Politics
The founder of the Capetian dynasty that ruled France for centuries
Hugh Capet
The sale of Church offices and positions
Simony
The pope who called the First Crusade
Pope Urban II
An association of merchants or artisans that regulated training, production standards, and prices
Guild
A deadly pandemic that killed a large percentage of Europe’s population
Bubonic Plague
An English king who expanded lands in France
Henry II
A period when the pope resided in France rather than Rome
Avignon Papacy
A series of religious wars to reclaim territory considered holy by Christians
Crusade
Everyday spoken language used by ordinary people instead of Latin
Vernacular
A prolonged war between England and France over territory and royal succession
Hundred Years’ War
A system based on court decisions and customs
Common Law
A split in the Catholic Church
Great Schism
A Muslim military and political leader who recaptured Jerusalem from Crusaders
Saladin
A crop rotation method that increased agricultural yields
Three‑Field System
A French peasant girl who inspired and led French troops
Joan of Arc
A charter signed in 1215 that limited the English monarch’s power and affirmed feudal rights
Magna Carta
English theologian who argued that Scripture held greater authority than the papacy, criticized Church corruption, and promoted the first English translation of the Bible,
John Wycliffe
An English king who led Crusader armies during the Third Crusade
Richard the Lionhearted
A town-dwelling merchant or middle-class citizen
Burgher
The belief that God has already chosen who will be saved, associated with Calvinism
Predestination
Who was the Duke of Normandy who invaded England in 1066?
William the Conqueror
A Czech religious reformer who criticized Church corruption, promoted vernacular preaching, and expanded Wycliffe’s ideas
Jan Hus
A French representative assembly of clergy, nobles, and commoners
Estates-General
A wealthy sponsor of artists, writers, and scholars, often from merchant or noble families
Patron
An ideal or perfect society, often used in political or philosophical writing
Utopia