Study Questions/Discussion Questions – Flashcards

After Rome had fallen, trade and travel declined because there wasn't a government to keep the roads and bridges in good condition. Also, the powerful lords didn't know about the problems nor did they have the desire to do anything about them.

The first "Holy Roman Emperor" was Charlemagne, who was crowned by the Pope Leo III as "Emperor of the Romans". The Empire and the Church were part of the vision of Pope Gregory VII called "Christendom". Pope Gregory VII envisioned a new Roman Empire in the image of the Church. The Church's system was very similar to that of ancient Rome. For example, the Pope had the same power as that of the emperor.

Feudalism is the system of government that gives greater power to the state and less power to the national government. The Church favored feudalism, and feudalism made Europe independent and cut off from other countries in trade and travel. Feudalism kept Europe in order after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Feudalism is the system of government that gives greater power to the state and less power to the national government. The Church favored feudalism, and feudalism made Europe independent and cut off from other countries in trade and travel. Feudalism kept Europe in order after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Feudalism is the system of government that gives greater power to the state and less power to the national government. The Church favored feudalism, and feudalism made Europe independent and cut off from other countries in trade and travel. Feudalism kept Europe in order after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Feudalism is the system of government that gives greater power to the state and less power to the national government. The Church favored feudalism, and feudalism made Europe independent and cut off from other countries in trade and travel. Feudalism kept Europe in order after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Feudalism is the system of government that gives greater power to the state and less power to the national government. The Church favored feudalism, and feudalism made Europe independent and cut off from other countries in trade and travel. Feudalism kept Europe in order after the fall of the Roman Empire.

During the Middle Ages, the learning and knowledge of Europe was kept alive by the Roman Catholic Church.

During the Middle Ages, the learning and knowledge of Europe was kept alive by the Roman Catholic Church.

Three estates of medieval European society were The First Estate, the Second Estate, and the Third Estate. The First State was made up of ordained officers of the Church and it constituted a separate class claiming to get authority from God. The Second Estate, primarily warriors, had the right to bear arms and own land. Lastly, the Third Estate was made up of mostly peasants and had no power. When the new money economy came about, the Third Estate became much more powerful and richer than the Second Estate, which had its wealth because of land ownership.

The guild system was developed to maintain the quality and prices of goods and services, monopolize trade, set quality standards, and limit the number of people in a business. It helped merchants and craftsmen continue to have control over their own jobs. People could not change their professions unless they received the approval from the guild membership. A young boy began to practice a profession by beginning as an apprentice. After years of service, the apprentice would then become a journeyman. Finally, after some more years of work and meeting the criteria of the guild, a journeyman could become a master craftsman. A master had the right to open his own business.

The bourgeoisie, burgesses, or burghers were merchants and craftsmen that created a new class of town dwellers. They formed the growing "middle class" between the nobility and the peasants, having no place in the previous estates system. The political and social systems failed to keep up with the economic changes.

The Crusades helped start a change for Europe to become more modern. Strong, new monarchs led to the rise of the centralized, modern nation-states. Many landowners had been killed in the Crusades giving more land to fewer people. The Crusades are sometimes called "successful failures" because they were unsuccessful militarily but they were a turning point in the history and development of Europe, bringing great economic, social, and political changes to Europe.

At the end of the Middle Ages, kings and central governments grew stronger. Cities and towns attached their prosperity to the kings not the lords. They paid taxes to the king that gave the king more money to spend in controlling the lords who had been largely independent of him. Also, merchants, who wanted their protection, supported kings. Kings had the money, the interest, and stood to profit the most by paying for new modernized armies for protection. The old nobility had a lack of wealth to keep up with these changes. Not enough money as well as weak monarchs prevented the creation of strong central governments.

The re-establishment of trade was very important in the transformation of Europe because it expanded international opportunities in trade and culture. The Crusades resulted in a newly discovered knowledge of the East and of the numerous spices and other goods as well as the customs of the various peoples.