Changes - Fall of Rome
What was the Dark Ages?
A period of time with a lack of recorded history and reduced literacy standards.
Who is at the top of the feudal pyramid?
Kings and queens
What was the most powerful organisation in medieval Europe?
The Catholic Church
What were The Crusades?
A series of holy wars fought to reclaim Jerusalem for Christianity.
Which animals helped spread the Bubonic Plague?
Fleas on rats.
What strange cure did medieval doctors believe could help get rid of the Black Death?
Strapping a live chicken to the buboes.
How did Christianity spread following the fall of Rome?
Missionaries travelled around preaching. Kings forcefully converted people they conquered.
What is feudalism?
Feudalism is a social hierarchy or pyramid that assigned roles to different groups in society.
What were people afraid of in Medieval Europe?
Hell
What started The First Crusade?
The First Crusade began when Pope Urban II called for Europeans to invade the holy land to help the Byzantine Empire and fight Muslims. (Council of Clermont, 1095 - extra 100 points).
What was the bacteria responsible for The Black Death?
Yersinia Pestis
What popular medieval drink was safer to drink than water?
Weak beer (called ale) – even children drank it!
Why was the spread of Christianity significant?
The Catholic Church became the most powerful force in Medieval Europe.
Name every different group that belongs on the feudal pyramid.
Kings, lords, knights, peasants.
What were some of the roles of The Catholic Church?
Conduct ceremonies such as baptism/funerals/weddings, care for the sick and poor, preserve knowledge, teach beliefs.
What were some of the effects that The Crusades had on medieval Europe.
Crusaders brought back new wealth and products to markets such as spices. This encouraged trade and the growth of cities. People moved for greater opportunities to become wealthy.
Bubonic, pneumonic, septicaemic
What was the name of the deep, water-filled ditch that surrounded many castles for protection?
The moat.
Why were the Dark Ages significant?
Living standards dropped, there was a loss of knowledge, smaller kingdoms and new cultures emerged.
What was one benefit of the feudal system for small communities?
It protected land and people from invasions.
The tax that The Church collected from people was called a...
Tithe.
They believed that their sins would be forgiven. It was an opportunity for wealth and land.
What was one short-term effect of The Black Death?
Persecution of Jews, Hedonism, The Flagellants, Quarantine
Why was the new system of feudalism significant?
Feudalism became the system that organised society for the rest of The Middle Ages. / It made kings and lords powerful, and peasants/serfs remained weak.
What did knights provide their lords in exchange for land and supplies?
Military service and loyalty.
Why were The Catholic Church so influential over people's daily lives.
As The Church were responsible for teaching religious beliefs, people listened as they were scared they would suffer in hell.
What impact did The Church's offer to forgive the sins of crusaders have on the crusader's behaviour?
It justified acts of violence as they knew they would be granted entry to heaven for fighting enemies of The Church.
What was one long-term effect of The Black Death?
Renewed interest in medical science; Weakening of The Catholic Church; Redistribution of wealth