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Chapter 13:MiddleAge
Chapter 13: Middle Ages
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Charlemagne | King of Franks from 768 to 814; he united much of France, Germany and northern Italy in one Frankish empire; crowned Emperor of the Roman people in 800. |
Papal States | Territories in central Italy controlled by the pope from 756-1870. |
Counts | Title of nobility; in Charlemagne's empire, chosen officials who ruled parts of the empire in his name. |
Navigation | The guidance of ships from place to place. |
Sagas | Long stories, written in the early 1200s, about great Icelandic heroes and events. |
Leif Eriksson | Norwegian explorer; he led a group of Vikings to North America and settled on the eastern shore of modern-day Canada. |
Knights | In Medieval Europe, nobles who were members of a lord's heavily armored cavalry. |
Fief | A grant of land from a lord to a vassal. |
Vassal | In Medieval Europe, a person granted land from a lord in return for services. |
Feudal System | A political and social system based on the granting of land in exchange for loyalty, military assistance, and other services. |
Fealty | The loyalty owed by a vassal to his feudal lord. |
Manorial System | An economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates called manors. |
Serfs | Peasants who were legally bound t their lord's land. |
Alfred the Great | King of Wessex from 871 to 899; he defeated Danish invaders and united Anglo-Saxon England under his control. He compiled a code of laws and promoted learning. |
William the Conqueror | King of England from 1060 to 1087; he was a powerful French noble who conquered England and brought feudalism to England. |
Domesday Book | The written record of English landowners and their property made by order of William the Conqueror in 1085-1086 |
Eleanor of Aquitaine | Queen of France and England; she was one of the most powerful women in Europe during the Middle Ages. |
Magna Carta | A charter agreed to by King John of England that granted nobles certain rights and restricted the king's powers. |
Parliament | The governing body of England. |
Hugh Capet | King of France from 987 to 996; elected by Frankish nobles to succeed King Louis V, he founded the Capetian dynasty, which ruled France for 300 years. |
Otto the Great | King of Germany (936-973) and Holy Roman Emperor (962-973); he defeated the Magyar army, which ended the Magyar raids in the mid-900s. |
Reconquista | The effort of Christian leaders to drive the Muslims out to Spain, occurring between the 1100s and 1492. |
Piety | Devotion to one's religion. |
Pontificate | Papal term in office. |
Pope George VII | Roman Catholic pope; his assertion of church power to appoint bishops led him into conflict With Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, who claimed the powers for himself. George excommunicated Henry, who relented. |
Henry IV | King of Germany from 1056 to 1106 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1056 to 1106; he was excommunicated by Pope George VII over bishop appointments; he acknowledged the pope's authority and was readmitted to the church. |