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Chapter 14
Medieval Europe
T-Notes
Lesson 1 Geography of Europe
Europe The second smallest continent on Earth
 Extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the
Mediterranean Sea in the south
 In the east the Ural mountains separate Europe from
Asia
Ural Mountains Old low mountains that separate Europe from Asia
North European Plain One of four major land regions in Europe
 Part of the Central European Plain which covers a vast
expanse of Europe
Including part of southeastern England
 Its flat and rolling lands include some of the world’s
most fertile farmland
Alpine Mountain System One of four major land regions in Europe
 Includes several mountain chains such as the Alps and
the Carpathian Mountains
 Lower slopes provide good farmland
 Higher slopes have heavy forest cover
Volga River The longest river in Europe
 Serves a major transportation route
Danube River Europe’s second largest river
 Main water route in the south-central part of the
continent
Rhine River The backbone of the busiest inland system of
waterways in the western part of Europe
European Climate Varies across the continent depending on elevations
and if near an ocean or sea however most of Europe is
mild or temperate
European culture Diverse
Lesson 2 Rulers and Invaders
Middle Ages A period of time in Europe from about A.D. 500 to 1500
Domesday Book Helped keep track of the people in England during the
Middle Ages
 Helped the ruler set up a tax system
Charlemagne Crowned emperor by Pope Leo III
 Gave large areas of land to nobles to manage-in return
they promised loyalty to him
Vikings Fierce pirates and warriors from Scandinavia
 Invaded Charlemagne’s empire
 Launched many invasions against England, France,
Germany, Italy, Russia and Spain
 Stole goods then later set up trading centers
King John a king who governed with force and sold royal positions
to the highest bidder
 English Lords mad at him and civil war broke out
 Agreed to a set of promises that put limits on the king
Magna Carta A set of promises agreed to by King John
 63 clauses that helped people by limiting the power of
the king
 Otherwise known as the “Great Charter”
Missionaries People who teach religion to people with other beliefs
Feudalism A political, social, and economic system that began in
the 800’s when few had strong central governments
 In Feudalism lords and knights were loyal to and
protected protection
 Provided protection for the people
 Resembled a social structure with monarchs (kings) at
the top and serfs at the bottom
Monarchs A king or a queen who was the supreme ruler
 Were at the top of the social structure in Feudalism
Serfs People who lived on and farmed land owned by lords
Knights Owned by lords
 Warriors trained to fight on horseback
 Obeyed a code of behavior called chivalry
Chivalry A code of behavior for knights
o Had deep faith
o Would die for church
o Gave generously to all
o Used his strength to stand against injustice
Manor System A way to mange feudal lands
 Met all of the needs of the lord, knights, and serfs
working there and also allowed for a surplus that serfs
could sell to towns and cities which enabled the towns
and cities to grow as well
 Had four parts
o The manor house (were lord lived) and village
(serfs cottages, churches, mills etc.)
o Farmland
o Meadowland (pasture for animals)
o Wasteland
Guilds
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A group of people united by a common interest
There were crafts guilds and merchant guilds
Controlled the market
Buy large quantities of goods cheaply
Guaranteed fair prices for goods