Download The middle Ages

Ms. Orville
What does
“Middle Ages”
mean?
 Middle
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Ages: 500-1500 CE
Medieval period
 Feudalism-
land was owned by nobles but held by
vassals in return for loyalty
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Medieval government system
Feudal duties: raise army and pay taxes
 Manor
system- people lived and worked on large
estates owned by lords
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Medieval economic system
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Self-sufficient- did not need anything outside of what was
provided on the manor
Very little trading
Noblewomen- important role running the manor
Serfs= peasants
 Very difficult life
 No chance to improve their life
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Middle ages- the years between ancient and modern times
Medieval- referring to the middle ages
Feudalism- a system in which land was owned by kings or
lords but held by vassals in return for their loyalty
Fief- a large piece of land granted by a king to a lord in
exchange for his loyalty
Manor- a large estate, often including farms & a village.
Ruled by a lord
Serf- a farm worker considered part of the manor on which
he or she worked
Peasant- poor people who live and farm the land
Vassal- a person who promised to fight when needed by his
lord, during the Middle Ages in exchange for land
Lord- a noble in the middle ages
Noble- a member of the wealthiest class of some societies
Bourgeoisie- person belonging to the middle class
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Page- a young boy who
carried messages and waited
on a lord
Squire- a servant of a knight
at the lord’s court- trains to
be a knight
Knight- a man who received
honor & land in exchange for
serving a lord as a soldier
Chivalry- the code of
honorable conduct for knights
keep- strongest defense of
the castle- tall tower where
noble lives: has its own well
and storage space
Guild- medieval organization
of crafts workers or trades
people
 Gothic-
a style of
architecture used during the
Middle Ages that featured
pointed arches
 Clergy- persons with authority
to perform religious services
 Excommunication- expelling
someone from the Church
 Monastery- a religious
community in which monks
lead lives of work and prayer
 Convent- a religious
community in which nuns lead
simple lives of work and
prayer
http://www.medievalcastle.com/architecture_design.htm
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Charter- a formal document setting forth an organization’s
goals & principles
apprentice- an unpaid person training in a craft or trade
Black Death- (Bubonic Plague) 14th century plague that killed
25-33% of Europe’s population
Troubadour- a traveling poet & musician of the Middle Ages
Holy land- Jerusalem & parts of the surrounding area where
Jesus lived & taught
Crusades- a series of military expeditions launched by
Christian Europeans to win the holy land back from Muslim
control
Pilgrims- a person who journeys to a sacred place
Nation- a community of people that shares territory & a
government
Model Parliament- a council of lords, clergy, & common
people that advised the English king on government matters
Hundred Years War- a series of conflicts between England &
France 1337-1453
 Vikings
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left Europe a legacy of fear
No community felt safe
Peasants would not work in their fields without
protection
 Feudalism
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Kings granted large pieces of land to important
nobles or lords in exchange for their loyalty
Gift of land = fief
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The lord promised to fight for the king
vassals had to fight in lord’s army
Serfs- lived and worked on the land belonging to the
nobles
 NOT FREE but not slaves: ‘belonged to the land”
Manor- large farming estate
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Nobles + serfs lived and worked
Self-sufficient economic unit
 Knights
were vassals that
made up the noble’s
army
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3 stages of becoming a
knight
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Cavalry- army on horseback
Chivalry- purity, valor, good
manners
Page
Squire
Knight
Castles: used as protection
from invading armies
 Charlemagne-
the Great
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46 year rule
Led more than 50 military
campaigns
United a great variety of
European people under 1
government
 The
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Charles
Hundred Years War
Helped unify both England
and France into nations
 During
the Middle Ages, the
Roman Catholic Church was a
powerful force that affected
nearly every area of people’s
lives
Middle ages also known as “The
Age of Faith”
 Churches- highly organized:
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Priests, bishops, archbishops, popes
Increase in trade led to the growth
of towns and cities
 The new middle class organized
craft trade guilds
 Medieval towns and cities were
crowded and unsanitary
 Culture and learning were limited
to only a few people
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200 years
 Series of wars launched by
European Christians to
capture Jerusalem from the
Muslims
 First crusade: captured
Jerusalem
 Later Crusades launched to
defend Christians from Turks
in Holy Land
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No true winner
Crusades changed life in
Europe
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Trade increased
Towns grew
Use of money increased
Learned about the Arab world
1347-1351: bubonic plague
 Spread by fleas and rats that lived in unsanitary towns
 Flagellants- punished themselves for sins in order to
avoid the plague
 Caused horrible black spots and almost certain death
 Killed 1/3-1/2 of Europe’s population
 Normal life broken down- labor shortage
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