.

Benedictine Rule

Rules that regulated the life of monks, designed by Benedict of Nursia.

Scriptoria

The Carolingian Monks' greatest achievement, where Monks would copy down manuscripts.

Einhard

A scholar in Medieval times, known for his loyalty towards Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious.

Missi dominici

Royal officials to the king that ensured laws were carried out.

Feudalism

The system of land ownership in Medieval Europe.

Just price

The church said that a seller must charge a just price for goods sold.

Innocent III

Papal power and prestige reached its zenith under him, no pope before or after him had power over both church AND state.

Edward I

One of England's most gifted medieval kings who attempted to extend English rule over all of Britain.

Urban II

In 1095, he called for a holy crusade to free the Holy Land from the Turks.

Guilds

Organizations that regulated the business activity of a given town.

Boniface VIII

Sought to control Europe similarly to Innocent III but faced stiff resistance.

Parliament

English representative body with the 'power of the purse.'

Crusades

Military expeditions from the West to free the East from Muslims.

Middle class

A new social class composed of merchants, bankers, craftsmen, and skilled laborers.

Unam Sanctum

Document issued by Boniface VIII stating everyone must follow his orders, but it was defied by the king and French people.

Philip IV

Strengthened the organization and authority of the central government and defied the papacy.

Universitas

Initially any association of people, but later designated those united for the common purpose of education.

Babylonian Captivity

Period when the Pope and all Frenchmen resided at Avignon under the king's control.

Estates-General

Meetings held between the King and representatives from the church, nobility, etc.

Scholasticism

A method of learning that finds its roots in Bible study and advocates asking questions as the 'first key to wisdom.'

Great Schism

The Church had two popes who claimed to be the rightful Pope and excommunicated each other.

Hundred Years' War

A long struggle between England and France from 1337 to 1453.

Thomas Aquinas

Known as 'the Prince of the Schoolmen,' he integrated Aristotle's philosophy with Christian theology.

Nation-states

Developed in the late Middle Ages as people became aware of their common traditions and language.

Joan of Arc

A peasant girl who inspired a surge of nationalism in France and believed she was directed by heavenly voices.

Vernacular

The common spoken language in literature, including French, Italian, German, and English.

Common law

Uniform laws for all of England that superseded local feudal laws, ensuring justice and unity.

Reconquista

The struggle to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim control, which lasted for three centuries.

Romanesque

Architecture characterized by large, bulky structures, thick walls, and dark interiors.

Gothic

Architecture that used flying buttresses for light and detailed designs with bright interiors.

Magna Carta

A document signed in 1215 that limited the power of the king and established the principle that the king is not above the law.

Apprentice

A young boy who begins training under a master craftsman in exchange for food, lodging, and training.

Journeyman

A skilled worker who has completed an apprenticeship and can seek employment.

Master

A journeyman who has undergone an examination and can open a shop and take on apprentices.

Renaissance

A period of change in Europe from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, meaning 'rebirth.'

Humanism

An emphasis on human individuality, ability, and dignity during the Renaissance.

Medici family

Famous patrons of the Renaissance, known for their support of the arts.

Niccolo Machiavelli

A Florentine official and political thinker known for the phrase 'A King must be feared.'

Erasmus

A Dutch philosopher and Christian humanist who criticized the Catholic Church through humor.

Jihad

The name given to the Muslim War.

Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius

The two missionaries to the Slavic people.

Constantinople

The Byzantine capital located at the crossroads of trade.