Western Roman Empire
What period of time began after Rome fell in 476 CE?
Early Middle Ages
These people were the owners and in charge of the manors.
lords
Justinian's reign was a difficult time because of the ____________ that spread throughout the Byzantine Empire.
plague
They took over and settled in Gaul.
Franks
Why was the Roman Catholic Church important to western Europe during the Early Middle Ages?
It helped unify western Europe and became a central authority during a time in which Europe was divided into Germanic kingdoms without a sole ruler.
Rome's decline began during the reign of __________.
Marcus Aurelius
These people were peasants who were considered part of the lord's property.
serfs
During Justinian's reign, a volcanic eruption caused poor harvests leading to ______________.
food shortages
They took over and settled in Britain.
Angles and Saxons or Anglo-Saxons
Most Europeans had converted to Christianity because ________________________.
missionaries converted the kings who converted their people.
Leaders fought one another in ______________ leading to the fall of the Roman Empire.
civil wars
Peasants were allowed to farm on individual plots of land in exchange for _______________________.
goods and services which they provided for the lords
Because there were food shortages during Justinian's reign, people had to ____________.
migrate out of the Byzantine Empire.
They took over and settled in Italy.
Lombards
What did Charlemagne do that made him a holy Roman Emperor?
He protected Rome against the invasion by the Lombards.
______________ became the first Germanic King of the Italian Peninsula signaling the end of the Western Roman Empire.
Odoacer
The exchange of goods and services in return for land use and protection became called ______________.
the manor system
What caused the plague to spread quickly during Justinian's reign? Name 3 things...
overcrowding, poor health, and lack of cleanliness
They took over and settled in parts of Spain.
Muslims
What three things did Gregory the Great do regarding the Roman Catholic Church?
2. created ruler that priests had to follow
3. developed important church teachings
What signaled the end of the Western Roman Empire?
Odoacer overthrew the Roman emperor and became the first Germanic king of the Italian Peninsula.
Name three things serfs couldn't do without the lord's permission.
1. They couldn't leave the manor permanently.
2. They couldn't marry.
3. They couldn't change occupations (jobs).
The plague devastated which empire?
Byzantine Empire
Their homeland of Scandinavia became overpopulated and farmers had trouble feeding the population, so they started raiding and stealing food from nearby countries and later settled in England, France, Scotland, and other areas around the Baltic Sea.
Vikings
The Roman Catholic Church unifying western Europe was one important ___________________ and ___________________ change that occurred after the fall of the Roman Empire.