Feudal Society
What was the name of the social and political system that organized many medieval European communities?
Feudalism
What was a medieval craft organization called when its members practiced the same trade?
Guild
Which religion was most widely practiced in medieval western Europe?
Christianity
What name is commonly used for the deadly plague that swept through Europe in the 1300s?
Black Death or Bubonic Plague
What ancient empire’s western half fell before the beginning of the Middle Ages?
The Roman Empire
Which group ranked above knights but below the king in the usual feudal hierarchy?
Lords
What name was given to the period between the fall of western Rome and the Renaissance?
What name described the behavior code associated with knights?
Code of Chivalry
Which animals carried fleas that helped spread the plague?
Rats
Which major Byzantine city was especially well placed for trade between Europe and Asia?
Constantinople
What was a serf/peasant generally expected to do in exchange for living on a lord’s land?
Farm the land, provide labor
What was the self-sufficient estate that often formed the center of medieval life?
The Manor House
Which Frankish ruler built a large empire in western Europe and was crowned emperor in 800?
King Charlemagne
How could poor sanitation in crowded towns increase disease risks?
Creates unsafe drinking water, easier for disease to spread from human waste or body fluids
What role did missionaries play in spreading Christianity in medieval Europe?
Spread Christian teachings, increased amount of people who became Christians.
How did a manor help support people who lived on it?
Everyone provided support to one another through labor, protection, or giving of land. Manor House provided protection during war.
What was the first training role for a young person learning a skilled trade?
Becoming an apprentice under a master craftsman
What 1215 document placed limits on the English king’s power?
The Magna Carta
About what fraction of Europe’s population may have died during the Black Death?
Approximately 1/3rd
What did Ms. Estep dress up as for Halloween?
A skeleton!
How could a major shortage of workers caused by the Bubonic Plague change the bargaining power of peasants and laborers?
Could demand higher wages due to worker shortage
How might a craft guild help protect the quality of goods made by its members?
Can control quality through apprenticeships and the need to create a masterpiece before becoming a master, handles quality complaints from customers
What was the name of the agreement that King John accepted in 1215, which limited some royal powers?
The Magna Carta
Why did the plague’s high death toll sometimes allow surviving workers to seek better pay or conditions?
How could the Magna Carta influence later ideas about government and the rule of law?
Introduced huge ideas like:
- The King is not above the law
- Right to due process
These influences later political documents such as our Constitution!