“Middle Ages” Unit—Study Guide Unit Test is 4/11 = No Vocabulary Cards – Use this for all assessments – including Test

Part 1: Unit Vocabulary

  1. Middle Ages – the period of time from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. to the beginning of modern times in about 1450.
  2. Medieval – the Latin word for Middle Ages
  3. Dark Ages – the periodbetweenabout500and1000,whichwasmarkedbyfrequentwarfare and disorder
  4. Feudalism – a political system in which loyalty and services are exchanged for land, money, etc.; how Europe was governed
  5. King – a person who rules a kingdom; during the early Middle Ages, the Kings had limited power as the power of lords increased; by the end of the Middle Ages, kings became powerful, as the role of the lords lessened their authority
  6. Lord - higher ranking nobleman who received land from usually a monarch, in exchange for loyalty
  7. Vassals – a person of noble birth who promised to support a Lord, or higher ranking nobleman, in exchange for land
  8. Nobles – a person of noble birth; a class or rich, land owning people
  9. Knights – mounted warriors who fought on horseback; a man of honor who held high military rank; chosen by lords; the code of chivalry was to be followed
  10. Chivalry – the cold of honorable conduct knights were to follow: brave, loyal, humble, modest, respect for women, protection of weak, and fairness to the enemy
  11. Tournament – a contest or joust between knights; kept knights in shape and allowed them to practice and show off their skills; attracted large crowds for entertainment
  12. Joust – a contest between knights on horseback; armed with lances, the knights charged at each other in an attempt to know their opponent off his horse
  13. Jesters – clown who appeared before a nobleman and tried to make him laugh with humorous words and actions.
  14. Minstrels – singers and musicians who entertained nobles; they played harps, guitars and flutes
  15. Troubadours – wandering minstrels who wrote poem that usually expressed love for a beautiful lady of noble birth; they also about warfare and battle heroes
  16. Serfs – commoners of the Middle Ages who were tied to the land on which they lived; they were not allowed to leave the land
  17. Peasants – commoners of the Middle Ages; usually farmers
  18. Fief – parcels of land given in exchange for loyalty or military service
  19. Manors –the large estate owned or controlled by a nobleman; consisting of the manor (house or castle), village, fields, etc.
  20. Barter – to trade or the exchange of goods; used in early Medieval Europe when trade and money decreased
  21. Charlemagne – Charles the Great; King of the Franks and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire; united people in western Europe under a single ruler and religion (Christianity).
  22. Vikings – invaders from the north (Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden, Denmark) who raided land in northern and western Europe; they caused great fear in Europeans
  23. Normans – invaders from Normandy – France; originally Vikings who were given land from the French king to prevent attacks.
  24. William the Conqueror – a French noble of Norman decent; Duke of Normandy, who conquered England in 1066 A.D.’ became King William of England
  25. Eleanor of Aquitaine – a French noblewoman who held great political power throughout her life; she controlled her own land as well as the land of her husbands who were the Kings of France and England; two sons became kings of England – King Richard the Lionhearted and King John (from Robin Hood).
  26. Guilds - medieval associations of merchants or artisans, organized to maintain standards and to protect the interests of its members, and that sometimes constituted a local governing body.
  27. Magna Carta – Latin name for great charter or document, limiting the power of the king in England
  28. King John – King of England; forced to sign the Magna Carta; son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and brother to Richard II the Lionhearted
  29. Parliament – the law-making body that governs
  30. Hundred Years War – a long conflict between England and France over who was the rightful ruler of France.
  31. Joan of Arc – a French peasant girl who rallied the French troops during the Hundred Year’s War
  1. Roman Catholic Church – the single, unifying force in western, northern and southern Medieval Europe; ThebranchofChristianityheadedbythepope, with workers at the lower levels, such asbishopsandpriests.
  2. Crusades – a long series of military expeditions/wars between Christians and Muslins for control of the Holy Land; the third Crusades saw two great leaders – King Richard I of England vs. Saladin of the Muslims
  3. Holy Land – a name given to Palestine/Israel by Europeans because it was the region where Jesus had lived, preached, and died; A.D. 1000s, Turkish Muslims had control
  4. Pope Urban II – Pope who issued the order to begin the Crusades
  5. Clergy/Clergymen – church officials, such as a priest, bishop or cardinal
  6. Pope – the father or head of the Roman Catholic Church
  7. Cardinal – a high official of the Church who was appointed by the pop; when a pope died, a new leader of the Church was chosen by a meeting of the cardinals
  8. Bishop – a Church official who oversaw the work of priests within their district
  9. Missionaries – people sent out to teach about the Church; St. Patrick was a monk who converted the Irish to Christianity
  10. Monks – religious men who lived apart from society in isolated communities; dedicated their lives to God.
  11. Nun – religious women who lived apart from society in isolated communities; dedicated their lives to God.
  12. Monasteries – communities of monks; Italian monk Benedict created rules, called the Benedictine Rule, by which monks should follow; gave aid to people in Europe – schools, copies books, preserved the ancient world, advised nobles, hospitals
  13. Convents – communities of nuns; refuge, hospitals, orphanages, etc.
  14. Friars – people who belonged to religious orders but lived and worked among the general public; St. Francis of Assisi – Franciscans and Dominic de Guzman – Dominicans; St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican philosopher and considered the greatest thinker of the Middle Ages, used education to prove the existence of God.
  15. Heresy – religious ideas that oppose accepted church teachings; punishment was torture and/or death.
  16. Heretic - a person accused of heresy; witchcraft, Jews, Muslims, or anyone who questions the authority of the Church.
  17. Excommunicate – cast out of the church; not able to attend church services
  18. Inquisition – a organization of priests that looked for and punished anyone suspected of not practicing Christianity or the guidelines of the Roman Catholic Church; King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, conquered all Muslims lands in Spain by 1492 – they supported the inquisition.
  19. Reconquista – efforts for Christians to retake Spain from the Moors (Muslims); or reconquest
  20. Orthodox Church – the single unifying force in Eastern Medieval Europe; thecollectivebodyofthoseEasternChurchesthatwereseparatedfromthewesternChurchinthe11thcentury; much of the former Byzantine Empire with the leader inConstantinople
  21. Byzantine Empire – former Eastern Roman Empire (330 to 1453 AD); leader of the Orthodox Church; controlled Constantinople
  22. Holy Roman Empire – an empire in central and western Europe (962-1806 A.D.); established by the pope, and considered an extension of the Western Roman Empire; Germany today
  23. Black Death/Bubonic Plague – a deadly plague that swept through Europe between 1347 and 1351; estimated to have killed about 1/3rd of the population; @ 20 million people

Part 2: Unit Essential Questions

  1. How did power and social class impact life in Medieval Europe?
  2. How did the Black Death spark social, political, and economic change throughout Europe?

Part 3: Review Vocabulary

  1. Democracy-12. Hinduism24. Dynasties35. Republic
  2. Direct democracy-13. Judaism-25. Confucianism36. Monarchy
  3. Polytheism-14. Irrigation-26. Roman Republic37. Koran/Qur’an
  4. Monotheism-15. Scribe-27. Roman Empire
  5. Division of labor-16. Delta-28. Julius Caesar
  6. Fossil-18. Artifact-29. Octavian/Augustus
  7. Cuneiform-19. Hieroglyphs-30. Buddhism
  8. Torah-20. Sanskrit-31. Daoism
  9. Hammurabi’s Code21. Ten Commandments-32. Jesus
  10. Hinduism-22. Caste system-33. Pax Romana
  11. Islam 23. Muhammad 34. Muslims

Part 4: Review Map Questions: You must be able to identify the below geographic features on a world map.

1. North America2. South America3. Europe4. Africa

5. Asia6. Australia7. Antarctica8. Atlantic Ocean

9. Pacific Ocean10. Indian Ocean11. Arctic Ocean12. Southern Ocean

13. Gulf of Mexico14. Caribbean Sea15. Rocky Mountains16. Andes Mountains

17. Appalachian Mountains 18. Amazon River19. Mississippi River

20. Tigris River21. Euphrates River22. Persian Gulf23. Mesopotamia

24. Egypt25. Nile River26. Red Sea27. Mediterranean Sea

28. Arabian Sea29. Indus River30. Ganges River31. Bay of Bengal

35. Himalayan Mountains36. India37. China

38. South China Sea39. East China Sea40. Philippine Sea41. Yellow Sea

42. Sea of Japan43. Yellow River44. Yangtze River45. Israel

46. Greece47. Aegean Sea48. Alps49. Italy/Italian Peninsula50. Spain/Iberian Peninsula

51. France/Gaul52. Britain/England53. Pyrenees Mountains54. English Channel

Part 5: Absolute Location:You must be able to accurately plot a place on the Earth’s surfaces using latitude and longitude

Part 6: Review Essential Questions:

  1. How did early humans improve their lives?
  2. In what ways did agriculture change human lives?
  3. Why do humans form civilizations?
  4. What geographic features are beneficial to the formation of a civilization?
  5. How did Geography impact life in the ancient world?
  6. How did religion, gender, power and social class influence society in the ancient world?
  7. How did technology and culture influence future civilizations?