Unit 1: Medieval Christian Europe
This emperor moved Rome's capital to Constantinople for defensive reasons.
Who is Constantine?
These are the Five Pillars that all Muslims must follow.
What are Faith, Prayer, Charity, Fasting, and Pilgrimage (the Five Pillars)?
This Mongol leader created the largest land empire in history.
Who is Genghis Khan?
This invention by Gutenberg helped spread Renaissance and Reformation ideas.
What is the printing press?
This political system developed in response to invasions by Vikings, Magyars, and Huns, while the economic system that supported it relied on peasants working the land.
What is feudalism?
These two commodities were the foundation of trans-Saharan trade.
What is gold and salt?
These floating gardens helped the Aztecs grow crops in their lake city.
What are chinampas?
This artist painted the Mona Lisa and designed flying machines.
Who is Leonardo DaVinci?
These two branches of Christianity split during the Great Schism of 1054.
What is the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church?
What was an impact of Mansa Musa's leadership?
Economic Impacts
Religious and Cultural Impacts
Political Impacts
Long-term Historical Significance
This dynasty in China invented gunpowder, paper money, and porcelain.
What is the Song Dynasty?
This is the name of the scientific theory that the Earth revolves around the sun, challenging Church teachings.
What is heliocentrism?
What were the causes and the effects of the Crusades?
Causes: Muslim control of the Holy Lands, Christians wanted to take it back, Pope Urban declaring a holy war on Muslims, etc.
Effects: The Crusades weakened European feudalism as many nobles died or sold their lands to finance crusading expeditions, strengthening monarchies. They increased trade between Europe and the Middle East, introducing Europeans to new goods and technologies. For the Middle East, the Crusades initially disrupted trade and politics but ultimately strengthened Muslim unity under leaders like Saladin. The cultural exchange led to the transfer of knowledge in mathematics, medicine, and philosophy from Islamic civilization to Europe, contributing to Europe's later Renaissance while the Middle East experienced political fragmentation after the Crusades ended.
Explain how the Islamic Golden Age contributed to the preservation and advancement of knowledge.
Islamic scholars preserved Greek and Roman texts in libraries while making original contributions. Al-Khwarizmi pioneered algebra, Ibn Sina wrote medical encyclopedias, and Al-Razi advanced hospital medicine. They translated ancient works into Arabic, added their own discoveries, and later transmitted this knowledge to Europe, bridging ancient and modern learning.
Explain how a Mughal ruler treated Hindu populations in India.
Akbar the Great promoted religious tolerance and even created a syncretic religion blending Hindu and Islamic elements because he believed unity would strengthen his empire. In contrast, Aurangzeb persecuted Hindus and destroyed temples because he was a strict Islamic fundamentalist who believed in religious purity. Tamerlane was brutal to all conquered peoples as a means of control through fear.
What are 2 causes of the Protestant Reformation?
Answers vary
The Protestant Reformation happened because the Catholic Church had become corrupt and greedy, new technologies and ideas challenged its authority, and Martin Luther provided the spark that turned widespread frustration into a religious revolution that split Christianity permanently.
Explain how the Black Death contributed to the decline of feudalism and what changes it brought to medieval Europe.
The Black Death killed 1/3 of Europe's population, leading to labor shortages that gave surviving peasants more bargaining power. This weakened the manorial system as peasants could demand wages instead of working for protection. The shortage of workers ended serfdom and ultimately contributed to the decline of feudalism as economic relationships became more monetary than land-based.
Explain the significance of one Muslim Sultan/Caliph/Leader and what they accomplished.
Mehmet the Conqueror captured Constantinople (1453), ending the Byzantine Empire and establishing Ottoman control over the strategic link between Europe and Asia. This conquest gave the Ottomans control over key trade routes and made them a major European power. Suleyman the Magnificent expanded further into Europe, conquering Hungary and besieging Vienna, which shifted the balance of power in Europe and forced European nations to form alliances against Ottoman expansion. Their military innovations, including cannons and janissary troops, revolutionized warfare. In the Middle East, Ottoman expansion unified much of the region under a single Islamic empire, bringing political stability but also ending the independence of many local rulers and creating a centralized administrative system that lasted for centuries.
Akbhar the Great, Aurangzheb, Muhammad, Answers vary.
Compare the feudal systems of Europe and Japan, explaining the similarities and differences in government structure, warrior codes, and the role of religion in each system.
Both systems had hereditary classes and warrior codes, but Japanese emperors were figureheads while shoguns held real power, unlike Europe where kings ruled directly. European knights followed chivalry based on Christian values, while samurai followed bushido based on Confucian duty and honor. European feudalism was more contractual and legal, while Japanese feudalism emphasized personal loyalty and duty.
Explain how Protestant branches of Christianity challenged Catholic teachings differently.
Answers vary