| A | B |
|---|
| Middle Ages | The period of European history |
| Pope | The leader of the Roman Catholic church |
| manor | A large block of land made of forests, meadows, farmland, etc. |
| serf | A peasant who worked on a manor |
| tenant | Someone who paysrent to a land owner |
| vassal | In the Middle Ages, a noble who agreed to serve the kind in return for use of land |
| contract | A written agreement |
| feudal system | A system of trading loyalites for protection |
| Christendom | The community of Christians from all kingdoms and nations |
| crusader | A Christian soldier who fought to free the Holy Land from Muslim Turks |
| bubonic plague | A deadly sickness caused by fleas on rats |
| nation-state | A contry with a strong central government and a single ruler |
| Magna Carta | The document that English nobles forced King John to approve in 1215 |
| Justinian Code | A set of laws written by the Byzantine emperor Justinian |
| Monopoly | Complete control |
| mosaic | A picture made from bits of stone or glass |
| orthodox | supported and accepted by tradition |
| icon | A holy picture of Jesus or saints |
| patriarch | A church leader |
| Catholic | All-embracing |
| steppe | A semi-dry plain |
| Islam | The religion of Muslims |
| Qur'an | The holy book of Islam |
| muslim | A follower of Islam |
| caliph | A "successor" to Muhammad |
| mosque | An Islamic house of worship |
| minaret | A tower on top of a mosque |
| astrolabe | An instrument that helps sailors navigate using the positions of the stars |
| Sunni | A group of Muslims who accepted change |
| Shiite | A group of Muslims who did not want change |
