Claim Your FREE Premium Peasants' Revolt Infographic
Inspired by the events behind the upcoming film The Uprising, releasing on 11 September? Go beyond the big screen and uncover the extraordinary true story that changed medieval England forever.
Sign up today and instantly receive our beautifully illustrated Peasants' Revolt (1381) Infographic packed with fascinating facts, key figures, major battles, and the lasting legacy of one of history's most dramatic rebellions.
Enter your email below to get your FREE infographic instantly.
Disclaimer: The Uprising is referenced as a historical point of interest only. This free resource is independently produced by Histories & Castles and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the filmmakers.
Search
History Words: a plain English guide
A plain English medieval history glossary for KS3 and GCSE students, covering England and Wales
History has its own vocabulary. Knowing these words makes medieval history easier to read, easier to talk about and easier to write about. Each meaning below is explained in simple terms, with a focus on medieval England and Wales. Use the search box or jump to a section.
People and society
artisanA skilled worker who made things by hand, such as a blacksmith, weaver or baker.
baronA powerful lord who held large areas of land directly from the king.
clergyPeople who worked for the Church, such as priests, monks and nuns.
freemanA person not tied to a lord, who could leave, rent land or work for wages.
gentryLandowners below the nobles. Wealthy and respected, but without a high title.
guildA group of workers or traders in the same trade who set rules and protected their members.
knightA trained, mounted soldier who fought for a lord or the king, often in return for land.
lordA man who owned land and held power over the people who lived and worked on it.
merchantSomeone who made money by buying and selling goods.
monkA man who lived in a monastery, following strict rules of prayer and work.
nobleA person of high birth with a title, such as a baron, earl or duke.
outlawA person placed outside the protection of the law. Anyone could hunt them down.
peasantAn ordinary person who worked the land. Most people in medieval Britain were peasants.
reeveA man chosen to manage a lord's farmland and make sure the work got done.
serfA peasant tied to a lord's land who could not leave without permission.
sheriffThe king's officer in a county. He collected taxes, held courts and kept order.
uchelwrA Welsh noble. The plural is uchelwyr. They held land and influence under Welsh princes.
villeinA peasant who farmed land from a lord and paid for it with work and rent. Usually not free to move away.
Power and law
cantref and commoteWelsh land divisions. A cantref was a large district, split into smaller commotes.
common lawLaw built up from royal courts and past decisions, applied across England.
conquestTaking control of a land and its people by force.
coronationThe ceremony where a monarch is crowned.
Domesday BookA huge survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror in 1085 to record who owned what and how much tax they owed.
fealtyA sworn promise of loyalty to a lord.
feudalismA system where the king gave land to lords, who gave land to knights, who were served by peasants. Everyone owed something to the person above them.
heirThe person who is due to inherit a title, land or the throne.
homageA ceremony where a vassal knelt and promised to serve his lord.
juryA group of local people who gave a verdict or reported what they knew about a case.
Magna CartaA charter agreed in 1215 that limited the king's power. Rebel barons forced King John to accept it.
manorAn estate run by a lord, including the farmland, the village and the people who worked there.
MarchesThe border lands between England and Wales, ruled by powerful Marcher lords with unusual freedom from the king.
monarchyRule by a king or queen, usually passed down through a family.
oathA solemn promise, often sworn on a holy object. Breaking one was a serious matter.
parliamentA meeting where the king consulted nobles, Church leaders and later representatives of towns and counties.
rebellionAn armed or organised uprising against a ruler or the authorities.
regentSomeone who rules on behalf of a king who is too young, ill or away.
sanctuaryThe right of a person to shelter in a church and avoid arrest for a time.
shireAn old word for a county, an area of land governed under the king.
treasonBetraying the king or the state. It was punished very harshly.
trial by ordealA painful test, such as carrying hot iron, believed to reveal whether a person was guilty. God was thought to decide the result.
usurperSomeone who seizes a throne or title without the right to it.
vassalA person who held land from a lord and promised loyalty and service in return.
Castles and war
arrow loopA narrow slit in a wall that let archers shoot out while staying protected.
battlementsThe zigzag top of a castle wall. Defenders hid behind the raised parts and fired through the gaps.
castellanThe official in charge of a castle when the owner was elsewhere.
chainmailArmour made of linked metal rings.
crossbowA bow fixed to a wooden frame, with a trigger. Powerful and easy to use with little training.
curtain wallThe tall wall that ran around a castle's courtyard.
drawbridgeA bridge over a moat that could be raised to stop attackers crossing.
garrisonThe soldiers stationed in a castle or town to defend it.
gatehouseA fortified entrance to a castle, often with towers, a portcullis and heavy doors.
great hallThe main room of a castle, used for feasts, meetings and justice.
keepThe main tower of a castle, and its strongest part.
longbowA tall bow made of yew, famous for its power in English and Welsh armies.
mercenaryA soldier who fights for pay rather than loyalty.
moatA ditch around a castle, often filled with water, to keep attackers back.
motte and baileyAn early Norman castle: a wooden tower on a man-made hill (the motte) beside a fenced yard (the bailey).
murder holesOpenings in a gatehouse ceiling used to drop stones or boiling liquids on attackers below.
portcullisA heavy grille that was lowered to block a gateway.
ransomMoney demanded to release a captured person. Nobles were often captured for this reason.
siegeSurrounding a castle or town and cutting it off, trying to force it to surrender.
tournamentAn organised contest where knights fought in mock battles or jousts.
trebuchetA huge siege weapon that threw heavy stones using a swinging arm and counterweight.
underminingDigging a tunnel beneath a wall so it collapsed.
Belief, myth and magic
crusadeA military campaign backed by the Church, usually to take or defend holy land.
cunning folkLocal healers and charm makers who offered cures, lost property and protection.
DissolutionHenry VIII's closing of the monasteries in the 1530s. He seized their land and wealth.
excommunicationBeing cast out of the Church. People believed it put their soul in danger.
familiarA spirit, often in animal form, said to help a witch.
folkloreStories, customs and beliefs passed down by ordinary people, usually by word of mouth.
grimoireA book of magic, containing spells, charms and ritual instructions.
heresyA belief that went against official Church teaching. It could be punished by death.
indulgenceA payment or good deed that the Church said reduced punishment for sins.
legendA story about a person or event that may have a small root in history but has grown with retelling.
monasteryA community where monks lived, prayed and worked. Many also ran schools, hospitals and farms.
mythA traditional story that explains beliefs or events, often involving gods or heroes. It may not be true.
paganA follower of an older, non-Christian religion, such as the Norse gods.
pilgrimageA journey to a holy place to pray or ask for forgiveness.
purgatoryA place where souls were believed to be cleansed of sin before entering heaven.
ReformationThe 1500s movement that split many Christians away from the Catholic Church and created Protestant churches.
relicA holy object, often a saint's bone or belongings, thought to have special power.
superstitionA belief in luck, omens or hidden forces that goes beyond religion or science.
witchcraftUsing magic to harm or help. Accusations of witchcraft were often about fear, blame and power.
Money and daily life
apprenticeA young person who learned a trade by working for a master craftsman for several years.
barterSwapping goods or services without using money.
Black DeathA deadly plague that reached Britain in 1348 and killed a huge share of the population.
common landLand that villagers could use for grazing animals or collecting firewood.
debtMoney or goods owed to someone else.
enclosureFencing off common land for one owner, often leaving poorer people without access.
famineA severe shortage of food, causing widespread hunger and death.
harvestGathering crops. A bad harvest could mean hunger for the whole year.
inflationA rise in prices, meaning money buys less than before.
marketA regular gathering where goods were bought and sold. Towns needed a royal licence to hold one.
open field systemFarming in large shared fields, where each villager worked strips of land scattered across them.
poll taxA tax charged per person, no matter how rich or poor. The 1381 poll tax helped spark the Peasants' Revolt.
taxMoney demanded by a ruler to pay for things like wars, courts and government.
tenantSomeone who rents land or a home from a landowner.
titheA tenth of a person's crops or income, paid to the Church.
wool tradeSelling wool, England's most valuable export in the Middle Ages.
Sources and evidence
anachronismSomething placed in the wrong time period, such as a clock in a Viking scene.
archaeologyStudying the past by digging up and examining objects and buildings.
artefactAn object made by people in the past, such as a coin, tool or brooch.
biasA one-sided view that favours one person, group or opinion unfairly.
charterA written document granting rights, land or privileges.
chronicleA written account of events in order of time, usually by a monk or clerk. Chroniclers often had their own opinions.
contextThe surrounding circumstances that help explain why something was said or done.
eyewitnessSomeone who saw an event happen. Useful, but they can still be mistaken or biased.
forgeryA fake document or object made to deceive. Some medieval charters were forged to claim land.
interpretationA historian's explanation of what evidence means. Different historians can reach different conclusions.
manuscriptA book or document written by hand.
primary sourceEvidence from the time being studied, such as a letter, law, chronicle or building.
propagandaInformation designed to shape opinion, often by exaggerating or leaving things out.
provenanceThe history of a source: who made it, when, why and where it has been since.
reliableTrustworthy. A reliable source gives accurate information you can check against other evidence.
secondary sourceSomething written later about the past, such as a textbook or a historian's book.
Time and change
Anglo-SaxonThe people who ruled much of England from about 450 until the Norman Conquest in 1066.
causeA reason why something happened.
chronologyThe order in which events happened.
consequenceA result of an event or decision.
continuityThings that stayed the same over time.
Dark AgesAn old nickname for the early Middle Ages. Many historians avoid it because the period was full of activity.
dynastyA line of rulers from the same family, such as the Plantagenets or the Tudors.
legacyWhat an event or person leaves behind for later generations.
medievalRelating to the Middle Ages, roughly the years 500 to 1500.
NormanPeople from Normandy in France who conquered England in 1066 under William.
significanceHow important something was, judged by its effects on people at the time and later.
turning pointA moment after which things changed direction in a big way.
Essay words
analyseBreak something into parts and examine how they connect.
citeName the source of your evidence so others can check it.
comparePoint out what two things have in common.
contrastPoint out how two things are different.
describeSay what something was like, giving clear details.
discussLook at different sides of an issue before reaching a conclusion.
evaluateWeigh up the strengths and weaknesses, then reach a judgement.
explainGive reasons and show how or why something happened.
justifyGive reasons and evidence to support your argument.
paraphrasePut someone else's words into your own words.
summariseGive the main points briefly, without small details.
