Mr. Haskell
World History
10 October 2004
MIDDLE AGES STUDY GUIDE
Ch. 8-9
Please write two meaningful sentences that are related to each of the following terms. One can be a definition and the other an example or two of the terms relevance from the text. This discipline insures that you have improved comprehension and command of the material. (Remember to double space between terms for easier viewing).
*peasant- A peasant usually worked almost all day and plowed while his wife handled the animals. The peasants could not afford any meat so they mainly ate peas, cabbage, turnips and onions.
*usury- Usury was a way that people earned money by lending it out at their interests. The Clergy and Profits thought that this was immoral and should not be allowed.
*capital- Capital was the term used for describing a person that needed money to invest in something. This grew into a business and in need banking houses were formed.
*tithe- Tithes were dues that were paid to the Church by all Christians. The payment was exactly one tenth of their annual income.
*fief- A fief was an estate that was given to a lord by the King. In return the Lord had to provide military service and loyalty to the King.
*chivalry- Chivalry was like a code of honor for the knights. The rules made sure that the knights were true, brave and loyal to their word.
*charter- Charters were formed by lords and given to the King to sign, if he agreed upon the rules. A new town would ask the King for the rules of the city or town.
*troubadour- Troubadours were poets that wrote about love and women�s rights. They adopted this form of writing when chivalry forced people to take care of women.
*manor economy- A manor was the Lord�s estate and the center of the economy. Most manors had about two cities around the estate and most of the people worked at the estate.
*how monks and nuns lived- Monks and Nuns lives were basically run by a set of laws known as the Benedictine Rules. The monks and nuns were forced to take an oath of poverty and had to work manual labor in the day to be fair to all people.
*Why was church reform desired? The church reform was desired because the successes of the Church grew and the rules were weakened and the church gained more power. Also, the rules were bent by the priests but mostly by marriage.
*new agricultural technologies- In this time the plow and the windmill were invented. The windmill crushed the farmer�s grain into flour.
*defense of castles (moats, etc) - Moats were dug around the King�s castle and keeps were put on top of the castle. Keeps were put on top of the castle for the King�s use when there was battle of war.
*Battle of Tours- Charlemagne�s empire was destroyed and Christianity started to spread throughout the country. The war ended in 732 and Muslims continued to conquer countries.
*vassals- Vassals were smaller lords that paid service and loyalty to a greater lord. The vassals were given land in return for their service.
*peasants- Peasants were the lowest class in the system. They usually ate all vegetables because they could not afford meat or goods to eat and worked practically the entire day.
*knights- Knights were trained from their boyhood to be a knight. They were forced to take a code of honor known as chivalry.
*lords- Lords worked under the king; they were in charge of the city and its laws. Most of the lords were vassals to the king and lived on the king�s land.
*why did the church have great power over the people?- The church had great power because they made rules and if people did not obey them they would be excommunicated. The Popes of the church also had total authority over the land.
*Cluniac reforms- Abbot Berno reinstalled the Benedictine rule and was focused on stopping abuse. He spread this throughout the churches and would not allow simony or the selling of jobs in the church.
*Three field system- Peasants would plant a field in grain, another with legumes and the third row would be left empty for the next season. This concept helped their crops grow better and did not deplete the soil as much because of lesser use.
*merchant guilds- Merchant guilds were organizations that basically decided what to do with the city�s money. They voted on things like walls, paved streets, laws and taxes.
*clergy- The clergy was a part of the church. The clergy was like a government for the church; they decided what went on in the church and voted on it.
*nobles- Nobles were people of the church that payed their own taxes, had their own armies and had more power than the King. When the nobles and church were combined they had more power than the King did.
*Charlemagne- Charlemagne wanted to spread Christianity throughout Europe and to create a powerful government. He also elected officials to rule parts of his monstrous empire for him.
*Leif Ericson- Leif Ericson established a Viking colony on North America. His colony established trade throughout Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.
*serf- Serfs were people who were bound with a manor. They could never leave the manor unless permitted to and they could not be bought and sold like slaves.
*excommunication- Excommunication was issued by the church. It was given to people that did not abide by the rules given to the church; it isolated them from cities and people.
*steel plow- Steel plows replaced old wooden plows. They also carved very deep into the ground
*feudal system- Fuedalism was an organized system where lords divided their land among smaller lords. The lords then gave the more powerful lords vassals.
*Black Death- which regions most devastated? % population died? Result?- The Black Death plagued Caffa, Sicily and Messina and about 33% died. The wars in the country spread it into other countries and it soon spread everywhere.
*Magna Carta- This document gave people rights and privileges. It also contained ideas that would help form a European government later.
*Concordat of Worms- In 1112 the church and the Emperor agreed and signed the concordant of worms. It said that the church has the power to elect bishops and the emperor has the right to invest in fiefs.
*Chief goal of/ and result of the Crusades- The main goal of the crusades were to conquer the Holy Land. The goal was not achieved and massacres soon broke out everywhere
*Reconquista- The reconquista was the battles after the conquests. Christian warriors battled Spain and Muslims and their battles became known as the reconquista.
*early jury system- The early jury system was composed of a group of men that swore to tell the truth. They determined which cases would be presented in court.
*conflict between emperors and popes- Emperors like Frederick 2nd tried to change Italy and popes tried to stop them. The popes did stop them and did not gain the Northern cities of Italy.
Short Answer
A. 5 reasons late Middle Ages was a time of decline.
One reason that the Middle Ages were a time of darkness was the Bubonic Plague which killed so many people. Crusades were also fought which added to the amounts of people being killed. The Church and Emperor didn�t help the situation because of their disputes battles were fought and more people were lost to war. Conflcits about laws and cities were created by the pope toward the Emperor. The problem was Hundreds Years� war had famine, economic changes and plagues.
B. 3 long term effects of the crusades
New clothes and fabrics that the crusaders introduced and also trade was one of the long term effects of the crusades. Another effect was the church gained more attention as the crusades took place. The last effect was the economy which was better because people allowed peasants to pay in money instead of manual labor or work.