Kings of England
Known for going on crusade, this "lion-hearted" king of England spent more time out of the country than he did living there!
Who is Richard Lionheart?
This pious French Queen acted as regent for many years while her son was still too young to rule. She encouraged him to be a just, Christian ruler and to look after his most vulnerable subjects.
Who is Queen Blanche of Castile?
Addressing his bishops at the Council of Clermont in 1095, this Pope declared that church power must be upheld in the Middle East and ordered a crusade to take back the Holy Land from the Seljuk Turks.
Who is Pope Urban II?
This set of reforms, led by Pope Gregory VII, aimed to crack down on simony, a phenomenon in which secular leaders appointed people to church positions. These reforms also set new behavioral standards for churchmen, including celibacy.
What is the Gregorian Reform?
This famous Italian poet wrote a "Divine Comedy" an epic poem in which he travelled through the nine circles of hell with his favorite poet, Virgil, and then was led through Heaven by a woman called Beatrice, his real-life crush.
Who is Dante Alighieri?
The less popular son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, this King of England was known for losing England's French territories in the Battle of Bouvines and having his royal powers restrained by the Magna Carta
Who is King John?
Under the tutelage of his mother, Queen Blanche, this French king was inspired to show "Christian charity" to his subjects by having his administrators go out and ask his people whether crown representatives had ever wronged them. He was canonized as a saint after his death.
Who is Louis XI, or St. Louis?
Though the Crusaders took the city of Jerusalem, this Crusade was very disorganized, consisting of untrained laypeople who murdered citizens within the city indiscriminately.
What is the First Crusade?
This saint was born the son of a cloth merchant and later decided to give up all his earthly possessions and begin living an "apostolic life", taking a vow of poverty and preaching, later founding the Mendicant orders.
Who is St. Francis of Assisi?
This famous medieval couple started as a tutor and student pairing. The affair ended disastrously when she got pregnant and was forced to flee to Brittany, and he was castrated by her uncle for trying to avoid marriage.
Who were Peter Abelard and Heloise?
The so-called "first" king of England, this French nobleman conquered the British Isles in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and replaced all the Anglo-Saxon nobles with his own vassals.
Who is William the Conqueror?
This king lived in the shadow of his far more powerful father, Louis "The Fat". Though he made an advantageous marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, he lost the duchy when she annulled their marriage and wed Henry II of England.
Who is Louis VII?
This "reconquest" of Spain, which began around 718 and ended in the 16th century, was led by Castilian military forces into the south of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Portugal and Spain) to push out Muslim rulers.
What was the Reconquista?
On top of being a fierce critic of Peter Abelard, this saint was also instrumental in introducing a new monastic philosophy that defined church life as a "spiritual wilderness" that must be overcome through absolute commitment to faith and renouncing all earthly pleasures.
Who is St. Bernard of Clairvaux?
This poet, whose name means "from France," was famous for writing lais, or "little songs" about courtly love. Her most famous story involves a beauty contest between Queen Guenevere and a knight's lady love.
Who was Marie de France?
This English king was known for defeating the Vikings at the Battle of Eddington in 878, uniting the south of England. He also sponsored English translations of Latin texts!
Who is King Alfred
Besides winning the Battle of Bouvines, this King of France introduced new administrative methods into the country known as Ballis and Prevots, AKA, royal officials who went into town to help subjects with local disputes.
Who is King Philip "Augustus" II?
Led by Pope Innocent II, this crusade ended in mixed results. Though the crusaders conquered the city of Zara in modern-day Hungary, most of the conflict was centered around Greek Orthodox practitioners rather than muslims.
What is the 4th Crusade?
This conflict errupted after Emperor Henry VII refused to recognize the sole authority of Pope Gregory VII to invest bishops and church leaders with their symbols of authority, leading to the Emperor's excommunication.
What is the Investiture Conflict?
This author is known for being the first to put many of the King Arthur stories into writing, including the tale of Sir Lancelot and Guinevere.
Who is Chrétien de Troyes?
Ascending to the throne after Henry III, this King decided that he would steer away from his father's mistakes and work with his subjects, consulting with Parliament to help make his decisions
Who is Edward I?
After a series of battles between warring nobles, this son of General Odo was declared the new King of France and founded the Capetian Dynasty.
Who is Hugh Capet?
Though not a traditional Crusade per se, it was called by Pope Innocent III into the south of France to eliminate emerging Christian sects, such as the Cathars, whom the Church saw as heretical.
What was the Albigensian Crusade?
This 1122 council compromised with secular leaders to say that they could imbue religious leaders with secular powers, but not spiritual ones; only the Church could do that.
What is the Concordat of Worms?
This Dominican theologian, who was sainted in 1323, was known for writing the Summa Theologica, a massive synthesis of all theological knowledge from the beginning of recorded history, to argue that pagan thought could only enrich Christian thought, not diminish it.