Unit 2 Vocabulary
Dark & Middle Ages of Europe
Feudalism
• Loosely organized system of government in
which local lords governed their own lands
but owed military service and other support
to a greater lord
Vassals
• in medieval Europe, a lord who has granted
land in exchange for service and loyalty to a
greater lord
Feudal Contract
• Exchange of pledges between lords and
vassals
Fief
• In medieval Europe, an estate granted by a
lord to a vassal in exchange for service and
loyalty
Knight
• A European noble who served as a mounted
warrior
Chivalry
• Code of conduct for knights during the Middle
Ages
Manor
• During the Middle Ages in Europe, a lords
estate which included one or more villages
and the surrounding lands
Serfs
• In medieval Europe, a peasant bound to the
lords land
Sacraments
• Sacred ritual of the Roman Catholic Church
Benedictine Rule
• Rules drawn up in 530 by the Benedict, a
monk, regulating the monastic life. The rule
emphasizes obedience, poverty and chastity
and divides the day into periods of worship,
work, and study
Papal Supremacy
• The claim of medieval popes that they had
authority over all secular rulers
Canon Law
• Body of laws of a church
Excommunication
• Exclusion from the Roman Catholic Church as
a penalty for refusing to obey Church law
Charter
• In the Middle Ages, a written document that
set out the rights and privileges of a town
Capital
• Money or wealth used to invest in business or
enterprise
Partnerships
• A group of merchants who joined together to
finance a large-scale venture that would have
been too costly for any individual trader
Middle Class
• A group of people, including merchants,
traders, and artisans, whose rank was
between nobles and peasants
Guilds
• In the Middle Ages, an association of
merchants or artisans who cooperated to
uphold standards of their trade and to protect
their economic standards
Apprentice
• A young person learning a trade from a master
Common Law
• A legal system based on custom and court
rulings
Magna Carta
• The Great Charter approved by King John of
England in 1215; it limited royal power and
established certain rights of English freemen
Due Process
• The requirement that the government act
fairly and in accordance with established rules
in all that it does
Habeas Corpus
• Principle that a person cannot be held in
prison without being charged with a specific
crime
Parliament
• The legislature of England, and later of Great
Britain
Holy Roman Empire
• Empire of west central Europe from 962 to
1806, comprising present-day Germany and
neighboring lands
Lay Investiture
• Appointment of bishops by anyone who is not
a member of the clergy
Holy Land
• Jerusalem and other places in Palestine where
Christians believe Jesus had lived and
preached
Inquisition
• A Church court set up to try people accused of
heresy
Black Death
• An epidemic of the bubonic plague that
ravaged Europe in the 1300’s