Feudalism Basics
What is the name of the system where land was exchanged for loyalty and service?
Feudalism
Who were at the top of the feudal hierarchy?
Kings
What was the majority of the medieval population? (hint: what social class)
Peasants/serfs
What was the most powerful institution in Medieval Europe?
The Catholic Church
What were the four main social classes in medieval Europe’s feudal system?
Kings, nobles, knights, and peasants (including serfs).
What were the plots of land given to vassals called?
Fiefs
What is the term for the laborers bound to the land?
Serfs
What was the primary occupation of peasants?
Farming/Maintain the land
What punishment involved being banned from the Church?
Excommunication
What goods were commonly traded along the Silk Road?
Silk, spices, porcelain, and precious metals.
What was the duty of a vassal to their lord?
To provide military service and loyalty
How did trade impact medieval towns?
They led to the growth of towns and the rise of a merchant class.
What is the name of the Estate that they worked on?
Manor
What was the name of the movement to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control?
The Crusades
How did the Silk Road impact medieval European societies?
It brought new goods, ideas, and cultural exchanges from Asia to Europe.
What was the role of the lord in the feudal system?
Managed the land and protected their vassals
What was the term for the economic and social system based on exchanging protection for labor and goods?
Manorialism
What was the name of the period when multiple individuals claimed to be the rightful pope?
The Great Schism
How did the Silk Road contribute to the spread of the Black Death?
The trade routes facilitated the movement of infected goods and people across continents.
What is Feudalism?
a system in which people were given land and protection by people of higher rank, and worked and fought for them in return.
What system replaced feudalism as Europe transitioned to more democratic systems?
Parliamentary System
What was the Black Death, and how did it impact feudalism?
A deadly plague that weakened the feudal system by decrease in population
Who was the head of the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages?
The Pope