Medieval Europe Study Guide Flashcards
(47 cards)
When did the Western Roman Empire collapse?
476 AD
What did Europe look like after the fall of Rome?
Germanic leaders seized power and a lot of the region was divided into small kingdoms that were constantly at war
What were the effects of the collapse of the empire? What was lost?
The trade started to decline and formal laws became rare
Who filled the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Empire?
The Catholic Church
What did the Catholic church provide people in this chaotic time?
The church provided stability
The church provided what to people? (forgiveness of sin)
Salvation
What could the Church do to people they were unhappy with?
They could excommunicate them from the church
How do the answers to questions 6 and 7, show the power of the church?
It represents how much influence the church had over everyone
This person is known as Charles the Great and was King of the Franks.
Charlamagne
What is Charlemagnes legacy across Europe?
Charlamagne is known for uniting most of the Germanic kingdoms together
A system of rule where people trade their work and obedience for protection
feudalism
Why did Feudalism start in Western Europe?
Kings couldn’t manage and defend all of the kingdoms on their own so they would sell a piece of land to lords who would manage that land for them
Explain the Feudal hierarchy and the relationships? (what was exchanged at each level?)
Kings hire nobles to manage the land and the noble hires knights to protect the land and serfs to work on the land
Who really held the most power in Feudal Europe?
The nobles
What was the expectation of vassals to their lord?
To pay taxes and protect the lords
What group was the biggest?
Serfs and Peasants
Why were serfs powerless in this society?
They had no skills or education to help them earn money
What was the code of conduct a knight was supposed to follow?
Knights are to be brave and courteous and never shrink from a challenge
What was the sign that knights used to represent their families called?
A coat of arms
What were the 3 stages of becoming a knight?
First a page, then a squire, and finally a knight
What was the manor system in feudalism?
An estate on a land owned by a noble/lord and run by a serf
The manor system was called self-sufficient, why?
The peasants produced everything they needed on their own by growing it
Why was a castle important in the feudal system? What was the most important role it served?
The castle was a way to defend nobles and their family from attackers. The most important role was that it was a centre for important conversations about local government and laws
Christianity
the most dominant religion in Europe
