Sept. 10-14, 2001

A

Aesop: fables and morality tales attributed to this writer

Alchemy: a medieval science aiming to change metals into gold, cure disease, and prolong life

Apprentice: one who works with another to learn an art or trade

Armed Cap-a-Pie: armed from head to foot

Sept. 17-21, 2001

B

Bailey: the enclosed courtyard of a castle; often there was an inner and outer bailey

Ballad: popular stories told in song form; many have four line stanzas of short phrases with an ABAB rhyme scheme

Barbican: tower at a gate or bridge

Barter: to trade by exchanging one item for another

Sept. 24-28, 2001

C

Calligraphy: beautiful handwriting; during the Middle Ages, books were carefully copied and preserved by monks who took pride in their penmanship

Chevalier: French for knight or horseman (Krak des Chevaliers)

Chain mail: rings and rivets linked together by hammering into flat rings and "knitted" together to protect the knight.

October 1-5, 2001

D

da Vinci, Leonardo: one of the greatest painters of the Renaissance; a genius in many areas: anatomy, astronomy, botany, geology, and designing inventions

Drawbridge: crossed the castle moat and could be pulled up or away a protection against attack

Duel: a fight to the death with formal rules to settle an argument

Oct. 8-12, 2001

E

Escutcheon: technical name in heraldry for a shield

Esquire: a courtesy term for men denoting a rank immediately below that of knight

Excalibur: great sword of King Arthur; some say it was the sword King Arthur pulled from the stone, others say it was his second sword given to him by the Lady of the Lake.

October 15-19, 2001

F

festival: a day or special time of rejoicing or feasting, often in memory of some great happening

Feudalism: a system of social, economic, and political organization in Europe during the Middle Ages; vassals gave military aid to their lord in return for his protection and use of the land

freemason: stone cutters and carvers working under the master mason to build a castle

October 22-26, 2001

G

Gauntlet: protective glove used during fighting or hunting

Gong Farmer: worker who emptied the latrine pit

Great Hall: formal business room in a castle, also used for feasting

October 29-Nov.2, 2001

H

Herald: a knight's assistant, representative at the joust, and expert advisor on heraldry; also acted as an official at battles and tournaments

High Table: most important table in the great hall

Humors: medieval belief in the four fluids that made up the human body: blood, phlegm, melancholy, and choler

Nov. 5-Nov.9, 2001

J

Joust: a combat with lances between two knights on horseback

Journeyman: a worker who has served an apprenticeship and is qualified for work in a specific trade

Judicial Duel: fought between knights; a charge a dishonorable conduct underlies the charge fought to the death. Not a tournament, it is a form of trial by combat.

Nov. 13-Nov.21, 200

K

Keep: The innermost part of the castle

King: Crowned ruler of a territory or country called a kingdom

Knight: formal title for a class of lower nobility charged with fighting for the lord; the role of the knight was often changing between the demands of lady, court, church, and battlefield

Nov. 26-Nov.30, 2001

L

Lady of the Lake: the lady who, story goes, gave Excalibur to Arthur

Lance (unit of organization): the small unit that surrounded a knight during battle; the lance might consist of one or two squires, the knight, and one to three men-at-arms and possibly an archer

Law of Arms: unofficial, traditional rules of war arrived upon by mutual agreement

Dec. 10-Dec.14, 2001

M

MACHICOLATION: A stone chute in the outer part of a wall; missiles were dropped down these chutes to harm offending armies. Also, the word was used to describe stone hoardings.

MOAT: A trench filled with water dug around the castle. It was often filled with sharp and dangerous objects like rusty metal and glass. Inhabitants of the area often also threw refuse in it, contributing to the stink of the area.

Dec. 17-Dec.21, 2001

N

NARTHEX Enclosed passageway between the entrance and nave of a church.

NAVE Principal hall of the church.

Jan. 7-Jan.11, 2002

O

Oath: An oath was a special appeal, an expression of sincerity backed up by the threat of divine retribution should the uttering prove false---hence the term "oath-breaker."

Oubliette: a dungeon reached by a trapped door, often in one of the castle towers. The word comes from the French meaning "place of forgetting."

Jan. 14-Jan.18, 2002

P

PAGE: The youngest term of a knight's training, usually held by boys from eight to thirteen. During this time they served the household needs of their lord.

prince: A ruler, from the latin princeps, meaning first in rank. Also a male heir in a royal household, the 'Crown' prince was the first in line for the throne.

Jan. 21-Jan.25, 2002

R

RANSOM: The idea that a knight would be captured rather than killed or defeated. In war, this meant the payment of a large capital sum, while in tourney it often meant the forfeiture of armour and horse.

RECESS: A safe area in an early tourney, where horsemen could gather and rest without fear of capture.

Jan. 28-Feb.01, 2002

S

SERF : A peasant, the lowest class in the feudal system, belonging to a class who were tied to the land that they worked on behalf of the lord.

SIR: The title for a knight.

SIRE: One title used for king, a more familiar title reserved for confidants. Medieval Words of the

Feb. 04,-Feb.08, 2002

T

TITHE: Literally a "tenth", a medieval form of tax often owed to the liege lord or to the church as rent on land. Sometimes the tithe could be as much as thirty percent, but ten or fifteen was normal. When tithes were collected no other taxes were normally due on the property, and the tithe seems to have been a percent of production, not value.

Tournament[Tournoi]: The tournament began as a training for war, and was gradually more regulated and specialized. Knights would compete against one another under the watchful eyes of the heralds and ladies of the gallery, earning renown and fame.

Feb. 11,-Feb.15, 2002

V

vassal: During the middle ages a vassal was a free man who voluntarily exchanged his service, sometimes military service, in exchange for protection.

Vows: A knightly promise to accomplish some feat, usually a military feat in meeting a number of challengers, conducting jousts, or campaigning against an enemy. The vow became an important element of the knightly gesture.

Updated 01.14.2002