Words you need to know

Chivalry
The term for the social codes of knighthood, it derives from France and is based on brave, courteous and honourable behaviour – what comes to be known as 'gentlemanly conduct'. It is the subject of vast amounts of medieval literature, and generations of children grow up within its traditions. Orders of knighthood, such as the Knights of the Garter, are called 'chivalric' orders.

Esquire
Under feudalism, the title below a knight. Esquires act as knights' attendants. The Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndwr is an esquire.

Feudalism
Tiered class system in which land is held from someone of higher status in return for loyal service. The monarch is at the top of the pyramid; the peasants at the bottom. It begins on the Continent – as far back as the 8th century (before France existed in its modern form) – as a means of ensuring protection from powerful rulers against other powerful rulers. In the Middle Ages, certain provinces or countries recognise other kings as their feudal overlords.

Knight
Mounted soldier who fights for the king in exchange for land. Knights have the title 'Sir'. In the 1200s, being knighted involves a religious ceremony that includes purification, communion and confession, as well as being something of a fashion show where the new knight is given elaborate gear and his own seal. Later on, knights become the county aristocracy, or gentry, and represent the shires in Parliament.

Relics
Religious remains, such as the bones of saints, which are visited by pilgrims. They are thought to have special properties which aid healing. Most great churches keep relics of the saints, which are put on display behind grilles at certain times so the public can make offerings. Reformist preachers such as John Wycliffe attack the Catholic Church in the late 1300s for encouraging these beliefs.

Sheriff
He is the king's representative in a shire (an area of the countryside with its own elected council) and has judicial powers. It is his responsibility to arrest suspected criminals and collect certain taxes. Sheriffs have ample opportunity to feather their own nests; their wings are clipped in the 1300s when travelling justices take over some of their powers. They are often loathed by the local population. In the legend of Robin Hood (whose actual existence is unproven), the outlaw plays cat and mouse with the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Tithe
All villagers and parishioners are obliged to hand over one-tenth – hence 'tithe' – of their income to pay for the upkeep of Church property. Often, this payment is in kind rather than cash, perhaps in the form of crops.

Vassal
A person who holds land – a fief – from a feudal superior in return for homage and loyalty. Knights are vassals of noblemen, for example, and the kings of England who control lands in France do so as vassals of the French crown. The ceremony of paying homage involves the vassal kneeling down, placing his hands in those of his overlord and swearing an oath of loyalty. This is seen as a binding contract. The overlord then kisses the vassal's lips.

Villeinage
In the system known as villeinage, villeins – sometimes referred to as serfs – are landless peasants who are virtual slaves. They are bound to their lord of the manor, who provides them with work and sustenance. They cannot move away from the manor and they cannot marry without their lord's permission.