Glossary

Allah — Arabic word meaning God. Part of the faith of Islam.

Ancient history — Time in history up to the fall of the Roman Empire in 476.

Apprentice — A boy who is learning a trade (job skill) from a master craftsman.

Attila or Attila the Hun — Became the leader of the Huns in 445. He forced Rome to pay tribute or payment for protection.

Barbarians — Generally thought to mean anyone who lived beyond the borders of the Roman Empire. Romans called the Scottish people “barbarians.”

Bubonic plague, or black death — Plague caused by a bacterium and characterized especially by the formation of buboe.

Byzantine Empire — Term used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople (now Istanbul). It is also often referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire.

Chivalry — The set of rules followed by the knights for honorable behavior.

Christianity — A religion founded on the life and teachings of Jesus. Christianity was an important influence of the Middle Ages.

Christendom — The part of the world in which Christianity prevails.

Clergy — Religious workers including bishops, priests, nuns and monks.

Crusades or “War of the Cross” — A series of military conflicts waged by Christians against the Muslim countries of the Middle East from 1095-1291. The conflicts usually were sanctioned by the pope in the name of Christendom. The goal was to recapture Jerusalem from Muslim rule. Opened eyes to a different culture and was a factor in the Renaissance.

Dark Ages — The beginning of the Middle Ages.

Dowry — A present of money, goods or land given by the bride’s father to her husband. A large dowry allows a girl to attract rich landholders.

Feudalism — The system that grants land to nobles in exchange for their loyalty to the king.

Franks — Germanic tribe that overtook and then united most of France and western Germany.

Germanic tribes — Included the Vandals, Lombards, Alamanni, Goths, Franks and Burgundians. Generally were illiterate farmers. They were also known as barbarians to the Romans.

Gothic architecture — Features sharp lines and precise angles. Gothic churches have tall spires. These were not built by Goths but were built during the Middle Ages.

Gothic Literature — Gloomy stories with supernatural themes. Generally related to the Gothic movement of the Middle Ages..

Guild — System where trades were taught and controlled by “masters.” See apprentice and journeymen.

Huns — Came from central Asia. Overran the Chinese Empire about in 200 B.C. The Great Wall of China was probably built to keep out the Huns.

Islam — The total surrender of oneself to Allah. Muslims believe that God revealed the Koran to Muhammad and that Muhammad is God’s final prophet. The Koran and the traditions of Muhammad in the Sunnah (religious actions) are regarded as the fundamental sources of Islam.

Journeyman — After about seven years of working as an apprentice, a boy becomes a journeyman. He can now be paid for his work.

Knight — Generally, sons of lords who train to defend the manor and the kingdom.

Manor — The land owned by a noble, often consisting of a castle, a small village and farmland.

Medieval — The period from the fall of the Roman Empire (476) to the Renaissance (about 1450). Also called the Middle Ages.

Middle Ages — About 1,000 years from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance (about 1450).

Muhammad — An Arab religious, political and military leader who founded Islam. According to Islamic traditions, Muhammad began receiving revelations from Allah at age 40. The revelations were delivered through the angel Gabriel over the last 23 years of his life and recorded in the Koran.

Monasteries — Small communities of religious workers who lived and worked together.

Monks — Religious workers who lived in monasteries and devoted their lives to prayer. They copied books by hand before the printing press was invented.

Moors — Medieval inhabitants of Spain and Portugal. Also generally refers to anyone of North African or Arab descent originally from what is now Morocco.

Muslim — A follower of the Islam religion.

Normans — Group of Vikings who settled in Normandy, France. They adopted the French language and Christian faith, invaded England in 1066 and put William the Conqueror in power. They ruled England for 300 years.

Ostrogoths — A tribe of people who came from the Ukraine. They conquered most of Italy, Greece and the western Balkans.

Peasants — The working people of the Middle Ages. They sometimes remained free, but often became serfs who were bound to the lord of the manor. It was akin to slavery, but serfs could not be sold.

Primogeniture — The system of inheritance where all property is handed down to the oldest son, who becomes lord of the manor upon the death of the father.

Renaissance — Means “rebirth” and is the beginning of modern history. It is a period that spanned the 14th to 16th centuries and marks an era of revived learning.

Roman Empire — The name given to Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. Historians believe it started with the rule of Julius Caesar (44 B.C.) and lasted until A.D. 476, when Rome was defeated.

Romanesque architecture — Developed in Italy and western Europe after the year 1000; has round arches, vaults and a lot of ornamentation.

Saxons — Germanic tribe that conquered the southern part of England.

Sharecroppers — Serfs who were required to turn over most of what they grew in order to be allowed to live on the land.

Squire, or page — At about age 15, a boy who is training to become a knight reaches this rank and remains there until he becomes a knight.

Superstition — A belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge.

Trade — A job skill.

Vandals — A group that took control of the Roman territory in North Africa.

Vikings — Fierce warriors from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Skilled sailors. By the 10th century, they controlled parts of Britain, France and Russia.

Visigoths — An Austrian group that defeated the Roman army in 410 and ruled Spain until 711.