| Term | Definition |
| Muslim | a follower of Islam |
| Sunni | A group of Muslims who accepted the changing dynasties of the Muslim Empire during the eight empire. |
| Shitte | A group of Muslims who stayed loyal to the descendents of the fourth caliph, Ali, during the eight century. |
| Parliament | a legislative assembly; representives of government |
| Saladin | The leader of the Muslims in the third crusade and captured Jerusalem in 1187., sultan of Syria and Egypt |
| Charlemagne | King of the Franks and emperor of the Romans. He strengthened Christianity, resulting in the start of the Holy Roman Empire. |
| Pope Urban II | Which Pope in 1095 a.d. called for a "Great Christian Crusade" to free Jerusalem from the Seljuk Turks? |
| Peter the Hermit | lead the peasants crusade in 1096 |
| Scheherazade | in The Arabian Nights' Entertainments) the wife of the sultan of India, who relates such interesting tales nightly that the sultan spares her life. |
| King John (MC) | King of England who was made to sign the Magna Carta. |
| Allah | Muslim name for the one and only God |
| Muhammud | Prophet who brought the message of Islam to the World. |
| Seljuk Turks | nomadic Turks from Asia who conquered Baghdad in 1055 and allowed the caliph to remain only as a religious leader. they governed strictly |
| Joan of Arc | French heroine and military leader inspired by religious visions to organize French resistance to the English and to have Charles VII crowned king |
| Justinian Code | As set of laws, written by the Byzantine EMperor Justinian, that served the Byzantine Empire for hundreds of years. |
| Islam | the religion of the Muslims, based on belief of one God, Allah |
| Koran (Qur'an) | The holy book of Islam. |
| Middle Ages | THe period of European history that lasted from about AD500 to AD1500 |
| Christendom | The community of Christians from all kings and nations |
| Magna Carta | The document that English nobles forced King John to approve in 1215, limiting the king's power and protecting the rights of the people. |
| Theodora | Empress and wife of Justinian I of the Byzantine Empire. Her influence helped women gain rights. |
| Crusades | a series of military expeditions in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by Westrn European Christians to reclain control of the Holy Lands from the Muslims |
| Kaaba | (Islam) a black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine |
| Hagia Sophia | a church built by justinian the first; means holy wisdom; in Constantinople |
| Hundred Years War | Series of campaigns over control of the throne of France, involving English and French royal families and French noble families. (p. 413) |
| Feudalism | the social system that developed in Europe in the 8th C; feudal system |
| Mosque | An Islam house of worship |
| minaret | A tower on top of a mosque, from which the faithful are called to prayer. |
| feudal system | A system of of trading loylaties for protection in the Middle Ages. |
| fief | a piece of land held under the feudal system; a king will give it to a noble. |
| chivalry | the medieval principles of knighthood |
| medieval | characteristic of the time of chivalry and knighthood in the Middle Ages, relating to or belonging to the Middle Ages |
| guild | A medieval organization of crafts workers or trades people. |
| monastery | the residence of a religious community |
| convent | a religious residence especially for nuns |
| monarchy | an autocracy governed by a monarch who usually inherits the authority; king or queen |
| pilgrimage | a journey to a sacred place |
| jihad | a holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal |
| hegira | the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 which marked the beginning of the Muslim era |
| excommunicate | exclude from a church or a religious community |
| coat- of -arms | the official symbols of a family, state, etc. |