Medieval History Glossary

A manorial official appointed by the lord to oversee daily operations, collect rents, and enforce obligations on the estate.

A feudal lord who held land directly from the king in exchange for military service and counsel.

A citizen of a medieval town or city, typically a merchant or craftsman who enjoyed certain legal privileges.

Relating to the Frankish dynasty founded by Charlemagne's family, which ruled much of Western Europe from the 8th to 10th centuries.

The medieval code of conduct for knights, emphasizing bravery, honor, courtesy, and service to one's lord and the Church.

The collective body of Christians and Christian-ruled territories, used to describe the unified cultural and religious identity of medieval Europe.

A self-governing medieval town that had obtained a charter of liberties from its lord or king, granting rights to govern its own affairs.

One of four feudal territories established by Western Europeans in the Levant after the First Crusade: Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli, and Edessa.

The portion of a manor's land farmed directly for the lord, as opposed to land allocated to tenants and serfs.

The formal exclusion of a person from the Catholic Church and its sacraments, used by popes as a powerful spiritual and political weapon.

A grant of land or revenue given by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and military or other services.

A member of a mendicant religious order (such as the Franciscans or Dominicans) who lived by begging and preaching rather than by owning property.

An association of craftsmen or merchants who controlled the practice of their trade in a particular town, setting standards, prices, and training requirements.

A belief or practice that contradicts the official teachings of the Church. Medieval heretics faced investigation, excommunication, or execution.

A grant by the Church reducing the temporal punishment for sins, later controversially sold for money, contributing to calls for reform.

A papal decree suspending all church services and sacraments in a given territory, used to pressure rulers into compliance.

A mounted warrior of noble birth who swore oaths of loyalty to a lord and followed the code of chivalry.

A religious community where monks or nuns lived under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, following a rule such as the Rule of St. Benedict.

A formal decree or charter issued by the Pope, named for the lead seal (bulla) that authenticated the document.

A religious journey to a sacred site (such as Jerusalem, Rome, or Santiago de Compostela) undertaken for spiritual merit, penance, or healing.

The centuries-long effort by Christian kingdoms to recapture the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim (Moorish) control, completed in 1492.

A peasant legally bound to a lord's manor, obligated to provide labor and a share of produce in exchange for protection and the right to farm.

A tax of one-tenth of one's income or produce paid to the Church for its support, mandatory throughout medieval Christendom.

A person who held land from a lord in exchange for sworn loyalty and specific services, typically military.

In early medieval Germanic law, the monetary value placed on a person's life, paid as compensation to the victim's family to prevent blood feuds.