Feudal Life
This political and social system of the Middle Ages was based on an exchange of land for loyalty and military service.
What is Feudalism?
These long religious wars were fought between European Christians and Muslims over control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
What are the Crusades?
This word literally means "rebirth" and describes the sudden explosion of art, science, and learning in Europe.
What is the Renaissance?
This German monk officially started the Protestant Reformation by nailing his 95 Theses to a church door.
Who is Martin Luther?
These heavily armored warriors swore an oath to protect their lord's land in Europe, similar to the Samurai in Japan.
Who are Knights?
While Europe was rebuilding after the fall of Rome, this global region was experiencing a "Golden Age" of massive advancements in science, math, and medicine.
What is the Islamic World? (or the Islamic Golden Age)
This new way of thinking focused on human potential, achievements, and individual value rather than strictly religious ideas.
What is Humanism?
Johannes Gutenberg's invention of this machine allowed books and new ideas to be printed quickly and spread all over Europe.
What is the Printing Press?
Making up the bottom of the feudal pyramid, these peasants worked the land and were legally tied to the estate they lived on.
Who are Serfs?
This terrifying disease spread along global trade routes from Asia to Europe, wiping out about one-third of Europe's population.
What is the Black Death? (or the Bubonic Plague)
This Italian city-state is considered the ultimate birthplace of the Renaissance, largely because wealthy families like the Medicis funded local artists.
What is Florence?
The main goal of the Reformation was to change and fix the corruption taking place inside this incredibly powerful religious institution.
What is the Catholic Church?
This is the large, self-sufficient estate owned by a lord where everything a community needed was grown or made right there.
What is a Manor?
This legendary West African king made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca, proving that the African continent was a major wealthy power during the global Middle Ages.
Who is Mansa Musa?
This term describes ideas, art, or actions that are non-religious and focused on worldly, present-day life.
What is Secular?
These were certificates sold by the Catholic Church that promised to forgive a person's sins, which furious reformers wanted to ban.
What are Indulgences?
This document, signed by King John of England in 1215, limited the king's power and gave basic rights to noblemen.
What is the Magna Carta?
This was the eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived the entire Middle Ages, keeping classical trade and culture alive from its capital in Constantinople.
What is the Byzantine Empire?
He painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, and was considered the ultimate "Renaissance Man" because he was also an inventor and scientist.
Who is Leonardo da Vinci?
Because of the Reformation, Western Christianity permanently split into the Roman Catholic Church and these new Christian groups.
What are Protestant churches?