1.6 (click flashcards here)

What event marked the transition from the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages in Western Europe?

The decline of the Roman Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries.

What are the characteristics of the Middle Ages in Europe?

Decline of trade and intellectual life, rise of smaller kingdoms, and the power of the Roman Catholic Church.

What was the era known as the revival of learning and trade between 1000 to 1450?

The High Middle Ages.

Who was Peter Abelard and what is he known for?

A scholar who studied classical thinkers and sometimes criticized the Church while remaining faithful.

What is feudalism?

A decentralized political organization based on exchanges of land for loyalty.

What was a fief in the feudal system?

Land granted by a monarch to a lord.

What obligations did knights have in the feudal system?

Pledge to fight for the lord or king.

What is the manorial system?

An economic system where large estates provided self-sufficiency and defense.

What roles did serfs play in the manorial system?

They farmed the land, provided crops and livestock, and obeyed their lord's orders.

What was the three-field system?

A method of crop rotation to improve soil fertility.

What political trend occurred in the later Middle Ages regarding monarchies?

Monarchies became more powerful, establishing bureaucracies at the expense of feudal lords.

What significant event occurred during King Philip II's reign in France?

Development of a real bureaucracy.

What was the Concordat of Worms?

It resolved power struggles over lay investiture, granting Church autonomy.

Who was William the Conqueror and what did he achieve?

He successfully invaded England in 1066 and ruled with a feudal system.

What was the Magna Carta?

A document signed in 1215 requiring respect for specific rights.

What marked the beginning of the English Parliament?

The formation of the Parliament in 1265.

What was the Hundred Years' War?

A conflict between England and France from 1337 to 1453.

What role did the Crusades play in the Middle Ages?

A series of religious wars influenced by societal and economic pressures.

What was the impact of the Black Death on the late Middle Ages?

Significantly reduced population and labor availability.

What social class emerged during the late Middle Ages?

The bourgeoisie, or middle class.

How did urbanization affect women's rights during the Middle Ages?

Women’s rights eroded with fewer receiving education.

What cultural revival took place after the Middle Ages?

The Renaissance, fostering classical literature, art, and culture.

What was Kievan Rus?

A city-state that engaged in trade connecting various regions and adopted Orthodox Christianity.

What happened to Kievan Rus in the 13th century?

It was overtaken by the Mongols.

What was the significance of Ivan the Great for Russia?

He led the region to independence from Mongol rule.

What was the primary trade product of Kievan Rus?

Furs, fish, and grain.

How did the Mongols govern the regions they conquered?

They required local nobles to collect taxes for them.

What was the relationship between Kievan Rus and Byzantium?

It maintained closer cultural relations due to its adoption of Orthodox Christianity.

What led to the growth of local nobles' wealth under Mongol rule?

Their role in collecting taxes for the Mongols.

In what century did Kievan Rus become independent of the Mongols?

The late 15th century.