| A | B |
|---|
| clergy | bishops and priests |
| fief | land which a noble held under a contract or agreement with an overlord |
| minstrels | wandering musicians who entertained nobels and ladies by singing and reciting long poems of past history |
| moat | a wide, deep ditch filled with water that surrounded a castle |
| page | earliest stage in the education of a knight in which the boy learned manners, how to play instruments, and to say his prayers |
| ransom | money paid for the release of a captured or kidnapped noble |
| sanctuary | protection for anyone fleeing for their life that was offered by the Church |
| serf | the "half-slaves" who worked the land of the lord |
| squire | stage in the education of a knight in which the boy attended a knight in battle, kept his knight's armor shiny, learned to fight, and protected the knight's back in battle |
| vassal | one who promised to serve a lord in order to gain protection |
| chateau | the French word for castle; in France a castle or large country house |
| trial by ordeal | the accused must undergo some form of physical endurance or torture |
| trial by combat | the accused fought with the accuser or with a champion |
| feudalism | protection for the weak was provided in exchange for working for the strong; relationship between a lord and his vassals |
| peace of God | protected women, children, prists, and merchants from the effects of war |
| jester | a clown-like person who provided entertainment for the nobles in the MIddle Ages |
| manorialism | the relationship between a noble and his serfs |
| 4 major promises of a knight | be brave, help the weak, defend the Church, honor women |
| joust | a mock battle between two knights |
| truce of God | forbade fighting on Sunday and during Holy Seasons susch as Lent or Advent |
| structures near the manor house | oven, mill, blacksmith, winepress |
| common or common pasture | a pasture on the manor used by everyone, nobles and serfs could graze their animals |
| right of sanctuary | provided protection for a person fleeing for their life, safe if they could stay inside a Church or monastery |
| tournament | a series of jousts held so knights could practice for future fighting |
