Mrs. Allen Exam 4 Study Guide

Humanism

1400s, Intellectual movement focusing on human potential, secular studies, and the individual.

Printing press

c. 1440, Johannes Gutenberg's invention; allowed for the mass production of books and the spread of literacy.

Patrons

Renaissance, Wealthy individuals (like the Medici) or the Church who paid artists to create work.

Italian Renaissance

14th-16th Century, A period of cultural "rebirth" in Italy based on Classical Greek and Roman ideals.

Gutenberg

Realism

Renaissance Art, A style of art that used linear perspective and anatomy to make subjects look three-dimensional and lifelike.

Problems in medieval towns

Medieval Era, Extreme overcrowding, lack of sewage systems, and poor hygiene fueled the spread of disease.

Cause of Black Death

1347-1351, Caused by Yersinia pestis (bacteria) spread by fleas on rats; arrived via trade routes from Asia.

Scapegoating during Black Death

1340s, Jews, lepers, and "witches" were blamed for the plague; led to horrific massacres (pogroms).

Hundred Years' War

1337-1453, A long conflict between England and France over the French throne.

Joan of Arc

1412-1431, A peasant girl whose visions led France to victory at Orléans; later burned as a heretic.

Chivalry

12th-15th Century, The religious, moral, and social code of knighthood (bravery, courtesy, honor).

Fealty

High Middle Ages, Fealty is the oath of loyalty

Fourth Crusade

1202-1204, Intended to take Jerusalem, but Crusaders ended up sacking the Christian city of Constantinople instead.

Medieval sieges

Ongoing, Military tactic of surrounding a castle/city to cut off supplies. Involved trebuchets and battering rams.

Medieval social classes

Ongoing, Divided into "Estates": The Clergy (Prayers), Nobility (Fighters), and Peasantry (Workers).

Relationship between kings and nobles

Ongoing, A constant power struggle. Kings wanted centralized control; nobles wanted to keep power over their own fiefs.

Homage

High Middle Ages, Homage is the formal ceremony acknowledging a lord as one's master.

Fief

High Middle Ages, The actual plot of land granted to a vassal by a lord in exchange for military service.

Battle of Hastings

1066, William of Normandy defeated King Harold, beginning the Norman Conquest of England.

William the Conqueror

r. 1066-1087, The Duke of Normandy who became King of England; commissioned the Domesday Book.

Henry II of England

r. 1154-1189, Revolutionized English law by creating Common Law and the jury system.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

1122-1204, One of the wealthiest women of the Middle Ages; Queen of both France and England (not at the same time).

Common people's view of the church

Medieval Era, Common people saw the Church as the only path to salvation, though they often resented corrupt local priests.

Pope Urban II

1095, The Pope who gave the sermon at the Council of Clermont, calling for the First Crusade.

The Americas

Quetzalcoatl

Pre-Columbian, The "Feathered Serpent" god; associated with wind, Venus, and the creation of humanity.

Teotihuacan

c. 100 BCE-550 CE, "The City of the Gods" in central Mexico; massive urban center featuring the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon.

Mesa Verde

c. 1200 CE, A massive complex of cliff dwellings in Colorado; built for protection and climate control.

Anasazi

c. 100-1600 CE, (Ancestral Puebloans), Ancient civilization in the Four Corners region; known for multi-story dwellings and Mesa Verde.

Mexican human sacrifice

14th-16th Century, The Mexica (Aztecs) believed blood was "sacred water" needed to keep the sun moving and the world alive.

Spanish views of the Mexica

1519-1521, Spanish conquistadors were awed by the beauty of Tenochtitlan but horrified by sacrifice, using it as a moral justification for conquest.

Incan road systems

15th-16th Century, "The Qhapaq Ñan"; 25,000 miles of paved roads through the Andes used for communication and moving armies.

Native foods of the Americas

Pre-Columbian, Vital crops including Maize (corn), potatoes, tomatoes, squash, cacao, and vanilla.

Mississippian culture and mound building

c. 800-1600 CE, A mound-building civilization in the Eastern/Midwestern US characterized by complex urban centers.

Cahokia

c. 1050-1350 CE, The largest Mississippian city (near modern St. Louis); home to "Monks Mound," which is larger at its base than the Great Pyramid.

Mesoamerican ball game

c. 1600 BCE-1500 CE, A ritual sport played with a solid rubber ball; often tied to religious sacrifice and political disputes.

Clovis

c. 11,500 BCE, Early Paleo-American culture identified by distinct, fluted stone spear points used for hunting megafauna.

First American migrants

15,000+ years ago, traditionally believed to have crossed the Bering Land Bridge (Beringia) from Siberia to Alaska.

Christopher Columbus and American contact

1492, His voyage established permanent contact between the hemispheres, triggering the massive Columbian Exchange.

Africa

Madagascar human origins

c. 300-500 CE, Unique settlement; evidence shows the island was colonized by Austronesian sailors from Indonesia alongside East Africans.

Menelik I

c. 10th Century BCE (Traditional), The legendary first Emperor of Ethiopia; traditionally believed to be the son of King Solomon of Israel and the Queen of Sheba.

Ark of the Covenant

Biblical/Traditional, Ethiopian tradition holds the Ark was brought to Axum by Menelik I and remains there today in a chapel.

Mansa Musa pilgrimage

r. 1312-1337, Ruler of Mali; often considered the wealthiest person in history. His Haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca put Mali on the map.

Timbuktu

14th-16th Century, A center of trade and Islamic scholarship; home to the University of Sankore and vast libraries of manuscripts.

Frumentius

4th Century CE, A Lebanese Christian who was enslaved in Axum and eventually converted King Ezana to Christianity.

Queen of Sheba and King Solomon

Biblical/Legendary, The Kebra Nagast claims their union produced Menelik I, the first Emperor of Ethiopia.

Trade in Ghana

c. 300-1200 CE, The first great West African empire; dominated the Gold-for-Salt trade across the Sahara.

Christian Kingdom of Axum

c. 100-940 CE, A powerful trading empire in modern Ethiopia/Eritrea; a bridge between the Roman Empire and India.

African slavery

Pre-Colonial, Often involved prisoners of war or debtors; unlike the later Atlantic trade, it was not always permanent or hereditary.

Saharan trade

Ongoing, The "Trans-Saharan" route used camel caravans to move gold, salt, ivory, and enslaved people across the desert.