UNIT 4-A SPECIFICITIES
Explain -- IMPACT OF FALL OF ROME ON WESTERN EUROPE
Including, but not limited to:
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Disruption of trade that leads to collapse of businesses, destruction of economic centers,
and scarcity of money as a result of invasions
Downfall of cities as centers of administration
Shift to a rural population as Roman citizens abandoned destroyed cities
Decline of learning since Germanic invaders could not read or write
Loss of a common language as Latin changes and different dialects develop
Change in the concept of government from one of loyalty to public government and
written law shifts to governance through unwritten laws and traditions
Explain -- DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIANITY AS UNIFYING SOCIAL AND
POLITICAL FACTOR IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE AND BYZANTINE EMPIRE
Including, but not limited to:
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Byzantine Empire
o Constantine relocates the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire to Byzantium and
renames it Constantinople
o Justinian constructs the Hagia Sophia along with numerous other grand churches
throughout his empire to show the close connection between church and state
o Missionary Saints Cyril and Methodius Christianize Slavs to the north of the
empire and develop the Cyrillic language to promote religion to the Slavs
Medieval Europe
o Missionaries spread Christianity
o Authority in medieval Europe based on the Church
o Charlemagne crowned emperor by Pope Leo III, which shows the close
connection between church and state
o Shared beliefs in Christianity bond the people of medieval Europe
o Church provided stability and security in times of frequent wars
o Middle Ages seen as the “Age of Faith”
o Church creates a system of justice (canon law) to regulate people’s conduct
Explain -- CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND EASTERN
ORTHODOXY
Including, but not limited to:
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Great Schism of 1054 divides the Eastern and Western Churches into Roman Catholic
Church and the Orthodox Church
Roman Catholicism
o Pope has authority over all other bishops, kings, and emperors
o Services conducted in Latin
o Priests cannot marry
o Divorce is not permitted
Eastern Orthodoxy
o Patriarch and other bishops lead the church as a collective group
o Services conducted in Greek or local languages
o Priests may marry
o Divorce is allowed under certain circumstances
Describe -- MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS AND FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO
FEUDALISM (POLITICAL AND SOCIAL) AND MANORIALISM (ECONOMIC)
Including, but not limited to:
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Feudalism – Reciprocal military obligations between members of the warrior nobility in
Medieval Europe
o Characteristics – Lords grant parcels of land known as fiefs to lesser knights who
are known as vassals, who in turn, provide military service to the lord. Chivalry
and fealty between a lord and the vassal relationship
o Contributing factors – Fall of the Roman Empire leaves a gap in protection and
services to people, invaders overrun communities, people turn to lords for their
protection
Manorialism – Smallest economic, social unit revolving around an estate, controlled by a
lord, who gives land and protection to his serfs, who in turn give him their services. Land
= wealth
o Characteristics – Manors were self-sufficient where serfs raised and produced
nearly everything needed for that community. The open field system allowed
several families of serfs to farm strips of the same parcel of land. Living
conditions for serfs were generally harsh on manors.
o Contributing factors – Model of villas in the Roman Empire used to manage rural
economies; decline in overland and sea trade after the fall of the Roman empire as
well as threats from invaders also promoted the self-sufficiency of a manor
Explain -- POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL IMPACT OF ISLAM ON EUROPE,
ASIA, AND AFRICA
Including but not limited to:
Europe
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Moors occupy Spain for over 700 years and promote a golden age in art, literature,
science, and mathematics
Defeat by the Franks at Tours in 732 stops the Muslim invasion of Europe
Describe -- INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MUSLIM, CHRISTIAN, AND JEWISH
SOCIETIES IN EUROPE, ASIA, AND NORTH AFRICA
Including but not limited to:
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Europe
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Muslim invasion of Spain in the 700s leads to a golden age in scientific and
artistic achievements
Creation of the Muslim state of al-Andalus
Córdoba had eclectic mix of Muslim, Jewish and Christian populations that by
1100 resulted in a population of 500,000
Reconquista drives out the Muslims in the late 1400s
Muslim invasions of Eastern Europe between 600s and 900s lead disorder and
suffering that forces people to look to local rulers for security. Leads to the rise
of feudalism.
Inquisition in Spain leads to torture and expulsion of Muslims and Jews
Explain -- HOW THE CRUSADES, THE BLACK DEATH, THE HUNDRED YEARS
WAR, AND THE GREAT SCHISM CONTRIBUTED TO END OF MEDIEVAL
EUROPE
Including but not limited to:
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Crusades
o Failure lessened the power of the Pope
o Casualties weakened the feudal nobility
o Trade in spices and other goods from Southwest Asia lead to European desire for
new trade routes that begins the Era of Exploration
Black Death
o Collapse of manorial system as productivity ends and serfs leave in search of
work; peasant rebellions grow in response to nobles’ refusal to increase wages
o Church loses prestige as it is unable to stop the plague through prayer and
intervention
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Hundred Years War
o Emergence of nationalism and monarchs as national leaders in England and
France
o Instability in England after the Hundred Years War leads to the War of the Roses,
which strengthens Parliament since it is called frequently by King Edward III to
increase taxes to finance this new war; democracy advanced as Parliament gains
greater “power of the purse”
Great Schism
o Split in the Catholic Church as two popes claim authority – one in Avignon and
the other in Rome; both excommunicate each other from the Church
o Authority of the pope as head of the Church challenged by John Wycliffe, who
believes that God is sole authority, and Jan Huss, who believes the authority of
the Bible is higher than the pope’s authority. Beginning of challenges to the
authority of the Catholic Church that leads to the Reformation.
Locate -- PLACES, REGIONS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE RELATED TO
MAJOR ERAS AND TURNING POINT
Including, but not limited to:
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Byzantine Civilization – Byzantium/Constantinople, Black Sea
Middle Ages – France, Normandy, Charlemagne’s Empire, England, Hastings,
Jerusalem, Holy Land, Paris, London, Holy Roman Empire
Identify -- IMPACT OF POLITICAL AND LEGAL IDEAS FROM HISTORICAL
DOCUMENTS
Including, but not limited to:
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Justinian's Code of Laws
o Byzantine Law code (529 AD) influenced European laws
o The eastern Byzantine Empire carries on the Roman law while the western part of
the empire goes through a rather lawless time.
Magna Carta
o 1215
o Political ideas – Limited power of the nobility
o Legal ideas – No one is above the law
Explain -- POLITICAL PHILOSOPHIES OF SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS
Including, but not limited to:
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Thomas Aquinas: (1225-1274) Truth is known through reason and faith
Describe -- ORIGINS/IDEAS/SPREAD OF RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL
TRADITIONS
Including, but not limited to:
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Christianity – Through the Middle Ages, the Church becomes the centralizing force of
the Western culture.
Identify -- RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
Including, but not limited to:
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The Medieval Church as a unifying force:
Shared beliefs in the teachings of the church
Provided Christians with a sense of security and a religious community to which they
belonged
At the local level, the church was the religious and social center. People met there for
service, social gatherings and festive celebrations.
Provided a unifying set of spiritual beliefs and rituals
Performed social services such as caring for the sick and the poor.
The church operated most hospitals in medieval Europe.
Analyze -- INFORMATION BY
Including, but not limited to:
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Sequencing
Categorizing
Identifying cause-and-effect relationships
Comparing
Contrasting
Finding the main idea
Summarizing
Making generalizations and predictions
Drawing inferences and conclusions
Developing connections between historical events over time