| A | B |
|---|
| Feudalism | a political and economic system in which large landholders gave protection to people in return for their service to the landholder |
| Excommunication | to be thrown out or banned from the church |
| Hierarchy | a group of people organized or classified by rank and authority |
| Fief | a large feudal estate |
| Vassal | a person who receives land and protection from a fedal lord in return for loyalty to that lord |
| Oath of Fealty | an oath of loyalty sworn to a lord in exchange for an award of land |
| Knight | an armed mounted soldier who gives military service to a lord |
| Homage | an expression of public honor or respect; the ceremonial recognition of allegiance to a lord shown by a vassal |
| Guild | an association of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftsmen or artisans |
| Monastery | a place in which a community of religious people, particularly monks, lives |
| Manor | the castle and estate of a feudal lord |
| Serf | peasant; member of the lowest feudal class |
| Chivalry | the code of conduct by which a knight had to abide at all times |
| Heraldry | the art of displaying, designing, describing, and recording coats of arms |
| Justinian | Ruler of the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century |
| Charlemagne | "Charles the Great" king of the Franks; first king to be crowned emperor by a pope |
| Otto I | crowned "Holy Roman Emperor"; defeats the Vikings and Magyars |
| William the Conqueror | Ruler from Normandy who defeats the English at The Battle of Hastings and becomes the King of England |
| Baldric the Bold | a Saxon housecarl who fought for the English in The Battle of Hastings |
| Eleanor of Aquitaine | Queen of France and of England, mother of Richard the Lionheated and cruel King John |
