Middle Ages and the Black Death Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary and key terminology from the Middle Ages lecture covering social structures, castle architecture, siege weaponry, and the Black Death pandemic.

Patricians

A wealthy and powerful person in ancient Rome who belonged to the highest social class.

Day labourers

A person who worked for daily wages, often doing hard physical jobs.

Robber Barons

A powerful and wealthy businessperson in the past who made a lot of money.

Bloodletting

Medieval medical practice where blood was deliberately removed using cuts or leeches.

Miasma

Unpleasant smells or fumes thought to be the cause of disease in medieval times.

Feudalism

Social order in medieval Europe.

Little Ice Age

A period when the weather in parts of the world become much cooler than usual.

Commercial Revolution

A time in history when trade and businesses grew quickly across Europe.

New World

A term for the Americas during Early Modern Times.

Social classes

Different types of groups people in society were based on; e.g. wealth, job, power.

Craftsmen

Skilled workers who make things by hand, often using traditional methods.

Outbreak

Sudden spread of a disease or illness.

Sanitation

Facilities provided to remove waste; sewage and household or business rubbish.

Quarantine

The practice of separating people, animals, or goods that may have been exposed to a contagious disease.

Flagellant

A person who whipped themselves as a form of religious punishment.

Motte

A mound which upon a castle was built on.

Pneumonic Plague

A severe, rapidly progressive lung infection caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis.

Septicaemic Plague

A severe, life-threatening infection where Yersinia pestis bacteria multiply directly in the bloodstream.

Bubonic Plague

An infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis spread through the bites of infected fleas living on rodents.

The Peasants’ Revolt

A massive 1381 uprising across England.

Chain Mail

Type of armour made from many small metal rings linked together.

Bailey

Enclosed courtyard area inside a castle’s walls.

The Keep

The innermost tower of a castle.

Concentric Castle

A castle design designed to have multiple rings of walls built around the centre making it stronger and harder to attack.

Stone Keep Castle

A medieval castle built from just stone with the centre being a large tower used for protection, defence, and as a home for important people.

Catapult

A large medieval weapon used to throw heavy objects such as rocks, mainly used during battles and sieges.

Trebuchet

A large medieval siege weapon used as a counterweight to throw heavy objects like rocks at castles and enemy walls.

Ballista

A large weapon used in medieval times to shoot huge arrows or bolts at enemies and castle walls, working like a giant cross bow.

Battering Ram

A large heavy beam used to break through castle gates, walls, or doors during attacks by being swung or pushed by soldiers.

Yersinia pestis

The bacteria responsible for the three forms of the Black Death: Pneumonic, Septicaemic, and Bubonic.

Black Death Mortality Rate

Estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe’s population, or 25 to 50 million people between 1347 and 1352.

Cure of Sound

The practice of loudly ringing church bells or firing cannons in the hope that noise would drive away the plague.