Invasions & Instability
These Scandinavian raiders attacked coastal and river settlements during the 9th and 10th centuries.
the Vikings
This institution advised the king on war, laws, justice, and taxes.
the Royal Council (or Curia)
This ceremony made a noble a vassal of the king.
The homage ceremony
The land in the fiefdom that was used to feed the lord and his family.
Reserve
This tax of one-tenth of production was paid to the Church.
The tithe
These horse-riding invaders came from the area of present-day Hungary.
the Magyars
What is an itinerant court?
Having no fixed capital
The land granted by a lord to a vassal.
a fief
Small communities where peasants lived, often with a church and a mill.
Villages or hamlets
The punishment that could damage a king’s prestige by excluding him from the Church.
excommunication
Muslim pirates from North Africa and Arabia who raided Mediterranean coasts.
the Saracens
Kings depended on this social group for military support.
the nobles
Peasants who were legally tied to the land and could not leave it.
serfs
This structure protected the entire fief during attacks.
The castle
The artistic style with thick stone walls, barrel vaults, and semicircular arches
Romanesque art
This political situation made Europe vulnerable to invasions after the fall of the Carolingian Empire.
The political fragmentation into small kingdoms
This problem limited the king’s ability to govern due to lack of income.
the lack of a taxation system
A noble who depended on a more powerful noble or the king.
A vassal
A fief was largely this type of community, producing almost everything it needed.
self-sufficient community
– An artistic technique where the most important figures are shown larger than others.
hierarchical perspective