Name
9 Pre-AP
Date
CC 14
Crash Course #14
The Dark Ages…How Dark Were They Really?
Directions: As you watch this episode of Crash Course, please address each of the following. If you
are asked to analyze, please do so fully and completely in order to earn full credit.
1. How does John’s intro about best years/worst years relate to the idea a Dark Age or Middle
Age?
2. What years does John consider to be the “Middle Ages”?
3. How was the Middle Ages completely different from the Roman Empire, regarding trade,
cities and cultural output?
4. How was the Middle Ages set up politically and economically? Please analyze fully.
5. Who held the power in the Middle Ages?
6. Explain feudalism in your own words.
7. What was life like for a peasant at this time?
8. What role did religion play in the European Middle Ages?
9. What is Dat-al Islam? Describe the basic features.
10. How did the society of the Umayyad play a huge role in their collapse? Please analyze fully.
11. How were the Abbasid inherently different from the Umayyad in regards to society and
politics? Please analyze fully.
12. What was developed in Spain?
13. Describe the Golden Age of the Tang.
14. Who fought at the Battle of Talas River?
15. Describe the Song Dynasty.
16. Was the time from 600-1450 a “Dark Age”. Please analyze fully.
17. Go back to question #1. Answer it better after watching the whole video.