Feudal System
What is the definition of a "jousting tournament"?
A jousting tournament was a medieval competition where knights on horseback used long lances to try to knock each other off their horses. It was both a form of military training and public entertainment.
What are the three strains of plague that caused the Black Death?
Bubonic Plague
Pneumonic Plague
Septicemic Plague
What are the four levels of the European Medieval Feudal System in order from lowest to highest?
Peasant/ Serfs, Knights, Nobles/Lords, King/Queen
In return for land, knights would provide nobles with..
What was 1 long term effect of the Black Plague?
End of feudalism, Trans-atlantic slave-trade, beginning the Renaissance
Knights provide peasants with protection. In return, name 2 things that peasants provides knights with.
Peasants provide knights with labour, food and taxes.
List some values within the Code of Chivalry that knights swore to uphold.
What were 3 short term impacts of the Black Death?
Population loss, labour shortages and improved conditions for peasants, religious extremism and loss of faith, scapegoating of Jewish people, psychological impact including fear of death and "live today" mentality
Between which social classes does the exchange of loyalty and military service occur? Identify what each group gives and receives.
Nobles provide the King with loyalty and an army.
Why were knights admired and given a high status in medieval society?
Knights were seen as honourable and admirable because they followed the code of chivalry, which valued loyalty, bravery, courtesy, and protecting the weak, especially women and the Church. They were also respected because they served their lords in battle, helped defend their land, and were trained warriors, which made them an important part of the feudal system.
Outline 2 ways that Medieval society tried to prevent or treat the Plague.
Using "good" scents to overide "bad" ones, blood-letting using leeches or cupping, quarantining the infected into segregated houses or oversees tradespeople for 40 days, creating mixtures and rubbing them onto buboes
Was feudalism a good or bad system for people? In your response provide atleast 1 strength and 1 weakness.
Strengths
Provided stability, Offered local protection, Encouraged loyalty between different social levels, Supported agricultural production
Weaknesses:
Created a rigid social structure with little social mobility, Led to exploitation of peasants through heavy labour and taxes, Caused frequent local conflicts between lords, Produced inequality and injustice across society
Whose lives were harder: Peasants or Knights? Justify your answer with 2 key arguments
Generally, peasants lives were harder.
Long hours of physically demanding farm labour, Poor living conditions and limited access to food and resources, Very few rights and no social mobility, Had to pay taxes/rent to lords, Constant dependence on landowners for protection and survival
Explain how the Black Death led to a loss of faith and a broader focus on "humanism".
The Black Death caused many people to lose faith in the Church because prayers and religious rituals did not stop the plague, and many priests also died. As a result, some people began to focus more on human life, knowledge and individual achievement rather than only religion. This helped encourage the growth of humanism during the Renaissance.