| A | B |
|---|
| Armor | a covering, usually made of metal or leather, worn to protect the body during fighting |
| Barbarian | a person belonging to tribe who is considered uncivilized |
| Castle | a fortified, usually walled residence, as of a prince or noble in feudal times |
| Charter | a written grant of rights and privileges by a ruler or government to a community, class of people or organization |
| Chivalry | the medieval knights code of behavior, including bravery, loyalty, and respect for women |
| Christianity | a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ |
| Clergy | people who perform the services of the Church |
| Common Law | a body of rulings that become part of a nation’s legal system |
| Divine Right of Kings | the belief that God gives monarchs the right to rule |
| Excommunicate | to formally deprive a person of membership to the church |
| Feudalism | the economic and political system that developed in Europe during the Middle Ages |
| Fief | - land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service |
| Guild | an organization of people in the same craft or trade |
| Hierarchy | a system of organizing people into ranks, with those of higher rank having more power and privileges |
| Knight | an armed warrior |
| Lord | a ruler or a powerful landowner |
| Manor | a large estate held by a lord (includes farmland and villages) |
| Medieval | referring to the Middle Ages |
| Moat | a deep wide, ditch, often filled with water |
| Model Parliament | The council that advised the English king in government matters |
| Monarch | a ruler (such as a king or queen) |
| Nation | a community that shares a government |
| Natural Law | - the concept that there is a universal order built into nature that can guide moral thinking |
| Peasants | bottom of the feudal pyramid they worked the land |
| Pope | the bishop of Rome and the supreme leader of Rome |
| Rhetoric | the study of persuasive writing and speaking |
| Roman Catholic Church | the Christian Church headed by the pope in Rome |
| Self-sufficient | – able to supply ones own needs; the residents of a medieval manor were self-sufficient |
| Vassal | a knight who promised to support a lord in exchange for land |
