Seconde History Chapter 2 - The Medieval Mediterranean: Exchanges and Conflicts

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering Seconde History Chapter 2 on the medieval Mediterranean: exam methodologies (DBQ Parts A and B), political, social, and religious structures of the Christian West, Byzantine Empire, and Muslim world, as well as religious conflicts, persecutions, the Crusades, and the Reconquista.

In the Terminale exam structure, what is the mark allocation and recommended time for DBQ Part A (Document Analysis)?

It is allocated 10 marks and has a recommended time of 1h10 to 1h15.

According to the DBQ Part A method guide, what are the three banned words that should never appear in a final answer?

"Biased", "irrelevant", and "useless".

In a DBQ Part A response, what should you do instead of describing the visual elements of a document?

Identify the message first in one sentence (e.g., "The clear message from document A is that…") without describing visible details.

What is the hard scoring cap imposed on a DBQ Part B mini-essay if it contains no reference to any document?

A response with no reference to at least one document cannot score above 5/10.

What is the recommended four-part structure for an essay body paragraph according to the BFI toolkit?

Topic sentence → precise evidence (date, figure, or named event) → evaluate its importance (using a degree word) → link sentence into the next aspect.

Which three major civilisations bordered the Mediterranean Sea in the 12th century?

The Latin Christian kingdoms (the Christian West), the Byzantine Empire (Orthodox Christianity), and the Muslim territories (the Muslim world).

What diversion occurred during the Fourth Crusade in 1204?

The Venetians redirected the crusaders from their goal of retaking Jerusalem to conquer their rival Christian city, Constantinople, where the crusaders founded the short-lived Latin Empire of Constantinople.

Which 13th-century illuminated manuscript shows a Christian and a Muslim peacefully playing chess together?

The Book of Chess, Dice and Tables (c. 1283), preserved in the Library of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

According to P. Riché in Le temps de Fulbert, what four roles did the Catholic Church simultaneously play in medieval Western society?

Religious (overseeing everyday life and enforcing rules for salvation), political (owning land with churchmen acting as lords), economic (collecting taxes on owned land), and social (constructing buildings for the sick and destitute).

What two mandatory religious duties were imposed on every Catholic believer by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215?

Every believer had to personally confess their sins to their parish priest at least once a year and receive communion at least at Easter.

What restrictions did Pope Alexander III order the Bishop of Marseille to enforce regarding Jewish residents?

Jews were ordered to keep doors and windows closed all day on Good Friday, Christian servants were forbidden to live with them, and Jews were compelled to pay the tithe on their lands.

In feudal terminology of the Christian West, how are a "fief", a "vassal", and "homage" defined?

A fief is land granted in exchange for a promise of loyalty; a vassal is a free man bound to a more powerful lord; homage is the ceremony where lord and vassal exchange vows of loyalty and mutual support.

What feudal relationship between William V of Aquitaine and Count William of Angoulême is recorded by Adémar de Chabannes?

Count William of Angoulême served as chief counsellor and captured the castle of Blaye alongside Duke William V, receiving Blaye as a fief along with the viscounties of Melle, Aulnay, and Rochechouart.

Which Jewish traveller from Navarre visited Constantinople between 1165 and 1173 and praised its unmatched wealth?

Benjamin of Tudela, who recorded his observations in his Itinerary (1173).

Which three Italian mercantile communities established dedicated commercial quarters in 12th-century Constantinople along the Golden Horn?

The Venetian, Pisan, and Genoese quarters.

What two major legal collections were compiled under Emperor Justinian in 533, and which language became official for new laws after 534?

The Justinian Code and the Digest (with legal excerpts from the Institutes); Greek became the language of new imperial legislation after 534.

What Greek title was used for the Byzantine emperor, and what title was given to the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church?

The emperor was titled the Basileus (king in Greek), and the religious leader was the Patriarch of Constantinople.

According to historian Alain Ducellier, what clerical and sacramental differences distinguished Latin Catholics from Byzantine Orthodox Christians?

Orthodox clergy wore beards and could marry, while Roman clerics were celibate and clean-shaven; the Orthodox used leavened bread and triple baptismal immersion, whereas Latins used unleavened bread and single immersion.

What are the dimensions and historical functions of the 6th-century church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople?

Built by Justinian, it measures approximately $70\,\text{m} \times 75\,\text{m}$ with a dome $55\,\text{m}$ high; it served as the cathedral of the Patriarch and site of imperial coronations until the empire fell in 1453.

According to Sa'id al-Andalusi, which early caliphs succeeded the Prophet Muhammad, and which two successive dynasties ruled the Islamic empire?

Abu Bakr, Uthman, and Ali succeeded Muhammad; the Umayyad dynasty ruled first from Damascus (661–750), followed by the Abbasid dynasty based in Baghdad.

What religious declarations appeared on the gold dinar coins minted under the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik?

"There is no god but God alone" and "Muhammad is His Prophet".

Under Caliph Umar's agreement in Jerusalem, what protections and obligations were established for dhimmis?

Christians and Jews received security for their lives, properties, churches, and crosses without religious coercion, in exchange for paying a poll tax (jizya).

Which anti-Jewish massacre documented in the timeline occurred directly in connection with the launch of the First Crusade?

The massacres of Jews in Germany in 1095.

In which years were Jews officially expelled from the kingdom of France and from Spain according to the chapter's timeline?

From France in 1306 and 1394; from Spain in 1492.

What key territorial victories marked the progress of the Spanish Reconquista in 1085, 1195, and 1212?

The Christian capture of Toledo in 1085, the Muslim victory at Alarcos in 1195, and the decisive Christian victory at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.

How did eyewitness Nicetas Choniates characterise the crusaders during the sack of Constantinople on 13 April 1204?

He condemned them as "forerunners of the Antichrist" and "madmen raging against Christ" who violated their sacred oaths by looting churches, smashing the Hagia Sophia altar, and making drinking cups from sacred vessels.

What spiritual reward did Pope Urban II promise to participants when launching the First Crusade at Clermont in 1095?

He promised the immediate remission of sins and eternal rewards to all who died on the journey or while fighting the pagans.

Why did Damascus scholar Tahir al-Sulami declare jihad a personal obligation for every Muslim in his c. 1105 treatise?

Because Muslim leaders lacked unity and energy, leaving the duty to others and allowing the Franks to conquer extensive Muslim territories.

What early titles and familial background did Richard the Lionheart possess before becoming King of England in 1189?

Born September 8, 1157, as the third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, he inherited the Duchy of Aquitaine at age 11 and became Duke of Poitiers in 1172.

Which three European rulers led the Third Crusade, and what fate befell Emperor Frederick I?

King Richard I of England, King Philip II of France, and Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) of Germany; Frederick drowned in Asia Minor, leaving few German troops to reach the Holy Land.

When did Philip II and Richard I arrive at the siege of Acre, and on what date did Saladin's garrison surrender?

Philip arrived in January 1191, Richard arrived on June 8, 1191, and Saladin's forces surrendered Acre on July 12, 1191.

Why did King Richard I order the execution of roughly 2,700 Muslim prisoners outside Saladin's camp on August 20, 1191?

Because Saladin failed to fulfill the surrender terms: paying 200,000 gold coins, releasing Christian captives, surrendering weapons, and returning the True Cross.

What were the primary terms of the Treaty of Jaffa signed between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in September 1192?

A three-year truce allowing crusaders to retain Acre and a narrow coastal strip, while granting unarmed Christian pilgrims safe access to the holy sites in Jerusalem.

What happened to King Richard I on his return journey from the Holy Land after concluding the Third Crusade?

He was captured and held prisoner for nearly a year in Germany due to a pact between Philip II and his brother John, requiring a massive ransom that drained England's treasury.

How did 10th-century Arab geographer Al-Muqaddasi characterize Cairo in The Regions of the Earth?

He described it as the capital of Egypt eclipsing Baghdad, a thriving global trading hub with four- to five-storey houses, superior hammams, abundant food supplies, and prestigious scholarly assemblies in its great mosque.

Which three rival Muslim political entities shared control of North Africa and the Near East at the start of the 12th century?

The Almoravid Sultanate in the west, the Fatimid Caliphate centered in Cairo, and the Seljuk Sultanate spanning the East and Persia.