| A | B |
|---|
| temperate | mild (often used to decribe a climate) |
| deforestation | the process of clearing a forest |
| navigable rivers | deep enough for boat travel |
| Middle Ages | a period of time between the Roman period and about the 1400s |
| manor | large estates owned by wealthy nobels |
| serf | workers who were bound to work on the manors, they had little more freedom than slaves--but they could not be bought or sold |
| feudalism | a way of organizing and governing society based on land and service |
| lord | the nobel who owned the manor, he had total control over the manor |
| vassal | nobels who did not own land who served a lord |
| fief | usually a separate manor, not owned by the vassal but he did have authority over its serfs |
| guild | an organized group or traders or craftworkers |
| Magna Carta | "great charter" in Latin, a legal document written by a group of lords. It said they had certain rights, like the right to a fair trial |
| point of view | a position from which a person looks at the world |
| monestary | a communitywhere monks lived |
| nun | women who devoted their lives to religion |
| convent | a community where nuns lived |
| catherdral | a grand church |
| saint | women and men considered to be especially holy |
| Crusade | a journey or war fought for religious reasons, fought by Christians to win back the holy land |
| plague | a terrible disease that spreads quickly |
| Renaissance | "rebirth" in French, a period in time when great enthusiasm for art, literature and trade increased throughout northern Italy |
| humanism | concern with human interests and values |
| patron | supporter |
| indulgence | a pardon or forgiveness by the Church |
| reform | change |
| Reformation | a movement which brought reform to the Church in Rome. It led to another division of Christianity |
| Protestantism | a second division of Western Christianity, it consisted of the followers of Martin Luther |
| armada | a huge and powerful fleet of warships |
