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Medieval Europe
A Glossary of Terms for Year 8
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Anglo-Saxon | a term describing a Germanic people who settled in Great Britain in the 400s CE; they drove the local Celtic people to the land’s extremities |
| Barbarians | a term first used by ancient Romans to describe someone living outside their borders; an uncivilised person |
| Black Death | a deadly plague that spread across Asia, Europe and Africa during the fourteenth century |
| Blood letting | the deliberate cutting of someone to cause bleeding; this medieval practice, often performed by barbers, was seen as a treatment and cure for illness |
| Buboes | the blackened, swollen, pus-filled lymph nodes evident on the body of someone with the bubonic plague |
| Bubonic plague | an infectious disease caused by a bacterium carried by the fleas of rats and mice, and which quickly kills those who contract it; visible symptoms include buboes |
| Catapult | a weapon that worked like a giant slingshot; it hurled large rocks and sometimes the infected bodies of people and animals over the wall of a city an army might be laying siege to |
| Charter | a formal document in which someone in authority (e.g. medieval lord) states that certain rights or responsibilities are granted to others |
| Christianity | a religion whose followers believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God; its belief and practices |
| Courtier | a man who is part of the household or staff of a royal family |
| Crusades | a series of wars fought by Christians and Muslims between 1096 and 1291 CE over control of the Holy Land |
| Danelaw | an area in north-east England (which includes the city of York) that the then king of Kingdom of Wessex, King Alfred, gave to the Vikings in exchange for stopping their raids of the region |
| Excommunication | a religious punishment that involved cutting someone off from being part of the church community and all that this entailed from a spiritual point of view (e.g. being able to participate in communion, confession, gaining entry to heaven) |
| Feudalism | a set of legal and military customs that served to organise the society of medieval Europe; under feudalism, a lord gave a fief to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and support |
| Fief | usually a plot of land granted to a vassal by a lord in return for the vassal’s loyal support |
| Flagellant | a group of radical Christians during the Black Death who whipped themselves to gain God’s forgiveness for their sins |
| Flayed | skinned alive |
| Guild | a group of people all working in the same trade (e.g. butchers, tailors, cobblers) who band together for their common interests |
| Heresy | doing or saying something regarded by the medieval Catholic Church (and by come other faiths) as being in serious conflict with its teachings |
| Hierarchy | a way of organising people or groups of things so that the most important is at the top, with the others ranked underneath in decreasing order of importance |
| Jester | a medieval comedian who joked and ‘played the fool’ at occasions such as banquets and fairs; he typically wore a multi-pronged floppy hat with bells on it |
| Knight | a medieval warrior of Europe, who typically pledged his services to a lord (sometimes the king) in exchange for a fief |
| Lord | a wealthy monarch or noble; under feudalism, one who exchanged fiefs for the sworn loyalty of vassals |
| Magna Carta | a document signed in 1215 by England’s King John and his barons; they forced him to sign it as he was abusing his power towards his people; it meant that the king would thereafter be expected to rule according to feudal law |
| Manuscript | in the medieval sense, a document written by hand (usually by monks) |
| Minstrels | a medieval singer and musician who typically wandered around the countryside performing at events (often as part of a small group); unlike troubadours, minstrels did not necessarily create the music and songs they performed |
| Moat | a wide band of water surrounding a built structure such as a castle; it provided some protection in case of attack; access across the moat was via a drawbridge, which was drawn up in case of attack |
| Monarchy | a type of government ruled by a monarch (king or queen) |
| Monastery | a place where monks live, worship and work |
| Monk | a man dedicated to the religious life |
| Nomadic | a tribe or community that moves from place to place to get food and pasture for livestock |
| Nun | a woman dedicated to the religious life |
| Pandemic | a term used to describe the spread of an infectious disease across an entire country, a large region, or even worldwide; an epidemic on a much larger scale |
| Patron | someone who devotes some of their wealth, time and interest to developing the skills of others (usually in the arts) |
| Pilgrimage | a journey made by someone who travels to a place of religious significance in the hope this will see prayers answered or sins forgiven |
| Reformation | a movement that began in Europe in the 16th century when the scholar-monk Martin Luther publicly challenged the Catholic Church; it shifted the balance of power in Europe away from dominant control by the church |
| Renaissance | a period in Europe’s history between the late 12th and 16th centuries that saw a revival of culture and learning; a French term meaning ‘rebirth’ |
| Regent | a person who rules in place of the monarch who is temporarily absent from the country (maybe fighting a war), or who is too young or sick to rule |
| Serf | a medieval peasant who worked on the manor of a feudal lord |
| Siege | a military strategy used to weaken a castel, a town or city by cutting it off from the outside world |
| Silk Road | a network of trade routes stretching west from China to the Mediterranean Sea; it was the main means by which silk was introduced to the West |
| Tatar | a member of an ethnic group whose members can be found today in countries such as Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Azerbaijan |
| Tournament | a public event, similar to a fair or carnival, held in medieval Europe; tournaments featured organised battles and a series of jousts between knights on horseback etc. |
| Treason | the act of betraying one’s own country or ruler |
| Troubadours | a medieval musician and poet who both wrote and performed songs that were typically about romantic love |
| Vassal | under feudalism, a person who offered his loyalty and service to a lord in return for his protection and the granting of a fief |
Created by:
Mrs Huf
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