Feudal Europe
This decentralized political and military system was based on mutual obligations between lords and vassals, where land was exchanged for military service and loyalty.
What is Feudalism?
This devastating pandemic, also known as the Black Death, swept across Eurasia in the 1300s, killing an estimated one-third of Europe's population and disrupting trade networks.
What is the Bubonic Plague?
This eastern half of the Roman Empire survived long after the fall of Rome, preserving Greek and Roman culture from its capital city of Constantinople.
What is the Byzantine Empire?
This was the self-sufficient economic backbone of the Middle Ages, consisting of an agricultural estate completely controlled by a lord and worked by peasants.
What is the Manorial System (or Manor System)?
This series of religious wars was launched by Christian Europeans starting in 1095 to reclaim Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control.
What are the Crusades?
This nomadic group, united under Genghis Khan, conquered the largest contiguous land empire in human history during the 13th century.
Who are the Mongols?
Bound to the land they worked, these individuals were not technically slaves but could not leave the lord’s estate without permission.
Who are Serfs?
This famous Italian merchant traveled along the Silk Road all the way to China, serving in the court of Kublai Khan and bringing stories of East Asian wealth back to Europe.
Who is Marco Polo?
In medieval Japan, this supreme military commander held the actual political power, while the Emperor served as a symbolic figurehead.
Who is the Shogun?
Signed by King John of England in 1215, this historic document limited the power of the monarchy and established the principle that everyone, even the king, is subject to the law.
What is the Magna Carta?
Invented during the Tang and Song Dynasties in China, this revolutionary formula transformed global warfare and trade routes.
What is Gunpowder?
He was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in 800 CE, briefly uniting Western Europe under the Carolingian Empire.
Who is Charlemagne?
This Byzantine Emperor is famous for codifying centuries of Roman law into a single legal code and rebuilding the magnificent Hagia Sophia.
Who is Justinian I (Justinian the Great)?