"Villeins" were peasant farmers, or serfs, in Feudalism. They were tied to the land and many of their rights were directly granted and controlled by the nobleman who owned the land. They were distinct from slaves, who had no political rights of their own, and freemen, who were free to leave the land and seek work elsewhere. 

The Feudal System was introduced to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Norman Conquest is the name given to the invasion of William the Conqueror, also called William Duke of Normandy, who invaded from modern-day Northern France and defeated the Anglo-Saxon King of England Harold of Wessex. 

A "motte-and-bailey" is a type of early Feudal castle. The Feudal System emerged in response to the chaos of the Dark Ages. It relied upon a landowner giving grants of land to knights - in exchange for loyalty and protection of his land. And rights to work given to serfs - in exchange for the assurance of their safety and the ownership of their labor. The system necessarily relied upon defensive fortifications that could protect small communities. A "motte-and-bailey" castle was a type of early castle, where the "motte" was a raised-earth stone or wood castle and the "bailey" was an accompanying enclosed area surrounded by a palisade.

William the Conqueror, also called William Duke of Normandy, is famous for his conquest of England in 1066. He established feudalism in England and is the last invader to successfully conquer the British Isles. 

Joan of Arc is often credited with helping turn the tide of the Hundred Years' War between the English and the French. At the time of Joan's arrival on the scene, the English had seemed poised to overwhelm the French monarchy and conquer much of France, but the piety and belief of Joan is said to have inspired the French troops to victory after victory. She was captured by the English and tried for witchcraft, for which she was condemned to death by being burnt at the stake.

Prince Rurik of Scandinavia is a possible mythical figure who is credited with founding the Russian State in the ninth century C.E. and a ruling dynasty that lasted for several hundred years. The Kingdom he founded, Kievan Rus, eventually evolved into the Duchy of Moscow and later into the Russian state and the empire of the Soviet Union. 

Eleanor helped govern England and she took on an active role as queen. Although her contemporaries believed that women were delicate (this was part of what fueled chivalry), Eleanor did not shy away from her state responsibilities. 

The Venerable Bede was a monk and historian in England in the seventh and eighth centuries. He is most commonly remembered as the author of The Ecclesiastical History of English People (completed circa 730 C.E.), one of the earliest recorded histories of the English civilization. 

Enrico Dandolo was the ruler of Venice, a wealthy Italian city-state, from 1192-1205. He is most commonly remembered for the Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople in 1204. The Sack of Constantinople was instrumental in the decline of the Byzantine Empire and eventually precipitated the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the rise of the Ottoman Empire in Europe.

John Wycliffe was a notable theologian and dissident within the Catholic Church in the fourteenth century. He is most famous for translating the bible into English for the first time. He is also considered to be a progenitor of the English Reformation for his rejection of church authority and his attacks on clerical indulgences.