Medieval History

2. A social system in Europe in which people worked and fought for nobles who gave them protection and land in return
6. A significant conflict that occurred during the Medieval Period, often motivated by religion
7. A parcel of land assigned to a nobleman by a ruler
10. Handwritten books used by scholars to record events of the time in the medieval world
11. Early muzzle-loaded handgun fired by a matchlock mechanism
12. The backbone of the medieval European armies, representing an elite caste of heavy cavalry
13. A new and improved type of firearm, developed in the Italian Wars
15. The most devastating outbreak of plague in the mid-14th century, killing between one-third and half of Europe’s population
16. New variant of the system that arose toward the 14th century where vassals substituted military obligations for monetary payments

1. The world period from 600 – 1450 CE
3. Military innovation adopted by Europe in the 14th century but invented by the Chinese
4. A person in a subordinate position to another, such as a nobleman swearing loyalty to a king
5. Group whose diminished numbers following the Plague led to improved living conditions and legal rights
6. A narrator of events, such as Agnolo di Tura writing about the Black Death
8. A fortified base from which a feudal lord could dominate the countryside
9. A period of European cultural, artistic, political, and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages
14. Country that was politically strong and technologically innovative under the Tang and Song dynasties