Alfred the Great - England's most famous early medieval king
Arthur - legendary king who was very popular in medieval times
Burgndy - now part of France, in medieval times it was a powerful kingdom in its own right.
Castle - many were built in the middle ages
Cathedral - again many built in this era, magnificent buildings that still survive today
Dante - one of the most famous medieval writers
Eleanor of Aquitaine - famous medieval queen, married t the king of France, and then the King of England
Francis of Assisi - important medieval saint, founder of the Franciscan order of friars
Guild - the medieval guilds were unions of craftsmen and tradesmen in different professions and trades who were an important part of medieval town life.
Heraldry - the complex system of symbols and marks that adorned the armour of knights and identified their family
Indulgences - given by the church in return for good works, they shortened your time in purgatory
Islam - very powerful in medieval times, much of Spain was ruled by the Moors, who were islamic
Knight - the knight was an important figure in medieval society
Monastery - monastic society flourished in the middle ages, and monks and nuns were scholars, artists, and dispensers of charity.
Normans - the dynasty who conquered England in 1066 and established their rule there
Oxford - where the first university in england was founded in medieval times, one of the great centres of learning in medieval Europe.
Peasants - the people who worked the land and produced the food.
Pilgrimage - going on pilgrimage was a popular activity with all classes in medieval times
Queen - medieval queens were important people - they acted as regents while the king was away, or for sons too young to rule, and were patrons of literature and of charity
Robin Hood - famous hero of medieval folklore
Richard the Lionheart - popular medieval English king who fought in the crusades
Serfs - some medieval peasants were serfs, bound to stay on the land they worked. They were not all poor, some serfs acquired more land and became quite wealthy.
Stained glass - made to beautify the windows of churches and cathedrals, it was used to create wonderful windows
Scriptorum - the room in a monastery where books were produced - medieval books were written by hand, and many were produced in monasteries by monks and nuns.
Tapestries - hangings woven to brighten the walls of castles and houses, some beautiful medieval tapestries stll survive today.
Tournaments - these were great entertainment for medieval people, mock battles between knights
Troubadours - entertainers who travelled round the land singing, telling stories, and passing on news.
Universities - these began in medieval times and were important centres of learning. The earliest ones were at Bologna, Paris, and Oxford.
venice - a major power in the middle ages - a hugely wealthy and powerful centre of trade and art.
Vikings - struck terror in the hearts of Europe in the early middle ages
William Wallace - Scottish hero who fought the English in the 14th century
Wars of the Roses - along conflict that took place in England in the 15th century