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 Church who was appointed by the pope; when the pope died, a new leader of the Church was chosen by a meeting of cardinals

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castle

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where the lord and his knights lived usually built on a cliff or hilltop in order to make it easier to defent during an attack

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Catholic Church

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people of the middle ages believed it represented God's rules and teachings religion was so imortant during medieval times that the period was known was 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 of manors in exchange for protection trade education and growth of towns declined during the dark ages

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estate

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a large piece of land owned by a lord during the middle ages same as a manor

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excommunication

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the act of removing a perso from membership in the church beacuse of wrongful actions or beliefs it was thought that an excommunication person would not go to 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

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fief

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

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friar

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holy man who traveled from lace 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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inquisition

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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 antis 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 county during the early middle ages the influence of kings decreased as the power of lord increased but by the end of he middle ages kinds became powerful rulers of new nation-states

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knight

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a man of honor who held 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 be 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 service 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 during the middle ages also called and estate

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medieval period

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it began with the fall of the roman empire in the west in 476 and ended with the beginning of the modern period in the 1400s 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 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 surrounded 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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monastery

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a building where monks lived the head ofthe monastery was called an 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 lives 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; nobles or lords

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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 chosen at a meeting or ccardinals

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priest

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a clergyman of the Christian church in mediecal times almost every manor had a priest

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serf

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poor people who worked for lords during th 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