Vassal - The tenant of land who receives a fief in exchange for knightly service (feudalism).
Vernacular - The standard, native language of a region (generally as opposed to Latin).
Virtu - Humanist value of the Renaissance emphasizing a nobility of spirit and action, stressing an individual's dignity and worth; replaced the chivalrous Medieval value of humility.
Voltaire(1694-1778) - French deist philosopher, author of Candide, which sarcastically attacks religious and philosophical optimism (Enlightenment).
