MEDIEVAL HISTORY QUIZ

The Medieval History Quiz


Question 1

There are no precise, incontrovertible dates to define the beginning or end of the Middle Ages. However, many scholars agree that the start of the medieval era is marked by a very significant development that took place in the fifth century. What is that development?

A The Black Death

B The Fall of Rome

C The Renaissance

Question 2

The western portion of the empire may have fallen, but the eastern portion, also known as The Byzantine Empire, lasted another thousand years. When its capital city was conquered by the Turks in the fifteenth century, it was renamed Istanbul. What was the Byzantine capital city called throughout the Middle Ages?

A Adrianople

B Constantinople

C Salonika

Question 3

After the Roman Empire collapsed in the west, many Barbarian kingdoms sprang up in its place. One Barbarian King, Clovis, was influenced by his wife Clotilda to convert to Catholicism. This resulted in a good working relationship with the Pope that would be of great significance as his heirs built a powerful nation in what is today France.

Who did King Clovis rule?

A The Franks

B The Picts

C The Visigoths


Question 4

Those Barbarians were everywhere after Rome fell, including Great Britain. Which of these tribes made successful advances into England in the fifth century?

A The Avars

B The Huns

C The Saxons

Question 5

Ten years before his death, the prophet Muhammad led a hijrah from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. This event marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. In what year did it take place?

A 410

B 622

C 1066

Question 6

In the eighth century, Charlemagne built an empire that covered, among other places, parts of modern day France, Italy and which of these countries?

A Germany

B Norway

C Spain


Question 7

The "Viking Age," a period when Scandinavian marauders engaged in numerous raids on locations in Britain and Europe, was kicked off with the sacking of Lindisfarne in 795. What was sacked at Lindisfarne?

A An abbey

B A castle

C A university

Question 8

Only one king of England ever earned the appellation "Great." Who was he?

A King Aethelred

B King Alfred

C King Edmund II

Question 9

In the tenth century, Otto, King of Germany, was crowned Emperor Otto I by Pope John XII. What empire did Otto rule?

A The Byzantine Empire

B The Carolingian Empire

C The Holy Roman Empire

Question 10

Historians divide up the Middle Ages into three sub-eras. Which era is sandwiched between the Early Middle Ages and the Late Middle Ages?

A The High Middle Ages

B The Intense Middle Ages

C The Middle Middle Ages

Question 11

In Britain, the beginning of this middle period of the medieval era is marked by the Norman Conquest, when William of Normandy successfully invaded England. What was William's first battle upon landing on English soil?

A The Battle of Fulford Gate

B The Battle of Hastings

C The Battle of Stirling Bridge

Question 12

In November of 1095, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II made a speech calling for the First Crusade. The objective was to travel to the Holy Land and capture which city from the Muslim Turks?

A Antioch

B Constantinople

C Jerusalem

Question 13

Tournaments were very popular in the Middle Ages, and Jousting was often the main event at such festivals. When a knight rode in a joust, what weapon would he use to try to knock his opponent off his horse?

A A dagger

B A hackbut

C A lance

Question 14

With its pointed arches, its ribbed vaults, and its flying buttresses, the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris is an example of what architectural style?

A Baroque

B Gothic

C Romanesque


Question 15

The epidemic that struck Europe in the 14th century was fierce and diabolical, and it would later come to be known as the Black Death. What disease is generally agreed to be the sickness that caused this horrible event?

A Bubonic Plague

B Leprosy

C Scarlet Fever
Question 16

Who fought in the Hundred Years War?

A England & France

B France & Italy

C Scotland & England


Question 17

While in service to the king of England, Geoffrey Chaucer visited Italy on diplomatic duties, where many scholars believe he encountered the works of Bocaccio, Petrarch and Dante. Which of Chaucer's works do scholars believe to be inspired by Bocaccio's Decameron, in which ten travelers each tell ten tales to entertain each other on their long journey?

A The Book of the Duchess

B The Canterbury Tales

C The Parliament of Fowles

Question 18

The "Age of Discovery," when Columbus and his contemporaries braved the Atlantic to look for a western route to the East, is considered by some scholars to be a significant turning point that marks the end of the Middle Ages. Columbus was inspired by an earlier traveler that journeyed to the Far East in the 13th century. Who was this explorer?

A St. Brendan

B Leif Ericsson

C Marco Polo

Question 19

As the Middle Ages began to wane, the Renaissance burst forth in Italy, and some marvelous artwork was created. It was also a time for new ways of thinking, focusing less on religion and more on the individual.

Which of these philosophies is most closely associated with the Italian Renaissance?

A Humanism

B Platonism

C Scholasticism

Question 20

In the sixteenth century, what monk wrote 95 theses addressing problems in the Catholic Church, thus setting into motion the Protestant Reformation?

A Jan Hus

B Martin Luther

C John Wycliffe

MEDIEVAL HISTORY QUIZ-ANSWERS 16-20

Q16. A.
The Hundred Years War, which lasted 116 years, began when King Edward III of England pursued a claim to the throne of France through his mother's line. Fighting did not get underway for about five years, battles were somewhat infrequent, and there were long stretches of peace, albeit uneasy peace. There was also no formal treaty ending the war. The name "Hundred Years War" was given to the conflict by later historians.

Q17. B.
The characters in the Decameron are fleeing to the countryside to avoid the plague in Florence, and to pass the time and to lighten the atmosphere, they all tell stories. In The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, the characters are on pilgrimage to Thomas Becket's shrine in Canterbury, and they engage in a similar pastime. Originally, Chaucer envisioned all thirty of his pilgrims telling at least four tales, but he never completed such an ambitious plan. Nevertheless, The Canterbury Tales stands as a masterpiece of late medieval English literature.


Q18. A.
Marco Polo was a renowned Venetian who reportedly traveled with his father and uncle to China and the court of Kublai Khan. He wrote an autobiography known as Il milione, a copy of which Columbus is reputed to have kept with him at all times.

Q19. A.
Humanism was the prevailing mode of Renaissance thought. It emphasized the significance of man and the human realm, particularly the quest to acquire and fulfill the best of human virtues.


Q20. B.
Thanks to the recent invention of the printing press, Martin Luther's theses were printed up and widely distributed, and his ideas spread farther than they would have done just half a century before. What began as an effort to reform the Church from within soon transformed into a break with Catholicism and the establishment of Protestantism as a major theological segment of Christianity.

For many scholars the Reformation is a clear marker of the end of the Middle Ages.

ANSWERS QUESTIONS 11-15

Q11. B.
The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14, 1066. It lasted all day, and at the end of it, William the Conqueror was victorious over the last Anglo-Saxon King, Harold Godwinson.



Q12. C.
Ironically, by the time the Crusaders got to Jerusalem in 1099, the Muslim Turks had been defeated and driven from the city by Fatimids, who were friendly to Christians. The Byzantine emperor Alexius Comnenus tried to get them to alter their plan to "liberate" the city, but the Crusaders would not be stopped. They laid siege to Jerusalem and, upon conquering it, perpetrated some of the most horrible atrocities in the history of western warfare.

Q13. C.
The lance, a long pole with a three-pronged tip at one end, was carried by knights in the the Joust. Once an opponent was unhorsed, knights might fight on foot, and they would abandon the unwieldy poles for swords, maces, and other hand weapons.

Q14. B.
Gothic is considered by some to be the quintessential style of medieval architecture. The term was originally used with derision by Renaissance artists who associated its "ugliness" with the Gothic tribes who helped bring down the Roman empire. In reality, Goths had nothing to do with creating this style of architecture, which later scholars learned to appreciate for its own unique, majestic beauty.

Notre Dame was begun in the mid-twelfth century, at the height of medieval creativity and popular spirituality. It took more than 200 years to complete, although the choir, the western facade, and the nave were finished by 1250. Today, its three rose windows still retain glass put in place in the 13th century.

Q15. A.
"Bubonic" plague is the disease that spread swiftly through Europe in the 14th century, killing millions. It took other forms, as well, including "pneumonic plague," which was spread very swiftly through coughing, sneezing and even simply breathing, and "septicemic plague," which infected the blood directly. But all versions of plague were caused by the same germ, yersinia pestis.

CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM

CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM





Christians form about 33 per cent of the total world population. Muslims number around 18 per cent. That means that Christians and Muslims are more than a half of humanity. Moreover, theirs are the two religions most widespread geographically. The prophet Mohammad urged his followers to fight a holy war (Jihad) to spread the faith to unbelievers. Pope Urban the II ordered the holy wars or Crusades to uphold the Christian faith.
Using one of the evidences below, break into groups and discuss the relations between Muslims and Christians in the 21stC.
In your journal take a page to create a reflective statement on the relations of these two groups today. Use the evidence below to support your views.

EVIDENCE A Joiint Promotion of Peace

Among the values shared between Christianity and Islam, peace deserves special mention. Both religions stress the pre-eminence of peace. "Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you" (Jn 14:27), said Jesus to his Apostles the night before he suffered and died. And after his Resurrection when he appeared to them he generally began with the greeting: "Peace be with you" (cf. Jn 20:19, 21, 26). St Paul calls Christ "our peace" (cf. Eph 2:14). For Muslims, Peace is one of the Beautiful Names of God. Does this fact not give added significance to the customary greeting among Muslims: al­salamu 'alaykum? Peace is necessary for individuals, within the same religious community, between two or more religions, between peoples and between States. Christians and Muslims have a duty to promote this tranquillity of order. No right­thinking Christian or Muslim today should support crusades or holy wars
EVIDENCE B The September 11, 2001 attacks (also referred to as 9/11 or September 11) were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks upon the United States of America carried out on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, in which a total of nineteen hijackers simultaneously took control of four U.S. domestic commercial airliners. The hijackers crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City — one into each of the two tallest towers, about 18 minutes apart. Within two hours, both towers collapsed. The hijackers crashed the third aircraft into the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters, the Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed into a rural field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, following apparent passenger resistance. The official count records 2,986 deaths in the attacks, including the 19 hijackers.
The 19 conspiring hijackers who carried out the attack were affiliated with al-Qaeda, an Islamic terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden, a former Saudi national whose citizenship was revoked in 1994.[1] Fifteen of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, two were from the United Arab Emirates, and one each came from Egypt and Lebanon. American investigators concluded that it was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who led the planning of the attacks. He was captured in 2003. The 9/11 Commission states in its final report that the attackers were terrorists. Bin Laden initially denied responsibility,[2] but later claimed direct responsibility for orchestrating the attacks.[3][4] The September 11th attacks are among the most significant events to have occurred so far in the 21st century in terms of the profound political, psychological, and economic effects that followed in the United States and many other parts of the world. The attacks, and the subsequent U.S. led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have made United States homeland security concerns much more prominent than they were in the previous decade.



EVIDENCE C
New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma said he plans to set up a taskforce of community leaders to discuss how to prevent further violence like the race riots in Cronulla in Sydney's southern suburbs on Sunday.


Mr Iemma described the behaviour as "stomach turning" and
said it would not be tolerated.

"I saw yesterday people trying to hide behind the Australian flag, well they are cowards whose behaviour will not be tolerated," Mr Iemma told Channel Nine.

"That was the most disgraceful, disgusting behaviour that I've ever seen."

Islamic and political leaders condemned the violence which was launched by mobs of youths who attacked people of Middle Eastern appearance on Cronulla beach in southern Sydney on Sunday.

Prime Minister John Howard said the attacks were intolerable.

“Attacking people on the basis of their race, their appearance, their ethnicity is totally unacceptable and should be repudiated by all Australians,” said Mr Howard.

CONSTANTINOPLE

Byzantine Civilization of the Middle Ages

In the fifth century AD, the mighty Roman Empire "fell" to invading barbarians and complex internal pressures. The land that had been centrally governed for centuries disintegrated into numerous warring states. The safety and privileges enjoyed by some residents of the empire vanished to be replaced by a constant state of danger and uncertainty; others merely traded one set of daily terrors for another. Europe was plunged into what Renaissance scholars would label a "dark age."

Yet Byzantium remained.

The Empire of Byzantium was the eastern portion of the Roman Empire, which was divided in 395 A.D. Its capital of Constantinople, located on a peninsula, was naturally secure from invasion on three sides, and its fourth side was fortified with a network of three walls that withstood direct attack for over a thousand years.

Its stable economy provided a strong military and, together with an abundant food supply and advanced civil engineering, a high standard of living. Christianity was firmly entrenched in Byzantium, and literacy was more widespread there than in any other nation in the middle ages. Although the predominant language was Greek, Latin was also fairly common, and at one point all seventy-two of the world's known languages were represented in Constantinople. Intellectual and artistic endeavors thrived.



This is not to say that the Byzantine Empire was an oasis of peace in the desert of the perilous middle ages. On the contrary, its long history is marked by numerous wars and remarkable internal strife. Its official borders expanded and shrank several times as its rulers attempted to restore the empire to its former glory or fought off invaders (or occasionally attempted both simultaneously). The penal system was so harsh as to be viewed by western crusaders -- no strangers to mutilation and other extreme measures in their own systems of justice -- as exceedingly cruel.



Nevertheless, Byzantium remained the most stable nation of the middle ages. Its central location between western Europe and Asia not only enriched its economy and its culture but allowed it to serve as a barrier against aggressive barbarians from both areas. Its rich historiographical tradition (strongly influenced by the church) preserved ancient knowledge upon which splendid art, architecture, literature and technological achievements were built. It is not an altogether unfounded assumption that the Renaissance could not have flourished were it not for the groundwork laid in Byzantium.

The exploration of Byzantine civilization is undeniably significant in the study of medieval world history. To ignore it would be akin to studying the classical era without considering the cultural phenomenon of ancient Greece. Unfortunately, much (but thankfully not all) historical investigation into the middle ages has done just that. Historians and students often focused on the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the numerous changes in Europe without ever once glancing at Byzantium. It was often mistakenly believed that the Byzantine Empire was a static state that had little impact on the rest of the medieval world.

MEDIEVAL FOOD

What did people eat in Medieval times
Medieval Fare

* Blaunche escrepes - white crepes or pancakes.
* Crispels - round pastries basted in honey.
* Frytour blaunched - an almond-filled pastry baked in honey & wine.
* Pokerounce - honey & pinenuts on toasted white bread.
* Soupes dorroy - toasted bread in almond milk, onions, & wine.
* Soupes dorye - toasted bread in a wine sauce.
* Tourteletes in fryture - small fig pies basted with honey.

* Daryols - a simple quiche.
* Doucettes a-forcyd - an almond milk pie.
* For to make Comyne - a dish of almond milk & cumin, thickened with eggs.
* Gehalbirte ayer - stuffed eggs.
* Tart de Bry - a cheese tart.


* Crispels - round pastries basted in honey.
* For to make chireseye - a cherry pudding decorated with flowers.
* Frytour blaunched - an almond-filled pastry baked in honey & wine.
* Pokerounce - honey & pinenuts on toasted white bread.
* Rys - almond milk rice.
* Rysshews of fruyt - spiced rissoles of fruit.
* Tourteletes in fryture - small fig pies basted with honey.


* A dauce egre - fish in a sweet and sour onion sauce.
* Crabbe or Lopster boiled - crab or lobster served with vinegar.
* Puddyng of purpaysse - stuffed porpoise stomach.
* Shrympes - shrimp served with vinegar.
* Tart de brymlent - a fish & fruit pie.
* To make Nowmbyls of Muskyls - shellfish in a thick almond milk sauce.


* Benes yfryed - fried beans with garlic & onions.
* Cabochis - a simple cabbage dish.
* Fruays - an apple bread pudding.
* For to make chireseye - a cherry pudding decorated with flowers.
* French iowtes - peas porridge with onions.
* Frytour of pasternakes, of skirwittes, & of apples - batter-fried carrots, parsnips & apples, dressed in almond milk.
* Rysshews of fruyt - spiced rissoles of fruit.
* Soupes dorroy - toasted bread in almond milk, onions, & wine.
* Spynoches yfryed - fried spinach.


* Potage of Rice - a thick rice dish, colored gold.
* Rys - almond milk rice.
* To make frumente - wheat cooked in milk & broth.

* A bake Mete Ryalle - pork & chicken pies.
* Beef y-Stywyd - stewed beef ribs.
* Brawn en Peuerade - pork or chicken in a thick wine sauce.
* Chauden for potage - a meat pottage.
* Connynges in Cyrip - rabbit in a wine-currant sauce.
* Connynges in grauey - rabbit in broth.
* Crustade gentyle - a pork and almond milk pie.
* Doucettes - a pork & egg pie, seasoned with honey & pepper.
* For to make Buknade - a dish of veal and eggs.
* For to make charmerchande - lamb stewed with sage and parsley.
* For to make Conys in Hogepoche - rabbit in a wine/ale sauce.
* Hattes - small meat-filled pastries shaped like Medieval hats.
* Mortreus de Chare - a recipe for pork mortrews, a dish of ground meat thickened with eggs and bread crumbs.
* Potage for somer season - a pottage of pork, veal, & almond milk, coloured with violets.
* Poume d'oranges - pork meatballs made to resemble oranges.
* Pygge y-farsyd - stuffed roasted pig.
* Raphioles - a sausage-meatball pie!
* Tartee - pork and fruit pie, topped with whole chicken pieces.
* Tartelettes - pork dumplings in meat sauce.
* Tartes of flessh - pork, chicken, & rabbit pie.
* Tartletes - veal & fruit pie.
* Venyson in Broth - venison ribs in wine.


* Botere of almand melk - butter made from almond milk.
* Pokerounce - honey & pine nuts on toasted white bread.

* A bake Mete Ryalle - pork & chicken pies.
* Brawn en Peuerade - pork or chicken in a thick wine sauce.
* Capon Inzucarati - sugared capons.
* Chike endored - chicken glazed with a golden batter.
* Crustade - an egg & chicken pie, topped with whole chicken pieces.
* For to dihyte a swan - roasted swan with Chaudon.
* For to make Chekyns in sauce - chicken in a wine sauce.
* Heyroun - roasted heron.
* Tartee - pork and fruit pie, topped with whole chicken pieces.

* Chaudon - sauce for roasted swan.
* For Qualing of Mylk - how to thicken milk.
* For to make Jusselle syngle - meat broth flavoured with sage & ale.
* Galyntyne- a recipe for Galyntine Sauce.
* Oyle soppes - an onion-ale soup served over bread.
* Sawse blaunche for capouns ysode - an almond sauce for chicken.
* To make frumente - wheat cooked in milk & broth.

MEDIEVAL MAPS

ILLUSTRATED MAPS OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD