Special Sub-Topic: Key Terms of Medieval Times Authored by: katiebeargirl Sub-topic of: Medieval History

Which of these words best described the qualities that knights aspired to?

Chivalry. Chivalry included courtesy, honor, fair treatment of the weak, and loyalty. Of course, many knights did not live up to this ideal.

A large feudal estate.

Fief. The lord of the estate lived high, while the peasants lived pretty low.

An association of craftsmen or tradespeople in a town.

Guild. In some respects they were similar to the trade unions of today. The guilds were also responsible for setting standards of craftsmanship and training and often fixed prices, too. In most large and prosperous cities the senior guild was that of the goldsmiths.

A member of the lowest feudal class.

Serf. They were bound to the fief (that is, land) that they lived on. (The technical legal term was 'tied to the glebe'). Unlike slaves, they couldn't be bought and sold without the land.

A person who received land and protection in change for loyalty and service to a feudal lord.

Vassal. They lived on fiefs. In turn, vassals often had their own vassals, too, as part of the all-embracing feudal system that extended from the King right down to the serfs.

Household official in charge of the stables.

Marshall. Later one of the leading officers of the royal household and, still later, commander of the army in the field (if the king himself was not present).

A duel on horseback between two knights carrying lances.

Joust. In the popular film "A Knight's Tale", the main character competes in many jousting tournaments.

Underground cell, with access through a hatch in the ceiling.

Pit prison. Dark, dreary, your typical pit prison.

Trainee knight who served as assistant to a knight.

Squire. Squires were usually aged between about 13 or 14 and 21.

The amount of land that one plough team was able to plough in one day.

Acre. In the English-speaking countries an acre now is 4840 square yards. (Other countries also had their equivalents, which often varied from region to region within the country).