Study guide for Final

1. Explain the two theories of how Rome was created?

1st theory: The city of Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of the
Roman god Mars, and a Latin princess. The twins were abandoned on the Tiber River as infants and
raised by a she-wolf. The twins decided to build a city near the spot.

2nd theory: The city of Rome was built on 7 rolling hills near the Tiber River. The earliest settlers
arrived and 3 groups inhabited the region, these groups battled for control. They were the Latins,
the Greeks, and the Etruscans.

2. Explain the resistance towards Christianity and how it was made the official religion.

Christians posed a problem for Roman rulers. They refused to worship Roman gods, which defied
Roman rule. Christians were persecuted, exiled, imprisoned, executed, crucified, burned, or killed by
wild animals. During battle, Constantine prayed for divine help. He claimed to have seen the symbol
of the cross so he put it on the soldier’s shields. His troops were victorious due to the help of the
Christian god. He eventually announced the end to the Christians persecution which led it to be the
official religion.

3. Explain in detail the two theories of where/how did the first Americans come from and how did
they get food and explain how it changed. Also name the first Latin American civilizations.

It is said that the first Americans arrived sometime toward the end of the last ice age. The first
theory states that thousands of years ago, the Americas were connected by a land bridge which
created a land corridor between Asia and Alaska across what is now the Bering Strait. Gradually,
Siberian hunters followed mammoths into North America.

The second theory states that they may have paddled over from Asia to the Pacific Coast in small
boats.

The early Americans moved around as nomadic tribes as they followed their food which they
hunted, it changed when they began to experiment with simple methods of farming. Since they
could grow their food, they didn’t have to move around anymore and they settled down. Farming
then provided a more reliable and expanding food supply and growth in population.

The first Latin American Civilization was the Olmec. It was also the most influential.

4. Explain in detail how does the feudal system in Europe works (each persons function including
women) and why did people turn to a feudalism society.

People turned to feudalism because the King could no longer offer them protection from invasions
by the Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims. In order to receive safety and protection, people turned to
their local rulers who offered them these things in exchange for work in the fields.
 Most women in feudal society were powerless, just as most men were (although they were still
inferior to men).

A noblewoman could inherit an estate from her husband. She could: send his knights to war, act as a
military commander and a warrior. Noblewomen played a key role in defending castles but the lives
of most women were limited to activities in the home or the convent. Noblewomen held little
property because lords passed down their fiefs to sons and not to daughters.

Peasant women performed endless labor around the home, in the fields, bore children, and took
care of their families. Young peasant girls learned practical household skills from their mothers at an
early age, unlike daughters in rich households which were educated by tutors.

5. Explain in detail the life of a knight and why is middle literature idealized.

A knight’s main obligation was to serve in battle by protecting the land and the lord. A lord typically
demanded 40 days of combat a year. Knights’ pastimes often revolved around training for war.
Wrestling and hunting helped them gain strength and practice the skills needed for battle.

At age 7, a boy would be sent off to the castle of another lord. At around 14, the page reached the
rank of squire. A squire acted as a servant to a knight. At around 21, a squire became a full-fledged
knight.

In the 1100s the themes of medieval literature downplayed the brutality of knighthood and feudal
warfare. Many stories idealized castle life. They glorified knighthood, chivalry, and real battles.
Songs and poems about a knight’s undying love for a lady were also very popular yet mostly
unrealistic.

6. Explain the revival of the church during the middle ages and what made it weaker.

The popes began to reform the Church. They restored and expanded its power and authority. A new
age of religious feeling was born – the Age of Faith.

The churches power weakened because of the Great Schism and the disorder it brought. The great
schism occurred when three different men claimed to be the pope and refused to resign.

7. Explain what was the Bubonic plague (mention its effects) and what was the hundred years’ war
(mention Joan of Arc’s role).

During the 1300s an epidemic struck part of Asia, North Africa and Europe. Approximately killed one
third of the population of Europe died of the deadly disease known as the bubonic plague. The
economic and social effects of the plague were enormous. Town population fell, trade declined,
prices rose, Jews were blamed for bringing the plague and therefore driven from their homes and/or
massacred. The church also lost its prestige. The plague was spread through trade routes through
fleas carried by black rats which were infested with the bacteria of the pest.
The Hundred Years’ War was a war between England and France on French soil that lasted for over a
century. When the last Capetian king died without a successor, England’s Edward III, as grandson of
Philip IV, claimed the right to the French throne. The war continued on and off from 1337 to 1453. It
became known as the Hundred Years’ War. Finally, between 1421 and 1453, the French rallied and
drove the English out of France entirely, except for the port city of Calais.

Joan of Arc, a teenage peasant French girl played an important role during this war. In 1429, she felt
moved by God to rescue France from its English conquerors. At the age of 13 she began to have
visions and hear what she believed were voices of the saints. They urged her to drive the English
from France and give the French crown to France’s true king, Charles VII, son of Charles VI. Joan of
Arc guided the French onto the path of victory. She was condemned by the English as a witch and a
heretic because of her claim to hear voices, Joan was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431.

8. Explain Chinese and Japanese levels in society and women’s status and how did their culture
differ from one another.

The upper class called the gentry was made up of wealthy scholar-officials (attained their status
through education and civil service positions). The urban middle class consisted of merchants,
shopkeepers, skilled artisans, minor officials, and others. At the bottom of urban society were
laborers, soldiers, and servants.

Women were subservient to men. They were less important to the prosperity of the family. They
worked in the fields and helped produce the food for the family. Foot binding of upper-class girls
becomes a new custom. Feet were bound tightly with cloth, which eventually broke the arch and
curled all but the big toe under “lily-foot.” Women with bound feet were crippled for life. A woman
reflected the wealth and prestige of her husband, who could afford such a beautiful but impractical
wife.

The Chinese influenced the Japanese in all aspects; there was only one Chinese idea that did not
gain acceptance in Japan, the examination system.

9. Explain in detail who and why passed parliament reformation and how it led to Elizabeth I
reform the church?

The man who broke England’s ties to the Roman Catholic Church did so for political and personal
reasons. Henry VIII became king of England in 1509, he was a devout Catholic but Political needs
soon tested his religious loyalty. He needed a male heir. His wife, Catherine of Aragon, had one
living child—a daughter, Mary—but no woman had ever successfully claimed the English throne.

Henry was convinced that the 42-year-old Catherine would have no more children. He wanted to
divorce her and take a younger queen. Church law did not allow divorce. The pope could annul, or
set aside, Henry’s marriage if proof could be found that it had never been legal in the first place. The
pope turned him down.
Henry took steps to solve his marriage problem himself. In 1529, he called Parliament into session
and asked it to pass a set of laws that ended the pope’s power in England.

Henry secretly married Anne Boleyn. Henry did not immediately get the male heir he sought.

Anne Boleyn gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, she fell out of Henry’s favor. (she was charged with
treason)

Henry took a third wife, Jane Seymour. She gave him a son named Edward. Henry’s happiness was
tempered by his wife’s death just two weeks later. Henry married three more times. None of these
marriages produced children.

After Henry’s death in 1547, each of his three children ruled England in turn.

This created religious turmoil. Henry’s son, Edward, became king when he was just nine years old.
Too young to rule alone, Edward VI was guided by adult advisers. These men were devout
Protestants

Constantly in ill health, Edward reigned for just six years. Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon,
took the throne in 1553. She was a Catholic who returned the English Church to the rule of the
pope. (she had many Protestants executed)

Mary died in 1558, Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn’s daughter, inherited the throne.

Elizabeth I was determined to return her kingdom to Protestantism. Parliament followed Elizabeth’s
wishes and set up the Church of England, or Anglican Church, with Elizabeth as its head. Elizabeth
decided to establish a state church that moderate Catholics and moderate Protestants might both
accept. Elizabeth brought a level of religious peace to England. (stability)

10. Explain the Crusades with it numerous ventures, the children’s crusade and the Spanish Crusade

Pope Urban II issued a call for a “holy war”, a crusade to gain control of the holy land. For the next
300 years, numerous Crusades were launched.

The First Crusade: Knights were ill-prepared on the first crusade. Many knew nothing of the
geography, climate, or culture of the holy land. An army of 12,000 captured Jerusalem on July 15th
1099 and won a narrow strip of land. The crusaders’ states were extremely vulnerable to Muslim
counterattack. In 1144, Edessa was reconquered by the Turks.

The Second Crusade: this crusade was organized to recapture the city but its armies straggled home
in defeat. In 1187, Europeans were shocked to learn that Jerusalem itself had fallen to a Kurdish
warrior and Muslim leader Saladin.

The Third Crusade: was led by three of Europe’s most powerful monarchs. They were Philip II
(Augustus) of France, German Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa), and the English king, Richard the
Lion-Hearted. Philip argued with Richard and went home. Barbarossa drowned on the journey.
 Richard was left to lead the Crusaders in an attempt to regain the Holy Land from Saladin. After
many battles, unarmed Christians were allowed pilgrimage into the city’s holy places.

The next five crusades: nothing was gained.

The Children’s Crusade: Thousands of children set out to conquer Jerusalem. One group in France
was led by 12-year-old Stephen of Cloyes. An estimated 30,000 children under 18 joined him. They
were armed only with the belief that God would give them Jerusalem. On their march south to the
Mediterranean, many died from cold and starvation. The rest drowned at sea or were sold into
slavery.

In Germany, Nicholas of Cologne gathered about 20,000 children and young adults. They began
marching toward Rome. Thousands died in the cold and treacherous crossing of the Alps. Those who
survived the trip to Italy finally did meet the pope. He told them to go home and wait until they
were older. About 2,000 survived the return trip to Germany. A few boarded a ship for the Holy
Land and were never heard of again.

The Spanish Crusade: The Reconquista was a long effort by the Spanish to drive the Muslims out of
Spain.

Magna Carta: a document constituting a fundamental guarantee of rights and privileges.

Assimilation: policy of encouraging conquered peoples to adopt the institutions and customs of the
conquering nation.

Monopoly: one group’s complete control over the production and distribution of certain goods.

Centralized government: government that concentrates power in a central authority.

Civil service: administrative department of a government is; also, word describing government jobs and
employees.

Stupas: dome-shaped building.

Animism: religion in which spirits play a role in daily life.

Griots: West-African story tellers.

Greco-Roman culture: the mixing of elements of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture produce this
new culture.

Inflation: a drastic drop in the value of money.

Mercenaries: foreign soldiers who fought for money.

Diaspora: the dispersal of the Jews from their homeland in Judea.

Bishop: a priest who supervises several local churches.

Consuls: commanded the army of the Christian Church.

Triumvirate: a group of three rulers.

Republic: a form of government in which power rests within the citizens.

Legions: how Roman soldiers were organized into military units.

Dictator: a leader who has absolute power to make laws and command the army.

Senate: aristocratic branch of Rome’s government composed of 300 members.

Patricians: wealthy landowners who held most of the power.

Plebeians: common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority of the population.

Clergy: religious officials.

Manor: the lord’s estate.

Monastery: religious community of people devoting their lives to worship and prayer.

Chivalry: code the knights were expected to follow.

Tournament: stage battle for entertainment audiences and training.

Fief: land granted by a lord to a vassal.

Tithe: church tax.

Crusade: campaign to regain holy land.

Vernacular: everyday language.

Simony: practice of selling positions in the church.

Bubonic plague: the most common plague in humans.

Great Schism: division of Christianity that occurred when three different popes arose.

Gothic architecture: a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period.

Justinian: emperor of the Byzantine Empire who almost regained all of the Roman Empire’s territory.

Justinian Code: body of Roman law collected and organized by the Byzantine emperor Justinian around
A.D. 534.

Samurai: Japanese warrior who served a lord.

Bushido: code that samurai lived by – “the way of the warrior”.

Shinto: Japan’s earliest religion, based on respect for nature and ancestors.

Shogun: Highest military commander in feudal Japan, ruling in the name of the emperor.

Patriarchal: relating to a social system in which the father is the head of the family.

Priest: an ordained minister of the Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican Church, authorized to perform certain
rites and administer certain sacraments.

Feudal system: peasant or worker known as a vassal received a piece of land in return for serving a lord
or king, especially during times of war. Vassals were expected to perform various duties in exchange for
their own fiefs, or areas of land.

Secular: not connected with religious or spiritual matters

After the fall of the Roman Empire, one of the few unifying forces was the Church

Political power in Southeast Asia has often relied on trade

Ivan III reigned for 43 years and upon becoming prince of Moscow, openly challenged Mongol rule

name a famous Seljuk sultans Malik Shah

Who led The Eastern Orthodox Church? The Patriarch

Why is it difficult to determine why many early American civilizations declined? There are no written
records

What was the most enduring contribution of Rome? The law, it was the basis for current European and
western laws.

Why was Christianity was a threat to Roman rulers? Because Christians refused to worship Roman gods,
which defied roman rule

Where do most of Africa’s people live? The south, on the savannah or grassy plains

What are causes of migration? Religious, ethnic, or political persecution, war, unemployment, slavery,
climate changes, exhausted resources, volcanoes, drought/famine

Changes occurred in India between the Mauryan and Gupta empires? Trade increased and immigration
of new cultural groups.

What was the great contribution of the Gupta Empire? Religion, culture, and learning

Between the Mauryan and Gupta periods, both Hinduism and Buddhism changed to become more
personal
What was The Roman Republic? A republic is a form of government in which power rests with citizens
who have the right to vote for their leaders. In Rome, citizenship with voting rights was granted only to
free born male citizens.

The system of government established by Augustus remained stable because he established a civil
service (gave government position based on merit, not position).