Feudalism: A hierarchical system where land is exchanged for service and loyalty.
Lord: A landowner who grants land to vassals in exchange for military or other services.
Vassal: A person who receives land (a fief) from a lord in exchange for loyalty and service.
Fealty: A vassal’s pledge of loyalty to their lord.
Liege: A vassal’s primary lord, to whom they owe the most loyalty.
Fief: A piece of land granted to a vassal.
Manor: The lord’s estate, which typically included agricultural land, a village, and a peasant workforce.
Chivalry: A code of conduct for knights, emphasizing bravery, honor, and respect for women and the weak.
Courtly Love: A highly ritualized form of love, often expressed through poetry and chivalric behavior.
Book of Hours: A prayer book that provided liturgical guidance for the faithful, common during the Middle Ages.
Primogeniture: The practice of passing inheritance to the eldest son.
Serf (Villein): A peasant bound to the land and under the control of a lord, but not a slave.
Peasant: A lower-class farmer who worked the land and often lived in poverty.
3 Field System: A system of crop rotation that allowed for one-third of the land to lie fallow at any time, increasing agricultural productivity.
Town Charters: Documents granting certain rights and privileges to towns, often allowing them to self-govern.
Burghers: The merchant or middle class, who lived in towns and often gained wealth through trade.
Guilds: Organizations of skilled workers or merchants who controlled trade and commerce in medieval towns.
Usury: The practice of charging interest on loans, often considered immoral by the Church.
Universities: Educational institutions that emerged in medieval Europe, offering higher learning in subjects like theology, law, and medicine.
Knowt
Note
Studied by 20 people
