Glossary:
Rise of Feudalism in Europe
Name __________________ Page ___
Directions: Use the terms and definitions below to study for a quiz on Friday. If you make
flashcards (electronic or hand made) you can earn five bonus quiz points.
1. Abbot – The head of a monastery (see monastery definition in the m section)
2. Barbarian – member of a tribe/group whose behavior was considered uncivilized
3. Cardinal – High-ranking official of Roman Catholic Church, appointed by the Pope
4. Catholic- the largest Christian sect headed by the Pope that has its origins linked to the
Roman Empire
5. Christianity – religion that helped unify Western Europe after the fall of Rome
6. Chivalry – Code of conduct for medieval knights, based on ideals of honor and courtesy
7. Common Law – Body of English law based on tradition and court decisions, not specific
laws
s
8. Excommunication – formal exclusion from membership or participation in the Christian
church
9. Feudalism – Medieval political, social, and economic system in which monarchs and
lesser nobles made alliances based on exchanging land grants for loyalty and protection
10. Fief – Under feudalism, an estate with its peasant workers granted to a noble in exchange
for loyalty and military help
11. Friar – Member of a Catholic church who preached in towns and practiced poverty
12. Germanic Tribes – “Barbarian” tribes that lived to the north of Rome.
13. Heresy – Disagreement with or denial of the basic teachings of a religion
14. Homage – formal ceremony establishing feudal ties between a lord and a vassal
15. Lady – Noblewoman
16. Lord – Nobleman
17. Loyalty – feeling of devotion, duty, or trustworthiness
18. Knight – mounted soldier who was sworn to fight for their lord in exchange for land and
support and expected to follow the code of chivalry
19. Manorialism – Medieval economic system linking nobles and the peasants on their land
20. Manor - Main part of a noble’s fief including fields, a main house, orchards, village,
church and more.
21. Monastery - A community of monks (men) living together under religious vows.
22. Noble – person of high rank by birth or title
23. Page – boy from 7-14 years old who is in the 1st stage of training to become a knight
24. Pagan - A follower of a polytheistic religion.
25. Peasant – supported the feudal structure by farming or working as a skilled craftsman
(carpenter, blacksmith, etc.) and was free to move away from the manor where they
rented or owned land
26. Sacrament – One of the established formal rituals of the Roman Catholic Church, such as
baptism, Holy Communion, or matrimony
27. Serf – A peasant laborer legally bounded to the lands of a noble; couldn’t leave the land.
28. Squire – boy from 15-21 years old who is in the 2nd stage of training to become a knight
29. Jousting – Medieval sport in which knights competed to show their fighting skills
30. Vassal – In feudalism, a noble, knight or peasant who held land from and served a higherranking lord
31. Viking – barbarians from Scandinavia who terrorized Europe during the 9th and 10th
centuries (feudalism developed as an answer to their threat)