"The Middle Ages or medieval period... lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries."
The study of European history between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the early modern period.
Feudalism: The social and economic system prevalent in medieval Europe, in which lords granted land to vassals in exchange for loyalty and military service.
Manorialism: The system of economic and social relations between lords and peasants in medieval Europe, based on the control of land and labour.
Knighthood: The rank and profession of a medieval knight. Knights were noble warriors who served their lords and kings in battle and in courtly affairs.
Chivalry: The code of conduct that governed the behaviour of knights, emphasizing virtues such as honour, loyalty, and courtly love.
The Crusades: A series of military expeditions, sanctioned by the pope, to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslims. The first Crusade was launched in 1096.
Medieval Warfare: The tactics, weapons, and strategies used in medieval warfare, including castle sieges, cavalry charges, and archery.
Medieval Medicine: The theories and practices of medicine in the Middle Ages. Medieval doctors relied on astrology, humoral theory, and herbal remedies to treat illnesses.
The Black Death: A pandemic that swept across Europe in the 14th century, killing millions of people. The disease was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
The Hundred Years' War: A long-lasting conflict (1337-1453) between England and France, marked by famous battles such as Agincourt and Crecy, and notable leaders such as Edward III and Joan of Arc.
The Magna Carta: A document signed by King John of England in 1215, limiting the power of the monarch and establishing the principle of the rule of law.
Gothic Architecture: An architectural style that flourished in Europe during the high and late medieval period. Gothic architecture is characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.
"It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD."
"It ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD before transitioning into the Renaissance and then the Age of Discovery."
"The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: antiquity, medieval, and modern."
"The large-scale movements of the Migration Period... led to the rise of new kingdoms in Western Europe."
"The Middle East and North Africa came under caliphal rule with the Arab conquests."
"The Byzantine Empire survived in the Eastern Mediterranean and advanced secular law through the Code of Justinian."
"In the West, most kingdoms incorporated extant Roman institutions, while the influence of Christianity expanded across Europe."
"[The Carolingian Empire] succumbed to internal conflict and external invasions from the Vikings from the north, Magyars from the east, and the Muslims from the south."
"The population of Europe increased greatly... technological and agricultural innovations allowed trade to flourish... climate change allowed crop yields to increase."
"Manorialism, the organisation of peasants into villages that owed rent and labour services to the nobles, and feudalism, the political structure whereby knights and lower-status nobles owed military service to their overlords in return for the right to rent from lands and manors."
"The East–West Schism of 1054."
"The Crusades were military attempts by Western European Christians to regain control of the Holy Land from Muslims."
"[The Crusades] also contributed to the expansion of Latin Christendom in the Baltic region and the Iberian Peninsula."
"Intellectual life was marked by scholasticism, a philosophy that emphasised joining faith to reason."
"The theology of Thomas Aquinas, the paintings of Giotto, the poetry of Dante and Chaucer, the travels of Marco Polo."
"Difficulties and calamities including famine, plague, and war, which significantly diminished the population of Europe."
"Between 1347 and 1350, the Black Death killed about a third of Europeans."
"Controversy, heresy, and the Western Schism within the Catholic Church paralleled the interstate conflict, civil strife, and peasant revolts that occurred in the kingdoms."
"Cultural and technological developments transformed European society, concluding the Late Middle Ages and beginning the early modern period."