vocab

Fiefdom: the lower or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance  or restraint.

Feudalism: the dominant social system in medical Europe,  in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service.

Monarch: a sovereign head of state,  especially a king, Queen, or emperor

Lord: someone or something having power, authority, or influence ; a master or ruler.

Vassal: a holder of land by feudal tenure on conditions of homage and allegiance.

Knight: a man who served his sovereign or Lord as a mounted soldier in armor.

Peasant: a poor farmer of low social status who  owns or rents a small piece of land for cultivation.

Commoner: an ordinary person, without rank or title.

Serf: an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.

Tradesman: a person engaged in trading or a trade, typically on a relatively small scale.

Merchant : a person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially one dealing with foreign countries or supplying merchandise to a particular trade.

Castle: a large building or group of buildings fortified against attack with thick walls, battlements, towers, and in many cases a moat.

Moat: a deep, wide ditch surrounding  a castle, fort, or town, typically filled with water and intended as a  defense against attack.

Guild: a medieval association of craftsmen or merchants, often having considerable power.

Abbey: the building  or buildings occupied by a community of monks or nuns.

High Middle Ages: a period of European history around 11th-13th centuries.

100 Year's War: a war between France and England that lasted from the middle of the fourteenth century to the middle of the fifteenth. The kings of England invaded France, trying to claim the throne.

Black Death: an epidemic outbreak of bubonic plague in Europe around 1348 that killed between one-third and two-thirds of the of the population in less than five years. The epidemic spanned from China to England to North Africa,  transmitted along the Silk Road and other trade routes.