Discovering Our Past: A History of the World

Worksheet Answer Key

Medieval Europe

Table of Contents

CHAPTER-LEVEL ACTIVITIES:
What Do You Know? Cloze Activity ........................................ 2
Vocabulary Builder Activity................................................... 2
Hands-On Chapter Project: Medieval Europe .......................... 3

LESSON-LEVEL ACTIVITIES:
Guided Reading: Lesson 1 The Early Middle Ages .................... 3
Guided Reading: Lesson 2 Feudalism and the Rise of Towns ..... 4
Guided Reading: Lesson 3 Kingdoms and Crusades.................. 5
Guided Reading: Lesson 4 Culture and the Church................... 6
Guided Reading: Lesson 5 The Late Middle Ages ..................... 7
Geography and History Activity: Lesson 1
Location: How Christianity United Europe ........................ 7
Primary Source Activity: Lesson 2
Introduction to Excerpts: From Froissart’s Chronicles: The
Lives of Peasants and Knights......................................... 8
Primary Source Activity: Lesson 3
The First Crusade ......................................................... 8

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21st Century Skills Activity: Lesson 4
Media Literacy: Understandiing and Analyzing Media
Messages .................................................................... 9
Economics of History Activity: Lesson 5
Famine and Plague........................................................ 9

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Worksheet Answer Key

Medieval Europe

CHAPTER WORKSHEETS

What Do You Know? Cloze Activity

First paragraph: Europe; Middle; pope
Second paragraph: mountains; feudalism; Peasants
Third paragraph: cities; Universities;
Fourth paragraph: Crusades; serfs
Fifth paragraph: Scholasticism monasteries; heresy
Sixth paragraph: plague; authority; France; Christians

Vocabulary Builder Activity

A. Content Vocabulary
1. h
2. j
3. i
4. a
5. b
6. k
7. d
8. g
9. f

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10. c
11. e
12. l
13. n
14. m

B. Academic Vocabulary
1. authority, power to influence or command
2. goal, aim; military, of or relating to soldiers, arms, or war
3. documents, original or official paper used as the basis or proof of something
4. accurate, correct and free from errors
5. role, a function or part performed in a particular process; code, a system of prin-
ciples or rules
6. secure, free from danger; economy, a country’s system for making, selling, and
buying of goods
7. established, brought into existence

C. Combined Vocabulary Reinforcement

Law: Possible answers: code, grand jury, trial jury, document, secure, authority,
concordat
Social Order: Possible answers: fief, knight, serf, chivalry, code, military, document,
guild, vassal, feudalism
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Medieval Europe
Religion: Possible answers: missionary, goal, mass, heresy, anti-Semitism,
theology, scholasticism, document, Reconquista
Daily Life: Possible answers: plague, role, economy

Hands-On Chapter Project

Medieval Europe

Worksheet 1: Project Plan

Task List: Students’ task lists will vary but should be based on how the group
decides to divide up the work.
Due Date: The due date will be assigned by the instructor.

Worksheet 2: A Day in the Life

Students' answers will vary based on chosen role.

Worksheet 3: Creating a Bibliography

Students’ sources should reflect their project and be formatted correctly.

Worksheet 4: Assessment Rubric

Students’ self-assessment will be based on their opinions about their performance
during the project.

LESSON WORKSHEETS

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Guided Reading: Lesson 1 The Early Middle Ages
Geography of Europe
1. Germanic invaders conquered the Western Roman Empire.
2. Seas: Most of Europe lies within 300 miles of the seacoast, which encouraged
trade and helped economies to grow.
Rivers: Major rivers are deep and wide enough for large ships to travel. They
also provided protection and isolation so separate cultures and governments
could grow.
Mountains: Mountains separated cultures and groups and made it difficult for
one group to control all of Europe.

Kingdoms in Western Europe

3. King Clovis: Possible answers include: became King of the Franks in A.D. 481;
was the first Germanic ruler to accept Christianity
Charles Martel: Possible answers include: was mayor of the palace; was sup-
ported by pope of Catholic Church; halted spread of Islam in Europe at the Battle
of Tours in A.D. 732
Charlemagne: Possible answers include: ruled most of Europe; was crowned
emperor by the pope in A.D. 800; created a central government; established
schools
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Medieval Europe
4. The Vikings were people from Scandinavia who were skilled sailors. They
founded settlements throughout Europe.
5. German nobles united territories and elected Otto of Saxony as king. Germanic
forces then defeated the Magyars and freed the pope from control of the Roman
nobles. The pope crowed Otto emperor and called the territory the Holy Roman
Empire.

The Church and Its Influence

1. Possible answers: The Irish became Catholic. They built churches and monas-
teries. They preserved Roman learning and passed it on to the people of
Europe.
2. Answers should include: Monks provided schools, shelter for travelers, and hos-
pitals for the sick. They copied important Christian documents and helped pre-
serve knowledge from the classical and early Christian times. Nuns founded
monasteries and helped educate church leaders.
3. The pope had the power to excommunicate a king who disobeyed him. He also
controlled Christian rituals, which could cause local people to pressure their rul-
ers to obey the pope.
4. The conflict was over whether the emperor or the pope had the right to choose
bishops.

Guided Reading: Lesson 2 Feudalism and the Rise of

Towns

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The Feudal Order
1. Feudalism is a political and social order based on nobles governing and protect-
ing people in return for services such as fighting in the army or farming the land
2. Lord: A high-ranking noble who had power over others. Nobles gave land as re-
ward to loyal vassals. Vassal: A low-ranking noble who served a lord after taking
an oath. Vassals served in the army. Knights: Vassals who had received fiefs or
land. Knights were armed soldiers who fought on horseback.
3. Possible answers: obey one’s lord, show bravery, be honest, fight fairly, respect
women of high birth, honor the Church, help people
4. A castle was a stone building that served as a defense for its owner. It was built
next to a high hill, called a motte, and had high walls. The keep was several sto-
ries high. It had a basement for storing food and tools, a kitchen, stables, a great
hall, and smaller rooms including bedrooms and a chapel.

The Medieval Manor

1. Freemen: paid for the right to farm; worked only their own land; had rights
Serfs: were tied to the land; could not own land, move, or marry without permis-
sion
Both: were peasants; worked the nobles’ land year round; lived in villages
2. Serfs worked on the nobles’ land and their own land, but had to give up some of
what they grew on their own land. They also had to pay to use the village mill,
oven, and wine press. It was difficult to gain freedom from being a serf.
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Medieval Europe
3. The wheeled, iron-bladed plow; the horse collar; and crop rotation made farming
more efficient.

The Growth of Towns and Cities

1. Answers should include: towns grew larger; cities became wealthy; goods ar-
rived from the East; traders traveled greater distances; trade between regions of
Europe increased
2. Wealthy townspeople who made up the new middle class did not like owing
taxes or serving in the nobles’ armies, so they forced the nobles to give them
basic rights and freedoms.
3. Guilds are business groups. Each type of business had its own guild, which con-
trolled all the business and trade in a town. The guild set the prices for goods
and services and maintained standards, checking on the quality of goods.
4. Life in a medieval city was crowded, dirty, and unsafe. Pollution and disease
were prevalent.

Guided Reading: Lesson 3 Kingdoms and Crusades

Royal Power in England
1. 800s: Vikings from Scandinavia attack Britain
871: King Alfred unifies England and begins rule.
1066: French noble William the Conqueror invades and conquers England.
1154: Henry II becomes king.
1215: King John signs Magna Carta.
Late 1200s: King Edward I establishes Parliament.

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2. William: stopped Anglo-Saxon revolts; took first census; brought mainland Euro-
pean customs and French language to Britain; built castles, cathedrals, and
monasteries
Henry II: set up a central royal court as well as circuit courts; helped created a
body of common law; set up jury systems
John: signed Magna Carta, placing limits on king’s ability to collect taxes and
providing rights of freemen
Edward I: established Parliament, an important step toward representative rule

Monarchy in France
1. The Estates-General was France’s first parliament. It was a governing body that
represented the three estates, or classes, of French society, including the clergy,
the nobility, and the townspeople and peasants.
2. He wanted the Estates-General to approve tax increases that would pay for a
war with England.

Eastern States of the Slavs

1. Byzantines: Possible answers include: Trade with the Byzantines brought wealth
and goods as well as Christian missionaries to the Kievan Rus. When the Rus
ruler married the sister of the Byzantine Emperor, the Kievan Rus became East-
ern Orthodox Christians. The Kievan Rus adopted eastern ways of worshiping,
writing, and building.
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Mongols: Possible answers include: Mongols drove the Kievan Rus north, lead-
ing to the settling of Moscow. Mongols gave Moscovites the right to tax other ter-
ritories and absorb lands, leading to the growth of Russian territory.
2. A czar is a Russian ruler. The word comes from the Latin word caesar, which
means “emperor.”

European Crusaders
1. The Crusades were holy wars between the Christian Europeans and Muslim
Turks in the East.
2. Causes: Possible answers include: Muslims defeated the Byzantines. The Byz-
antine emperor asked the Catholic pope for help. Pope Urban ordered Europe’s
leaders to defend Christian lands against Muslims.
Effects: Possible answers include: Failed Crusades led to hard feelings between
Christians and Muslims. The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic
Church separated permanently. Europeans developed a wider worldview and
regained lost knowledge and skills. Feudalism broke down as nobles left their
lands to fight holy wars. Kings became stronger.

Guided Reading: Lesson 4 Culture and the Church

European Culture in the Middle Ages
1. Romanesque: rectangular buildings with thick walls, rounded ceilings, thick pil-
lars, and small windows
Gothic: tall buildings with flying buttresses, thin walls, large windows, arched ceil-

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ings, and slender pillars
Both: used in cathedrals
2. The purpose was to educate scholars.
3. Scholasticism is a way of thinking that combines reason and faith.
4. Vernacular is the everyday spoken language of a people or region. Troubadour
poets used vernacular to tell love stories. Epics used the vernacular to tell stories
of heroes in wartime.

Religion Affected Society

1. Cistercians: chose a simpler way of life, developed farming methods to grow
more crops, took care of the poor
Franciscan Friars: were cheerful missionaries; had a deep love of nature
Dominican Friars: lived lives of poverty, defended the teachings of the church
2. Priests, monks, and nuns recorded births, performed marriages, conducted fu-
nerals, distributed food, and provided shelter. The clergy provided important sac-
raments. Saints were thought to protect people.
3. Heresy is any idea that conflicts with the teachings of the Church. It was consid-
ered a serious crime and people could be excommunicated and punished. The
pope established a special court called the Inquisition to question people ac-
cused of heresy.
4. European Christians disliked Jews and blamed them, or made them scapegoats,
for causing famines, plagues, and economic troubles.
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Guided Reading: Lesson 5 The Late Middle Ages

Famine and Plague
1. There was not enough food to feed a rapidly growing population. The result was
a great famine. Millions of people dies of starvation and epidemics.
2. a disease that spreads quickly and kills many people
3. in China
4. by fleas carried by rats
5. between 19–38 million people; nearly half of Europe’s population
6. trade declined; wages increased; demand for food lessened
7. The decline in population meant that there were fewer workers. Workers now
had the power to demand wages and personal rights and freedoms, which weak-
ened the system of feudalism.

Divisions in Religion and Politics

Event or Person
1. the Great Schism
2. Jan Wycliff and Jan Hus
3. the Battle of Crécy
4. Joan of Arc
Facts
a dispute within the church over who should be
pope, 1378–1417
religious reformers who wanted the Church to
return to more spiritual ways
early English victory in the Hundred Years’ War,
fought in 1346
French peasant girl who rallied the French at Or-
léans in 1429

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5. the Reconquista Christian effort in Spain to drive out the Muslims

6. The English claimed to rule large parts of France, but the French kings wanted to
unite these lands with their kingdom.
7. Victory gave the French a new sense of loyalty to their country.
8. Ferdinand and Isabella believed that Spain would remain united only if it had one
religion. Because they wanted all of Spain’s people to be Catholic, they pres-
sured Jews and Muslims to convert; they also set up the Spanish Inquisition.
Most Jews and Muslims left the country.

Geography and History Activity: Lesson 1

Location: How Christianity United Europe

1. In A.D. 325 Christianity was concentrated in the areas bordering the Mediterra-
nean Sea. It expanded primarily to the west and north.
2. Northern, Western, and Eastern Europe had no Christian presence in A.D. 325.
3. The priest Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. Catholic missionaries spread
Christianity to England.
4. Christianity spread over a large portion of Western Europe, but had made little
progress in Africa or the Middle East.

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5. They were early Christian communities in a large area that was not Christian.
6. Students should note that by sharing a common faith, Christians could bring to-
gether territories that were not ruled by the same kings or political leaders. It
could also influence politics and culture across Europe.

Primary Source Activity: Lesson 2

Introduction to Excerpts: From Froissart’s Chronicles:
The Lives of Peasants and Knights
1. The peasants’ lives were full of hard work. They were legally under the control of
the nobles and required to work the farms. According to Froissart, they
ploughed, harvested and gathered grain, threshed and winnowed grain, mowed
and carried in hay, and cut and collected wood.
2. The prince told his knights and soldiers that although they are outnumbered by
their enemy and may die in battle, they can take comfort in the fact that their
families will avenge their deaths. He challenges them to do their best in battle
and hopes to serve God and the king as a good knight.
3. Life for soldiers and knights was dangerous. Battles were likely to be deadly. To
deal with feelings of fear or dread, knights focused on their duties to their king
and the rightness of their cause.
4. Possible answer: Both the knights and the peasants had difficult jobs. Although
the knights faced danger, they had respect and status in society. They acted for
the king out of duty, not because the law required it. Peasants worked hard but
had no choice. The law bound them to their nobles.

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5. Froissart clearly thought that the knights were more important. They were honor-
able and brave even as they faced terrible dangers.

Primary Source Activity: Lesson 3

The First Crusade

1. Pope Urban II is addressing the listeners who attended a Church council in Cler-
mont, France.
2. The pope promises that all their sins will be forgiven.
3. The speaker suggests that the crusaders are noble, just, and faithful, while their
enemies are evil and worship demons.
4. He says the count should observe the customs of the country where he finds
himself.
5. Answers will vary. Possibly she wanted to portray some of the crusaders as
thoughtless, inconsiderate, or arrogant.
6. The crusaders thought of themselves as saviors and upholders of justice and
true religion. Excerpt 2 suggests that at least one non-European found some of
the crusaders to be self-centered and bad mannered. They might well have
seemed like bullies to other people.

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Medieval Europe

21st Century Skills Activity: Lesson 4

Media Literacy: Understanding and Analyzing Media
Messages
Practicing the Skill
1. The passage suggests that medieval heroes were strong, brave, and that these
characteristics would make them victorious. Underlined words may include
brave, marvelous, lofty, stand firm and hold our ground, deal the blows, hack
men down.
2. The enemies are portrayed as faithless and furious. They are called “treacherous
pagans,” or non-believers.
3. The message is that French, Christian warriors are brave, and the Muslims are
fierce but godless. The French face their enemies without fear or asking for help,
even if it means that they may die.
4. Answers will vary. Students should understand that the poet made the poem
about a French Christian soldier fighting Muslims, the great enemy of medieval
Europeans, in order to make Roland seem like a great and memorable hero. The
purpose of the poem was to depict the French soldiers as brave and faithful.
Also, by having Roland fight Muslims, the poet made the poem relevant and in-
teresting to his audience.
5. By using the vernacular, the poet could reach many more people than just the
educated church officials, scholars, and royalty. More people could enjoy and
appreciate the poem.

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Applying the Skill
Students’ essays should analyze the language, purpose, and message of the ex-
cerpts. The purpose of the poem was to glorify Roland as a national and reli-
gious hero because he fought bravely and without help against the enemy. Stu-
dents should note that even though Roland’s army lost, France—and the whole
world—felt the impact of his battle. Finally students should note how the lan-
guage lets readers understand how intense and important the battle and its
stakes were.

Economics of History Activity: Lesson 5

Famine and Plague
1. There were fewer peasants able to work the lands. The lands did not produce as
much, and nobles had to pay their workers. Many nobles had to give up their
lands, which was their source of income.
2. Farm workers found themselves in demand, and they could ask for wages and
even buy their freedom. Business owners, however, often lost money or their
businesses because the people who owed them money and bought their goods
had died.
3. The workers were in demand, so their wages went up. Food and other goods
cost less, so workers actually made money.
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Medieval Europe
4. Peasants and workers now had money and the power to ask for higher wages.
They also had more choices about where to work and live. For nobles, the
changes were negative. Many lost their lands and their wealth.
5. Answers will vary. Students should predict that the changes in the economy
would lead to the rise of more equal societies in Europe. Students may make the
connection between workers having more money and leisure and their desire to
become educated and elevate their status in society.

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