Feudal Life
What was the basic exchange in the feudal system?
Land for loyalty and protection
What was the most powerful religious institution during the Middle Ages?
The Catholic Church
What type of court handled minor village disputes?
Manorial Court
Who called for the First Crusade in 1095?
Pope Urban II
What deadly event killed up to half of Europe’s population between 1347–1351?
The Black Death
What was a serf’s main obligation to their lord?
Work the land and provide food in return for protection
at were payments of 10% of income to the Church called?
Tithes
What was trial by ordeal based on?
The belief that God would protect the innocent
What city were the Crusades primarily fought over?
Jerusalem
What war (1337–1453) increased nationalism in both France and England?
What is the name of the economic system where the manor was self-sufficient?
Manorialism
What could the Pope do to punish kings or nobles who defied him?
Excommunicate them
What was the Magna Carta’s main purpose?
To limit the king’s power and establish the rule of law
Name one result of the First Crusade.
Creation of Crusader states in the Holy Land
What social class gained power as feudalism declined?
The merchant or middle class
What invention or social change helped weaken feudalism?
Growth of trade, towns, and the middle class
Why were monasteries important to medieval society?
Preserved learning, cared for poor, copied manuscripts
Which class the least protection under medieval law?
serfs/peasants
How did the Crusades affect European trade?
Increased trade and contact with Asia
Who were Ferdinand and Isabella, and what did they accomplish in 1492?
Monarchs of Spain; completed the Reconquista and sponsored Columbus
Explain how the Black Death affected feudalism.
It caused labor shortages, increased wages, and gave peasants more freedom
How did the Church influence medieval politics?
Crowned kings, legitimized rule, and often mediated political conflicts
Explain one major way the Magna Carta influenced later democratic ideas.
It introduced the concept that rulers must follow the law, influencing constitutions and parliamentary systems
List two long-term effects of the Crusades on Europe.
Growth of trade and towns; decline of feudalism; rise of monarchies; spread of new ideas and technologies
How did the crises of the Late Middle Ages prepare Europe for the Renaissance?
They weakened feudalism and the Church, encouraged trade, and fostered new humanist ideas