Exam Review: Post-Classical Europe

  • Compare/contrast the social, political, & economic situations in Western and Eastern Europe after the fall of the classical Roman Empire (c500 CE)
  • In what ways was the Byzantine Empire a successor to the Roman Empire
  • Factors that contributed to Byzantine emperors’ centralized power + compare to caliphs’ centralized power in the Islamic Caliphates (Umayyads & Abbasids)
  • Contributions of Emperor Justinian to the Byzantine Empire
  • Intellectual achievements by Byzantines
  • Changes & continuities in religious belief in the Mediterranean world between 500 CE and 1500 CE? Remember that Islam developed c600 in the Middle East and quickly diffused throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and to Spain
  • Developments in Christianity within the Byzantine Empire (Orthodox Church) + contrast with developments in Christianity in Western Europe (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Greek was the official language of the Byzantine Empire. Until recent history, the Byzantine Empire was known as the “Greek Empire”.
  • Artistic & architectural achievements of the Byzantine Empire
  • The Byzantine Empire served as a barrier to Islamic expansion into Western Europe for centuries until it was finally conquered by the Ottoman Empire (an Islamic Empire ruled by Sunni Turks) in 1453.
  • In what ways did cultural diffusion from the Byzantines impact the Slavs in Eastern Europe, including Russia (KievanRus)? + Evidence in art, architecture, religion, language, government, etc.
  • Cultural contributions of Byzantine Orthodox missionaries, Cyril & Methodius
  • What factors contributed to the establishment & success of Kiev?
  • Kievan Prince Yaroslav created a legal code, the Pravda Russkia, for his civilization.
  • What were impacts of Mongol conquests of Russia in the 1200s (short-term & long-term)?
  • Factors that limited interregional trade in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Roman Empire (c500 CE – c1000 CE)
  • Factors that caused interregional trade in Western Europe to begin to increase between c1000 CE and c1500 CE
  • Factors that created a highly decentralized political system throughout Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and for most of the post-classical era
  • Explain the feudal structure (ranks, reciprocity between ranks) & manorialism + what was the relationship between feudalism and manorialism? + how did reliance on manorialism limit interregional trade?
  • Compare political powers of Western European feudal kings with caliphs of Islamic Caliphates
  • Agricultural innovations (farming techniques & technology) that increased output  population growth
  • Roles of Roman Catholic monastics (monks & nuns) in Western Europe
  • What is scholasticism + where was it taught + contributions of St. Thomas Aquinas
  • Impacts of the Crusades (1095-1291) on Western Europe
  • Factors that contributed to increased economic prosperity and urbanization in Western Europe between c1000-c1500 CE + Effects of this new economic prosperity & urbanization
  • Roles of guilds + Hanseatic League
  • Causes & Effects of: The Little Ice Age (c1250-c1850) + Black Death (c1347-c1350) in Western Europe
  • What areas of the world were impacted by the Black Death (bubonic plague) in the 1300s?
  • On average, 1 out of 3 Western Europeans were killed by the bubonic plague between 1347 and 1350.
  • Causes & Effects of the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)?
  • As Western Europe’s economy began to prosper after c1000 CE to c1500, what was the economic and political situation in the Byzantine Empire and Russia?
  • Ming dynasty’s Zheng He Expeditions: years (1405-1433) + purpose + where did expeditions go + outcomes + reasons Ming halted the expeditions
  • Technological advances for Western Europe by the end of the post-classical era + how did WEur gain that technology?
  • Navigational knowledge & technology that diffused to WEur. by the late post-classical era
  • How did developments in Asia between c1300-c1500 make it more difficult for Western Europeans to obtain Asian luxury goods via the Great Silk Road?
  • Identify motivating factors for some Western European kingdoms to seek alternate sea routes to obtain Asian luxuries by 1400s.
  • Roles of Portugal & Spain in early maritime (sea-based) exploration
  • Portugal was the first Western European nation to travel by sea down the West coast of Africa in the 15th century.
  • Where did the European Renaissance begin?
  • What is “demography” & “demographics”?