Life In The Middle Ages

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Armor

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A covering of iron worn by knights for protection in battle

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Bishop

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A church official who oversaw the work of priests within their district

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Cardinal

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A high official of the Catholic who (with other Cardinals) chose a new pope when he dies

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Castle

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A place where the lord and his knights lived; usually built on a hilltop

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Catholoic church

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People of the Middle Ages believed it represented God's rules and teachings; religion was so important during medieval times that the period was known as the "Age of Faith"

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Chivalry

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Qualities of a good knight, including bravery, politeness, respect for women, protection of the weak and fairness to the enemy

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Clergyman

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An official of the Church, such as a priest, bishop, or cardinal

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Crusades

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Expeditions sent by the pope to capture the Holy Land from the Muslim Turks; the empire of the Turks included Palestine, where Christ was born; several Crusades between 1096 and 1272 failed to win the Holy Land, but succeeded in stimulating trade between Europe and the East

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Dark Ages

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A period of several hundred years during the early Middle Ages when fear and confusion spread among the people of Western Europe; the threat of attack led many people to become serfs and work for lords on manors in exchange for protection; trade, education, and the growth of towns declined during the Dark Ages

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Estate

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A large piece of land owned by the lord during the Middle Ages; same as a Manor

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Excommunication

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The act of removing a person from membership in the Church because of wrongful actions or beliefs; it was thought that an excommunicated person would not be allowed into heaven

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Feudalism or Feudal System

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Arrangement between lord, vassal, and serf for ownership of land, military service, and protection during the Middle Ages

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Fief

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Land given by a lord to a vassal in return for military and services

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Friar

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Holy man who traveled from place to place helping the poor and teaching about God

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Heresy

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A serious crime of the Middle Ages in which a person held beliefs that the Church felt were wrong; heretics were excommunicated

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Iniquisition

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A court set up by the Roman Catholic Church to investigate heresy and punish heretics

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Jesters

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Clowns who appeared before a lord and tried to make him laugh with antics, tricks and jokes

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Joust

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A contest between knights on horseback; armed with lances, the knights charged at each other in an attempt to knock their opponent off his horse

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King

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A person who rules a country; during the Middle Ages, the influence of kings decreased as the power of lords increased; but by the end of the Middle Ages, kings became powerful rulers of nation-states

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Knight

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A man of honor who held a high military rank; only men who were trained in warfare and who showed good personal qualities were chosen by lords to be knights; the code of chivalry had to followed at all times

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Lord

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A well-to-do noble who owned an estate; a lord usually lived in a castle, gave land to vassals in return for military serve, and used serfs to farm his land

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Manor

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A large piece of land owned by a lord; also called an estate

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Medieval Period

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Began with the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in 476 and ended with the beginning of the Modern Period in the 1400's; the main characteristics of the Medieval Period were the growth of feudalism and the strong influence of the Roman Catholic Church

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Middle Ages

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Same as Medieval Period

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Minstrels

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Singers and musicians who entertained the lords during the Middle Ages; they played harps, guitars and flutes

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Moat

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A deep, wide, water-filled ditch that surrounds a castle and helped protect it from attack; people coming and going from the castle used a drawbridge to cross the moat

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Monastary

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A building where monks lived; the head of the monastery was called the "abbot"

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Monk

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A man who gave up all of his property and dedicated his life to serving God; monks stayed in monasteries where they prayed, worked hard, and lived quiet, serious lives; they copied old Greek and Roman manuscripts, helped the poor and needy, and converted people to Christianity

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Nobility

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A class of rich people; lords or nobles

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Peasants

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Poor people who worked on manors; also called serfs

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Pope

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The head of the Roman Catholic Church

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Priest

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A clergyman of the Christian church; in medieval times, almost every manor had a priest

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Serfs

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Poor people who worked for lords during the Middle Ages; they worked long hours, were poorly fed and clothed, and were not allowed to leave the manor

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Tournament

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A contest or joust between two knights or two groups of knights; tournaments attracted large crowds

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Troubadours

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Wandering minstrels who wrote poems that usually expressed love for a beautiful lady of noble birth; they also wrote about warfare and battle heroes

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Vassal

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A noble who was given land by the lord in return for military assistance and other service to the lord