Chapters 4-5 Social Science

Describe two methods for deciding innocence or guilt of accused criminals in the early Middle Ages.

Fighting and people were thrown into a well and those who floated were guilty and those who sank were innocent.

Religious extremists were called

Flagellants

How did merchants become the most wealthy and powerful citizens of towns?

Growth of trade and commerce helped merchants grow increasingly powerful and wealthy. They ran sizable businesses and looked for trading opportunities far from home.

How did guilds help their members and the families of their members?

Guild members paid dues to their guild. Their dues paid for the construction of guildhalls and for guild fairs and festivals guilds also used the money to take care of the members and their families who were sick and unable to work.

What did the Hundred Years' War do that contributed to the decline of feudalism?

This series of battles between England and France caused a rise in national pride and identity in both countries. It strengthened the merchants and began to reduce th importance of nobles and knights on the battle fields.

Where were towns in medieval Europe located often, and why?

Towns in medieval Europe were often located in the countryside because after the fall of the Roman Empire trade suffered and town life declined.

There were three important long lasting effects of the radical depopulation of Europe. They were:

1. Manufacturing increased 2. Towns grew 3. Feudalism declined

List at least 3 different conditions in medieval towns that led to the spread of disease.

1. No running water in homes. 2. Garbage was tossed into streams or canals or onto streets. 3. People lived together in crowed, small places.

Describe the spread of the bubonic plague.

1. The plague probably originated in Central Asia. 2. Then it spread west along trade routes to the Black Sea. 3. It was carried on a ship to Italy. 4. Spreads noth and west to the continent of Europe and England.

What did the bubonic plague do that contributed to the decline of feudalism?

1/2 to 1/3 of the population died, which changed Europe's economic and social structure, which led to the decline in feudalism. With Europe beginning to recover, the economy needed to be rebuilt, but it wouldn't rebuild the same way, with lords holding most of the power. The shift from common people to nobles led to a weakening of the manor system and loss of power for feudal lords.

Between the years of 1300 and 1450, due to the combination effects of plague, famine, and warfare, the total population declined by about?

1/2 to 2/3

It is estimated that how many people died of the plague?

25 million

Common Law

A body of rulings made by judges or very old traditional laws that become part of a nation's legal system

Bubonic plague

A deadly contagious disease caused by bacteria and spread by fleas; also called the Black Death

Model parliament

A governing body created by King Edward I of England that included some commoners, church officials, and nobles.

Heretic

A person who holds beliefs that are contrary to a set of religious teachings

Apprentice

A person who works for a master in trade or craft in return for training

Hundred years' war

A series of battles fought between France and England from 1337 to 1453

Charter

A written grant of rights and privileges by a ruler or government to a community, class of people, or organization

Manga Carta

A written legal agreement signed in 1215 that limited the English monarch's power

What were some leisure activities enjoyed by adults in medieval Europe?

Adults liked games such as, chess, checkers, and backgammon, they might gather to play cards, go dancing, or other social activities.

Guild

An organization of people in the same craft or trade

How did trade change from the beginning of the Middle Ages to the high Middle Ages?

At the beginning of the Middle Ages most trade was in luxury goods. By the high Middle Ages, more local people were buying and selling more kinds of products.

Where did the Black Death come from?

Central Asia

What were some popular children's games in medieval Europe?

Children played with dolls and toys, such as wooden swords, balls, and hobbyhorses.

What were common diseases in medieval Europe?

Common diseases for which there was no cure at the time included measals, cholera, small pox, scarlet fever, and leprosy . The most feared disease was called bubonic plague or Black Death.

What were guilds? Why were they established?

Guilds provided help and protection for people doing a certain kind of job. There were two kinds of guilds, merchant guilds and craft guilds. Guilds were established to over see both trade and the production of goods.

Why was Thomas Becket killed?

He was killed because King Henry II made legal reforms a central concern. The reforms shifted the power from the church to the government. This angered Thomas and he was killed but Henry.

What changes did Henry II make to the English legal system and how did these changes affect feudalism?

Henry II made legal reform a central concern. The reforms strengthened the power power of the royal courts at the expenses of feudal lords. This weakened feudalism and so did shifting some power to the common people.

How did you become an apprentice and a member of a guild?

It wasn't easy to become a member of a guild. Starting around age 12, a boy and sometimes a girl, became an apprentice. An apprentice's parents signed an agreement with a master of trade The master agreed to house, feed, and train the apprentice. Sometimes, but not always,the parents paid the master a sum of money. At the end of seven years the apprentice had to prove to the guild they they had mastered their trade.

During the plague years, who was often blamed for the spread of disease?

Jews

Who was Joan of Arc? What did she do for the French army during the Hundred Years' War?

Joan of Arc claimed that she heard vouces of saints urging her to save France, so she out in a suit of armor and fought. Joan led the French army to victory in the Battle of Orléans. Joan of Arc's heroism changed the way many French men and women felt about their King and nation.

What changes to the court system helped protect individual rights in the early 1100s in England.

Kings began setting up a nationwide system of royal courts. The decisions of royal judges contributed to a growing body of common law.

What were some political events that contributed to the decline of feudalism?

Legal reforms, the Magna Carta, habeas corpus, and the model parliament contributed to the decline of feudalism in two ways. Some of the changes strengthened roya, authority at the expels of the nobles. Others weakened feudalism by eventually shifting some of the power to the common people.

How was a town able to become independent of a feudal lord?

Many towns became independent by purchasing a charter. A charter granted them the right to govern themselves, make laws, and raise taxes

What were some common practices or treatments used by medieval doctors?

Medieval doctors believed in a combination of prayer and medical treatment. Many treatments involved herbs.

How were Jews often mistreated in medieval Europe? What opportunity was open to them?

Medieval towns commonly had sizable Jewish communities. Jews were not allowed to own land, lords sometimes took their property and belongings, and they also could be targets for violence. Jews could become bankers or moneylenders because this work was generally forbidden to Christians because the church taught that charging money for loans was sinful.

Describe a typical home in a medieval town.

Most houses were built out of wood. They were narrow and could be up to 4 stories high. House tended to lean.

What was the difference between a mystery play and a miracle play?

Mystery plays people acted out bible stories and miracle plays gave rise to another type of religious drama.

Fasting and making pilgrimages to holy shrines were acts of

Penance

What were someways in which criminals were punished in medieval Europe?

Punishments for crimes were very harsh. For lesser crimes, people were fined or put into stocks. The stocks were wooded frames we pith holes for the persons arms and legs. Being left in the stocks in public for hours was both painful and humiliating. People found guilty of crimes, such as highway robbery, stealing livestock, treason, or murder, could be hanged or be burned at stake.

Why was the English able to defeat the French in the early battles, such as the one at Crécy?

The English were able to defeat the French because the French army relied on horsemounted Knights, and the English army was made up of lightly armored Knights, foot soldiers, and archers armed with long bows. The longbows helped the English defeat the much larger French army.

How did the Hundred Years' War start?

The Hundred Years' War started because Philip VI of France declared that the French fiefs of England's King Edward III were part of Philip's own realm, then war broke out.

Before and during the plague years a war called ______ raged between ______.

The Hundred Years' War; 1337 to 1453

What was the purpose of the Magna Carta?

The Magna Carta limited the monarch's rule

What changes did the Magna Carta bring about in the English government?

The Magna Carta, means "Great Charter," was an agreement between the nobles and the monarch. The idea of "no free man" could be jailed, eventually developed into a key part of English common law know as habeas corpus. The Magna Carta only protected the rights and privileges of nobles

How was the plague spread?

The dirty conditions in which people livespd contributed significantly to the spread of the plague. The bacteria that caused the diseased are carried by fleas that feed on blood infected rodents. When the rats died, the fleas jumped to other animals and people. At the time no one knew where the disease came from or how it spread. People falsely blamed the plague on everything.

What contributed to the growth of towns in medieval Europe?

The growth of towns improved by agriculture and the revival of trade

Habeas corpus

The legal concept that an accused person cannot be jailed indefinitely without being charged with a crime

What was the model parliament, and why was it created?

The model parliament was a governing body created by Edward I of England that included some commoners, church officials, and nobles. It was created because it helped by including more people in government.

Why was the plague called the Black Death? What were some of the common symptoms?

The plague was called the back death because some of the symptoms included fever, vomiting, fierce coughing and sneezing fits, and egg-sized swellings or bumps called buboes, and the bumps were black and blue and they appeared on the skin of victims, so they looked black.