an era in Western Europe that lasted from about 500 to 1450 A.D.; also called the medieval period

a period in history that spanned from the A.D. 500s to the 1500s; from the Latin medium (middle) and aevum (age)

united tribe who obeyed unwritten rules and traditions of their king to form a powerful kingdom

to change one’s religion

Frankish king who battled tribes and forced them to convert to Christianity; became the first German emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

a political and social system in which a vassal receives protection from a lord in exchange for obedience and service

a noblemen who receives land from a king in medieval feudal society

a person, usually a lesser nobleman, who received land and protection from a feudal lord in exchange for obedience and service

a warrior in medieval Europe

a person who lived and worked on the private land of a noble or medieval lord

code of conduct for knights

self-contained world located on land belonging to a lord

the religious leaders who oversee ceremonies and deliver teachings of the Christian Church

a towering church built during the Middle Ages; often the place from which a bishop ruled

a Christian religious community

one in a long line of powerful English kings who had multiple failed, expensive wars which led to a rebellion and the Magna Carta

a system of law established in England to make sure people received equal treatment

document meant to be a contract between the king and his nobles

a group of representatives who shared power with the English monarch

a series of wars fought by Christian armies to reclaim the Holy Land

a long war began by Christian kings to drive the Muslims off the peninsula

a harsh court that ordered the torture and execution of many Muslims and Jews who would not convert to Christianity

a series of wars between England and France that dragged on for 116 years

a French peasant girl who claimed that Christian saints had told her to save her country

a weapon that allowed archers to fire arrows

a disease that killed more than a third of Europe’s population during the Middle Ages

a wealthy, town-dwelling merchant during the Middle Ages

a group of craftspeople that helped protect and improve the working conditions of its members