HIST2200 The Middle Ages

What did the Edict of Milan (313) accomplish?

Granted religious toleration to Christians

Which emperor presided over the Council of Nicaea in 325?

Constantine

What major issue was debated at the Council of Nicaea?

The nature of Christ

Why did the Roman government settle Germanic groups inside the Empire during the third century?

To provide military service to the Empire

Why did Christianity appeal to many people in the Roman countryside?

It promised equality and salvation to all believers

What did Arianism teach about Christ?

He was created and not equal to the Father

Which Church Father wrote The City of God?

Augustine of Hippo

What were relics believed to provide in Christian communities?

Access to the power of saints

Why was the Eastern Roman Empire wealthier than the Western Empire?

It controlled key trade routes with India and China

What name is given to the Eastern Roman Empire after 476 CE?

The Byzantine Empire

Which emperor launched major campaigns to reconquer the Western Mediterranean?

Justinian

What building symbolizes the height of Justinian’s cultural renaissance?

Hagia Sophia

What belief motivated the Iconoclast movement?

Icons were a form of pagan idolatry

Which elite cavalry force strengthened Byzantine military expansion in the 9th-10th centuries?

The Tagmata

What major linguistic development aided Byzantine missions in Slavic regions?

Glagolitic alphabet

Which dynasty replaced the Umayyads in 750 and shifted Islamic power eastward?

Abbasids

Which city became the capital of the Abbasid Empire?

Baghdad

Who established an independent Muslim state in al-Andalus after fleeing the Abbasids?

Abd al-Rahman I

What major victory against the Muslims helped consolidate Carolingian power?

Battle of Tours

The Treaty of Verdun (843) divided the Carolingian Empire into how many parts?

Three

Which script developed during the Carolingian Renaissance became the basis for modern lowercase letters?

Caroline minuscule

Historians often describe the Early Middle Ages as the ‘Dark Ages’ primarily because…

Little written documentation survives from the period

The Battle of Tours (733-734) is historically significant because…

It halted further Muslim expansion into Frankish territory

In the eighth century, real political authority in the Frankish kingdom was held by…

The Palace Mayors

According to Lynn White Jr., the technology crucial to the rise of feudal knight was the…

Stirrups and pommel

The adoption of primogeniture increased stability in medieval Europe by…

Preventing the division of fiefs among multiple heirs

What type of document is the Donation of Constantine?

Decree

(Donation of Constantine) In practical terms this document give the Pope, by the authority of Constantine, temporal power over…

Much of the Italian Pensinsula

(Donation of Constantine) The gifts of these lands are set out in which paragraph?

17

(Donation of Constantine) This document justifies all doctrines except for…

Arian Creed

Which gift did Constantine reportedly bestow upon the pope in gratitude for his healing?

The Lateran Palace

(Donation of Constantine) This document can’t be used to provide us insight into…

Spiritual beliefs of Constantine

What privileges does Constantine grant the Roman clergy?

Dignities equal to those of the roman senate

(Donation of Constantine) What penalty does Constantine threaten for violating the decree?

Eternal damnation

Why does Constantine say he is moving the imperial capital east?

Emperors and Pope should not live in same city

(Donation of Constantine) In Constantine’s vision, which two apostles appeared to him?

Peter and Paul

Which weapon was famously used by the Byzantine navy?

Greek fire

The Merovingian dynasty ruled which medieval kingdom?

Frankia

Which feature of early medieval Western Europe most distinguished it from Byzantium and the Islamic World

Political fragmentation

The Synod of Whitby (664) determined that the English Church would follow…

Roman Christian customs

The Book of Durrow is an example of…

Insular manuscript illumination

What event marks Year 1 of the Islamic calendar?

The Hijra to Medina

Which group formed the majority of early Islamic converts in Arabia?

Sedentary townspeople

Which caliphate made Damascus its capital?

Umayyad

Why was the conversion of Clovis in 496 so politically important?

It strengthened ties between Frankish rulers and Christian bishops

Arian Christians differed from Catholic Christians mainly in their belief that…

Jesus was created by God and was not part of the Trinity

Which Visigothic ruler converted the kingdom from Arianism to Catholicism?

Reccared

What made monasteries especially influential in early medieval Europe?

They conducted missionary work

Why was King Aethelbert’s conversion significant for the Christianization of England?

It enabled political alliances with British and Celtic Christian leaders

Which group posed the greatest internal challenge to Byzantine emperors in the 10th-11th centuries?

The Dynatoi

Why did Emperor Basil II create the Varangian Guard?

To counter rebellions by powerful aristocratic families

Which political development helped solidify the formation of Kievan Rus’?

Christianization under Vladimir

What was a major reason for the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 10th century?

Loss of tax revenues and increasing regional autonomy

In al-Andalus, the Umayyad Caliphate collapsed primarily because…

Civil wars fragmented the region into taifas

The Peace and Truce of God movements were initiated mainly by…

Bishops trying to limit knightly violence

Which region saw the most enduring Viking settlement in Western Europe?

Normandy

The emergence of cities and merchant elites around the 10th-11th centuries was most notable in…

Northern France and Italy

The heavy plough was crucial in northern Europe because…

It could turn heavy clay soils

Which three abuses were targeted by the Cluniac reformers?

Simony, nicolaitism, lay investitutre

What event triggered major outrage leading to Cluniac involvement in papal reform?

Pope Benedict IX selling the papacy

The Great Schism of 1054 was caused in part by…

Political tensions between Latin West and Greek East

Lay investiture was controversial because

It implied that secular rulers created bishops

What major victory allowed the Seljuks to dominate the eastern Islamic world in the mid-11th century?

Battle of Dandanqan

Which group did the Seljuks defeat at Manzikert (1071), opening much of Anatolia to Turkish settlement?

Byzantines

Which major city did the Almoravids found around 1070, marking their shift to settled empire?

Marrakesh

What event finally drew the Almoravids into al-Andalus as major political players?

Alfonso VI’s conquest of Toledo (1085)

What factor contributed most to the population growth of medieval towns in the 11th and 12th centuries?

Agricultural expansion and surplus

Guilds in medieval towns served which main functions?

Regulating economic activity and providing social support

Which of the following is a hallmark of Romanesque architecture?

Round arches and massive stone vaulting

The castle of Crac des Chevaliers became a stronghold of which military order?

Hospitallers

What long-standing change in the 11th century strengthened the papacy and set the stage for the Crusades?

The Cluniac Reform movement

What two major conflicts illustrated growing Church power in the 11th century?

Great Schism of 1054 & Investiture Controversy

According to Bishop Lambert of Arras, what spiritual reward did Urban II promise at Clermont?

Guaranteed entry to heaven

Which leader captured Jerusalem in 1187, prompting the Third Crusade?

Saladin

What major administrative reform did Henry II initiate in 1166?

Assize of Clarendon

The Fourth Crusade ultimately resulted in the conquest of…

Constantinople

Chinggis (Gengis) Khan unified the Mongol tribes in which year?

1206

The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) officially defined the doctrine of…

Transubstantiation

The Beguines were notable because they…

Did not take permanent vows

Which religious group was the primary target of the Albigensian Crusade?

Cathars

Gothic architecture, as seen in Chartres Cathedral, is especially charactered by…

Pointed arches and extensive stained glass

Italian communes in the 12th-13th centuries innovated taxation by developing…

Property-based censuses

The Third Lateran Council (11179) was significant because it…

Sanctioned crusades for objectives beyond defending the Holy Land

Pope Innocent III increased his authority partly by…

Dismissing and re-appointing clergy who swore homage to him

One reason Catharism became among women was because…

Catholic authorities were increasingly restricting female religious life

The establishment of the medieval Papal Inquisition (1233) was intended to…

Systemically prosecute heresy in regions where it was common

What was one major reason the Mongol Empire facilitated the “Mongol exchange”?

Their need for goods to circulate across vast territories

Which economic development drove increased European commercial activity around 1300?

The rise of the Hanseatic League in northern Europe

What contributed to labor unrest in Flemish cities in the late 13th century?

England’s embargo on wool exports

What was a major effect of intra-city tensions in northern italy?

The rise of the signori, or local lords

The Inquisition primarily aimed to combat…

Heresy within Christian society

What was one hallmark of scholasticism in the 13th century?

The synthesis of faith and reason

What artistic innovation is Giotto best known for?

Creating illusions of depth, volume, and emotion

What does the term Convivencia refer to in Iberian history?

The period of harmonious coexistence among Jews, Christians, and Muslims

What caused the fragmentation of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the eleventh century?

Internal divisions leading to the formation of Taifas

Why did Christian rulers issue garantias (charters) to Muslim communities during the Reconquista?

To encourage them by protecting their religion while under Christian rule

What term describes Muslims living under Christian rule in Iberia?

Mudejars

Why were Jews often granted legal protections and privileges in medieval European towns?

Their role in long-distance trade and skilled crafts was economically valuable

When was Marco Polo born?

September 15, 1254

Which factor most contributed to the rapid spread of the Black Death in the mid-14th century?

Increased commercial connections under the Mongols