Our assignment is to define vocabulary words for our next project, which is about fiefdom.

      3rd Trimester Fiefdom Vocabulary Words:


Fiefdom: A fief.


Feudalism: The dominant social system in medieval Europe.

Monarch: A sovereign head of state.

Lord: Someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler

Vassal: Someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler

Knight: A man who served his sovereign or lord as a mounted soldier in armor.

Peasant: A poor farmer of low social status who owns or rents a small piece of land for cultivation

Commoner: An ordinary person, without rank or title.

Serf: An agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.

Tradesman: A person engaged in trading or a trade, typically on a relatively small scale.

Merchant: A person or company involved in wholesale trade

Castle: A large building or group of buildings fortified against attack with thick walls, battlements, towers, and in many cases a moat.

Moat: A deep, wide ditch surrounding a castle

Guild: A medieval association of craftsmen or merchants, often having considerable power.

Abbey: The building or buildings occupied by a community of monks or nuns.

High middle ages: The period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries 

100 years war: A war between France and England that lasted from middle of the fourteenth century to the middle fifteen.


Black death:  An epidemic outbreak of bubonic plague in Europe around 1348 that killed between one third of the population in less than five years.