MEDIEVAL HISTORY YEAR-END ASSESSMENT STUDY GUIDE
RESPOND TO THE QUESTIONS IN YOUR STUDY GUIDE USING THE INOFRMATION FOUND BELOW.
1. Describe the Grand Canal.
One of the greatest accomplishments of the Tang Dynasty was the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal was a waterway that linked the Huang River and the Chang River. At more than 1,000 miles long, it is still the longest canal ever built. The Grand Canal helped join northern and southern China, making it possible to supply the capital with large amounts of grain.
2. Describe the strict set of rules for behavior followed by the samurai warriors.
Samurai warriors followed a strict set of rules for behavior, called bushido.They swore an oath to follow these rules without question. According to bushido, honor meant more than wealth or even life itself. This code said that a samurai must never show weakness or surrender to an enemy. The true samurai had no fear of death and would rather die than shame himself.
3. Who was the greatest ruler of China’s Tang Dynasty?
The greatest ruler of China’s Tang Dynasty was Tang Taizong.
4. How did Akbar make his empire peaceful?
Although he was a Muslim, Akbar gained the support of his Hindu subjects through his policy of toleration. He allowed Hindus to practice their religion freely, and he ended the unfair taxes that had been required of non-Muslims. He also consulted with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians. In short, Akbar tried to treat people of different religions fairly.
5. How did Tokugawa prevent Europeans from conquering Japan?
Tokugawa Ieyasu worried that Europeans might try to conquer Japan, so he and the shoguns who ruled after him decided that Japan should remain isolated from Westerners. They outlawed Christianity and forced Europeans to leave. By 1638, they had closed Japan’s ports, banning most foreign travel and trade. For more than 200 years, the Japanese would remain cut off from the outside world.
6. According to Confucius, what makes a society healthy?
Confucius was an ancient Chinese teacher who had taught that all people had duties and responsibilities. Confucius had wanted to bring peace and stability to China. To create this kind of society, Confucius said, all people must treat each other with respect.
7. How did knowledge spread throughout China during its golden age?
During the Song Dynasty, a new way to print books was invented. As a result, books became less expensive. With more people able to afford them, the number and kinds of books increased. More people, including women, learned to read and write. By the 1200s, books about farming, medicine, religion, and poetry were in print. Books helped spread knowledge throughout China.
8. Under the feudal system, what was a lord’s MAIN duty toward the people who pledged loyalty to him?
Lords promised to treat their vassals with honor. In addition, the chief (main) duty of lords was to protect their vassals and their lands.
9. Why was the Church so powerful during medieval times?
During the Middle Ages, life was short and hard for most people. They were comforted by the Christian belief that they would enjoy the rewards of heaven after death if they lived according to Church teachings. The Church also held that if people didn’t obey those rules, they would be punished after death. The promise of the reward of heaven combined with the threat of punishment made most people follow the teachings of the Church. The Church also had great economic power, growing wealthy by collecting taxes. This combination of religious and economic power enabled the Church to take on many of the roles that the government performs today. It even made laws and set up courts to enforce them.
10. How did life in the towns differ from life on the manors?
Town life was not at all like farm or manor life. Towns and cities were not self-sufficient. Instead, their economies were based on the exchange of money for goods and services.
11. As feudalism weakened, how did kings gain power?
One reason for the decline of feudalism was the growth of trade and towns. Kings began to support the new towns in exchange for money. They agreed to protect towns and made laws to help them grow rich. Then, with the money paid by townspeople, kings hired armies and used them to attack troublesome nobles. All of this led to an increase in the power of the kings.
12. What were three major problems faced by medieval cities?
Medieval Cities were extremely crowded. Their lack of sanitation brought about unhealthy conditions and disease spread quickly. In addition, many buildings were made of wood, so fires were common.
13. During the Middle Ages, why was life in northern Italy different from life in the rest of Europe?
During the Middle Ages, northern Italy was different from the rest of Western Europe. Most people in northern Europe lived under feudalism. They labored for their lords and depended on their lords for protection. Manors, rather than cities, were the centers of economic life. In northern Italy, however, people lived in city-states, or cities that were both cities and independent states. They had their own governments and were not as closely controlled by nobles or the Church. Instead, wealthy families or wealthy merchants held power. These merchants controlled European trade with Asia. Italian merchants bought precious goods such as silk and spices in Muslim trading centers around the Mediterranean Sea. They then transported these goods throughout Europe, reselling them at high prices.
Being at the center of this lively international trade exposed Italian city-states to other cultures and ideas. And because trade brought them wealth, many Italians had more time to think, to read, and to create and enjoy art. The wealthy became great patrons, or financial supporters, of scholarship and the arts. By the 1430s, the city of Florence, ruled by the prosperous Medici family, had become a center for the arts.
14. According to Martin Luther, what was the key to getting into heaven?
In Luther’s view, faith in God, coupled with common sense, and not obedience to the Church, was the key to a proper Christian life.
15. Why did Portugal lead Europe’s exploration of the world?
Portugal was able to lead Europe’s exploration of the world because Prince Henry, son of Portugal’s king, opened a school for mapmakers, shipbuilders, and navigators. At this school, ideas were explored, knowledge shared, and exploration encouraged.
16. How did Columbus believe he could reach India?
While the Portuguese were exploring to the east, Christopher Columbus became convinced that he could reach India by sailing WEST across the Atlantic Ocean.
17. How did Queen Elizabeth make England stronger?
Elizabeth I strengthened England by using compromise to prevent religious wars between Protestants and Catholics. She also defeated the Spanish in 1588, giving England the most powerful navy in the world.
18. Why were European countries looking for a new trade route to Asia?
By the early 1400s, many Europeans had grown tired of paying high prices to Italian merchants for Asian goods. Europeans wanted to gain control of the rich trade with Asia themselves. To do this, they would have to find a new route to Asia—one that did not use the Mediterranean Sea and the land routes controlled by the Ottomans.
19. What gave the people of northern Italy the ability to sponsor learning?
Northern Italy was different from the rest of Western Europe. Its people lived in city-states not on manors, so they were not as closely controlled by nobles or the Church. Instead, wealthy families or wealthy merchants held power. Because they were at the center of international trade, they were exposed to other cultures and ideas. And because trade brought them wealth, many northern Italians had the time to think, to read, and to create and enjoy art.
20. Describe some of the achievements of Michelangelo.
Michelangelo was one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. He could sculpt marble so that it looked like flowing cloth, rippling muscle, and twisting hair. However, his most famous work was a series of paintings that cover the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City in Rome.
21. In what ways did Peter the Great change Russia?
Peter modernized the Russian army and navy and improved Russian farming and industry by adopting Western European technology. Peter also expanded Russia’s territory, and he strengthened serfdom as well.
22. What was the Enlightenment?
The Enlightenment was a revolution in thought that was characterized by a reliance on reason and experience rather than on religious teachings and faith.
23. Who was Nicolaus Copernicus and what was his revolutionary theory?
In the 1500s, Copernicus said that the earth revolved around the sun. This was in direct opposition to the views of the Catholic Church which taught that God had made earth the center of the universe.
24. According to John Locke, what basic right do all people have?
Locke believed that people were basically reasonable and good. He argued that people also had natural rights, including the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to own property. According to Locke, people form governments to protect their natural rights. Governments draw the right to rule from the people they govern. Therefore, rulers should govern only as long as they have the support of the people.If a government breaks the agreement by taking away people’s rights, the people have the right to change, or even replace, that government.
25. What were the causes of the English Civil War?
King Charles I, who did not recognize Parliament’s power, summoned them in 1640 when he needed funds to put down a rebellion in Scotland. This Parliament, however, would not bow to the power of the king, refusing to provide him with the money he wanted. Parliament then tried and executed some of the king’s own ministers, and declared that it could not be dissolved without its own consent. In response, Charles led troops into the House of Commons. Parliament leaders who escaped raised their own army, and the English Civil War began.
26. How were most products made before the Industrial Revolution?
Until the middle of the 1700s, most people lived on farms or in very small towns. Agriculture was the basis of their economies. Most goods that people needed were made by hand, either at home or in small shops.
27. What was the Industrial Revolution and where did it begin?
From about 1760 to about 1860, the way manufactured goods were produced shifted from simple hand tools in homes and shops to complex machines in factories. This change is called the Industrial Revolution and it began in Great Britain. It changed the lives of people and the structure of society by greatly increasing the amount and variety of goods available to ordinary folks. Moreover, cities grew as people left farms and settled near factories. The Industrial Revolution created many jobs in these factories and led to the growth of the middle class.
28. When factories were FIRST built, how was the machinery powered?
When factories were first built, the machinery was powered by flowing water.
29. What were four negative effects of the Industrial Revolution?
Factories were noisy and dirty, and the work was mind-numbing. Factory workers did the same simple action, over and over, hundreds of times a day. The work could also be dangerous and the pay was very poor. People who had produced goods in their homes or in a local shop had been able to spend time with their families. Factory workers, on the other hand, often spent 12 to 14 hours a day, every day, away from home at work in a factory
30. What event ended the French Revolution?
The French Revolution ended in 1799 when Napoleon took control of the French government.
31. Describe what occurs when Napoleon tries to invade Britain in 1805.
In 1805, when Napoleon tried to invade Britain, the French fleet was destroyed at the Battle of Trafalgar.
32. What are the four technological advances that allowed Europeans to explore the world during the Age of Exploration?
The magnetic compass, the caravel, the astrolabe, and better, more accurate maps gave Europeans the tools they needed to explore the world.
33. What four (4) things did Europeans bring to Japan in the years between 1543 and 1614?
The Europeans brought Christianity, tobacco, guns, and potatoes to Japan.
34. Compare life before and after the Industrial Revolution.
Before the Industrial Revolution, most people lived on farms or in very small towns. Most of the goods they needed were made by hand, either at home or in small shops. They worked at their own pace, and were able to spend time with family.
After the Industrial Revolution began, many people moved to cities and took jobs in factories. There they worked 12 to 14 hours a day, every day. Goods were made more quickly and efficiently, and a larger variety of goods were available for purchase. A middle class also began to grow. These cities, though, were often crowded and dirty. Sanitation was poor and diseases often spread rapidly.
PLEASE REMEMBER: IF THE INFORMATION IS NOT ON THE STUDY GUIDE, IT IS NOT ON THE TEST.