Beginnings & Endings
This empire's fall marks the traditional start of the Middle Ages
Western Roman Empire
This nomadic people from Asia, led by Attila, pushed Germanic tribes into the Roman Empire.
the Huns
The term for the fortified defensive border of the Roman Empire.
the limes
The capital city of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula.
Toledo
This was the largest social group in Germanic kingdoms, made up of peasants and artisans.
the free men
The event that marks the end of the Middle Ages for most historians.
the fall of Constantinople?
This Germanic people settled in Gaul, which would become France.
the Franks
The economic system of exchanging goods and services without money
barter
The type of arch commonly used in Visigothic architecture.
horseshoe arch
The economic base of life in the Early Middle Ages shifted to this.
rural farming or agriculture
This stage of the Middle Ages was a time of crisis, featuring the Black Plague.
Late Middle Ages
The Germanic leader who deposed the last Western Roman Emperor.
Odoacer
What two cultures mixed in the Germanic Kingdoms?
Germanic and Roman
This famous treasure of crowns and crosses demonstrates their skill in metalwork
the Treasure of Guarrazar
A royal official who administered a "province"
count
The two great civilizations that grew strong during the Early Middle Ages.
the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world
This Visigothic king is famous for his conversion to Catholicism.
King Reccared
The name for the stage of the Middle Ages that was a time of recovery and greatness
the High Middle Ages
This system of choosing a king led to frequent power struggles among the nobility.
elective monarchy
people with no rights in the Germanic kingdoms
slaves
The new era that began after the end of the Middle Ages
the Modern Era
Church members who preserved classical knowledge by copying manuscripts in monasteries.
monks
The Roman term for all peoples who did not share their Latin language or culture.
the barbarians
The single legal code introduced for everyone in the Visigothic Kingdom.
the Liber Iudiciorum (Book of Judgments)
The main reason bishops held important political roles in the new Germanic kingdoms.
they were among the only people who could read and write