World History - Chapter 7 sections 1-4 Vocab & Questions

Clovis

was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler; warrior king of the Franks (466-511)

Medieval

referring to the Middle Ages in Europe or the period of history between ancient and modern times (500-1500)

Franks

a Germanic tribe (Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Germanic languages) that conquered present-day France and neighboring lands in the 400s

Charles Martel

Frankish statesman and military leader who never assumed the title of king; brilliant general, able in the heat of battle to adapt his plans to his foe's forces and movement - and amazingly, to defeat them repeatedly (688-741)

Battle of Tours

battle in 732 in which the Christian Franks led by Charles Martel defeated Muslim armies and stopped the Muslim advances into Europe

Charlemagne

also known as Charles the Great, was the king of the Franks who united most of Western Europe during the early Middle Ages and laid the foundations for modern France and Germany; called the "Father of Europe", united most of Western Europe for the first time since the collapse of the Roman
Empire (748-814)

Magyars

an ethnic group (a group that shares a common background) centered in present-day Hungary

Vikings

Scandinavian (the region in northern Europe containing Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) peoples whose sailors raided Europe from the 700s through the 1100s

Feudalism

loosely organized system of government in which local lords governed their own lands but owed military service and other support to a greater lord or king

Vassal

a lessor lord; a lord who was granted land in exchange for service and loyalty to a greater lord; both men and women could be lords and vassals (40 days of military service each year)

Feudal Contract

exchange of pledges between lords and vassals

Fief

an estate granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for service and loyalty

Knight

a European noble who served as a mounted warrior; leather saddles and stirrups helped knights win battles

Page age 7 / learn to ride and fight
Squire age 14 / servant to his knight in battle
Knight age 21 / dubbing: "In the name of God, Saint Michael, and Saint
George, I dub thee a knight. Be valiant."

Tournament

a mock battle in which knights would compete against one another to display there fighting skills

Chivalry

code of conduct for knights during the Middle Ages; fair, brave, and loyal

Troubadour

a wandering poet or singer of medieval Europe

Manor

a lord's estate which included one or more villages and the surrounding lands

Serf

a peasant bound to the lord's land

Sacrament

sacred ritual (examples: baptism, conformation, marriage, anointing of the sick) of the Roman Catholic Church; eternal life

Benedictine Rule

rules drawn up in 530 by Benedict, a monk, regulating monastic life. The rule emphasizes obedience, poverty, and chastity and divides the day into periods of worship, work, and study.

Secular

having to do with worldly matters, rather that religious matters; nonreligious

Papal Supremacy

the claim of medieval popes that they had authority over all secular rulers (kings, queens, and emperors)

Canon Law

body of laws of a church

Excommunication

exclusion from the Roman Catholic Church as a penalty for refusing to obey Church law

Interdict

excommunication of an entire region, town, or kingdom

Tithe

tax paid to the church equal to 10% of a person's income; church used the money to support itself and help the poor

Anti-Semitism

prejudice against Jews; the Roman Catholic Church persecuted (killed) the Jewish population because of disease (Black Death), famine (no food), and economic hardships

Charter

a written document that set out the rights and privileges of a town

Capital

money used to invest in business

Partnership

a group of merchants who joined together to finance a large-scale venture that would have been too costly for any individual trader

Tenant Farmer

someone who would pay rent to a lord to farm part of the lord's land

Middle Class

a group of people, including merchants, traders, and artisans, whose rank was between nobles and peasants

Guild

an association of merchants who cooperated to protect their economic interests

Apprentice

a young person learning a trade from a master

Journeyman

a salaried worker employed by a guild master

1) How did the fall of the Roman Empire lead to disorder in Western Europe?

- Disruption of trade (no trade or money and businesses collapsed)
- Downfall of cities (no order or law)
- Population shift from urban to rural life (safety)
- Decline of learning
- Loss of a common language (different dialects / communication problems)

To adapt to rural conditions, the Catholic Church built monasteries and convents.

2) What valuable role did monasteries and convents play during this time of chaos?

- Order and structure
- A religious way of life
- Learning (schools, libraries, and copied books)
- Unmarried women a place to live (work) and learn

3) Why do you think Charlemagne (Charles the Great / 6'4") succeeded in building such a vast empire?

- Personality (judged cases, settled disputes, and rewarded faithful followers)
- Military leadership (fighting the Muslims)
- Relationship with the Catholic Church (spread Christianity to his empire)

4) What was the impact of Viking invasions on Medieval Europe?

- Left villages in ruins
- Weakened authority
- Vicious invaders, warriors, raiders, traders, and explorers from Scandinavia

1. How did feudalism shape medieval society?

* well-defined place and role in society
* based on mutual obligations: military protection for land
* system of government based on landholding
* social classes were inherited and determined a persons prestige and power

King / Queen Superintendent

Lords Assistant Superintendent

Vassals Principal

Knights Assistant Principal

Peasants Teachers / Staff

Serfs ??????????

2. What status did noblewomen have in medieval Europe? What status did peasant women have during this same time?

+ look after the manor when their husband is off at war
+ managed the household
+ go to war and fight
+ medical tasks

- poor and powerless
- endless labor
- to have children to expand the family for workers on the farm

3. What was the basis of the manor economy?

* the manor was self-sufficient
* peasants and serfs; life was harsh for a peasant and a serf: long hours, simple diet, and hunger was common

How did medieval tournaments resemble modern sports competitions?

People were classified into 3 groups:

1. Those who fought / kings, lords, vassals, and knights

2. Those who prayed / men and women of the church

3. Those who worked / peasants and serfs

Why did medieval peasants support the church?

- the church offered unity
- security and hope
- a social life and order in an unstable world

The life of a priest: Priests played an important role in village life, where many of the activities of the manor centered on the church.

- Within hours of being born, babies were taken to the priest to be baptized
- If the child survived, the priest would later confirm them as a Christian
- People confessed their sins to the priest
- The priest also conducted marriages
- Finally, the priest gave funerals and buried the dead in the church cemetery

The church was also the center of social life, as the religious events of baptisms, weddings, and funerals were cause for great feasts and parties. These and other celebrations were held in the churchyard.

- The priest held mass every Sunday and on Holy days
- During the mass, the priest taught Christian values and beliefs
- A popular theme was the awful suffering that sinners would experience in hell
- Other duties of priests included such things as blessing fields in the spring before seed time by sprinkling holy water on them, reading orders and messages from the king, and collecting funds for the church authorities

What kinds of abuses did some apprentices commit?

- theft, running away

Why was apprenticeship a good way to learn a trade?

- lack of schools, craftsmen needed cheap labor
- master supported the boy, hands-on experience

In the Middle Ages, boys were apprenticed by legal agreements such as this one:

I, Peter Borre, in good faith and without guile, place with you, Peter Feissac, weaver, my son Stephen, for the purpose of learning the trade or craft of weaving, to live at your house, and to do work for you...for four continuous years, promising you by this agreement to take care that my son does the said work...will neither steal nor take anything away from you, nor fleen or depart from you for any reason, until he has completed his apprenticeship."

French apprenticeship agreement, 1248

Connect to Our World - Modern Apprenticeship (vocational educational programs)

Why did agriculture production improve?

- better plow and harness, increased acreage to farm, three-field system

What changes spurred travel at this time?

- warfare declined, people felt safer, economy was improving
- crusades brought back exotic goods from the East
- more luxury goods demanded

How and why did medieval towns and cities grow?

- increased trade, the growth of trade fairs
- the decline of serfdom, the increased use of money

Describe 3 changes of the commercial revolution.

- partnerships, insurance, bills of exchange

What were medieval cities like?

- crowded with buildings overhanging narrow streets
- dirty, noisy, dangerous, fire, poor sanitation, infectious diseases
- centers of trade, opportunities, ideas

A Londoner of the 1100s describe a sport enjoyed by youngsters in his city:

"When the great swap which watereth the walls of the city on the north side, is frozen, many young men play upon the ice...some tie bones to their feet and under their heels; and shoving themselves by a little picked staff, do slide as swiftly as a bird flieth in the air." - William Fitz-Stephen