| A | B |
|---|
| Albigensian crusade | Military campaign against the Cathars; called for by Pope Innocent III; feudal warriors from northern France undertook the crusade and ruthlessly crushed Cathar communities in southern France, 13th century. |
| Capetian France | Term for France during the high middle ages after Hugh Capet, the first Capetian king who reigned beginning in 987; during the following three centuries, Capetian kings gradually gained power and resources to establish centralized authority in France |
| Cathars | Also known as Albigensians; adopted the teachings of heretical groups in eastern Europe who viewed the world as a site of an unrelenting, cosmic struggle between the forces of good and evil; followers rejected the Roman Catholic church, sought spiritual perfection, renounced wealth and marriage, and led a strict vegetarian life. |
| cathedral schools | Schools established by bishops and archbishops in cathedrals of Europe; curricula emphasized the liberal arts; some also offered advanced instruction in law, medicine, and theology; become common during the 11th and 12th centuries. |
| chivalry | Informal but widely recognized code of ethics and behavior considered appropriate for feudal nobles of Europe; substantially influenced by Christian faith and romantic love cultivated by troubadours |
| first crusade | Military expedition organized by French and Norman nobles in 1096; captured Edessa, Antioch, and Jerusalem in the following years; Muslim leader Saladin recaptured Jerusalem in 1187 |
| fourth crusade | Fourth military expedition attempting to recapture the Holy Land of Palestine; took place between 1202 and 1204; instead of capturing Palestine, crusaders conquered Constantinople and subjected the city to a ruthless sack. |
| Hanseatic League | Also known as the Hansa; association of trading cities stretching from Novgorod to London and embracing all the significant commercial centers of Poland, northern Germany, and Scandinavia; dominated trade of northern Europe during the high middle ages. |
| high middle ages | Period of European history from about 1000 to 1300 C.E. |
| Investiture Contest | Controversy between emperors of the Holy Roman Empire and the popes over appointments of Roman Catholic church officials in the late 11th and early 12th century; the papacy won out over the imperial authorities. |
| mendicants | Followers of St. Dominic and St. Francis; also known as the Dominican and Franciscan friars; active in towns and cities of Europe during the high middle ages; worked within the Roman Catholic church, but strongly emphasized spiritual over materialistic values |
| reconquista | Christians' reconquest of Spain from Muslim control; lasted from the 1060s to 1492. |
| sacraments | Holy rituals for bringing spiritual blessings to the observants; during the middle ages, the Roman Catholic church recognized seven sacraments, and the most popular one was the Eucharist. |
| scholasticism | Influential theology of medieval Europe during the 13th century; sought to synthesize the beliefs and values of Christianity with the logical rigor of Greek philosophy. |
| Teutonic Knights | One of several Christian military-religious orders active in the Baltic region during the 12th and 13th centuries; aided by German missionaries and the Roman Catholic church, became crusaders who fought against the pagan Slavic peoples of Prussia, Livonia, and Lithuania; responsible for bringing the Baltic region into the larger society of Christian Europe. |
| three estates | Conventional classification of European society during the middle ages, referring to "those who pray, those who fight, and those who work." |
| troubadours | Traveling poets, minstrels, and entertainers patronized by aristocratic women; most active in southern France and northern Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries; drew inspiration from the long tradition of love poetry produced in nearby Muslim Spain, and promoted refined behavior and tender, respectful relations between the sexes. |
| Waldensians | Popular heresy of 12th and 13th-century Europe; protested the increasing materialism of European society; despised the Roman Catholic clergy as immoral and corrupt, and advocated modest and simple lives. |
