The World Between 500-1500 Flashcards
(56 cards)
Which side of the Roman Empire survived the invasion of Germanic tribes in 476 AD and became the Byzantine empire?
The eastern portion of the Roman Empire survived and became the Byzantine Empire
What was the capital city of the Byzantine Empire and why was it important?
Constantinople - center of trade because of its location connecting Europe and Asia
What branch of Christianity was practiced by the people of the Byzantine Empire?
Eastern Orthodox
What was the famous church in Constantinople called?
The Hagia Sophia
What was the written set of laws used in the Byzantine Empire that was largely based on the laws of the Roman Empire and later adopted by various European civilizations?
Code of Justinian (created by Justinian who had a wife named Theodora)
What two classical civilizations did the Byzantines preserve and pass on important texts from?
Greek and Roman
Cultural diffusion - What neighboring civilization did the Byzantine Empire have a large influence on?
Russia (adopted the Eastern Orthodox religion and the Cyrillic Alphabet)
What one god does Islam believe in?
Allah
What are followers of Islam called?
Muslims
When was the golden age of Islam and what were key achievements?
700-1200 AD (creation of medical encyclopedias, improvements in algebra and math in general, and artwork such as calligraphy, woolen carpets, and textiles)
What was the time period of the Byzantine Empire?
500-1453 AD
When were the Middle Ages?
400-1400 AD (the time in Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire and before the Renaissance)
What was the political system of the Middle Ages in which kings throughout Europe gave land away to nobles in return for their loyalty and military service?
Feudalism
Nobles that received land from the king and had to serve were known as knights. What was the code of behavior they had to follow to show their loyalty and bravery?
Chivalry
What kind of political system is feudalism and why?
Decentralized - kings gave away much of their power to nobles who each controlled their own local areas
What was the basis of wealth and power in the feudal system?
Land - those with more land were considered to be more wealthy and powerful
Manorialism
During the Middle Ages, what were the areas of land owned by a noble that people lived on called?
Manors
Why did trade decrease during the Middle Ages?
Each manor was self-sufficient (provided for its own needs)
What was the most wealthy and influential factor in the Middle Ages?
The Roman Catholic Church (the Pope)
When and what were the Crusades?
1100-1300 - Religious wars of the Middle Ages in which Christians from Europe fought to regain control of the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from the Muslims
What was the Holy Land?
Sacred area of the Middle Ages that includes the city of Jerusalem
What were four causes of the Crusades?
- European Christians thought they would be fought for God
- European Christians believed the Holy Land should not be controlled by Muslims
- Many poor Europeans wanted to escape Feudalism
- Many Europeans hoped to gain wealth from the Middle East
What happened to trade between Europe and the Middle East as a result of the Crusades?
Trade increased (Italien cities such as Venice gained control over much of this trade since they had a central location on the Mediterranean Sea)
What happened to Feudalism as a result of the Crusades?
Feudalism decreased after the Crusades because many nobles had been killed and serfs had escaped
