The Vikings
What were the differences between Viking longships and knarrs (trading ships)?
Longships: Long, narrow, and fast ships mainly used for raiding, warfare, and exploration.
Knarrs: Wider and deeper ships designed to carry heavy cargo, goods, and supplies over long distances.
What were Polynesian voyaging canoes, and how did they help Polynesians travel across the Pacific Ocean?
Polynesians built large double-hulled canoes that could carry people, food, water, and supplies. These canoes allowed Polynesians to travel between islands and distant places.
What was feudalism, and how was medieval society organized?
Feudalism was a system of hierarchy that categorized people based on their social, economic, and political levels. This consisted of kings/queens, nobles, knights, peasants, and serfs.
What was the Black Death, and when did it spread across Europe?
The Black Death was a deadly plague that spread across Europe between 1347 and 1351. It killed millions of people and caused major changes in European society.
What was the Silk Road, and which regions did it connect?
The Silk Road was a network of land and sea trade routes connecting China, Central Asia, India, the Middle East, and Europe. Merchants used these routes to exchange goods, ideas, and knowledge.
Why might a Viking raider and a monk living in a monastery have had different perspectives about Viking raids?
A Viking raider might have viewed raids as an opportunity to gain wealth, resources, and power.
A monk might have viewed the Vikings as violent attackers who destroyed monasteries, stole valuable objects, and threatened people's lives.
Why might Europeans have considered Polynesian navigation primitive, even though Polynesians were skilled navigators?
Europeans underestimated Polynesians skills because they used different navigation methods and technology.
How might a noble and a peasant have viewed the feudal system differently?
A noble might have viewed feudalism positively because it provided land, wealth, status, and power.
A peasant might have viewed the system as unfair because they had to work long hours, pay taxes or give part of their crops, and had limited freedom.
How did trade routes, such as the Silk Road, contribute to the spread of the Black Death?
Trade routes connected distant regions and allowed merchants to travel between Asia and Europe. Rats carrying infected fleas travelled on trading ships and caravans, helping spread the disease to new communities.
How did geography create challenges for merchants travelling along the Silk Road?
Merchants faced deserts, mountains, extreme temperatures, and long distances. They used camels to cross deserts and caravans to travel more safely while carrying goods and supplies.
What archaeological evidence shows that Vikings were explorers and travelled beyond Europe? Give TWO examples.
Artifacts such as glassware from Germany, silver from Western Asia, and silk from China.
What evidence shows that Polynesians successfully explored across the Pacific Ocean? Give TWO examples.
Researchers found adzes made of basalt.
Scientists found sweet potatoes that originally came from South America.
Why did kings give land to nobles, and what were nobles expected to provide in return?
Kings gave land to nobles to reward them for their loyalty.
Nobles promised to support the king and provide knights when needed.
What historical evidence helps historians understand how the Black Death affected medieval European society? Give TWO examples.
Mass graves show the enormous number of people who died during the plague. Agnolo di Tura's diary describes the suffering and widespread deaths in Siena, Italy. Together, these sources help historians understand the scale of the disaster and its impact on everyday life.
How do glazed pottery and other archaeological discoveries provide evidence that the Silk Road connected distant civilizations?
Archaeologists have discovered Chinese glazed pottery in distant regions along trade routes. These objects provide evidence that goods travelled between civilizations and that merchants exchanged products across long distances.
What are Norse sagas, and why should historians be careful when using them as evidence about Viking life?
Norse sagas are stories and written accounts about heroic adventures. However, some sagas were written down long after the events they describe. They may contain exaggerations, myths, and fictional details.
How did Polynesians navigate across the Pacific Ocean without modern maps, compasses, or GPS?
Polynesian navigators used their knowledge of nature to find their way. The observed the stars, ocean currents, waves, clouds, and birds.
How did the feudal system create a cycle of dependence between kings, nobles, knights, and peasants?
The king depended on nobles for loyalty and knights, while nobles depended on knights for protection. Knights received land and resources in return for their service. Peasants depended on landowners for protection and farmland, while landowners depended on peasants to grow food and maintain the land.
How did the shortage of workers caused by the Black Death change the lives of peasants and the feudal system?
Many people died, there were fewer workers available to farm the land. Peasants became more valuable and could demand higher wages and better conditions. This weakened the power of some landowners and contributed to changes in the feudal system.
How did the Silk Road contribute to the spread of ideas, beliefs, and religions between different civilizations?
As merchants travelled between regions, they interacted with different communities and shared their beliefs, knowledge, and traditions. Religions such as Buddhism spread from India into Central and East Asia, while new ideas and technologies also travelled along the trade routes.
What does the discovery of the settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows reveal about Vikings explorations?
Page 20 in your book!
Polynesians travelled across enormous distances of the Pacific Ocean long before modern navigation technology existed. Why should their achievements be considered historically significant?
Polynesian exploration was historically significant because it demonstrated advanced navigation skills and technological knowledge.
Do you think feudalism was beneficial or harmful to medieval society?
Feudalism had both benefits and disadvantages, but it created significant inequality between the tiers.
How did the Black Death contribute to changes in people's interests?
The Black Death contributed to changes in European society. People became more interested in education, science, art, and human achievement, helping create conditions for the Renaissance.
The Silk Road was more than a trading network. Why was it historically significant? Support your answer with examples.
The Silk Road was important because it connected civilizations through trade and cultural exchange. Goods, religions, ideas, and technologies spread between regions, influencing different societies.