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Unit 5 Terms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
apprentice | a beginner or novice who agrees to work for a master in his trade or craft in return for instruction and support |
armor | protective clothing worn by the knight, may include a shield and lance |
Bimaristan | the word for hospital in persian |
Bubonic Plague | a serious, sometimes fatal, infection from the bacterial toxin Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas from infected rodents and characterized by high fever, weakness, and the swelling of glands |
Byzantine Empire | The Byzantine Empire was the Greek-speaking eastern continuation of the Roman Empire after the fall of Rome. Its capital was Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). |
Caliphate | government by a Muslim political and religious leader |
calligraphy | ornamental handwriting |
castle | home to the king, lords and their families; often used a place of protection for the people of the manor |
chivalry | the rules of behavior expected of the knight: they include fairness, courtesy, respect, protection of the weak |
Coat of Arms | the symbol used to identify the members of a noble family, often found on the shields of knights and on the outside of noble's homes |
Crusade | any of the military expeditions made by Christian countries in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the muslims |
Crusader | a Christian soldier who fought in a holy War to free Jerusalem from the Muslims |
feudalism | a system where vassals (lesser nobles) held land from lords (nobles and the king) in exchange for protection and military service |
fief | land held as a result of an agreement (pledge) between the vassal and the overlord, who pledges to honor and protect his vassal |
guild | a group organized by merchants, artisans and craft worker to protect the members and set quality and price standards for all |
Hagia Sophia | a former Greek Orthodox Baslica (church) later an imperial mosque, and now a museum |
hippodrome | an Grecian stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. Adopted by other ancient cultures |
Holy Lands | the lands comprising ancient Palestine and including the sites and territories of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions |
Icon | a religious image usually painted on a small wooden panel |
illuminations | designs, pictures, and decoration used in manuscripts to make them more appealing |
infidels | people who do not believe in a particular religion |
Jerusalem | the capital of the ancient kingdom of Israel and contains sites sacred to the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions |
Justinian’s Code | the collections of laws and legal interpretations developed under the sponsorship of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I from C.E. 529 to 565 |
King | the ruler of the land, the top of the feudal pyramid |
Knight | a trained horseman who fought for the king or his lord, a noble by birth |
Lord | the second in order in the feudal world, a noble who owned less land than the king, and was loyal to the king |
manor | a large self-sufficient estate or farm belonging to a noble family. Peasants and serfs worked the land and engaged in crafts to supply the lord and his family with all they needed in exchange for protection |
Middle Ages | the name given to the time period between 80 and 1400 C.E |
mosaic | a decoration on a surface made by setting small pieces of glass, tile, or stone of different colors into another material so as to make pictures or patterns |
Nika Riots | In C.E. 532 the most violent riots in the history of Constantinople, with nearly half the city being burned or destroyed and tens of thousands of people killed |
nobles | members of the wealthiest class in feudal society |
Pax Romana | the peace that existed between nationalities within the Roman Empire |
peasants | poor, but free people who live on the manor, and farm the land. They give crops and services to the Lord in exchange for protection |
pilgrimage hajj | travel to a shrine or holy place to worship |
serf | a poor person who lives on and farms the land, they are not free, but belong to the land, one step above a slave. If the land is transferred they go with it. |
qanat | a series of well-like vertical shafts, connected by gently sloping tunnels to ensure a reliable water supply |
Seljuk | any of several Turkish dynasties that ruled over parts of SW Asia from the 11th to the 13th centuries C.E. |
tapestry | heavy cloth woven with designs usually telling a story, hung on walls during the Middle Ages for warmth |
trade | the exchange of goods |
vassal | in the Middle Ages, one who served the lord in exchange for land |