Medieval Times Questions

Why and how did feudalism develop in Western Europe? What two challenges did people face after the collapse of the Roman Empire?

Feudalism developed when people started to struggle to survive. When Rome fell, people faced economic and political problems

How did monarchs justify and maintain their power?

In France, monarchs maintained power by gaining the service and loyalty of many knights. To justify it, they believed in the Divine Right of Kings

Describe the differences in the daily lives and responsibilities of lords and ladies, knights, and peasants.

Lords and ladies gad to defend their manors, sat as judges, and sent knights during times of war. Noblewomen had to take care of children. Knights had to be loyal and fair, performed jousts, and fought in wars. Peasants worked the lands, farming, and grinding mill, as well as eating tasteless food

Did everyone prosper during the Middle Ages? Explain.

Not everybody prospered, as the Jews were often abused. They had limited freedom, and were looked down on for "sinful" trade. Also, 1/3 of Europe was wiped out in the bubonic plague

How did religious beliefs such as salvation, sacraments, and pilgrimages affect daily life in medieval Europe?

Sacraments affected daily life because people were always trying to please the church and go to Heaven

What factors led to the growth of towns during the High Middle Ages? What role did the geography of Europe play in the development of and ways of life in these towns?

Some factors that led to the growth of medieval towns are improved agriculture, which caused a surplus in crops, and a growth in trade. Geography came into play with trade, where water shores helped trade, and certain areas brought certain benefits

What problems did medieval towns face? How did medieval Europeans attempt to deal with those problems? How did and independent judiciary and common law in England help to protect individual rights?

Some problems are that houses were small and uncomfortable. Diseases were spread, killing many. Crimes were common, and court was unjust. They tried to "blood-let" sick patients, although that did not work. For crime they made sure to provide punishment. For unjust court, they changed the law. With a common law, individuals of any class could appeal the same as another

What were the Crusades? What led Christians to participate in the Crusades?

The Crusades were military campaigns to take back Jerusalem. Christians were led to participate because of religious feeling, wealth, or adventure

In what ways did the Magna Carta, the legal reforms of Henry II, and the Model Parliament contribute to the rise of modern democratic institutions?

The Magna Carta lowered the power of monarchs, the legal reforms required a jury, and the idea of commoners allowed in court remains today

Describe how the Roman Catholic Church was organized. What factors contributed to the increasing power of the Roman Catholic Church? How did the conflict between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV reflect the church's increasing authority?

The Roman Catholic Church has an organized hierarchy. Pope was the headmaster, with cardinals just below them. Archbishop was next, then bishop, and finally the priests. The church gained power because it was 1) the largest landholder 2) received gifts 3) took land by force 4) got taxes 5) could read/speak Latin. The Church showed their authority when Pope Gregory excommunicated King Henry, and he had to literally beg for forgiveness to get back in

Describe the ways in which the Roman Catholic Church influenced art and architecture, education, and philosophy.

The church affected art and architecture through icons and cathedrals. It affected education and philosophy when Charlemagne encouraged every one's education, producing more literate people

What social classes existed within the feudal system? What were the defining characteristics of each class?

The social classes in feudalism consisted of lords who provided the protection, knights, who fought for the lord, peasant, who worked the land for the lord, and serfs, who couldn't leave the lord's land

How did feudalism work?

The way feudalism works, vassals pay homage or pledge their loyalty to a lord. In return, the lord grants them protection. Knights fight and peasants work

Describe the role of guilds in the trade and production of goods. How did trade and commerce grow during the Middle Ages?

The way that guilds work is there are two different kinds. Merchant guilds and craft guilds. There are separate guilds for each craft guild, and experts could take apprentices. Trade and commerce grew when everybody needed to purchase items

Who was Thomas Aquinas? What did he believe about reason and faith? Describe his concept of natural law.

Thomas Aquinas believed faith and reason worked together. Natural Law is discovered by reason, but Nature was created by God, which agreed with the moral teachings of the bible

What political developments during the 12th and 13th centuries helped to weaken feudalism? How did they weaken feudalism?

Three political developments that lowered feudalism's power are the change of the court to a jury of royals, a Magna Carta that raised the power of barons, and commoners being allowed into the government

Why did France and England fight the Hundred Years' War? How did the outcome of this conflict help contribute to the decline of feudalism?

England and France fought because of the English-claimed land in France, and the common people were given land, and the kings no longer needed the nobles' knights