Clovis
king who established many Germanic kingdoms that replaced the unifying force of the Roman empire in Western Europe
Medieval
referring to the Middle Ages in Europe or the period of history between ancient and modern times
Franks
a Germanic tribe that conquered present day France and neighboring lands in the 400s
Charles Martel
rallied Frankish worriers when a Muslim army crossed into France
Battle of Tours
battle in 732 in which the Christian Franks led by Charles Martel defeated Muslim armies and stopped the Muslim advance into Europe
Charlemagne
known as Charles the Great
Magyars
nomadic people who settled in present-day Hungary
Vikings
Scandinavian peoples whose sailors raided Europe from 700's through 1100's
feudalism
loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their landholdings among the lesser lords
vassal
in medieval Europe, a lord who was 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
European noble who served as a mounted warrior
tournament
a mock battle in which knights would compete against one another to display their fighting skills
chivalry
a code of conduct that the knights adopted saying that he must be brave, loyal, and true to their word
troubadour
a wandering poet or singer of medieval Europe
manor
heart of the medieval economy; the lords estate
serf
in medieval Europe, a peasant bound to the lord's land
sacrament
sacred ritual of the Roman Catholic Church
Benedictine Rule
created by Benedict, a monk, in the year 530, rules that regulate monastic life, life in monasteries and convents
secular
having to do with worldly rather than religious matters
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
interdict
in the Roman Catholic Church, excommunication of an entire region, town, or kingdom
friar
a medieval European monk who traveled from place to place preaching to the poor
St. Francis of Assisi
a wealthy Italian who founded the Franciscans, the first order of friars
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
partnership
when groups of merchants joined together
tenant farmer
someone who would pay rent to a lord to farm part of the lord's land
middle class
a group of people, including merchants, traders, and artisans, whose rank was between nobles and peasants
guild
a medieval association of craftsmen or merchants, often having considerable power.
apprentice
a younger person learning a trade from a master
journeyman
a salaried worker employed by a guild master