Pavlac Ch 8: High and Later Middle Ages

High or Central Middle Ages

Period of medieval Europe marked by population growth

Later Middle Ages

Period from roughly the 14th to 15th centuries marked by war

Otto I “the Great” (r. 935-973)

German king who defeated invading peoples

Holy Roman Empire (962-1806)

Political entity centered in Central Europe whose rulers claimed to continue the tradition of the Roman Empire.

William “the Conqueror” (r. 1066-1087)

Duke of Normandy who conquered England in 1066 and became its king.

Norman Conquest (1066)

Norman invasion and conquest of England following William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings.

Domesday Book (1086)

Detailed survey of England’s land

Henry II (r. 1154-1189)

English king who strengthened royal government and developed England’s common law and legal system.

Angevin or Plantagenet dynasty (1154-1485)

Dynasty of English kings that ruled England and expanded royal authority and territory.

Jury

Group of citizens responsible for determining facts or reaching a verdict in a legal case.

Thomas Becket (d. 1172)

Archbishop of Canterbury who opposed Henry II’s attempts to control the Church and was murdered by knights associated with the king.

Magna Carta (1215)

Charter that limited the English king’s power and established that the ruler was subject to the law.

Parliament (1295-)

English representative assembly that developed to advise the king and approve taxation.

Philip II “Augustus” (r. 1180-1223)

French king who greatly expanded royal territory and strengthened the French monarchy.

Philip IV “the Fair” (r. 1285-1314)

French king who strengthened royal authority and challenged the power of the papacy.

Estates-General (1302-1789)

French representative assembly of the clergy

Cluniac Reform (910)

Monastic reform movement centered at Cluny that sought greater discipline and independence for monasteries.

Canon law

Body of laws and regulations governing the Christian Church and its members.

Cistercian Reform (11th-12th cent.)

Monastic reform movement that sought stricter observance of the Benedictine Rule and simpler religious life.

Canons regular

Clergy who lived together in religious communities and followed a rule while serving churches.

Hildebrandine or Gregorian Reform (1050-1150)

Church reform movement seeking to end corruption and strengthen the independence of the papacy from secular rulers.

Pope Gregory VII (r. 1073-1085)

Pope who strongly asserted papal authority and fought secular rulers over control of Church appointments.

Schism

Division within a religious organization caused by competing authorities or beliefs.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity (1054)

Christian tradition that separated from the Western Church during the East-West Schism and was centered in the Byzantine world.

Cardinals

Senior Church officials who advise the pope and elect new popes.

Simony

Buying or selling Church offices or spiritual privileges.

Crusades

Series of religiously motivated military campaigns

Just war theory

Christian theory explaining when warfare can be morally justified.

Turks

Turkic-speaking peoples who migrated into and established states across the Middle East and Anatolia

Monk-knights

Members of military religious orders who combined monastic religious life with warfare.

Reconquista (11th cent.-1492)

Long process by which Christian kingdoms conquered Muslim-ruled territory in the Iberian Peninsula.

Assassination

Deliberate killing of an important political or religious figure.

Teutonic Knights

German military religious order that fought in the Crusades and conquered territory around the Baltic Sea.

Prussia

Territory in northeastern Europe that was conquered and settled by the Teutonic Knights and later became a powerful German state.

Henry IV (r. 1056-1106)

Holy Roman Emperor who fought Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Contest.

Investiture Contest (1075-1122)

Conflict between popes and European rulers over who had the authority to appoint bishops and other Church officials.

Concordat of Worms (1122)

Agreement that ended the Investiture Contest by separating the spiritual and political aspects of appointing bishops.

Universities

Medieval institutions of higher education that developed from cathedral schools and studied subjects such as theology

Colleges

Organized communities within universities that provided students and scholars with housing

Peter Abelard (d. 1142)

Medieval philosopher and theologian known for using logic and reason to examine Christian beliefs.

Thomas Aquinas (d. 1294)

Christian theologian and philosopher who combined Christian theology with Aristotelian philosophy.

Scholasticism

Medieval intellectual tradition that used logic and reason to reconcile faith with philosophy.

Nominalism

Philosophical view that universal concepts exist as names or ideas rather than as independently existing things.

Dante’s Divine Comedy

Epic poem describing Dante’s journey through Hell

Venice

Wealthy Italian city-state that became a major center of Mediterranean trade.

Fairs

Large periodic markets where merchants gathered to buy and sell goods.

Industrialization

Development of increased production through specialized labor

Cottage industry

System in which rural families produced goods in their homes for merchants or markets.

Bourgeoisie

Urban middle class of merchants

Mayors

Elected or appointed leaders who governed medieval towns and cities.

Town councils

Local governing bodies that managed the affairs of medieval towns.

Communes

Self-governing medieval towns or cities that gained political independence from local lords.

Guilds

Associations of merchants or craftspeople that regulated trade

Mendicants

Religious orders whose members lived by preaching

Materialism

Focus on or belief in the importance of physical wealth and material possessions.

Francis of Assisi (d. 1226)

Religious leader who founded the Franciscans and emphasized poverty

Apostolic poverty

Ideal of living without personal wealth in imitation of Jesus and the apostles.

Black Death (1347)

Devastating plague pandemic that killed a large portion of Europe’s population.

Peasant revolts

Uprisings by peasants against taxation

Pope Boniface VIII (r. 1294-1303)

Pope who strongly asserted papal authority over secular rulers and came into conflict with Philip IV of France.

Avignon

French city where the papacy resided from 1309 to 1377 instead of Rome.

“Babylonian Captivity” (1309-1377)

Period when the popes lived in Avignon

“Great Western Schism” (1378-1415)

Crisis in which rival popes claimed authority over the Western Church.

Conciliarism

Belief that Church councils could hold greater authority than the pope and resolve major Church disputes.

Council of Constance (1414-1417)

Church council that ended the Great Western Schism and helped restore a single pope.