Defintions and Timeline
Society
Crime and Punishment
Architecture, Religion and Sources
Castles and Sources
100
When did the Medieval Period begin and end?
The Medieval Period began in 476CE, with the fall of the Ancient Roman empire and ended in 1500CE.
100
Identify the components of the Feudal pyramid.
At the top is the Church.
Next is the king/royal family.
Next are the nobles.
Next are the knights.
Last are the peasants - they make up 90% of the population.
100
What was treason?
The crime of attempting to overthrow the government of one's country or of attempting to kill or injure the ruler or the ruler's family.
100
What is the difference between a PRIMARY and a SECONDARY source?
Primary --> Made at the time of the event.
Secondary --> Made after the time of the event.
100
Identify the first casle type developed in Medieval Europe.
BONUS POINTS if you can explain it's features and ONE ADVANTAGE and DISADVANTAGE.
Motte and Bailey --> Motte (hill), Keep (castle on top), bailey (area at the bottom where peasants lived and worked) and encircled by a wooden palisade (fence).
Advantage --> Easy and cheap to build, quick to build.
Disadvantage --> Could be burnt easily and could be broken down easily.
200
Define: Feudalism
A system in which people were given land and protection by people of higher rank, and worked and fought for them in return.
200
Explain how the Feudal system worked in Medieval Europe.
Hint: Think about their obligations, roles and responsibilties.
The king at the top owned all the land in the kingdom and made the laws. He gave land (a fief) to his nobles in return for loyalty and knights to fight in his wars.
The nobles then gave land to their knights in return for loyalty and protection and military service.
The knights then rented part of that land and protection to peasants in return for loyalty, taxes and food.
200
What is heresy?
Going against the beliefs of the Catholic/Christian Church.
200
What is the dominant religion of Medieval Europe?
Christianity/ Catholicism
200
Identify the second castle type built.
BONUS POINTS - Outline its features and ONE ADVANTAGE and DISADVANTAGE.
Stone Castles --<> High, thicker walls made of stone, narrow windows for arrows, portcullis, stronger gatehouse, deeper moat.
Advantage --> Harder to knock down, could withstand a siege, easier to defend with narrow windows and spiral staircases.
Disadvantage --> Corners could be easily damaged, causing part of the wall to cave, and attackers could get right up to the walls, making it harder to shoot them down.
300
Define: Manor
A manor was the district over which a lord had domain and could exercise certain rights and privileges in medieval England. A typical manor would include a Manor House which was built apart from the village where the peasants lived.
300
Describe how crop rotation worked.
Crop rotation was the idea of using three fields to plant crops. One field would grow wheat and barley, the next field would grow vegetables and the other would be left fallow (empty). This would then rotate and the first field may be left fallow while the other field previously unused, would now be used.
Rotated use each year.
300
Explain why witchcraft was such a serious charge in Medieval Europe.
Witchcraft was serious as the majority of Europe were firm believers of the bible. They used the bible to explain the world around them, thus the belief that witches were the cause of famines, diseases, plagues, natural disasters.
Often women were the ones blamed.
300
What is meant by being 'devout'?
Faithful and devoted to your religion.
300
Identify the third and final type of castle that developed in Medieval Europe.
BONUS POINTS --> Outline its features and ONE ADVANTAGE & DISADVANTAGE.
Concentric Castles --> Multiple outer walls at different heights, no central keep and easier to defend.
ADVANTAGE --> Towers and walls stop attackers getting too close, very strong gateway, huge and lots of room for a big army or a long siege.
DISADVANTAGE --> Needed large number of soldiers to defend it and could not withstand cannon fire.
400
Define: Tithe
A tax - 1/10 of a person's crops or earnings, given to the Church and clergy.
400
Why was it important to leave a field fallow?
To make sure that it was not over-used, to bring the nutrients back to the soil and to make sure that crops grew in the best soil.
400
Desribe ONE punishment in Medieval Europe and identify which crime it was administered for?
- Witchcraft --> Burnt at stake/ducking stool
- Stocks/pillory --> Minor offenses
- Scold's Bridle --> nagging wife
- Gibbet --> For those who committed more serious crimes, such as murder or thievery.
- Treason --> Impalement, drawn+quartered, beheaded, hanged
400
What is the official language of the Roman Catholic Church?
Latin
400
Outline FIVE ways to ATTACK a castle.
Battering ram, trebuchet, mangonel, ballista, tunnels, bellfry, siege ladders
500
Define: Excommunication
To excommunicate someone is to officially banish them from their church. This was the punishment for heresy and the belief was that the person who was excommunicated could not go to Heaven or be buried on church grounds.
500
Why would women choose to become a nun rather than marry?
To get an education. Often women used this as an escape from marriage, especailly marriages that were arranged.
Childbirth was also a danger and often resulted in death.
Nuns could not get married and often lived a life of isolation.
500
Describe the FIVE different trials that a person could use to 'prove' their innocence.
1. Trial by Compurgation --> 12 people recite special oath and any mistakes meant that you were guilty.
2. Trial by Ordeal (Water) --> Often used for witches, a person would be tied to a ducking stool over a body of water blessed by a priest. If they sunk, they were innocent. If they floated, they were guilty and killed anyway.
3. Trial by Ordeal (Fire) --> The person accused of a crime would either hold onto a boiling hot pot/iron/hand over fire. If the skin stayed blistered, they were guily. If the skin healed in 3 days, they were innocent.
4. Trial by Combat --> People could nominate fighters to fight for them. If they won, they were innocent. If the fighter lost, they were guilty.
5. Trial by Jury --> 12 men chosen to hear testimonies and help judge a person's guilt or innocence.
500
Outline the features of ROMANESQUE and GOTHIC architecture.
Romanesque --> Features of Ancient Roman architecture. Defined by its round arches, grand vaults, thick walls and large towers.
Gothic --> Was developed later in the Medieval Period. This architecture included a cruciform shape (cross), arches with sharp points at the top, flying buttresses (for structural support) and stained glass windows.
500
Outline FIVE ways to DEFEND a castle.
Battlements, portcullis, moat, drawbridge, guards, murderholes, archers, narrow windows.