Chapter 16: The Two Worlds of Christendom - Practice Test Questions

Sample questions to help study for the test! Reminder, I do not know if these questions will actually be on the test. However, it does help to study rather than be knowledgless!

What are the two halves of Medival Christendom?

• Byzantine empire (east)

• Germanic States (west)

After what century did tensions between the two halves escalate?

8th century

Where was Byzantium (or Constantinople) located?

On the Bosporus — next to the black sea

What year did Constantine rename Byzantium, and where did he move the capital?

330 C.E,

The Golden Horn

What year did Constantinople fall, and what was it renamed?

• 1453 C.E (fell to Turks)

• Istanbul

What is caesaropapism?

The combined power centralized in the figure of an emperor.

What can a Christian leader claim, and what can they not?

Divine authority, not divinity

In Byzantium, what is an emperor in charge of, and what are they involved in? Is their authority absolute?

An emperor is in charge of political rule, however they are involved in religious rule as well. An emperors authority is absolute.

In the Byzantine court, what reinforces the authority of an emperor?

Etiquette — royal purple, prostration, mechanical devices

Who ruled from 527-565 C.E? Who was his wife? What was his nickname?

• Justinian

• Theodora

• The “sleepless emperor”

What church did Justinian build?

The church of Hagia Sophia

What was Justinian’s code?

codification (simplification) of Roman law

Who made the effort to reconquer the western Roman empire?

Germanic people

Why did Byzantine abandon Rome?

They were unable to consolidate (reinforce or strengthen) control of the territories.

What expansion happened in the 7th century?

Arab Muslim expansion

From what years did the Arab Muslims beseige Byzantium?

• 674 - 678 C.E

• 717 - 718 C.E

What was the defense of Byzantium made possible by?

Greek fire

What is the theme system? What were soldiers rewarded with?

• Themes (provinces) under control of generals

• Land grants

Who was the last Roman emperor desposed by, and in what year?

• Germanic Odacer (Oh-da-ah-cer or Oh-da-va-ker)

• 476 C.E

What were the four Germanic succesor states?

• Visigoths

• Ostrogoths

• Lombards

• Franks

Who had heavy influence on European development, and from what centuries?

• The Franks

• 5th - 9th centuries

Who had a firm alliance with the western Christian church?

The Franks

Who began the Carolingian dynasty? What was his nickname?

Charles “the Hammer” Martel

What year was the Battle of Tours? Who was defeated, and what did this halt?

• 732 C.E

• Spanish Muslims

• The Islamic advance into western Europe

From what years did Charlemagne rule?

768 - 814 C.E

What are three of Charlemagne’s accomplishments?

• Centralized imperial rule

• Sponsored extensive scholarships despite being illiterate

• Major military achievments

Where was Charlemagne’s capital? What did he constantly do?

• Aachen, Germany

• Travel throughout his empire

What was the name for imperial officials in Charlemagne’s administration?

missi dominici — envoys of the lord ruler

What year was Charlemagne crowned emperor, and by who?

• 800 C.E

• Pope Leo III

What are the two things argued about Charlemagne’s crowning?

• It was planned in advance

• It was a challege to Byzantium

Who ruled from 814 - 840 C.E? Who was he the son of?

• Louis the Pious

• Charlemagne

When did the Carolingian empire divide?

843 C.E

What three external forces were the Carolingian empire weakened by?

• South: Muslims

• East: Magyars

• North: Vikings (i.e Norsemen)

What objection was the Norse expansion driven by, and what did they have that was superior?

• The expansion was driven by population pressure; it was also a quest for wealth.

• Seafaring technology

What were the three main components the Viking Longship had that made it sufficient?

1. Design — shallow draft, sails, and oars

2. Versatility and Speed — sailed in shallow waters (3 meters), land on beach easily, lightweight

3. Distinctive Decoration — adorned w/ menacing animals, i.e dragons, snakes, serpents

What village were the Vikings from?

Vik, Norway

What did the Vikings accomplish (in battle), and how? They were known as ____ because of this.

• Attacked villages, cities, monasteries from 9th century.

• Travelled upriver and sacked Constantionople three times.

  • because Carloingians had no navy.

• Berserkers

What were the two economies of early medieval europe?

1. Byzantium

2. Western Christendom

What kept Byzantium strong, and what were they supported by? When did they decline?

• Free peasentry (like farmers)

• Supported by theme system

• 11th century

What is a key technology brought by trade routes into Byzantium?

silk, e.g silk industry

What advantage did Byzantium have that allowed craft and industry to expand, and after what century?

• Location

• 6th century

What is bezant?

the standard currency in Byzantium

What were three agricultural innovations in Western Europe?

1. Heavy plow

2. Water mills

3. Special horse collar

What two types of trade happened in Western Europe?

1. Small scale exhange(s)

2. Maritime change in Mediterranean

What link did the Norse merchant mariners have to trade? Via what?

The Islamic world, via rivers to Black & Caspin sea + Mediterranean

What is the structure of Byzantiums urban society?

1. Aristocrats: palaces

2. Artisans: apartments

3. Working poor: communal living spaces

What is a hippodrome? What were the three things it hosted?

It is a big oval shaped racetrack. (Like Santa Anita). Had:

1. Chariot races

2. Athletic matches

3. Circuses

What was western Europe’s society like? Why?

Basically the opposite of Byzantium.

1. Rural

2. Towns economic hubs of surrounding regions

Because there wasn’t enough to sustain a large urban population.

What is fuedalism? Was it sufficient?

the dominant social system in medieval Europe — simplified:

lords and vassals

1. those who work: peasent

2. those who fight: knight

3. those who pray: monks / part of church

It was not sufficient for complex society. It was ad hoc (when necessary or needed).

What are incentives, and who did they go to?

land grants, incomes from mills, and cash — which went to the noble class

What are two oppressive concepts in the way peseants lived?

1. unable to move from land

2. fees were charged for marrying from another lord / land

From what century did the population fluctuate in Christendom?

5th - 6th century

What are the two halves of Christian society at this time? What did they disagree on?

1. Eastern Orthodox — Byzantium / Constantinople

2. Roman Catholic — based out of Rome

Disagreement over doctrine, ritual, and church authority.

Who was the pope that lived from 590 - 604 C.E? What was his nickname?

• Pope Gregory I

• “Gregory the Great”

What is papal primacy and sacrament of penance?

1. The concept that the bishop of the Church speaks for the whole church.

2. act of admitting sins to a local priest

The Byzantine Church is closely aligned with what?

state

What created dissent in the Byzantine Church?

caesaropapism

Who ruled from 717 - 741 C.E?

Emperor Leo III

What year were icons destroyed after, and who called for it?

• 726 C.E

• Emperor Leo III

Was the destruction of icons succesful? When was the policy abandoned?

• No.

• 843 C.E

What is aceticism, and what are the three ways of the concept?

monks / nuns practice hermit like existence

1. celibacy — no sex

2. fasting — not eating for long period of time

3. prayer

Who are the three saints in this chapter, and what are they years they lived for?

1. St. Basil — 329 - 379 C.E

2. St. Benedict — 480 - 547 C.E

3. St. Scholastica — 482 - 543 C.E

There were two saints that established a rule. What was it? What were the three ways of this rule?

a consistent rule for monasteries

1. poverty

2. chastity

3. obedience

What did St. Scholastica do, and who was she the sister of?

• St. Benedict

• Adapted Benedictine Rule for convents

Who created the Cyrillic alphabet?

Saints Cyril and Methodius

What were the two disuputes between eastern and western Christianity?

1. ritual

2. theological

What is the Nature of the Trinity?

God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit / Ghost

There was a schism (split or division) over what three concepts?

1. hierarchy

2. jurisdiction

3. autonomy of patriarchs, or primary of Rome?

In what year did the Constantinople patriarch and the Rome pope excommunicate each other? What were the two new churches called, and what region were they in?

1054 C.E

1. East: Orthodox Church

2. West: Roman Catholic