AP WORLD HISTORY
Study Guide: Chapter 10 – Western Europe
Stages of Post-Classical Development
1. Describe the political landscape of early Western Europe.
The Manorial System: Obligations & Allegiances
2. What are the pros and cons of the manorial system? Be sure to examine this from both
the upper and lower class perspective.
The Church: Political & Spiritual Power
3. Describe the relationship between the Catholic Church and political leaders.
4. Illustrate (graphically or otherwise) the hierarchy found within the Catholic Church.
Charlemagne & His Successors
5. Were Charles Martel and Charlemagne the exception or the rule when it came to
medieval monarchs? Explain how they differed (or were similar) to the average Western
ruler.
New Economic and Urban Vigor
6. How does the economy affect Western Europe’s development? Be sure to explain
specific aspects of this relationship.
Feudal Monarchies & Political Advances
7. How does feudalism work? Why did both parties (lords and vassals) feel this relationship
was worth entering into?
Limited Government
8. Even as Western Europeans were perfecting their feudal relationships, they were also
pushing for greater freedom from rule. What examples do you see of each of these
desires for political organization?
The West’s Expansionist Impulse
9. Explain the significance of the Crusades in terms of its importance to the cultural and
economic development of the West.
Religious Reform and Evolution
10. What is the significance of monasticism in terms of the development of the Catholic
Church (essentially, how does one affect the other)?
Theology: Assimilating Faith and Reason
11. Explain how a co-existent relationship was possible between philosophy and theology in
Western Europe. Identify some key developments/figures in this area.
Popular Religion
12. Read the story of Raoul de Cambrai. What does this story reveal about the relationship
between the beliefs of Westerners and their actions?
Religious Themes in Art & Literature
13. How does the development of Western artistic culture demonstrate their obedience to
religious beliefs? How does it illustrate a growing divide?
New Strains in Rural Life
14. How does the relationship between lords and serfs begin to change? Why is this taking
place?
Growth of Trade and Banking
15. What was the significance of the development of trading organizations like the Hanseatic
League? What impact did they have on the future of Western Europe?
Limited Sphere for Women
16. Explain the opposing views of women in Western society.
The Decline of the Medieval Synthesis & Signs of Strain (2 sections)
17. Find 4 causes for the decline of medieval Europe. Explain how these things contributed
to the decline.
Points to Ponder: (you will submit these questions for grading) – 4 pts each
1. Thoroughly compare the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
2. What were some of the characteristics of Western Europe that made
centralized political control and unification a virtual impossibility?
3. Explain the appeal of Christianity to a dominantly pagan European population.
Explain why Christianity is unable to totally replace the traditional pagan
traditions.
4. Compare the roles of women (socially, religiously, and politically) in Western
Europe and the Muslim world.
5. What are the factors (and there are several) that contributed to the
decline of medieval (feudal) Europe? How did they cause the decline?