Feudalism: describes the type of government institutions, as well as the general social and political relationships, that existed among the warrior-landholders in much of Europe during the Middle Ages
feudal compact: An arrangement between a lord and his vassal involving the exchange of property for personal service
fief: a grant of land and accompanying government responsibilities and power
vassal: servant
knight: warrior
homage: a vassal's act of promising loyalty and obedience to the lord
serf: laborers
baron: a great lord who exercised government authority over vast family territory
peasantry: lower end of the common people in the Middle Ages
estates: in the Middle Ages, the groups that made up society: often defined as those who pray, those who fight, and those who work
manor: the principal farming property and social unit of a medieval community, usually belonging to a member of the feudal nobility or to a Church institution
three-field-system- a method of crop rotation designed to maintain the fertility of the soil and to provide for a regular supply of fall and spring crops
internal colonization- the process of cultivating and settling in formerly wild land in medieval Europe
suburb- Latin word for "beneath the walled town"
guild- An organization of merchants or craftspeople who regulated the activities of their members and set standard prices
master- a craftsman who had the right to operate workshops, train others, and vote on guild business
journeyman- A licensed artisan who had served an apprenticeship and who was employed by a master and paid at a fixed rate per day
apprentice- a "learner" in the shop of a master
masterpiece- Before the masters admitted a journeyman to their rank, they were required to submit an example of his workmanship
water mill-
and yes, iron plow
