Early Middle Ages Test Study Guide

What is sourcing

Looking at the source of a document, to understand the who, what, where, and when and relevant subsequent reprocussions

Contextualizing

Identifying the context or setting in which a source was created to gain a better interpretation of the sources relevant influences

Close reading

Analyzing the content of a source carefully, including looking at language, meaning, and tone to understand the claim or stance of the author and analyzing the evidence that they use to back up their claim

Corroboration

Comparing multiple sources and multiple different types of sources with different contexts in order to understand the full story

Middle ages

A broad term used to describe the period of time from about 500 CE to about 1300 CE in between the fall of the Rome and the Renaissance.

Who were the Franks?

The Franks were an important Germanic tribe in post-Roman Western Europe.

Who was Clovis?

Clovis was a ruler of the Franks who began the Merovingian dynasty who ruled from 466-511

What is a Monastery?

A community of Christian Monks

What does Secular mean?

A position of political power rather than religious power

What was the Carolingian Dynasty?

The Carolingian Dynasty, started by Pepin the Short, was a major Frankish dynasty that lasted from 751-888.

What was Major Domo and which dynasty was it a part of?

The term Major Domo, meaning, “Mayor of the palace,” refers to a man appointed by the leader to maintain order and loyalty in a region.

Who was Charles Martel

Charles Martel was Major Domo of the Frankish empire from the year 719-751.

Who was Charlemagne?

Charlemagne was the most important leader of the Frankish empire, ruling from 771 to 814.

What and when was the battle of Tours?

A battle between the Franks and the Muslims in Spain in the year 732.

What was the Merovingian dynasty?

The Merovingian dynasty was a Frankish dynasty started by Clovis from 481-751

When did Clovis convert to Christianity?

496

When did Pepin the Short begin the Carolingian dynasty?

751

When did Charlemagne get crowned Roman Emperor?

800

When did the Frankish kingdom officially split into three parts?

843

Who made the Papacy Secular and when?

Pope Gregory I in the year 590

Which Carolingian emperor did the most for learning?

Charlemagne

Who defended the Franks at the battle of Tours?

Charles Martell

what was the title that Charles Martell was given?

Defender of Christianity

What was the “Merovingian problem?”

They could conquer land but they could not hold it

What treaty formalized the division of the Frankish empire?

The treaty of Verdun

What was the name of a land owner in the feudal system?

a vassal

What was the name for a peasant who worked for a lord?

Serf

What were the three groups into which people were divided?

Those who fought , those who prayed, and those who worked

What was the manor system?

an economic arrangement between the Lords and their serfs

What is a tithe?

A tax payed to the church by the peasants

How did the carolingians standardize religion?

They built more churches and increased education about Christian teachings. They centralized biblical texts into a single version

What was Missi Dominici

A pair of a bishop and a count sent out by the emperor along with the army to act as the court of law for criminals in outer regions of the empire

What was a count?

A royal official appointed by the king to oversee specific territories or “counties”

How did the Carolingians help revive the economy?

Standardized currency, opened trade routes, began taxation systems.

What year did Charlemagne die, causing a succession crisis in the empire?

814

What was the basis of Germanic tribal traditions?

Based on war, conquest, and power, along with fighting with loyalty and honor

What was the basis of Christian traditions?

Seeks to convert, led by the church, inspired by Jesus Christ

What was the basis of Greek and Roman traditions?

Led by political leaders, clear laws and systems of order, focused on literacy and academics

Who created the system of counts and counties?

Charlemagne

When did the system of feudalism start?

late 800s and early 900s

What two important criteria did Viking tools and weapons have?

They were both strong and durable

Did feudalism promote offense or defense?

Defense

What was the hereditary system used under feudalism?

Primogeniture

What was the order of the feudal triangle

King is on top, then Lords, then Knights, then serfs

What was the hierarchial pyramid of the Church?

Pope then Cardinals then bishops then priests

What is a tithe?

A religious tax paid to the Church by the vassals and the serfs

What is required in order to perform a religious ritual?

A tax payment to the church

Who protected the Serfs in the feudal system?

The knights

When did Rome fall?

476

What was the impact of the fall of Rome?

Western Europe becomes more divided and the social structure collapses.

What was the relationship that the Merovingians had with the Church?

They fought on behalf of the Church and encouraged Christianity, while the religion brought a weak sense of unity to the empire

What was the relationship that the Carolingians had with the Church?

The Carolingians helped to standardize the biblical text and Christian traditions and teachings to create a religion-based society. The Church helped to grant them more power and to unite the empire under a single religion

What was a strength of the Merovingians?

War and conquest

What was a weakness of the Merovingians?

They could not successfully govern territory

Economic impact of the fall of Rome

Economy worsened and became more isolated, trade slowed.

Political impact of the fall of Rome

Western Europe became more divided, wars were fought over land and territory, and written rules and laws were not established

Who did Pepin the Short defeat on behalf of the Church?

The Lombards

Canonical thought

Thinking within the lens of the Church

What surrounds a manor in the feudal system?

A wall

What were the three major groups who invaded Western Europe

The Magyars, the Muslims, and the Vikings

Where did the Vikings originate?

Scandinavia

Where did the Muslims originate

Originated in Arabia but invaded Western Europe through Spain and southern Italy

Where did the Magyars originate?

Eastern Europe, specifically Hungary

Ecclesiastical

religious

Anathema

A religious punishment (essentially, you’re going to hell)

Tenet

One belief in a system of beliefs

Why were the Peace of God and the Truce of God created?

To stop former knights from rebelling against their lords

What did the Peace of God state?

Protection of the poor, the Church, and the defenseless with a religious punishment if not followed

What did the Truce of God do?

Restricted military activity

When was military action not allowed under the Truce of God?

From sunset on Wednesday to sunrise on Monday, as well as during Lent and during December

When was the Peace of God created?

987

When was the Truce of God created?

1037

Was the Truce of God or the Peace of God successful?

Probably not

What were the three things that were outlawed by the Truce of God from Wednesday nights to Monday mornings?

Attacking areas with soldiers, moving soldiers around, and planning and coordinating attacks

What was a Tournament?

A mock battle between two knights, often with money or resources at stake. Usually took place in front of a crowd

What was the Code of Chivalry?

A set of obligations for knights to fight loyally and honorably for their lords and to have respect for their lords and for their wives

Canon law

Laws based on the bible dictated by the Pope that govern the populous. Enforced by threat of excommunication

Excommunication

Removal from the Catholic Church, thought to mean that someone who is excommunicated would receive an anathema

Interdict

A paper used to deliver information of an excommunication to a king, a kingdom, a region, or a group of people, prohibiting them from receiving religious sacraments

Lay investiture

The process in which a Secular leader could appoint clergymen. The process was banned by Pope Gregory VII

Henry IV

Holy Roman Emperor who fought with Gregory VII over lay investiture. He tried to depose the Pope, leading to his excommunication

Gregory VII

Pope elected in 1073. He banned lay investiture in 1075 and Dictatus Papae was published in his name