Knights and Castles
This social and political system was based on a "land-for-loyalty" agreement between lords and vassals.
What is Feudalism?
These were the two primary goods exchanged across the Sahara Desert that made West African empires wealthy.
What are Gold and Salt?
This 1054 event split the Christian Church into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches.
What is the Great Schism?
This Mongol leader founded the largest contiguous land empire in history.
Who is Genghis Khan?
This term describes the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires, which used new military technology to expand.
What are the Gunpowder Empires?
The economic side of feudalism, this system focused on the self-sufficient estate where peasants lived and worked.
What is Manorialism?
This "ship of the desert" revolutionized Trans-Saharan trade because it could travel long distances without water.
What is the Camel?
This 732 CE battle stopped the expansion of the Islamic Caliphate into Western Europe.
What is the Battle of Tours?
This Venetian merchant traveled to China and served in the court of the Mongol Emperor.
Who is Marco Polo?
This was the formal agreement between a lord and a knight that outlined their mutual obligations.
What is a Feudal Contract?
In a feudal contract, this was the piece of land granted to a vassal by a lord.
What is a Fief?
This major trade network connected West Africa to the Mediterranean world and spread Islam to the region.
What is the Trans-Saharan Trade?
This was the primary "cause" of the so-called Dark Ages in Europe, leading to a decline in trade and centralized government.
What was the Fall of the Western Roman Empire?
This Moroccan scholar traveled over 75,000 miles across the Islamic world (Dar al-Islam).
Who is Ibn Battuta?
These armored warriors served as the elite military force of the European feudal system.
Who are the Knights?
These agricultural laborers were legally "bound to the land," meaning they could not leave without the lord's permission.
Who are Serfs?
In Medieval African governments, power was often shared among these groups, rather than held by a single absolute monarch.
What are Kinship groups (or stateless societies/village councils)?
Pope Urban II called for this military expedition in 1095 to reclaim the Holy Land.
What is the First Crusade?
This Ming Dynasty admiral led a massive fleet of "treasure ships" across the Indian Ocean.
Who is Zheng He?
Unlike feudal lords, these individuals sat at the top of the social hierarchy and claimed "divine right" to rule their nations.
Who are Monarchs?
This 1337–1453 conflict between England and France changed warfare and helped end the Middle Ages.
What is the Hundred Years' War?
Islam spread through West Africa primarily via these two methods, rather than through military conquest.
What are Trade and Cultural Diffusion?
During the Middle Ages, this institution was the single most powerful force in Europe, providing stability and education.
What is the (Catholic) Church?
This grandson of Genghis Khan completed the conquest of China and established the Yuan Dynasty.
Who is Kublai Khan?
This period of "Mongol Peace" allowed for a massive increase in trade and cultural exchange across the Silk Road.
What is the Pax Mongolica?