Middle Ages
Name __________________________
Unit Test “OK!” Study Guide
“O K!”
What I OUGHT to Know What I KNOW about the Middle Ages!
Vikings
When was Charlemagne crowned
emperor?
What were the Vikings greatest
skills?
Who was William the Conqueror?
Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day in the
year 800 AD.
Feudalism
What is feudalism?
What is a serf?
What is a baron?
What is a manor?
How does the feudal system
work?
How were the poor treated?
Feudalism is a system of service between a lord and those
who have sworn loyalty to him. A serf is a member of the
lowest class, who has no rights and is tied to the land. A
baron is the wealthy, “Lord of the Manor”.
A manor is a self-sufficient land where people lived under a
common ruler.
The feudal system is basically a system of owning in land in
exchange for money, goods, or service.
The poor were treated pretty well, other than they had no
rights and were not allowed to leave the land without
permission.
Monks & Monasteries
What is a monk?
What is a nun?
What is a monastery?
What was life like in a monastery?
What was the most popular book
of the Middle Ages?
Why were scribes important?
A monk is a religious man who dedicated his life to
worshipping God. A nun is a religious woman who dedicates
her life to worship.
A monastery is a self-sufficient economic unit where monks
live, work, and worship.
Life in the monastery was quiet, peaceful, but also hard
work.
The most popular book was the Holy Bible.
Scribes were important because the only way to get a copy
of a book during the Middle Ages was to have someone write
it by hand.
The Vikings were good at sailing and fighting.
William the Conqueror was a Viking leader who introduced
feudalism to England in 1066.
Plague/Black Death
What is a plague?
How did the plague spread?
In which city did signs of the
plague first appear?
What were the effects of the
plague?
How many people died?
A plague is a disease that spreads quickly and kills many
people.
The “Black Death” spread primarily through fleas carried on
rats.
Signs of the plague first appeared in Messina, Italy in 1347.
Some effects of the bubonic plague included: painful
swellings (buboes), vomiting and fever. A victim usually died
within 3 days of becoming infected.
1/3 of Europe’s population (1 out of 3, 30 million) were
killed.
Crusades
What is a crusade?
Who were the most important
military leaders?
What was King Richard’s
nickname?
How many were there & how
many years did they last?
What was the reason?
Why were they a failure?
A crusade is a holy war fought for religious purposes.
Some of the most important leaders where King Richard and
Emperor Frederick II.
King Richard was known as the “Lionheart” because he was
brave and courageous.
There were more than 10 different crusades spanning a
period of about 200 years.
The Christian and Muslim armies were fighting for control of
the city of Jerusalem.
Knights
What are the steps to becoming a
Knight?
What role did Knights play in the
feudal system?
King John/Magna Carta
Who is King John?
How did he treat his people?
What is a charter?
What do the words “Magna Carta
mean?
What was written in the Magna
Carta?
How did the barons convince King
John to sign it?
The Crusades were a failure for the Christian church because
1) millions of people died and 2) they never regained the city
of Jerusalem.
Page  Squire  Knight
Knights were quite wealthy. They received land from a baron
in exchange for military protection. They gave land to
serfs/peasants in exchange for food and free labor.
King John was the younger brother of King Richard. He took
control when King Richard left to fight in the Crusades.
He taxed his people heavily and threw them in jail if they
could not pay. He spent the taxes on himself.
A charter is an important letter or document.
“Magna Carta” means “Great Charter”.
The Magna Carta was written to King John in 1215, listing
rights he should give to the people and laws that he should
have to follow as King.
At first, King John did not want to sign the document when
the barons presented it to him. However, he changed his
mind when the barons returned with all the knights of the
kingdom backing them up!