Section 1
1. Rise of Germanic Kingdoms – after fall of Western Roman Empire, German tribes took
control. The Vis
a. Visigoths in Spain
b. Ostrogoths in Italy
c. Franks in France
d. Angles and Saxon in England
e. Visigoths and Ostrogoths kept basic Roman government structure
f. Other groups excluded Romans
2. Clovis – First king of the Franks, converted to Christianity, won support of the Roman
Catholic Church
3. Germanic law – crime considered a crime against a person, not a crime against society.
One had to pay the person offended or his family if a crime was committed
4. Wergild – the amount paid by a wrongdoer to the person or the family against whom a
crime was committed. The amount differed depending on social class. Crimes against
nobles were more costly than crimes against peasants
5. Gregory I – pope from 590-604 who greatly increased the power of the Catholic Church
in Western Europe. Responsible for conversion of large numbers of Germanic people to
Christianity.
6. Monk – a man who separates himself from society in order to devote himself entirely to
God.
7. Monasticism – way of life lived by monks, with bulk of the day devoted to prayer and
manual labor
8. Benefits of Monasticism
a. Schools for the young
b. Hospitals
c. Taught peasants useful skills – carpentry, weaving, farming
9. Charlemagne – Frankish king who ruled from 768-814. Expanded kingdom and
established Carolingian Empire. Coronation symbolized the joining of German, Christian,
and Roman cultures.
10.Carolingian Renaissance
a. Promoted learning
b. Renewed interest in classics – Latin and Greek
c. Most works copied by Benedictine monks
Section 2
11.Magyars – invaders from western Asia who settled in Hungary
12.Vikings – Germanic invaders from the north (Scandinavia) also known as the Norsemen.
At first, just raided the coast and went home. By the mid-1000s they began permanent
settlements in Europe.
13.Feudalism and how it worked
14.Vassal – a man who served a king or lord in a military capacity
15.Fief – a land grant given to a vassal by a king
16.Feudal contract – set of unwritten rules between a lord and his vassals. The major
obligation of a vassal was military service. He would also have to pay the lord on special
occasions. In return, the lord provided land and military assistance. Agreement among
free men. Serfs were not part of the feudal contract
17.Chivalry and its 4 parts – code of ethics that knights were expected to follow
a. Defend the Catholic Church
b. Defend the defenseless
c. Treat captives as honored guests
d. Treat aristocratic women with great respect
Section 3
18.Norman Conquest – Battle of Hastings in 1066. Group known as the Normans (from
modern day France) conquered the Anglo-Saxons. Eventually the two groups merged
into a new English culture
19.William of Normandy – leader of the Normans. Took first census since the Romans.
Developed the tax and court systems
20.Henry II – King of England from 1154-1189. Expanded the power of the royal courts over
the power of local courts, thereby expanding kings power. Established common law.
21.Common Law – a law that is the same for an entire kingdom, not different from place to
place
22.Thomas Becket – Archbishop of Canterbury who opposed expansion of king’s power
over church officials. Assassinated in the cathedral at Canterbury. Forced Henry to back
down against the Church
23.Magna Carta and lasting importance – King John forced to sign document in 1215. King
officially recognized that his powers were limited. Document was used in later years to
further limit the authority of the king and give the nobles more power
24.Parliament – first emerged in the 1200s. first form of representative government in
England. Originally composed of 2 knights from every county, two people from each
town, and all of the nobles and bishops from all of England.
Section 4
25.Justinian – Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Most important contribution was the
codification of laws in Eastern Roman Empire in about 535
26.Body of Civil Law – code of laws established by Justinian. Basis of imperial law in Eastern
Roman Empire until its end in 1453. Also basis for much of European legal system
27.Patriarch – leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, appointed by the emperor
28.Schism – split or separation. Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches split in
1054 when the patriarch and pope excommunicated each other. Known as the “Great
Schism” or the “East-West Schism”
29.Crusades – why they began and lasting impact
a. Began as an attempt by Christians to regain control of the Holy Land of Jerusalem,
which had been conquered by the Muslim.
b. 4 Crusades in total – varying degrees of success
c. Lasting impact
i. Growth of port cities such as Genoa, Pisa, and Venice that were on the
supply lines between Europe and Jerusalem
ii. Eventual breakdown of feudalism – nobles went off to war, sold land and
freed serfs. Nobles lost power, kings consolidated power into large
kingdoms of Spain, Portugal, France, and England
30.Saladin – leader of the Muslims during 2nd and 3rd Crusades. After Muslim victory in 3rd
Crusade, allowed Christian pilgrims free access to Jerusalem
31.Richard the Lionhearted – English king who fought in the 3rd Crusade. Negotiated
settlement with Saladin