Medieval Miscellany
Those Who Work
Those Who Pray
Those Who Fight
Trivia!
100
The historical period that lasted from 476 AD to about 1500 AD.
The Middle Ages
100
The medieval system of social hierarchy in which people owed military service and taxes (in labor or money) to those above them and land to those below them.
Feudalism
100
Monks lived apart from communities in these walled-off centers of work and prayer.
Monasteries
100
True or False: Under feudalism, the more land you owned, the more power you had.
True
100
What is the name of the school that Harry Potter attends?
Hogwarts
200
The religion, founded by the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, that quickly conquered the Middle East, north Africa, and southern Europe within 100 years before its expansion into Europe was stopped by Charles Martel in 732 at the Battle of Tours.
Islam
200
The main type of labor taken up by the 98% of the population that were peasants.
Agriculture/Farming
200
This 14th century catastrophic event decreased trust in the Church after many "good priest" died and "bad priests" fled; after it, the Church was much less discerning in the education it gave to priests.
The Black Death/The Plague
200
The motte and bailey was the wooden precursor of this iconic stone medieval building that was used for defense.
Castles
200
Who painted "Starry Night"?
Vincent Van Gogh
300
The name mostly used by modern historians for the eastern Roman Empire. (Hint: some of its rulers were Justinian and Theodora, and Alexios Komnenos).
Byzantine
300
The type of unfree peasant who was not free to leave his or her lord's land but who was entitled to the land he or she farmed.
Serf
300
This monastery housed an order of monks that became massively wealthy and powerful during the 11th and 12th centuries, and went through three versions of itself before becoming the largest cathedral in Christendom in 1130.
Cluny
300
This system of social etiquette, which especially valued women, was developed to keep knights from abusing their superior power and strength on those weaker than themselves.
Chivalry
300
Which planet is closest to the sun?
Mercury
400
The fall of Rome (and the tribal layout of Europe at the beginning of the Middle Ages) was precipitated by the migration of this tribe due to famine and drought.
Huns
400
Associations of skilled workers who regulated the businesses of their members to ensure uniform pricing, training, and hours, among other things.
Guilds
400
In the late 14th and 15th centuries, the Hundred Years' War and the Plague led to an increase in nationalism, making many people think of themselves as Christians *second*-- to what?
The citizens/subjects of a particular nation.
400
Initially full-blown melees in which knights often died, these developed into pageants that were heavily controlled and mostly for the entertainment of spectators.
Tournaments
400
What is the only letter that does not appear in any US state name?
Q
500
The grandson of Charles Martel, he inspired the Carolingian renaissance, made great the Frankish empire, and was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day of 800.
Charlemagne
500
This system of farming allowed medieval farmers not to exhaust all the nutrients in the soil of their fields by using crop rotation.
Three-Field System
500
These priests, also known as "mendicants," were a from orders like the Franciscans that emphasized poverty and (unlike monks) lived among their communities. They were known by this word that means "brother".
Friars
500
William the Conqueror took over England from these people at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Anglo-Saxons
500
How many US states have a coastline?
23
600
The Vikings (through Rollo) were given this Duchy in 911 AD by King Charles III "the Simple" of West Francia.
Normandy
600
The name for the lord's field on which peasants were obliged to spend an allotted amount of their time working.
Demesne
600
Monks at this monastery received a fright when they became victims of the first Viking raid in 793 AD.
Lindisfarne
600
List the three stages a man had to go through to become a knight.
Page, squire, knight.
600
Which animal can sleep for up to three years?
Snail