Vocabulary
Icon
Religious or sacred image
What years mark the beginning and the end of the Middle Ages?
The Middle Ages is the historial period that began in 476 (Fall of the Western Roman Empire) and ended in 1453 (Constantinople is conquered by the Turks) or in 1492 (Discovery of America).
What were the territories of the Byzantine Empire in its beginnings?
the Balkans + Greece + Asia Minor + Syria + Egypt
What were the names of the different kingdoms within the Germanic tribes?
Franks, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Angles and Saxons
What made up the economy of the Visogoths?
Agriculture (Products: grains, grapevines, olive trees and vegetables), Latifundia, Livestock farming
Basileus
emperor of the Byzantine Empire
Early Middle Ages between the 5th and the 10th c. High Middle Ages between the 11th and the 13th c. Late Middle Ages which includes the 14th and 15th c.
Who was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire at its peak?
Emperor Justinian, 527-565
What were the political consequences of settlement?
1. Fragmentation of the Western Roman Empire into small independent kingdoms
2. Germanic minority consolidated political power
What was the political organisation of the Visigothic Kingdom?
An elective monarchy; Aula Regia
Civil servants
helpers of the basileus to govern
In 395, Theodosius divided the Roman Empire into what two kingdoms?
Western Roman Empire & Eastern Roman Empire
What were the three sectors of the Byzantine economy?
Agriculture, Crafts, and Commerce
What were the three social levels Germanic society was organized into?
1. Germanic peoples = new military and warrior elite 2. Middle class (merchants, craftspeople, civil servants, and small landowners) 3. Multiplication of serfs and slaves
In what year did Pepin the Short establish the Carolingian dynasty?
751
Latifundia
large estates that belonged to the nobility and monasteries and were farmed by serfs
What was the cause of the East West Schism? When did it take place?
The East-West Schism was caused by the rivalry between the patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope of Rome for primacy over Christendom. It ended in 1054 with the separation between the Western or Roman Church and the Eastern or Orthodox Church.
What were the three levels Byzantine society was organized into?
The upper class (aristocracy and high-ranking Church officials), the middle class (the rest of the clergy, civil servants, wealthy businessmen and free farmers), and the lower class (serfs and slaves).
What is autarchy? (economic consequence of settlement)
An economic system of self-sufficiency and limited trade. A country is said to be in a complete state of autarky if it has a closed economy, which means that it does not engage in international trade with any other country.
Who was emperor during the peak of the Carolingian Empire? What was this time period?
Charlemagne; 742-814. Re-established the unity of the old Western Roman Empire
Amber
Fossilized tree resin (stone) that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times
What was the role of the Church in Byzantine society?
It crowned the emperor. It held large estates. It controlled spiritual aspects.
What were the two major problems with the Church at this time?
Iconoclastic Controversy
East West Schism
What were the cultural consequences of settlement?
1. Knowledge in monasteries 2. Small churches 3. Jewellery making
What year was the Treaty of Verdun signed? What did it signify?
843. Disintegration of the Carolingian empire the empire was divided between Charlemagne's grandsons