Empires and Kingdoms
This Frankish king was crowned “Emperor of the Romans” on Christmas Day in the year 800.
Who was Charlemagne?
These Scandinavian warriors raided and settled in England, France, and even North America.
Who were the Vikings?
This system of land ownership and loyalty involved lords, vassals, and serfs.
What was feudalism?
This Viking explorer was the first European to reach North America, which he called Vineland.
Who was Leif Erikson?
This invention by Johannes Gutenberg helped spread books and new ideas across Europe.
What was the printing press?
This empire, centered in Constantinople, was the eastern half of the old Roman Empire and lasted for over 1,000 years.
What was the Byzantine Empire?
This battle in 1066 led to Norman rule in England.
What was the Battle of Hastings?
Knights followed this code of honor that emphasized bravery, loyalty, and protection of the weak.
What was chivalry?
This Italian traveler visited China and wrote a famous book about his journey.
Who was Marco Polo?
This Renaissance scientist proposed that the Earth orbits the Sun, not the other way around.
Who was Copernicus?
This emperor created a famous legal code that influenced laws for centuries.
Who was Justinian?
This Islamic general led an army from North Africa to Spain and helped establish Muslim rule there.
Who was Tariq bin Ziyad?
This type of building housed monks who spent their lives praying, studying, and copying books by hand.
What was a monastery?
This explorer sailed across the Atlantic in 1492, thinking he had reached Asia.
Who was Christopher Columbus?
This famous playwright wrote Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet.
Who was William Shakespeare?
This religious leader in Rome was seen as the head of the Christian Church in Western Europe.
Who was the pope?
This group of fierce warriors, led by Genghis Khan, created the largest land empire in history.
Who were the Mongols?
In medieval Japan, these warriors followed a code of honor known as bushido.
Who were the samurai?
This Portuguese prince encouraged exploration and helped start the Age of Discovery.
Who was Prince Henry the Navigator?
This Italian scientist improved the telescope and was put on trial for his ideas about the universe.
Who was Galileo?
This Muslim leader recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in the 12th century.
Who was Saladin?
This young French girl led the French army to victory before being captured and burned at the stake.
Who was Joan of Arc?
This disease, also known as the Black Death, killed millions of people in Europe in the 14th century.
What was the plague?
This empire in South America built amazing stone cities like Machu Picchu.
What was the Inca Empire?
This period of rebirth in learning and the arts spread across Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries.
What was the Renaissance?