Chapter 17: The Early Middle Ages
Study Guide
Instructions: Correctly answer the following questions.
Section 1
1. What is the boundary between Europe and Asia?
2. Where are most of Europe’s major rivers located?
3. How is the topography of southern Europe different from that of the Northern European Plain?
4. What kind of crops do people in southern Europe grow?
5. What city was built on an island in a river to make it hard for raiders to reach?
6. Why have so many different ways of life developed in Europe?
Section 2
1. In what parts of Europe was Christianity common at the beginning of the Middle Ages?
2. What are missionaries?
3. Why was Saint Patrick important?
4. How were medieval monks and missionaries different?
5. How did monks influence life outside of the monasteries?
6. What changes did the Franks make under Clovis?
7. How did Charlemagne create a large empire?
8. Which of Charlemagne’s accomplishments do you think had the most lasting effect?
9. Of the groups that invaded Europe in the 700s and 800s, which was the most feared?
10. What damage did the invasions cause?
Section 3
1. Under the feudal system, what type of exchange took place between lords and vassals?
2. How could a vassal become a lord?
3. Where did feudalism first emerge?
4. Who was William the Conqueror?
5. How did feudalism spread in the 1000s?
6. What was a manor?
7. Why didn’t knights farm the land they received?
8. How did peasants differ from serfs?
9. What did serfs get in return for working the fields on their lords’ land?
10. What responsibilities did the lord have in running his manor?
11. What role did women play in medieval society?
12. What is trade? When did towns start becoming cities and new towns start appearing?
13. Why did Europe’s population increase?
Section 4
1. According to the code of chivalry, how were knights required to behave?
2. How did knights and samurai react when faced with difficult odds?
3. How were the feudal systems of Europe and Japan different?
4. What was the main difference between medieval Europeans and Japanese?
5. How did the subjects of European art and Japanese art differ?
6. Which were greater, the similarities or the differences between European and Japanese societies in
the Middle Ages?