1.6 - developments in Europe

What caused the rise of feudalism in Europe?

The decline of trade and intellect after Rome fell led to feudalism for protection.

How did European and Japanese feudalism compare?

Both were decentralized; Japan's began after the Tiara-Minamoto War.

What institution remained powerful during the Middle Ages?

The Roman Catholic Church.

What was the role of fiefs in feudalism?

Monarchs granted them to lords in exchange for service and loyalty.

Who were vassals in the feudal system?

Lords to kings, and knights/peasants to lords.

What did peasants owe their lords under feudalism?

Labor and crops in exchange for protection and land use.

What was the code of chivalry?

Unwritten knightly rules focused on loyalty, bravery, and honesty.

What was the manor in the manorial system?

A self-sufficient estate owned by a lord, centered around agriculture.

What was the three-field system?

A crop rotation of grains, legumes, and fallow land to maintain soil health.

What led to population growth under feudalism?

Windmills, plows, and efficient farming systems.

Why didn’t Europe industrialize under feudalism?

Most goods were owed to lords; little incentive for surplus or trade.

What was the Estates-General in France?

A representative assembly of clergy, nobles, and commoners with little real power.

What was the lay investiture controversy?

A dispute over whether secular rulers could appoint bishops—resolved in Church’s favor.

What was the Magna Carta?

A document limiting the king's power, granting rights like trial before imprisonment.

What did the Hundred Years' War result in?

Stronger French and English national identities and the use of gunpowder.

Who helped France win the Hundred Years' War?

Joan of Arc with new artillery strategies.

What triggered the Crusades and Reconquista?

Christian efforts to reclaim Muslim-held lands in Spain and the Levant.

What was the Great Schism?

The split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Why were monasteries powerful?

They were centers of literacy, wealth, and political influence.

What role did Jews play in medieval Europe?

Moneylenders due to Christian restrictions, leading to anti-Semitism.

What happened to Muslims in Spain during the Reconquista?

They were expelled or forced to convert, many fled to the Balkans.

What was scholasticism?

The reintroduction of Greco-Roman texts via Islamic and Jewish scholars.

What was humanism?

A Renaissance intellectual movement focusing on human potential over divine matters.

Why was Kievan Rus more connected to Byzantium?

They adopted Orthodox Christianity and traded heavily with the Byzantine Empire.

What was the Hanseatic League?

A military and trade network of guilds that secured and dominated European trade.

Who gained permanent control over the Holy Roman Empire?

The Habsburg family

Who was Otto I in the context of the Holy Roman Empire?

first Holy Roman Emperor and a key figure in reviving the empire.

What event ended the Holy Roman Empire?

Napoleon after weakening during the Thirty Years' War.

What was the Thirty Years' War?

A destructive conflict between Protestant reformers and the Catholic Church that devastated much of Central Europe.

How did medieval monarchs change employment structures?

Monarchs centralized power by hiring people directly, weakening feudal lords' control.

What two major crises led to social unrest in the Middle Ages?

The Bubonic Plague and the Little Ice Age caused famine, disease, and unrest.

What was the impact of the Little Ice Age?

It led to shorter growing seasons and food shortages, worsening economic conditions.

What group was commonly scapegoated during times of crisis?

Jews and Muslims were often blamed for plagues and societal issues.

Why were Jews seen as outsiders in medieval Europe?

Jews worked as moneylenders and were urban-dwelling, fueling anti-Semitism.

Who was Maimonides?

A Jewish philosopher who argued that reason and faith were compatible.

How did Islamic societies support women's freedom?

Through trade and legal rights, especially in merchant-heavy regions like Southeast Asia.

What trade demand influenced early Russian development?

Fur and fish trade connected Russia to Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, and Central Asia.

What was Kievan Rus?

A city-state in modern-day Ukraine that became a center of Orthodox Christianity and Slavic culture.

Why is Russia historically different from Western Europe?

Mongol rule isolated Russia and shaped its unique development path.

How did Mongols indirectly help Russian nobles gain power?

Mongols used local nobles to collect taxes, enriching them economically.

Who was Ivan the Great?

A Russian leader who ended Mongol dominance and established independence.