Arabs
The Arabic word for "God."
What is Allah?
This title is given to the ruler of an Islamic caliphate.
What is caliph?
This term has often been used to refer to the early Middle Ages since the Renaissance, falling into disuse among recent historians
What is the "Dark Ages"?
This ruler is usually referred to by the title given to him in 1206, meaning something like "Ruler of the Earth"
Who is Genghis Khan (Temujin)?
The ancient network of trade routes that prospered under the Mongols and united the economies of the East and West
What is the Silk Road?
He is the founder of Islam, reportedly receiving the revealed word of God from the archangel Gabriel.
Who is Muhammed?
This city was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, hosting a famous center for learning.
What is Baghdad?
The name given to the long-lasting eastern half of the Roman Empire, based in the capital of Constantinople
What is Byzantine/ the Byzantine Empire/ Byzantium?
The significant city captured by Christians at the end of the First Crusade
What is Jerusalem?
Responsible for the death of one-third of Europe's population, the 14th century outbreak of bubonic plague is also known by this name.
What is the Black Death?
The central text of Islam, believed to be the revealed word of God and seen as one of the finest works written in Arabic
What is the Quran?
This caliphate gave special privileges to Arabs and was known for its vast conquests of new territory.
What is the Umayyad Caliphate?
Often called the "Father of Europe," this ruler was King of the Franks and was Roman Emperor by the Pope
Who is Charlemagne?
The name for the division between Catholicism (based in Rome) and Orthodoxy (based in Constantinople) in 1054
What is the Great Schism?
The crisis in the early 1300s that caused massive crop failure throughout Europe
What is the Great Famine?
The holiest city in Islam, birthplace of the Prophet and destination of the pilgrimage known as the Hajj.
What is Mecca?
What is Spain?
The sea-faring peoples known as Vikings can more accurately be referred to by this name
What is Norsemen (or Northmen)?
Peter the Hermit led this unofficial segment of the First Crusade in 1096, ending in total failure
What is the People's Crusade?
This social class saw the most mobility toward the end of the plague due to the need for labor
What are peasants/ serfs?
The name for a large group of merchants travelling together
What is a caravan?
This Islamic empire, starting in central Asia, quickly conquered a vast territory, leading to the start of the First Crusade
Who is the Seljuk Empire?
The wise, one-eyed ruler of the Aesir gods and the source of the name of a day of the week
Who is Odin?
The style of government introduced in England by the Normans, involving the distribution of lands between a king and his barons
What is feudalism?
The period directly after what is typically seen as the Middle Ages, described as a "rebirth" of ancient art and philosophy
What is the Renaissance?