Middle Ages Study Guide
*peasant- A member of the class constituted by small farmers and tenants, sharecroppers, and laborers on the land where they form the main labor force in agriculture. A peasant would do labor for their empire.
*usury- The practice of lending money at interest. These were profits that merchants and bankers made.
*capital- Money for investment. Merchants had the need for this t buy goods.
*tithe- The payment to a church equal to one tenth of a person’s income. The idea of this existed in ancient religions before Christianity.
*fief- An estate granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for service and loyalty. They ranged from a few acres to hundreds of square miles and peasants were included to work on the land.
*chivalry- A code of conduct adopted by knights. Knights were required to be brave, loyal, and true to their word.
*charter- A written document that set out the rights and privileges of a town. This protected the merchants interests.
*troubadour- A wandering poet in Europe. They viewed that the code of chivalry called for women to be protected and cherished.
*manor economy- A lord’s estate. It included one or more villages and the surrounding lands. Peasants lived and worked on the manor.
*how monks and nuns lived- They devoted their lives to spiritual goals behind the thick wall of monasteries and convents. Monks and nuns did charity to the poor and set up schools for children.
*Why was church reform desired?- The success of the medieval Church brought problem because of its wealth and power. This led to a weakening in discipline. As the corruption and moral decay grew, demands for reform occurred.
*new agricultural technologies- New iron plows that carved deep into the heavy soil were being used by peasants. The three-field system was also adopted and this was when peasants would plant one field in grain, one with legumes, and the other fallow it.
*defense of castles (moats, etc)- A wooden tower ringed by a fence were the castle’s strongholds. Royal rulers and nobles owned stone castles with high walls, towers, and drawbridges over wide moats.
*Battle of Tours- It was led by Charles Martel with Frankish warriors. They defeated a Muslim army and the Christians saw the victory as a sight that God was on their side.
*vassals- pledged service and loyalty to the greater lord. These were lesser lords.
*peasants- most were serfs who were bound to the land. They were tied together with their lords by mutual rights and responsibilities.
*knights- mounted warriors. A boy slated to become a knight at the age of seven and was sent away to the castle of his father’s lord.
*lords- lords were ranked below the monarchs who had the most power. Each lord had the largest fiefs and vassals.
*why did the church have great power over the people?- The church had their own courts, collected their own taxes, and fielded their own armies.
*Cluniac reforms- stated that nobles were not allowed to interfere in the running of the monastery and monastery men who devoted solely to religious pursuits filled the monastery
*three field system- peasants planted one field in grain, a second with legumes, and left the third fallow.
*merchant guilds- associations that dominated life in medieval towns. To be in a guild, a member must have been an apprentice
*clergy- religious and spiritual leaders. It was also known as popes of prophets.
*nobles- played active roles in the warrior society. The lady became the lord of the manor while the man was off fighting.
*Charlemagne- The founder of the empire that consisted of France, Germany, part of Italy. He loved battling and was also a successful conqueror.
*Leif Erikson- set up a short-lived Viking colony on North America in the year 100.
*serf- peasants who were bound to the land.
*excommunication- exclusion from the Roman Catholic Church. This was done as a penalty for refusing to obey Church laws
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*steel plow- new technology that peasants used. This increased production rates.
*feudal system- loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other support to a greater lord.
*Black Death- which regions most devastated?% population died? result?- A disease that was raging through Italy. It killey 7,000 people a day.
*Magna Carta- a law that contained two basic ideas. The first was it asserted that the nobles had certain rights and the second made clear that the monarch must obey the law.
*Concordat of Worms- stated that the Church had the sole power to elect and invest bishops with spiritual authority and the emperor had the right to invest them with fiefs.
*Chief goal of/ and result of the Crusades- the goal of the Crusades was to capture all of Jerusalem. The result of the Crusades ended in a massacre of Muslim and Jewish residents. It also ended with the Muslim armies conquering Jerusalem.
*Reconquista- The objective was to drive the Muslims from Spain This was done when Ferdinand and Isabella married.
*early jury system- The canon law was an early jury system which consisted of penalties.
*conflict between emperors and popes- both wanted power.
Short Answer
A. 5 reasons late Middle Ages was a time of decline- The black plague killing many people. The conflict between popes and emperors. Islam coming into the Mediterranean world and bringing Muslim faith against Christianity. Viking invasions destructing Charlemagne’s empire. The death of Anglo-Saxon king Edward triggered a power struggle. Judaism spreading in Western Europe brought anti-Semitism or prejudice against Jews.
B. 3 long term effects of the crusades- Trade increased, the power of feudal monarch increased, and the growth of a money economy were further encouraged by crusaders.