Holy Roman Empire, Batman!
Who was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in 800 AD?
Charlemagne
What 1453 event forced Europeans to find new sea trade routes, helping spark the Age of Discovery?
The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople
What epic Old English poem tells the story of a hero fighting monsters and blends pagan and Christian themes?
Beowulf
What was the Quem quaeritis?
"Whom do you seek?" - the earliest example of Medieval Drama
Who wrote the Summa Theologica and proposed Five Ways to prove the existence of God?
Thomas Aquinas
What was neither Holy nor Roman nor an Empire?
The Holy Roman Empire
What three major world religions trace their origins back to the patriarch Abraham?
Judaism, Christianity and Islam
In an Arabian Nights story, what physical deformity does the Sultan of China's jester have?
Hunchback
What type of medieval plays focused on representing Bible stories and were often performed on moving pageant wagons by craft guilds?
Mystery Plays
What famous autobiography was written by St. Augustine detailing his early life and eventual conversion?
The Confessions
Before Trial by Jury in the Holy Roman Empire, how were people typically tried?
By ordeal
In what year did Christopher Columbus "discover" America?
1492
Who wrote the Divine Comedy, which provided a terrifyingly detailed description of hell and the afterlife?
Dante Alighieri
What traditional Christmas folk dramas featured masked actors, a sword fight, and a quack doctor who resurrects the dead?
Mummers' Plays
What philosophical debate of the Middle Ages contrasted the idea that abstract concepts exist in reality against the idea that they are merely names?
The debate between Realism and Nominalism
What Germanic warrior tribe did Charlemagne belong to before expanding his empire across Europe? HINT: France is named after them.
The Franks
During the First Crusade in 1099, what Holy City were the Christian armies trying to capture?
Jerusalem
What famous Middle English author wrote the Canterbury Tales?
Geoffrey Chaucer
What prominent early Christian theologian strongly opposed the decadence and immorality of Roman theater?
St. Augustine
What religious group saved the works of Aristotle and other ancient philosophers after the fall of Rome?
Muslims (Islam)
True or False: the Holy Roman Empire lasted until 1806.
True!
What years span the thousand year period of the Middle Ages?
500 to 1500 AD
According to Arthurian romance, what was the name of King Arthur's famous fellowship of knights?
In a traditional Mummers' play, what famous Christian saint typically fights the dragon or the Turkish Knight?
St. George
Who was at the center of Thomas Aquinas' philosophy?
God