Middle Ages Study Guide

Chapter 8-9

Peasant- Most of the peasants on a manor were serfs, who were bound to the land. They were not slaves who could be bought and sold, but they were still not free. Peasants had to work several days a week farming the lord’s domain.

Usury- To the clergy, the profits that the merchants and bankers made from usury, or lending money at interest, were immoral.

Capital- Capital is money for investment spurred the growth of banking houses. Merchants, for example, needed to buy goods, so they borrowed from moneylenders.

Tithe- Tithe was tax equal to a tenth of the Christians income. The church required Christians to pay this to support itself.

Fief- A fief was an estate that a lord granted his vassal. Estates ranged from a few acres to hundreds of square miles and included peasants to work the land.

Chivalry- In the later Middle Ages, knights adopted a code of conduct called chivalry. Chivalry required knights to be brave, loyal, and true to their word.

Charter- A charter was a written document that set out the rights and privileges of a town. This was to protect their interests, the merchants who set up the town would ask the local lord, or if possible the king himself, for a charter 

Troubador- A troubadour was a wandering poet. They adopted the view the code of chivalry called for women to be protected and cherished. Their love songs praised the protection, beauty, and wit of women throughout the ages.

Manor Economy- The heart of the medieval economy was the manor, or lord’s estate. Most manors included one or more villages and the surrounding lands.

How monks and nuns lived- Monks and nuns took an oath of poverty. They also took vows of chastity, or purity, and the obedience to the abbot. Their chief duties were prayer and worship of God. Monks and nuns tended the sick. Monks and nuns also copied the ancient books as a from of labor.

Why was church reform desired- Church reform was desired because wealth and power grew and discipline weakened. Monks and nuns ignored their vows. Married priests devoted more time to the interests of their families than to their own church duties. The growing corruption and moral decay led to demands for reform.

New agricultural technologies- Agricultural technology was well underway in Europe. By about 800, peasants were using new iron plows that carved deep into the heavy soil of Northern Europe. Also a new kind of harness allowed peasants to use horses rather than oxen to pull the plows.  Peasants also adopted the three-field system.

Defense of Castles (moats, etc.)- Their strongholds included a keep, or wooden tower, ringed by a fence. The keep was separated from the surrounding area by a moat, or a water-filled ditch. By the 1100s, royal rulers and nobles owned sprawling stone castles with high walls, towers, and drawbridges over wide moats.

Battle of Tours- Charlemagne led troops to the battle of tours and defeated it in 732. The Battle of Tours invaded much of Europe.

Vassals- In medieval Europe, a lord who was granted land in exchange for service and loyalty to a greater lord. The relationship between lords and vassals was established by custom and tradition.

Peasants- Most of the peasants on the manor were serfs, who were bound to the land. Mutual rights and responsibilities tied peasants and their lords together. Peasants had to work several days a week farming the lord’s roads, bridges, and fences.

Knights- At the age seven, a boy slated to become a knight was sent away to the castle of his father’s lord. There, he learned to ride and fight.

Lords- The lords were tied together with their peasants. They were the leader of the household.

Why did the church have great power over the people?- The only way to avoid the tortures of hell was to participate in the sacraments, which are the sacred rituals of the church. The church had absolute power in the religious life of Christians during the Middle Ages.

Cluniac reforms- In 1073, a new pope, Gregory VII, extended the Cluniac reforms throughout the entire Church. He prohibited simony the selling of positions in the church, and outlawed marriage for priests.

Three field system- Peasants also adopted the three field system. They planted one field in grain, a second legume, such as peas and beans and left the third fallow.

Merchant guilds- Or associations, dominated life in medieval towns. They passed laws, levied taxes, and decided whether to spent funds to pave the streets, build protected walls, or raise a new town hall.

Clergy- The group or body of ordained persons in a religion. There were many clergies in the medieval times.

Nobles- Nobles and the church had as much power than the king. Both nobles and the church had their own courts, collected their own taxes, and fielded their own armies.