Western Civ. Definations
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20 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Middle Ages | A period in western European history between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance |
| Medieval | Term that describes the A.D 500 to 1500 in the western European history; also known as the Middle Ages |
| Feudalism | Political system of local government based on the granting of the land in return for loyalty, military assistance, and other services |
| Vassal | Person granted land from a lord in return for services |
| Fief | Grant of land of given by a feudal lord to a vassal |
| primogeniture | System under which only the eldest son could inherit his father's property |
| Manor | Economic unit of the early Middle Ages; a large estate that included a manor house, pastures, fields, and a village |
| Serfs | Persons bound to the land, who could not leave without permissions |
| Chivalry | Code of conduct for knights |
| Sacraments | Special ceremonies at which participants receive the direct favor, or grace, of God to help them ward off the consequences pf sin |
| Monasticism | Way of life in monasteries and converts in which Christians withdraw from the world to lead a life of prayer, fasting, and self-denial |
| Abbot | Elected head of a monastery |
| Canon Law | Church code of law |
| Interdict | Church's punishment of an entire region, involving close churches and withholding sacraments |
| Tithe | Church tax collected from Church in early times that represented one tenth of their incomes; later become a gift to a church representing one tenth of a person's income |
| Simony | Purchases of a church position, common during early medieval times |
| Inquisition | Institution of the Roman Catholic Church that sought to eliminate heresy by seeking out and punishing heretics |
| Shires | Governmental district in early England |
| Magna Carta | English document intended to protect the liberties of nobles |
| Common Law | Law based in judges' decision rather the code of statuses |
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