Beliefs
What major religious institution held the central role in medieval European society and worldview?
The Roman Catholic Church?
What was the primary basis of the economy in rural Europe during the Middle Ages?
Agriculture (farming)
Which more advanced civilization did European Crusaders come into contact with, bringing back new ideas in medicine and science?
Muslim civilization
What political, economic, and social system of landholding and duty structured medieval European society?
Feudalism (The Feudal System)
What major body of water bordered most Italian city-states, giving them a distinct trade advantage?
The Mediterranean Sea
Why was the belief in a better life after death so important to medieval Europeans?
Life was very hard due to constant sickness, famine, and war
How did the severe labour shortage caused by the Black Death change economic conditions for freemen and serfs?
Workers could demand higher wages or leave to find better pay
Name two specific fields of study or subjects that Europeans learned about through contact with the Middle East along the Silk Road or during the Crusades.
Medicine and mathematics (or astronomy, philosophy, literature)
Which social class made up the majority of the population in medieval Europe and was bound to work the land for nobles?
Serfs (peasants)
What term refers to the rural area surrounding an Italian city-state that provided crops and resources?
Hinterland
How did Christians, Muslims, and Jews view the Holy Land during the time of the Crusades?
They all claimed it as sacred land connected to their religious history
What major trade route extended across Asia, connecting China to the Mediterranean?
The Silk Road?
How did Muslim and Jewish scholars contribute to the transfer of knowledge to medieval Europe?
They preserved, translated, and built upon ancient learning in libraries and universities
What term describes the movement of people from rural farmland into towns and cities, which increased after the Black Death?
Urbanization
How did Italy’s geographical location in southern Europe impact its trading costs compared to northern European countries?
Sea travel made transporting goods cheaper, faster, and easier
What were two opposing ways the Black Death affected people’s religious beliefs?
Some lost faith in God, while others became more religious thinking the plague was punishment for sins
How did Italian merchants profit from importing luxury goods brought back after the Crusades?
By selling rare items like spices, silk, and jewels that were not available in Europe
How did European knowledge of astronomy, medicine, and mathematics change during the Renaissance compared to the Middle Ages?
It expanded rapidly due to exposure to new ideas and scientific learning from the East
How did social organization in Italian city-states differ from northern European feudal society?
There was no feudal system, so people could move up social classes and earn wealth
How did Italy's temperate climate benefit its economy and growth during the Renaissance?
It allowed for year-round trade and longer growing seasons for crops
Why did both rich and poor people donate land and money to the Church during the Middle Ages?
They hoped God would reward them with entry into heaven after death
What was a key economic reason traders on the Silk Road worked in relays rather than travelling the entire length?
It was too slow, expensive, and dangerous to travel the full route alone
How did contact along trade routes transform the overall European worldview regarding science and technology?
It made Europeans more open to foreign ideas, inventions, and new ways of thinking
What organized associations of craftsmen or merchants in medieval towns controlled trade standards, work conditions, and training?
Guilds
What physical features (such as mountain ranges and deserts) made land travel along the Silk Road exceptionally difficult?
High mountains (like the Alps), wide deserts, and dangerous terrain