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Ch.13
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Charlemagne | King of the 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 1200's, about great Icelandic heroes and events |
| Leif Eriksson | Norweigen 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 heavenly armed 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 to their lords 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 book 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 power |
| 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 and Holy Roman Emperor; he defeated the Magyar army, which ended the Magyar raids in the mid-900's |
| Reconquista | The effort of Christian leaders to drive the Muslims out of Spain, occurring between the 11's and 1492 |
| Piety | Devotion to one's religion |
| Pontificate | Papal term in office |
| Pope Gregory 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. Gregory 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 Gregory VII over bishop appointments; he acknowledged the pope's authority and was readmitted to the church |