UNIT 5-KEY VOCABULARY
1. The European territory. A mosaic of kingdoms and nations:
High Middle Ages: period of time during the 11th c, 12th c and 13th c. in Europe which was a time of prosperity
and changes (kings achieved greater power, agriculture progressed, cities grew, a new social group arose, and
Gothic art was developed).
Parliament: political assemblies formed by representatives of the nobility, the clergy and the cities. Their
principal purpose was to pass new laws on taxation. They came from the Royal Council.
2. Agricultural progress:
Roman plough: type of plough used until the 11th c. It was light and did not penetrate very deep into the earth.
It was made of wood and pulled along by oxen held by a yoke.
Mouldboard plough: type of plough used from the 12th c. onwards. It was heavier and allowed more air into
the soil. It was supported by wheels and pulled along by horses. The main piece of the plough was made of iron.
Two-field crop rotation system: system used until the 11th c. The ground was divided into two sections: one
section was used to grow wheat while the other section was left fallow. The following year, the sections
functions are reversed. As a consequence, only half of the land was cultivated.
Three-field crop rotation system: system used from the 12th c. onwards. The ground was divided into three
sections: one part was planted with cereals, another one was planted with oats or legumes, and the last part was
left fallow. The following years, the sections functions rotated. As a consequence, it reduced the amount of
uncultivated land.
3. Medieval cities (I):
Urban middle class or bourgeois: new social group emerged in the cities during the High Middle Ages. They
did not depend on produce from the land.
4. Medieval cities (II):
Commune: associations of bourgeois which fought to obtain the right to govern themselves.
Communal charter (Fuero): document in which a city’s right and privileges were set down.
Community council: council which governs a city. Its functions were taking care of the protection of the city,
making sure there were provisions, and collecting taxes. The mayor of a city was elected among the members of
the council. Over time, members of the council were members of the wealthiest families in the city (urban
aristocracy)
Guild: association of artisans of a particular trade. The functions of a guild were protecting their members
(helping families with ill or dead members) and controlling the production to avoid competition (quantity and
quality of production, the working hours, and prices). There were three categories: the masters, who owned the
workshop; the journeymen, who earned a salary; and the apprentices who learnt the craft.
5. Society and everyday life
Urban aristocracy: urban social group. It was a minority group and the wealthiest class in a city. They were
rich merchants, bankers and the leaders of the major guilds. They took over control of city government.
Commoners: urban social group. It was the biggest, nonruling class in a city. It consisted of an intermediate
group (smaller merchants and masters), the urban masses (journeymen, apprentices, and servants), and the poor
and marginalized people.
6. Cultural and religious renewal:
Urban schools: schools that appeared in cities in the High Middle Ages. There were two kinds:
Cathedral schools: kind of urban schools controlled by the Church and centred on religious studies
Municipal schools: kind of urban schools which were public and offered varied studies (reading, writing,
accounting law and medicine)
Universities: cultural centres emerged in the middle of the 12th c. in the cities. They were organized like a guild,
their studies were organized in four faculties, teaching was in Latin and they followed the Scholastic model.
Some of the most medieval universities were those in Paris, Oxford and Bologna.
Crusades: military expeditions that the Pope organized with the help of Christian kings to expel the Muslims
from the Holy Land. From 1095 to 1270 there were eight crusades, with varying results.
Crusaders: military religious orders that controlled the territories captured in the Holy Land during the
Crusades. They were formed by Knights who also had token vows of obedience, poverty and chastity. Some
examples were the Order of Hospitallers, the Knights Templar and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Heresy: a belief contrary to orthodox religious doctrine. These religious ideas were not acceptable to the
Church.
Inquisition: special tribunals established to judge and punish people and suppress any ideas that were
considered heresy.
Mendicant orders: new religious orders that appeared during the High Middle Ages. They lived off charity and
the most important orders were the Dominicans and the Franciscans.
7. Gothic art (I):
Gothic art: type of art developed in Europe between the 12 th and the 15th century. It had its origin in the north
of France. Its main features are the use of the pointed arch and the ribbed vault.
Pointed arch: arch with a head pointing upwards in the middle.
Ribbed vault: vault produced by the intersection of two pointed arches.
Flying buttress: arch that transfers the weight of the ribbed vaults to external pillars.
Rose window: a large circular window, glazed with stained glass, typical of Gothic art.
Stained glass window: window made of pieces of coloured glass, which allows diffuse light into the interior of
the church.
