The Black Death
Q: What carried the Black Death as it spread across Europe?
A: Fleas on rats.
Q: What social group grew because of increased trade?
A: Merchant class.
Q: What were the Crusades?
A: Religious wars to retake the Holy Land from Muslim control.
Q: What were kings and popes often fighting over?
A: Who could appoint bishops.
What year was the Magna Carta signed?
A: 1215.
Q: What century did the Black Death reach Europe?
A: The mid-1300s.
Q: What financial system developed to support long-distance trade?
A: Banking and credit.
Q: What was the result of the First Crusade?
A: Christians captured Jerusalem in 1099.
Q: Why was the Church so influential during the Middle Ages?
A: It provided stability, order, and unity.
Q: What did the Magna Carta do to the king’s power?
A: It limited it.
Q: What happened to Europe’s population because of the plague?
A: It dropped by one-third to one-half.
Q: How did increased trade affect Europe’s economy?
A: It strengthened and connected Europe with Asia.
Q: Name one long-term outcome of the Crusades.
A: Increased trade OR weakened feudalism OR Christian-Muslim conflict.
Q: What other major power struggle existed besides appointing bishops?
A: Who could collect taxes and tithes.
Q: Whose rights did the Magna Carta originally protect?
A: Nobles.
Q: Why did the plague spread so quickly and couldn't be stopped?
A: Europeans lacked scientific and medical knowledge.
Q: Why did banks become more important during this period?
A: They supported merchants and international trade.
Q: Why did many nobles lose power during the Crusades?
A: They died or lost wealth while fighting.
Q: What role did the Church have in government?
A: It influenced laws, courts, and political decisions.
Q: What democratic idea came from the Magna Carta?
A: The king must follow the law / rule of law.
Q: How did the Black Death help weaken feudalism?
A: Labor shortages increased wages and shifted power away from nobles.
Q: How did trade indirectly help end feudalism?
A: Money-based economy reduced dependence on land-based feudal systems.
Q: List two reasons people joined the Crusades.
A: Religious duty, salvation, adventure, wealth, desire for Holy Land.
Q: Why did monarchs want control over church officials?
A: It increased their political power.
Q: How did traveling royal judges help English kings?
A: Gave the king more control over the legal system.