World History Quest: The Formation of Western Europe
What was the chief goal of the Crusades?
 to recover Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the
Muslim Turks
What were the problems identified by Church reformers
during the Middle Ages?
 Village priests married and had families contrary to
Church law.
 Bishops sold positions in the Church for money.
 Kings, rather than Church leaders, appointed
bishops.
What was the effect of the three-field system?
 Farmers produced more food and villagers had more
to eat.
What did the Magna Carta guarantee?
 basic legal rights
What was the name of the legislative body of medieval
England?
 parliament
Which group was most responsible for the spread of the
bubonic plague to Europe?
 Traders or merchants
What are characteristics of Gothic architecture?
 sculpture
 stained.glass windows
 high, vaulted ceilings
What was one negative effect of the Crusades that has
continued to the present?
 Hostility between Muslims and Christians
In what kind of language did Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey
Chaucer write?
 Vernacular
What did the devastation caused by the bubonic plague
contribute to?
The disruption and collapse of medieval society
***Short Answers are at the end of the vocabulary***
Simony - the practice of selling church positions
Inquisition – the Church court used in Spain to persecute
Jews and Muslims
Guild – acts like a modern day union in an organization of
workers in the same occupation
Magna Carta – the Great Charter; it’s what America based its
Bill of Rights provided basic legal rights
Gothic – a new style of architecture that rose up and defined
the Age of Faith
Three-Field System – a new style of farming that allowed
farmers to rotate crops and in turn grow more food
Commercial Revolution – a time period that saw great progress
in trade and business
Crusades – a series of Holy wars to gain control of the Holy
Land
Bubonic Plague – a deadly disease that caused 1/3 of Europe’s
population to die
Vernacular – the everyday language of the people
Great Schism – the great split in the Catholic Church over who
was the true pope
Parliament – the legislative branch of the English government
Reconquista – the organize effort to drive the Muslims out of
Spain
Describe the Crusades. (What were they? Why were they
fought? Who started them? Who fought against whom? )
 A long series of wars between Christians and Muslims
 They fought over control of Jerusalem which was called
the Holy Land
 Pope Urban II called for the defeat of the Turks
(Muslims), returning the Holy Land to the Christians
 The Christians and the Turks
Why did the Gothic style of church develop during this time period?
(how did it show what was happening in society). Describe the
difference between a Romanesque style church and a Gothic style
church, and provide four examples.
Middle Ages was known as the Age of Faith. Religion
took priority in the daily life of the people. Churches gained a
lot of power and wealth. The Church became the center of
people’s lives. People decided to build “God’s House” in honor
of Him. As it became more important it also became the
social center. A change in the style of the church reflected
this
With the Church becoming more important we see a change from the
Romanesque style to the Gothic Style
The traditional Romanesque church was all of these
things:
 Stain glass – traditional, basic, and usually tells a
story
 Dark, dim and closed in
 Low ceilings
 “boring” dull simple
 barrel vaults – rounded
 few small windows
 rounded arches
 closed in – more wall space
The traditional Gothic style church was all of these things:
 stain glass – usually more decorative, an example is
the Rose Glass
 light and open
 high ceilings
 fancy and decorative
 rib vaults – arched or pointed
 many large open windows
 pointed arches
 more open – less wall space