Medieval Europe Key Terms

A serious act of disloyalty to the king; in medieval times, murdering someone from a higher level in the social scale

A follower of the Islamic religion founded by the prophet Muhammad

A religion founded on the life and teachings of Jesus. It was was an important influence on the Middle Ages.

The area within Palestine where Christ lived and preached

Organisation of people who share a craft, trade or profession, that set work standards for its members

A deep, wide ditch, often filled with water that people had to cross to gain entry to a castle or manor house

A system of organising a society by providing land in return for loyalty and work

A journey people take to a place that holds special religious significance for them

Elite medieval warriors who trained to fight on horseback

Another word for the tower, which was the main building of a castle

A person who believes in many gods; relating to any religion that is not Christian, Jewish or Muslim

An opinion that goes against the teachings of the Catholic Church; the offence of contradicting the Church’s teachings

Those who worked as farmers and agricultural labourers with limited land ownership; most people Medieval Europe

A tax of 10 per cent of their crops that peasants paid to the Catholic Church

Battles fought between Muslims and European Christians for control of the Holy Land, mainly from 1095 to 1250

A village and its surrounding land

Thick soup made from whatever vegetables were available; it sometimes also included meat or fish

Land from which a church gains rent or crops

Mid-fourteenth-century plague that resulted in huge loss of life in Europe, Africa and Asia

The head of the Catholic Church

Communities of religious workers who lived and worked together

Religious workers including bishops, priests, nuns and monks