Important Terms
What was the "Iconoclast Controversy" about?
Disagreement over the use of symbols (icons) in the Catholic Church. Some believed the icons were to be worshipped/others did not agree they should be worshipped.
Which emperor built Hagia Sophia to its current form?
Justinian I
What was the "secret weapon" Leo III used against Arabs in a naval battle in 717?
Greek fire (a flammable substance that would even burn on water, similar to napalm used in Vietnam).
Visited for hundreds of years and located at the intersection of trade routes and oases, this Muslim city became the heart of Islam, even its holiest place. Name the city:
Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
List any 3 of the 5 "Pillars of the Faith" that Muslims strive to follow:
Faith, prayer, alms, fasting, & hajj (an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims.
What was a "caliph"?
Title of the chief Muslim civil and religious leader (this title is no longer in use).
Which people tended to more often be the bankers and lenders of the Medieval Period?
Jews; they were only allowed in "dirty" professions, which money operations used to be considered.
At the young age of 21, Mehmed II was a powerful, Muslim leader. What conquering event is he best remembered for?
He conquered Constantinople and ended the Byzantine Empire.
Define "Ka'aba":
A holy shrine where Muslims worship and a piece of volcanic rock lies inside the cube.
Which emperor (of Constantinople) called himself "beloved of Christ" due to his fervent Christian beliefs, stamping out heresy and enforcing religious uniformity?
Justinian I
Define what a "scriptorium" was:
It was a writing room in medieval European monasteries for the copying and illuminating of manuscripts by scribes. Not all monasteries had one, however.
Name the person who has been labelled the "Father of Europe", uniting several nations, and creating an empire that would last 1,000 years:
Charlemagne ("Charles the Great")
Fun? facts:
*The first German empire (Reich) was under Charlemagne (800 AD).
*The second was after Germany united till WW I (1871-1918)
*The third was under Hitler and the Nazis. (1933-1945)
The Battle of Hastings (1066) pitted the king of England, Harold Godwinson, against what king or what nation (either will be accepted):
King William of Normandy
Why was Muhammad (the prophet of Allah in Islam), first turned away from his fellow Arabs after he began trying to convince them to practice Islam?
They were polytheists and made money off the sale of their various deities. If the pilgrims who came to Mecca only heard of the one God, business would suffer.
"Sufis" are Muslims who believe in:
A mystic body of religious practice found within Islam, characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, and ritualism.
The Carolingian Empire consisted of lands and people in Western and Central Europe in the Early Medieval Period. The crowning of Charlemagne on Christmas Day, 800, was meant for what reason:
Hint: Charles (of Charles the Great) is Carol in Latin.
To transfer the status of the Roman Empire from the Byzantine Empire to Western Europe.
St. Leo IX was known for his strong stand against which two important Church beliefs:
Simony, marriage by the clergy. He also believed that the body and blood of Christ was actually in the practice of the Eucharist.
The year 1453 is the year Constantinople fell; it also signified the end of what time Period?
The end of the Medieval Period.
Define these words:
1. Islam
2. Hajj
3. Muslim
1. Islam - Submission to God
2. Hajj - Annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia
3. Muslim - One who submits (to God)
The "Ulama" are defined as:
Scholars of Islamic law and doctrine.
What was the Corpus of Roman law concerned with, besides law?
Reviving and remembering cultural traditions, ways of life in the Roman community.
Osman Gazi gave his name to the Ottoman Empire....for what was he most famous?
He founded the Ottoman Empire.
Give at least two reasons why Constantinople finally fell in 1453:
1. Fewer good citizens to become soldiers.
2. Sacking by Crusaders in the 4th century.
3, Constant attacks by Turks.
4. Paying foreign people to fight for the empire, weakening their financial position.
What was the "Investiture Conflict" between Pope Gregory VII and King Henry IV? Hint: It had A LOT to do with religion.
The pope attacked simony and clerical marriage, whereas the king faced excommunication by the pope.
("Simony" is buying or selling of something spiritual or closely connected with the spiritual.)
Before Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire, what was the first empire to unite the Franks (Germanic tribes)?
The Merovingian Empire led by Clovis.