Multiple Choice & Short
Answer Review Sheet
Just to clarify, if you know something, and it is blank and/or incorrect, please fill it in. Thanks.
This review incorporates the questions given out by all 4 teachers. You should know how to answer these questions for the last section (multiple choice and short answer). Obviously, the more important a question is, the more often it will repeat. There stars are here to guide your studying according to the importance of questions. The system is as follows:
* = appears on 2 teacher’s sets of questions (important)
** = appears on 3 teacher’s sets of questions (more important)
*** = appears on 4 teacher’s sets of questions (very important)
Blue = part of an answer, need to elaborate more.
Note ‐ the repeated questions are not always worded the same way. The stars are still there if the question is asking for the same answer, just worded differently. Questions:
*How does the fall of Rome lead to the Dark and then Middle Ages?
●
●
●
Less unity, security, trade
No infrastructure
Poverty ○ People move to rural area ○ Can’t give food Army doesn’t have food therefore indefensible ‐ military is bad
Starvation and disease kill people
● Political instability
● Rome is split (East ruled by Constantine, West ruled by Barbarian tribes)‐ because one is west is poor and east doesn’t want to pay for the west’s security so they split and only west empire goes into the Dark ages.
● Riots and mobs ● Many tribes begin to fight and invade each others and other peoples land
How does Europe recover?
●
Charlemagne unites kingdoms and starts to build a stable and loyal country ‐ spreads Christianity
○ he promotes educations
How do invasions affect Europe?
●
Lead to the feudal system ‐ people need protection, they are poor and need to rely on others
1
*What is Feudalism? What are its effects on European life?
●
Feudalism ‐ political and economic caste system based on loyalty and military and reciprocal obligations
● Stabilized life and brought order to everyone
How do the Europeans relate to the Jews?
●
The Jews are segregated from the feudal structure (Christians hate them because they think the Jews killed Jesus), therefore they can establish/make their own laws which can be torah based (called autonomy)
● Because it is against Christianity to be a money lender, Jews are. The Christians got pissed at the Jews came back for always asking them for money and charging interest, so the Christians begin to hate them‐‐> force them to leave so that they don’t have to pay back the money and can keep collateral
● Because of their special trade connections and being moneylenders around Europe and the Middle East, they become rich and a source of money, which leads to the stereotype that Jews love money etc.
**How did the fall of Rome affect Europe? What are the changes?
● Anarchy reigns ‐ lack of government
● Land is split up into many smaller kingdoms ruled by the previous barbarians
● No advancements
● As a result of the collapse Rome, the feudal system was established
● Brought about the Dark Ages
What factors contributed to the beginning of the "Dark Ages?"
●
(see first question) ‐ less unity, security, trade, no infrastructure, poverty , disease, political instability, split of Rome, riots and mobs, crime increase
How did Europe begin to move beyond that period?
● Charlemagne unified a big part of France and established feudalism, promoted education
How did the Frankish Kingdom grow towards reuniting Europe?
●
Clovis spreads Christianity ‐ Christianity was the common tie between everyone (and big empire to maintain some kind of peace is always good for trade)
How did it help to pull Europe towards the Middle Ages and out of the Dark Ages?
● Unifies everyone through religion (Christianity)
***What does it mean that Charlemagne became the "Holy Roman Emperor?" How does Charlemagne gain and maintain power? What is his relationship with the Church?
●
●
●
●
He is “holy” because he was crowned by the Pope, “Roman” because Rome is taken out and given to the Pope
Uses force and makes loyal subjects in power
Checks up on cities to make sure they aren’t rebelling
Change his position from the best warrior to god’s messenger
2
●
Church made him king
○ Gave him support of god in the eyes of the mob
How did the Feudal System help create order in Europe?
● It created stability and organization in each level similar to the caste system
***What is Feudalism and why does it develop?
● After Charlemagne’s death, the country becomes ununited (lack of government, not safe, no laws, no trade, war). Feudalism stabilizes life because it provides a more concrete system based on loyalty and military
Feudal System
King ‐ in charge of everything
Lord ‐ fights for king and owns land (fief)
Knights ‐ fight for lord and king, own land (manor)
Serf ‐ work the land in return for food from the knight
●
●
Reciprocity (mutualism)
Develops because when Charlemagne was alive, he rewarded strong men with land and eventually this evolved into the feudal system
● It is when a serf, a strong poor person, lives and works the land of a richer weak person, and in return the serf gets a place to live for him and his descendants, protection, and a percentage of what he grows ● Feudalism is a result of:
○ Invaders
○ Plague
○ Poor Technology
○ Famine
○ Depopulation
○ Lack of Centralized gov’t
○ Political Chaos
**How does feudalism begin to weaken during the High Middle Ages?
● Merchants and craftsmen are not part of the feudal system and circumvent it ● Church got too much land ‐ so which is more important, church or king? Led to 2 different structures, and uncertainty within the people
● Less people causes the salary of peasants to raise and they have now a choice where to work
● Development of cities which are not loyal to any knights but to the king weaks the lords and make the king stronger
● After the big smallpox epidemics few survived but they are now more valued
● Because so many people were dying the serfs were now being payed for their work. What are the obligations of a lord to his vassals? What are the obligations of the vassals to the lord? (See Feudal contract)
3
●
Lord provides food and a place to live for vassals in return for protection and loyalty of a standing army
What is the role of the knight? Why does this web of obligations frequently lead to war?
● To serve the lord, pay homage (respect) to him and fight for him
● I think when lords had big standing armies that could only fight they used them to get more land. Knights also received a very small portion of land to rule over‐ manor. ● Possibly: well back then there was very little war occurring in the early middle ages and all the knights knew how to do was fight, so as a result of Knights, people would fight each other for entertainment or just to do something (ex. Jousting)
**What is the value of chivalry? Why does it develop? How does the Song of Roland express this value? ● Chivalry ‐ code of behavior of how to treat women and fellow knights ‐ with respect and gently
● Created to curb the savagery of the knights ‐ prevented them from killing “willy nilly”
Terms:
●
●
●
●
●
*Feudalism ‐ political and economic system based on loyalty and military
Lord ‐ owner of a small piece of land or fiefdom with manor, serfs, knights
Vassal ‐ servant either to a king or lord
Knight ‐ standing army of the lords that were called upon by the king
Feudal Contract ‐ contract between someone lesser i.e. son of a lord or knight to someone higher like a lord. vassal benefited by being able to live on the land in return for loyalty
● Fief ‐ piece of land ruled by a lord
● Chivalry ‐ respect for and politeness
What are the obligations of the Lord (Ex: Knight) to his serfs? Serfs to their Lord? Why is it often better to be a serf in the middle ages than a free peasant?
●
Let them live in the land ○ Guaranteed home and food
○ Provided protection
***What is manorialism? What is life like on a manor? What is the life of serf like? See Map
●
●
Manorialism was the system of government for rural areas
The manor has a castle with a keep and sometimes a moat or other defensive structures like a stockade. The manor was surrounded by open fields farmed by the serfs
● Serfs had to farm the lord/knight’s land and pay heavy taxes on what they grew in order to keep living on the land.
***What causes the Agricultural Revolution (1000 AD) and what are the results?
●
●
Cause ‐ There is no known cause but we can infer that:
○ Needed to cultivate more food for more people ○ Agriculture was a great source of wealth, therefore people wanted to maximize their earnings so they could get as much crop as possible
○ The medieval warm period was at this time so the heat was better for crops
Results ‐
○ Food surplus, population explosion which together lead to the formation of towns.
4
○
Led to specialization because so many people were surviving not everyone needed to work the land, so people could learn other skills like basket making etc. ○ Heavier and stronger plows, fallow fields (letting the field sit), 3 field system ‐ you have 3 fields and you rotate what you grow on it each season and each field lays fallow for a season People working on each other's fields, helping each other.
○ Temporarily there is a population increase because of all the food. Eventually, they reach their carrying capacity, so now there is more people than food. This led some serfs to run away and landowner wouldn’t mind because then it would be one less person to feed *Why and how do towns develop? Continue completing chart on the effects of the Ag Rev on the creation of towns.
●
When there is a population explosion and food surplus, so people move out of manors to towns ‐ King liked towns and giving approval to towns because he could collect taxes from them
● They develop when merchants come together when they're not individually trading, they rest a place.Then all the merchants who rest in that place start a town. How do the creation of towns and merchants change the life of the average serf on the manor?
●
Serfs now have somewhere to go where they won’t die. They don't have to ask the lord for anything ‐ independence
**What is life like in medieval towns? How do towns begin? What are their obligations to their lords?
● Merchants were the elite class, and not a part of the rigid feudal system. How do people join a town? How are towns governed? ●
A serf could join a town if he ran away from the manor, and if by the time he was caught he could prove he had lived in the town for a year and a day, he was allowed to stay there. ● Towns are governed by a guild, which is a document that has strict laws allowing or restricting certain merchant activities such as hours of work and prices, as well a general rules within the towns
What system develops to regulate business in the towns?
●
Guilds ‐ regulates all the rules and functions of the town ‐ professions, prices, corruptions, monopolies
What is the process by which one can join a guild?
●
Becomes an apprentice then “graduates” and becomes a journeyman who then submits his “masterpiece” and becomes a master and takes on an apprentice ***What are the advantages and disadvantages of guilds? See Handout "Hatters of London"
●
●
Advantages ‐ having a set of rules allows for some stability, ensures quality Disadvantages ‐ don’t allow Jews to be members‐‐‐??? its limited, only a certain amount of people can be in each guild and maybe there are monopolies that affect other people. They are extremely strict‐ read “Hatters of London” (On Haiku), high prices i think‐ some people are good sellers/traders so they would be able to gain more money but because they need to gain the same amount of everyone else, its not how much they would 5
gain.
Why is the development of towns an extremely significant event in the Middle Ages? How is it tied to the Agricultural Revolution? ●
●
With the agricultural revolution, more people moved to towns, making them cities because there was a surplus of food. The development of towns meant that they were not reliant on the feudal system and it was the the start of the decline of the feudal system
Terms:
●
●
Self‐sufficiency ‐ self sustainable
Trade fairs ‐ A few times a year merchants would come together and have a whole trading thing, where people would come and trade from all over
○ These fairs would be announced by either the king or lord.
● Guilds ‐ document that regulated the rules of the towns
● Town charters ‐ allowed towns to virtually run themselves with very little intervention from the lord
What was the role of the Church?
● To provide stability and an escape from the feudal system, poverty, and war.
**Describe the power and influence of the Church in the Middle Ages. Why does the Church become so powerful? How does the Church help to stabilize society?
●
●
The church was extremely powerful because you needed their support to do anything. They were able to rally all of europe under one cause and were the common factor in every kingdom.
● The church also crowned the kings starting with Charlemagne and ending with Napoleon
● In the beginning of the Crusades the church is very powerful How did the Church affect medieval life?
● All aspects of life were tied in to god and religion
How did the Church's role change over time?
●
In the beginning of the Middle Ages the Church was seen as absolutely central to everything. This was at against the pagan kings. Religious figures were important ‐ they had important roles beyond their religious responsibilities (example: teaching). It developed by being more involved in secular things like government and support. How is that reflected in Church construction?
●
Changed from previous, “Romanesque” (arch‐like), to “Gothic,” which was taller and point to represent god and point to his greatness, they brought back this idea from the crusades‐ flying buttress, which were supports made of stone outside the church which allowed the church to have higher walls. How did Jews come to settle in Europe?
●
(From textbook) During Middle Ages, Jewish farmers migrated to other parts of Western Europe. 6
Rulers in Northern Europe valued and protected Jewish communities, but taxed them heavily. As the church power grew, the Jews were persecuted more and more. Jews were blamed for most economic problems, and since they became moneylenders, some got more hatred. As a result, they all moved to Eastern Europe and were welcomed. They thrived there.
How was a place made for them? How did this compare to the place of others in Europe?
● They were allowed a small set of land separated from everyone else for their own protection
How did the Jews adapt to being in Europe?
● just fine
How did the Crusades start?
● Pope Urban II told everyone to recapture the holy land ruled by the heathens
How did they unfold? Why did they unfold in this way?
●
They unfolded in chaos and lack of order because there was no single leader, other than the pope who just told them to go without any single tactician or strategy
● It started to become all about money
Describe the chain of causation between the Crusades and the new developments of the High Middle Ages.
● As a result of people seeing the luxuries in the east, they now wanted the spices and silks so they then established foreign trade which helps out the economy and allows many people to become wealthy
How did the Crusades affect Europe?
● Jews now were not welcomed in most cities ● Brought High Middle Ages
● Pope’s power goes up (when winning) then down (when losing)
● Rise of Italian city states
● Brought wealth, luxuries, spices, and ideas (like algebra and philosophy)
How many of their goals were successfully filled? How many were not?
●
Jerusalem was captured only once ‐ success, and then quickly lost ‐ fail, but crusaders had settlements in palestine
● The poor got richer
What unintentional consequences occurred in Europe?
●
**What explanation does Pope Urban II give for the Crusades?
● To “protect his fellow christians who are under the evil ruling of the muslims”
● Get back jerusalem
● To get an indulgence How did the Crusades affect the Jews?
● They were also heathens and so they were also killed and some forcibly converted
**What are the spiritual and secular causes of the Crusades?
7
● Spiritual ‐ they were told that they would go to heaven and that God would accept them.
● Secular ‐ they were given food, some money, and thought of as good people.
*In what ways are the Crusades not a holy war? Give specific examples from the primary sources and specific Crusades.
●
This was not a holy war because there were not being attacked; a holy war is only a defensive one.
● A lot of people died and soldiers were supposed to fight about Christianity, but instead they fought for glory, adventure and honor.
***How did the Crusades affect attitudes towards the Jews in Europe? What are the long term effects of the crusades?
● Jews were also heathens and treated badly and slaughtered and chased throughout europe
● Changes in Europe (new ideas,new luxuries)
How did the changes it brought push nobles and kings into some of these new attitudes?
●
How did the Crusades change Europe?
●
Crusaders would see the East and wish for that kind of life, so they started trading for similar things ‐ increased wealth.
How can we see this? (Art, architecture, politics, etc.)
● they started to have art and advanced agriculture, Gothic style architecture
Why, unlike England and France, didn't the Holy Roman Empire consolidate itself during this period?
● They was a lot of tension, and division in the Holy Roman Empire (I think.)
**What role do Jews play in medieval feudal society?
●
They were moneylenders‐ lent money and got payed back and got interest as well. One of the reasons that the Christians weren’t very fond of the Jews.
**What are the causes of Christian Anti‐Semitism? Why are Jews permitted to remain in Europe?
●
Jews are money lenders, so they naturally spent their time making people pay their debts. They were given the opportunity to convert to christianity but they rejected their chance.
● It was decided that Jews were blamed for killing Jesus. Then they were only allowed to stay in Europe because they were the money lenders.
**What are blood libels? Why are Jews often accused in this way?
●
A rumor that Jews killed Christian children and used their blood for matza. They were accused this way because it was an easy excuse to get rid of them. How did the transition from Pre‐Norman rule to Norman rule affect England?
● Normans unified all the different barbaric tribes of england (picts,anglo‐saxons, etc...)
● They brought the feudal system and the language of the english court was changed to french
**Speyer Charter: Why do the Jews need a charter? What are the provisions of the charter?
8
● Jews need a charter as assurance that they will not be attacked without provocation‐ in Speyer.
**Is the segregation and autonomy of the Jewish communities in the Middle Ages good for the Jews? Good for Judaism?
●
Yes ‐ being separate reduces chances of people converting and allowed them to make own laws and progress as Jews. It also helped them avoid the Black Plague.
● No ‐ face anti‐semitism and Christians wanted to get rid of them
How do the Jews of Ashkenaz differ from the Jews of Spain? Differences in the contributions of Rishonim, living conditions, economic life, relationship with Christians/Muslims
● (Both from Textbook‐I think this is what the answers are) Ashkenazim: Jewish farmers who migrated to Western Europe‐ started off not minding them and giving them positions in court and valuing and protecting them, but then as time went on, persecution increased and they were blamed for the death of Jesus and soon some Churches forbade them to own land and practice most occupations. As persecution grew, later on, some Jews migrated to Eastern Europe.
● Sephardim: Jews that flourished in Spain‐ The Muslims were tolerant of them, and soon became the center of Jewish culture and scholarship; the Jews were served as officials in Muslim royal courts.
***How did differences in English law from French law (esp. inheritance) help shape England? How does England develop differently from other European countries?
●
England really developed from both the English and French. The language of English is a hybrid from the two. ● France allowed women to inherit and England didn't, when the England king dies (also duke of normandy) he doesn't have a brother or son, Matilda and Stephen have arguments on who inherits.
● In England the nephew was the one who took over as King instead of the son
How do Henry II's actions reflect the spirit of the times with regards to the Church?
● He shows that the church is powerful (because they excommunicate him).
***What is the Magna Carta? How does it alter English history and history in general? Why is it important?
●
Limits the king’s power, and helps the nobles gain power
○ King needs approval from nobles if he wants money
○ Nobles need to give consent about taxes
○ More equality between king and nobles
○ More fair legal system
How do the Hundred Years War and the War of the Roses affect England?
●
Hundred years war shattered the dreams of England of being a continental empire because they lost so much land‐ they lost power
**What are the causes and effects of the Hundred Years War?
9
●
●
Causes ‐ dispute over the successor to the french throne
Effects ‐ war for 116 years ○ On England: lost a lot of land, could no longer be an Empire.
○ On France: all the fighting took place on their land so the damage from the war hurt them, growing sense of national feeling, allowed French kinds to expand their power. How strong is the French monarchy relative to the English one? Why? (note Philip II vs. John)
●
How does this strength come into question?
● 100 years war
How does the 100 Years War progress?
●
England was originally winning, but then the French won in the end thanks to the speeches made Joan of Arc to the French soldiers inspiring them‐ also the use of a new weapon, a cannon. How does France finally win?
●
Joan of Arc rallies by using prophetic visions and wins‐ she introduces 2 new ideas to fighting‐ new morale and encouragement to fight, the idea of fighting for France and not just for their king‐nationalism.
What changes occur over the course of the war that have a drastic impact on Europe? How do they do so?
●
***What was the Black Plague? How did it come to Europe? How does it affect feudalism (both Europe and Jewish communities)?
●
The Black Death was very dangerous and contagious and destroyed 1/3's of Europe's population.
● It came to Europe with rats carrying fleas.
● The black death affected Feudalism because It killed many of the nobles' people (the serfs). This caused them to realize how much they actually need them. It brought the value of the serfs up and the nobles down, bringing things closer to the renaissance, when most people were equal, therefore weakening Feudalism badly.The Jewish community wasn’t hit so much with the plague because they were away from everyone else‐lived in their own ghetto far away they were also more sanitary.
How did it change life for the Jews?
●
The Jews were less affected by the plague (proven to not be so accurate) which caused people to be suspicious of them. They were tortured and forced to confess, they had to leave and many went to Poland.
How did it change life in Europe?
●
How do the Western Schism and "Babylonian Captivity" help bring the Church's power crashing down?
●
No one knew who to believe and everyone thinks the church is corrupt
10
How does all of this bring about a shift towards the "modern?"
●
**Describe the life of a monk in the Middle Ages. Why would someone choose to become a monk?
●
●
●
Monks woke up prayed, worked to provide for themselves, and prayed some more.
Having other people look after you so there is no need for money.
Someone would be a monk because
○ They would receive a great education ‐ life of learning
○ They very often would get wealthy for they would receive some of the land from the church
○ Helped them become less materialistic
○ In order to get closer to god ‐ spiritual reasons (belief)
○ A way to escape war
**What are the major differences between the Early and High Middle Ages?
●
In the early middle ages feudalism was just being introduced and implemented from 5th century to 900. The high middle ages were from 1000 to 12‐1300 and where when more art and culture developed along with chivalry, the crusades, and monasticism.
**How do the Jews of Ashkenaz differ from the Jews of Spain? Differences in the contributions of Rishonim, living conditions, economic life, relationship with Christians/Muslims
●
Ashkenazic Jews originated from Germany & were a part of Feudalism. In Spain, the Jews were under Muslim rule where they were treated well. When Spain was conquered, of those that remained (rather than flee with Muslims), the Jews were more successful. However, later many jews, although they had fine lives, converted for even better lives & to fit in. This lead to the Spanish inquisition ‐ Jews were converting for the wrong reasons.
*What is the Reconquista? How does it lead to the Spanish Expulsion of Jews in 1492? ●
●
The reconquering of Spain from the heathens included Jews but mainly aimed at the Moors.
Led to the Spanish Expulsion of Jews because it strengthened the idea of trying to Christianize the world. 11