TRY FORMING QUESTIONS ABOUT KEY FACTS as a way to revise.
The Middle Ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in History.
One of the most important historical events of the Medieval era is the Black Death.











Key Dates relating to the event: This terrible plague started in Europe in 1328 and lasted
until 1351 although there were outbreaks for the next sixty years
Why was the disease called the Black Death? The disease was called the Black Death
because one of the symptoms produced a blackening of the skin around the swellings or
buboes.
How the disease was spread: The Black Death was spread by fleas that were carried by
rats or other small rodents
The spread of the Black Death followed all of the Trade Routes to every country
The Black Death of the Middle Ages was believed to have originated in the Gobi Desert
in Asia
Key People relating to the event: Nearly one third of the population of died - about 200
million people in Europe
The 1328 outbreak in China caused the population to drop from 125 million to 90 million
in just fifty years
The Black Death in England raged from 1348-1350
The population drop resulted in a higher value being placed on labour - the Peasants
Revolt followed in 1381.
Farming changed and the industries developed.
People became disillusioned with the church and its power and influence went into
decline.
Black Death Symptoms
The symptoms of the Black Death were terrible and swift:






Painful swellings (buboes) of the lymph nodes
These swellings, or buboes, would appear in the armpits, legs, neck, or groin
A bubo was at first a red color. The bubo then turned a dark purple color, or black
Other symptoms of the Black Death included:
 a very high fever
 delirium
 the victim begins to vomit
 muscular pains
 bleeding in the lungs
 mental disorientation
The plague also produced in the victim an intense desire to sleep, which, if yielded to,
quickly proved fatal
A victim would die quickly - victims only lived between 2 -4 days after contracting the
deadly disease
The first of the Crusades began in 1095, when armies of Christians from
Western Europe responded to Pope Urban II's plea to go to war against
Muslim forces in the Holy Land.
After the First Crusade achieved its goal with the capture of Jerusalem in
1099, the invading Christians set up several Latin Christian states
Near the end of the 13th century, the rising Mamluk dynasty in Egypt
provided the final reckoning for the Crusaders, toppling the coastal
stronghold of Acre and driving the European invaders out of Palestine and
Syria in 1291.
1. The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of
Europe against the Saracens (Group of Muslim rulers and armies in Middle East).
2. There were a total of nine crusades.
3. The reason for the crusades was a war between Christians and Moslems which
centered around the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was a centre of pilgrimage for
both Christians and Muslims and a holy place for Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
4. The first crusade, which lasted from 1095-1099, established the Latin Kingdom
of Jerusalem.
5. The effects of the Crusades on Europe of the Middle Ages were an important
factor in the history of the progress of civilization.
6. The effects of the Crusades influenced the wealth and power of the Catholic
Church, political matters, commerce, feudalism, intellectual development, social
effects, material effects and the effects of the crusades also prompted the famous
voyages of discovery.
7. The Objectives of the crusades was at first to release the Holy Land, in
particular Jerusalem, from the Saracens.
9. The crusaders came from both the Upper and Lower classes.
10. For a period of two hundred years Europe and Asia were engaged in almost
constant warfare.
What was the Cause for the Crusades?
The reason for the crusades was a war between Christians and Moslems which centered around
the city of Jerusalem. The City of Jerusalem held a Holy significance to the Christian religion.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem commemorated the hill of crucifixion and the
tomb of Christ's burial and was visited by Pilgrims. In 1065 Jerusalem was taken by the Turks
and 3000 Christians were massacred starting a chain of events which contributed to the cause of
the crusades.
The First Crusade
The first crusade, which lasted from 1095-1099, established the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem,
providing more lands for the crusading knights, who often travelled across Europe to try their
fortunes and to visit the Holy Sepulchre.
The Fall of Jerusalem and Acre - the Last Crusades
The kingdom of Jerusalem was gradually lost until the last Christian city, Acre, fell in 1291. The
dream of returning to the Holy Land nonetheless proved popular; the Kings of France and
England frequently made such plans, though in nearly every case the crusades were redirected or
derailed by regional tensions.
The Crusades and the Orders of Religious Knights
The crusades also gave rise to the important knightly orders, the Knights Templar, the Teutonic
Knights and the Hospitallers. These were orders of religious knights, working from monastic rule
to defend the holy land and pilgrims en route to Jerusalem.
The Effects of the Crusades
The effects of the Crusades on Europe of the Middle Ages were an important factor in the history
of the progress of civilization. The effects of the Crusades influenced the wealth and power of the
Catholic Church, Political matters, commerce, feudalism, intellectual development, social effects,
material effects and the effects of the crusades also prompted the famous Voyages of discovery.
FEUDALISM
What was Feudalism?
Feudalism was based on the exchange of land for military service. King William the Conqueror
used the concept of feudalism to reward his Norman supporters for their help in the conquest of
England.
Feudalism
Feudalism had a dramatic effect on England and Europe during the Middle Ages. The pyramid
of power which was the Feudal system ran to a strict 'pecking' order - during the Medieval period
of the Middle Ages everyone knew their place. The emergence of the Medieval Feudal System of
the Middle Ages affected all spheres of Medieval society: a land-based economy, the judicial
system and the rights of the feudal lords under the feudal system and the lack of rights for the
serfs and peasants.
The Feudalism Pyramid in England - How it worked
Feudalism in England can be easily described through a pyramid:







At the top of the Feudalism Pyramid was the King
The King claimed ownership of the land
The King granted the land to important nobles - these nobles then pledged their loyalty
by swearing to serve and protect the king
The king also granted land to the less powerful military men (the knights) who were
called vassals
The vassals also agreed to fight for the king in exchange for their land
The land was worked by the peasants or serfs. They belonged to the land and could not
leave without permission - the bottom of the Feudalism pyramid.
The pyramid of power which was the Feudal system ran to a strict 'pecking' order during the Medieval period of the Middle Ages everyone knew their place. The order of
rank and precedence in the Medieval Feudal System was as follows:
 The Pope
The King
Nobles
Knights / Vassals
Freemen
Yeomen
Servants
Peasants / Serfs / Villeins