Lesson 1
What were the Middle Ages?
They were the period of European history between ancient and modern times.
What did missionaries do?
Someone who tries to convert others to particular religion.
What characterizes pagans?
Pagans are followers of a polytheistic religion.
What was a fief?
A fief was an estate given by a lord to a vassal.
How did the concept of chivalry affect knights?
Chivalry required the Knights to be brave, legal and honest.
What does topography describe?
It describes the physical features of the Earth's surface.
Why is Europe referred to as a "peninsula of peninsulas"?
Europe is a large peninsula with smaller peninsula extending from it.
Why was the Catholic Church the center of authority?
It was very powerful and controlled religious and non-religious aspects of people's life.
Did serfs or vassals have more power and medieval life?
Vassals had more power.
In what ways were manors self-sufficient?
Manors produced a wide range of goods and services. Peasant grew crops, raised livestock and made clothing.
How did Europe's geography attract people to different regions?
Europe's favorable geography attracted Germanic people to settle throughout the land.
How did Charlemagne extend this rule?
His armies fought wars to gain territories across Europe.
In what ways do monasteries and convents differ?
Monasteries are religious communities for men who are monks. Convents are religious community for women who are nuns.
What areas of Europe did the Vikings invade?
French, Ireland, parts of Russia, and England.
How did Charlemagne work to unite much of Western Europe?
His military victories, spread of Christianity, and support of education helped unite much of Western Europe.
What services did monks and nuns provide?
They provided health care and educational services, wrote and taught Latin, and looked after the sick and poor.
How did Christian teachings affect the lives of medieval Europeans?
Medieval Europeans followed what they saw as God's law by doing good deeds and avoiding sins.
In what ways did Lords have power over the medieval life.
Lords gave land and protection to vessels in exchange for service loyalty, military support, and money or food. Lords ruled nearby lands from the castles.
How did the arrival of the Germanic tribes affect Europe?
They took power after the fall of Rome, dividing Europe into small warring kingdoms.
Why did Catholic Church have great power over medieval life?
As Christianity spread, church leaders became more powerful. They controlled both religious and non-religious aspects of people's lives.
How did monasteries help keep classical Greek and Roman civilization alive?
The libraries contained Greek and Roman works, which monks and nuns copied.
In what ways did feudalism shape medieval Europe?
Feudalism provided a class system in which powerful lords divided land among vassals and peasants, and serfs worked the land.