9. High and Late Middle Ages

Question 1

What major development marked western Europe during the High Middle Ages (c. 1000–c. 1300)?
A. A return to city-based civilization
B. The collapse of trade networks
C. The dominance of a single emperor
D. The elimination of monarchy

Answer 1

A. A return to city-based civilization

Question 2

What was a primary factor in the growth of towns during the High Middle Ages?
A. The establishment of global empires
B. The expansion of serfdom
C. The stimulation of commerce
D. The end of papal authority

Answer 2

C. The stimulation of commerce

Question 3

Compared to Byzantium or the Chinese Empire, European monarchies during the High Middle Ages were:
A. More centralized and efficient
B. Richer and more technologically advanced
C. Very small and primitive
D. Unaffected by religious institutions

Answer 3

C. Very small and primitive

Question 4

Why were medieval European kings limited in power?
A. They had no military support
B. They were forbidden from owning land
C. They relied on fragile networks of support
D. They were controlled directly by the Church

Answer 4

C. They relied on fragile networks of support

Question 5

What role did the Catholic Church play in medieval European society?
A. It promoted atheism and scientific inquiry
B. It united Catholics with rituals, beliefs, and a moral code
C. It focused solely on agriculture and trade
D. It prohibited higher education and the arts

Answer 5

B. It united Catholics with rituals, beliefs, and a moral code

Question 6

Which of the following was a result of the Church’s power during the High Middle Ages?
A. The pope crowned the Chinese emperor
B. The clergy abandoned social responsibilities
C. The Church led armies against Muslim-held Jerusalem
D. The Church imposed total censorship on cities

Answer 6

C. The Church led armies against Muslim-held Jerusalem

Question 7

What supported the revival of higher education and large building projects in the High Middle Ages?
A. The collapse of feudalism
B. The wealth of towns, monarchs, and churchmen
C. Conquest of the Americas
D. The invention of printing

Answer 7

B. The wealth of towns, monarchs, and churchmen

Question 8

What triggered famines during the Late Middle Ages?
A. Widespread drought
B. A cooling climate
C. Loss of trade with Asia
D. Destruction of monasteries

Answer 8

B. A cooling climate

Question 9

What was a major consequence of the plague in the Late Middle Ages?
A. Strengthened monarchies
B. Stabilized economies
C. A decrease in church influence
D. Destabilization of society

Answer 9

D. Destabilization of society

Question 10

Which of the following best describes the Renaissance by the 1400s?
A. A military campaign to restore Rome
B. A cultural and artistic revival
C. The end of papal influence
D. A movement toward feudal government

Answer 10

B. A cultural and artistic revival

Question 11

What factor contributed most to Europe’s rapid economic and population growth between c. 900 and c. 1300?
A. The Crusades into Asia
B. The fall of the Roman Empire
C. A warming climate
D. Viking invasions

Answer 11

C. A warming climate

Question 12

Why were Muslim lands considered more prosperous than Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages?
A. They controlled the Catholic Church
B. They had more land for agriculture
C. They occupied key trade routes to Africa, India, and China
D. They avoided warfare completely

Answer 12

C. They occupied key trade routes to Africa, India, and China

Question 13

What role did feudal lords and church leaders play in medieval market fairs?
A. They acted as bankers and insurers
B. They outlawed all forms of commerce
C. They sponsored the fairs and collected rent from merchants
D. They prevented merchants from selling agricultural goods

Answer 13

C. They sponsored the fairs and collected rent from merchants

Question 14

What distinguishes medieval townspeople from the clergy, military aristocracy, and peasant farmers?
A. They were primarily nomadic
B. They rejected all forms of government
C. They developed their own values and institutions
D. They were dependent on the Church for all decisions

Answer 14

C. They developed their own values and institutions

Question 15

What is one characteristic of towns in western Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages?
A. They were larger than Roman cities
B. They emerged for the first time since ancient Rome
C. They were entirely agricultural
D. They were built mainly for religious worship

Answer 15

B. They emerged for the first time since ancient Rome

Question 16

What did the idea of “expanding Christendom” represent in medieval Europe?
A. A strategy to convert peasants to Islam
B. A deeply-rooted value used later to justify conquest
C. A method for promoting religious tolerance
D. A call to eliminate towns and cities

Answer 16

B. A deeply-rooted value used later to justify conquest

Question 17

How did early modern European empires later use medieval ideas about Christendom?
A. To abolish monarchies
B. To justify subjugating other peoples
C. To support Muslim rulers in Europe
D. To create a new empire in China

Answer 17

B. To justify subjugating other peoples

Question 18

According to the text, what was one goal of reform within Christian society during this period?
A. Eliminate cities and towns
B. Abandon all military activity
C. Make Christendom morally better
D. Convert Christians to paganism

Answer 18

C. Make Christendom morally better

Question 19

What defensive feature characterized the town of San Gimignano?
A. Canals and moats for water transport
B. Temples for international trade
C. Tower houses and multiple walls
D. Underground tunnels for escape

Answer 19

C. Tower houses and multiple walls

Question 20

Why did important families in San Gimignano build tower houses?
A. To store grain and livestock
B. To demonstrate loyalty to the Church
C. To protect themselves from rival factions
D. To house traveling merchants

Answer 20

C. To protect themselves from rival factions

Question 21

What term is traditionally used to describe the period ca. 1000–ca. 1300 in European history?
A. The Dark Ages
B. The Early Middle Ages
C. The High Middle Age
D. The Renaissance

Answer 21

C. The High Middle Age

Question 22

What metaphor best describes the societal changes during the High and Late Middle Ages?
A. Melting
B. Crystallization
C. Disintegration
D. Explosion

Answer 22

B. Crystallization

Question 23

What was the defining feature of “Christendom” around the year 1000?
A. A separation between Church and society
B. A Christian military state ruled by the Pope
C. A complete rejection of Roman influence
D. A fusion of Christianity and society

Answer 23

D. A fusion of Christianity and society

Question 24

Why do modern historians sometimes avoid labeling the “High” and “Late” Middle Ages with value judgments?
A. The labels are considered outdated
B. The periods are indistinguishable
C. The labels imply growth is always good and decline is always bad
D. The Catholic Church forbids such classifications

Answer 24

C. The labels imply growth is always good and decline is always bad

Question 25

What belief did early Christians hold about the saints? A. Saints were equal to God B. Saints could connect the living with divine favors C. Saints should be avoided after death D. Saints only served the clergy

Answer 25

B. Saints could connect the living with divine favors

Question 26

Why did people donate land to monasteries around the year 1000? A. To avoid paying taxes to the crown B. To encourage monks to build armies C. To gain the spiritual benefits of monastic prayers D. To create centers of trade and commerce

Answer 26

C. To gain the spiritual benefits of monastic prayers

Question 27

What was the function of “confraternities” in medieval society? A. Political resistance groups B. Guilds for trade apprentices C. Military orders that protected relics D. Spiritual communities sharing in monastic prayers

Answer 27

D. Spiritual communities sharing in monastic prayers

Question 28

Which of the following was not one of the three societal “orders” described by monastic writers? A. Those who pray B. Those who govern C. Those who fight D. Those who work

Answer 28

B. Those who govern

Question 29

How did early Christians understand the term “the body of Christ”? A. As a literal relic of Jesus' body B. As a symbol of the Roman Empire’s power C. As a community of believers D. As a list of church-approved saints

Answer 29

C. As a community of believers

Question 30

What was purgatory, according to medieval Christian belief? A. A second heaven for saints only B. A divine courtroom where souls were judged C. A halfway place of punishment before reaching heaven D. A myth created during the Renaissance

Answer 30

C. A halfway place of punishment before reaching heaven

Question 31

What was the purpose of the Peace of God movement initiated by the clergy? A. To encourage knights to travel to Jerusalem B. To protect peasants from military violence C. To unify the different orders of society under one ruler D. To end all forms of taxation by nobles

Answer 31

B. To protect peasants from military violence

Question 32

How did some powerful lords exert influence over church appointments? A. By winning papal elections B. By outlawing the Church’s independence C. By controlling and rewarding church offices to supporters D. By abolishing clerical privileges

Answer 32

C. By controlling and rewarding church offices to supporters

Question 33

In John of Salisbury’s metaphor of the “body politic,” what role did peasants and craftspeople play? A. The head B. The heart C. The hands D. The feet

Answer 33

D. The feet

Question 34

What was a central idea behind the medieval “body politic”? A. That the Church ruled all social groups equally B. That society operated through an organic, cooperative structure C. That rights should be equally distributed D. That nobility and clergy were to be eliminated

Answer 34

B. That society operated through an organic, cooperative structure

Question 35

In medieval thought, what did the term “corporation” refer to? A. A trade company B. A group defined by legal rights within an order C. A public marketplace D. A city council

Answer 35

B. A group defined by legal rights within an order

Question 36

How did medieval people most naturally think of rights? A. As universal and equal for all B. As randomly assigned privileges C. As hierarchical and group-based D. As irrelevant to social order

Answer 36

C. As hierarchical and group-based

Question 37

What did medieval thinkers sometimes call the right to control others, such as serfs? A. Sovereignty B. Liberty C. Franchise D. Equality

Answer 37

B. Liberty

Question 38

What was the relationship between rights and property in medieval thinking? A. Rights were spiritual and couldn't be owned B. Rights were personal and non-transferable C. Rights were treated similarly to inheritable property D. Rights were forbidden to commoners

Answer 38

C. Rights were treated similarly to inheritable property

Question 39

What did John of Salisbury emphasize about the obligations of superiors? A. They should tax peasants more heavily B. They had to eliminate all inequalities C. They ought to protect their inferiors D. They were allowed to rule without concern for others

Answer 39

C. They ought to protect their inferiors

Question 40

How did John of Salisbury illustrate the interconnectedness of society in his body metaphor? A. By arguing that only the head matters B. By showing that pain in one part affects the whole body C. By dividing the body into four separate kingdoms D. By rejecting the Church’s role in society

Answer 40

B. By showing that pain in one part affects the whole body

Question 41

What major change during the High Middle Ages supported the reemergence of urban life in Western Europe? A. The decline of pilgrimage culture B. The expansion of trade and population C. The weakening of the Carolingian dynasty D. The spread of monasticism

Answer 41

B. The expansion of trade and population

Question 42

Which agricultural improvement first appeared under the Carolingians and helped increase crop yields? A. Use of artificial fertilizers B. Domestication of new livestock C. Crop rotation and heavier ploughs D. Expansion of irrigation from North Africa

Answer 42

C. Crop rotation and heavier ploughs

Question 43

What phrase captured the idea that towns offered new freedoms to former serfs? A. “Every man’s house is his castle.” B. “Labor is freedom.” C. “Liberty through loyalty.” D. “Town air makes one free.”

Answer 43

D. “Town air makes one free.”

Question 44

What does the name “Newton” or “Villeneuf” suggest about medieval towns? A. They were religious settlements B. They were newly established centers of trade C. They were created by the Roman Empire D. They were controlled by the church

Answer 44

B. They were newly established centers of trade

Question 45

What role did pilgrimage play in medieval economic growth? A. It decreased interest in urban life B. It diverted attention from trade routes C. It stimulated road travel and market development D. It discouraged local economies

Answer 45

C. It stimulated road travel and market development

Question 46

How did some towns gain autonomy during the High Middle Ages? A. They paid tribute to invading armies B. They were granted freedom by the Pope C. They seized independence through rebellion or negotiation D. They petitioned the emperor for special charters

Answer 46

C. They seized independence through rebellion or negotiation

Question 47

What contributed to the increasing number of legally defined corporations by the end of the Middle Ages? A. Economic and demographic growth B. Decline of urban centers C. Elimination of craft-based occupations D. Consolidation of royal power

Answer 47

A. Economic and demographic growth

Question 48

What was a key function of a medieval town gild? A. Collecting taxes for the monarchy B. Running public religious ceremonies C. Regulating who could practice a trade and how D. Electing representatives to Parliament

Answer 48

C. Regulating who could practice a trade and how

Question 49

What does the example of prostitutes in Montpellier in 1285 illustrate? A. Royal resistance to urban independence B. Disapproval of written law in towns C. Arbitrary exile of disreputable groups D. Legal recognition of even marginal professions

Answer 49

D. Legal recognition of even marginal professions

Question 50

Why did some town merchants fortify their towns and set up their own courts? A. To protect trade privileges and resolve disputes B. To eliminate gilds from their areas C. To remove all feudal influence D. To support rival noble factions

Answer 50

A. To protect trade privileges and resolve disputes

Question 51

What did the term “citizens” in medieval towns often imply? A. All adult men and women of a town B. Only clergy and nobility C. A privileged subset of residents D. Foreign merchants with tax exemptions

Answer 51

C. A privileged subset of residents

Question 52

According to medieval thought, what role did prostitutes play in the “body politic”? A. A destructive influence that needed elimination B. A channel to divert lust from respectable women C. An example of religious corruption D. A temporary evil with no legal standing

Answer 52

B. A channel to divert lust from respectable women