Feudal System
What is the name of the political and social system in Medieval Europe where lords granted land to vassals in exchange for service?
Feudalism
What was the role of the Catholic Church in daily life during the Middle Ages?
Central religious, social, educational, and political authority. They ran sacraments, schools, and acted as moral/legal guides.
Define the Holy Land. What different religious groups were it important to?
The region in the Eastern Mediterranean (including Jerusalem) regarded as sacred by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
What was the Black Death?
A deadly bubonic plague pandemic that killed large portions of Europe’s population.
What was the Italian Renaissance? (Give a brief definition.)
A period of renewed interest in art, learning, and classical ideas that began in Italy.
What was a manor in Medieval Europe?
The lord's estate/land where peasants worked and lived
What were tithes?
A tax paid to the Church.
What city is Jerusalem, and why was it important to Christians
Jerusalem is a holy city for Christians (the site of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection).
Around when did the Black Death spread through Europe?
1300s (around 1347–1351).
How did conditions after the Black Death contribute to the start of the Renaissance in Italy?
A low population, increased wages/wealth for some survivors, and towns/trade grew, while wealthy families funded art and learning.
What did the King give to nobles, and what did nobles/knights give in return?
King - land to nobles
Nobles/knights - military service and loyalty to the king
Who was the Pope? Give one way the Pope's power was similar to a king's power.
The Pope was the head of the Catholic Church; like a king, he had authority over people and land (church lands) and could influence rulers.
What were the Crusades and what was their main goal?
A series of religious wars by Europeans to capture the Holy Land. The main goal was to reclaim Jerusalem and aid Byzantine Christians.
Which animals helped spread the disease, and how did the disease reach people
Fleas on rats carried the plague bacterium. Ships and trade routes spread infected rats and fleas to port cities.
Compare one difference between the life of a noble and the life of a peasant that helps explain why nobles funded art and learning.
Nobles had wealth, land, and leisure time, so they could sponsor artists and scholars. Peasants labored for survival.
List the social classes from highest to lowest in a typical feudal society.
1. King
2. Nobles/Lords
3. Knights/Vassals
4. Peasants
5. Serfs
Why was salvation so important to medieval people?
Salvation meant being saved from sin and achieving eternal life. It shaped behavior because eternal fate was believed to be at stake.
How did Pope Urban II encourage people to join the Crusades? (Give one religious and one practical reason.)
Pope Urban II promised spiritual rewards (forgiveness of sins) and sometimes land/wealth; he framed the Crusade as a holy duty of the citizens.
Why was the Black Death so deadly? Give two reasons.
High mortality, lack of medical knowledge, rapid spread along trade routes, and crowded living conditions.
How did changes in labor and trade after the Black Death help create conditions for cultural and intellectual revival?
With peasants benefiting after the Black Death through higher wages and movement away from manors, towns grew, and manors struggled. This shift increased trade, which created a demand for artistic and intellectual ideas.
Explain what a labor shortage is and name one effect of labor shortages in Medieval Europe before the Black Death.
Increased trade and cultural exchange between Europe and the East (Asia). It also weakened feudal ties and expanded towns.
Define chivalry and describe how it relates to knights.
Code of conduct for knights emphasizing bravery, honor, and protecting the weak.
Name one major long-term effect of the Crusades on Europe.
Increased trade and cultural exchange between Europe and the East. It also weakened feudal ties and expanded towns.
Explain two social or economic effects of the Black Death that weakened feudalism.
Fewer workers led to higher wages and mobility for peasants, weakening serfdom. Many manors struggled due to labor shortages.
Describe how contact with the East during the Crusades indirectly influenced the Renaissance (name two specific kinds of ideas or goods).
New items were brought to Europe from the Middle East, such as spices, silks, texts, etc.