Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
A Frankish king who was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope in 800 C.E. which strengthened the relationship between church and state.
Feudal
A loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their landholdings amount lesser lords in exchange for protection and service
Vikings
a seafaring Scandinavian people who raided the coasts of Europe from the eighth through the tenth century.
Magyars
a Germanic group that attacked Europe, established Hungary, & converted to Christianity
Angles and Saxons
These groups migrated from continental Europe (present-day Denmark and Germany) to England.
Vassals
lesser lords who pledged their service and loyalty to a greater lord in a military capacity
Knights
lesser nobles who served as a mounted warrior for a lord
Lords
People of high rank who received land in exchange for their loyalty to his king
Serfs/Peasants
an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.
Early Middle Ages
- A.D. 500-1000
-Dark Ages: A.D. 500-800
-Included the collapse of Rome and sweeping advances of Germanic and scandinavian raiders. Europe entered a time of chaotic political, economic, and urban decline
-A struggle back toward stability
Fief
land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service
Manorial System
an economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates
Manor
A large estate, often including farms and a village, ruled by a lord.