MEDIEVAL HISTORY QUIZ- ANSWERS 1-10

Q1.B
Whether Rome "fell," slowly collapsed, or simply evolved into medieval Europe is still a matter for debate. But in 476 C.E., the western portion of the empire "officially" came to an end when the Emperor of the West was deposed by the Germanic warrior, Odoacer.

The date of 476 was used for a long time as the definitive start of the Middle Ages; however, as more scholarship was conducted, historians saw other significant events and developments, both earlier and later, that could also be regarded as important turning points. Today the most common view is that the Middle Ages started sometime in the fifth century with the gradual change that took place in the Western Roman Empire.

Q2.B.
Byzantium, or the Eastern Roman Empire, was a bastion of Christian civilization that influenced the course of European history throughout the Middle Ages. Though their most common language was Greek, they still considered themselves "Eastern Romans," and the civilization perpetuated many facets of ancient Roman society. Its capital of Constantinople was a thriving metropolis of trade and learning, and at one point, all seventy-two of the world's known languages were spoken there.


Q3 .A.
Many of the Barbarian tribes were already Christian when Rome officially ended in the fifth century, but most of them were Arian Christians. Arianism was considered heresy by the Catholic leadership. Clovis, who controlled much of what had been Roman Gaul and who had many Catholic subjects, converted to Catholicism instead of to Arianism. This not only gave him an important ally in the Pope, it smoothed over his relationship with a good percentage of his people.

The Franks were initially a confederation of several different Germanic tribes. The word "frank" meant "free," and apparently distinguished them from those tribes who had become subjects of the Roman Empire. As you've probably guessed, France gets its name from the Franks -- but did you know that "Louis," the most popular name for French kings, evolved from "Clovis"?


Q4. C.
According the early British historian The Venerable Bede, the Saxons, the Angles and the Jutes made significant conquests in Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries. It is from the first two groups that we get the term "Anglo-Saxon," which describes the society that evolved in England after the Barbarian migrations. The Saxons also established settlements in central Europe, including the region of Saxony in what is today Germany.

Q5. B.
The religion of Islam became firmly established while Muhammad was still alive. After his death it spread swiftly throughout Arabia, across much of northern Africa and into Asia and Spain. Throughout the Middle Ages, encounters between Christians and Muslims -- some peaceful, some decidedly not -- would significantly influence the course of western civilization.

Q6. A.
The Carolingian empire covered a large part of what is today France, almost half of Italy and much of Germany. Charlemagne's favorite residence was his palace at Aachen, in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia.

Q7. A.
Lindisfarne is an island off the coast of Northumbria where an abbey was established in the seventh century. The Lindisfarne Gospels, a beautiful example of manuscript illumination, were produced there, and St. Cuthbert's body reposed there until the Viking attacks prompted the monks to move it and themselves off the island. They eventually settled in Durham.

Abbeys and monasteries were favored targets of the Vikings. They often housed valuable treasures that Christians revered for their holy associations and that Vikings valued for the precious metals and fabrics of which they were made. Since their residents did not use weapons and rarely were any good at defending themselves, they were also very easy pickings.

Q8. B.
King Alfred lived in the ninth century. He successfully resisted Danish invasions and managed to unite many separate kingdoms in the process.

Q9.C.
It was Voltaire who said that the Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire, but that is the term that has been applied to the German state that flourished through much of the Middle Ages. Otto the Great was the first emperor of this new state that generally revived the old empire of Charlemagne; he consciously emulated Charlemagne, who had also been crowned emperor and is considered the first "Holy Roman Emperor."

Neither Charlemagne nor Otto nor any of their medieval successors used that precise title, and the empire was rarely, if ever, referred to as the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages. Furthermore, although the empire is considered to have existed as late as the early 19th century, it was frequently fractured or in turmoil, and sometimes retained a leader who was emperor in name only. The height of the Holy Roman Empire occurred in the two centuries following Otto's accession.

All of which gives you a general idea of why studying medieval history can be so complex!

Q10.A.
The "High" Middle Ages are the period most often identified with the medieval era. During this period the Courtly Love movement was born, the Crusades took place, tournaments became popular, and castle- and cathedral-building flourished.