medieval europe focus vocabulary

Medieval EuropeFocus Vocabulary

7th Grade World History

Middle Ages

A thousand-year period that followed the fall of Rome

Charlemagne (Charles the Great)

A Frankish king, crowned by Pope Leo III, who built a great empire in western Europe

Feudalism

A system of local rule based on agreements between lords and vassals.

Monarchy

The ruling class, such as the king or queen

Fief

Land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service

Manor

A main part of a noble’s land

Serf

Unfree peasant who is “tied to the land”

Knight

A vassal in Medieval Europe who gave his loyalty to his lord in return for land.

Chivalry

The knights’ code of honor

Common Law

A law that is developed through the court system and is based on a previous case

Magna Carta

A document that King John was forced to sign in 1215 that limited the power of the monarchy

Model Parliament of 1295

The English Parliament under King Edward I.

Bubonic Plague (Black Death)

Infectious disease that struck Eurasia in the mid-1300s killing 1/3 of Europe’s population.

Hundred Years’ War

A series of wars fought between England and France from 1337 to 1453.