Deck 16: The Two Worlds of Christendom

Question 1

Charlemagne made use of the missi dominici,or

A) "masters of the secular domain."
B) "imperial spies."
C) "legates to the pope."
D) "envoys of the lord ruler."
E) "eyes of the king."

Answer 1

D

Question 2

One important political feature of the Byzantine state was its

A) docile acceptance of Rome's superiority.
B) republican governmental structure that resembled early Rome.
C) tightly centralized rule under a powerful emperor.
D) division of power under the tetrarchs.
E) reliance on Achaemenid ruling principles.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The main goal of the missi dominici was to

A) foster better relations with the Byzantine emperor.
B) bring the counts under tighter control.
C) strengthen ties with the popes.
D) strengthen the empire's military forces.
E) spy on Charlemagne's Islamic enemies.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements about Constantinople is NOT true?

A) It was built in an attempt to revitalize the impoverished eastern half of the Roman empire.
B) It was constructed by Constantine.
C) It allowed the imperial court to keep watch on the Sasanid empire in Persia.
D) It was built because the eastern half was the wealthier and more productive part of the empire.
E) It allowed the imperial court to keep watch on Germanic tribes on the Danube.

Question 5

Byzantion's major advantage was its

A) position as the greatest trading center of the Greek world.
B) huge army.
C) strategic position on the Bosporus.
D) magnificent library,which contained the cultural treasures of the Hellenistic world.
E) status as the most populous city in the Mediterranean basin.

Question 6

Even though Charlemagne spent much of his time traveling around his empire,he did establish a capital at

A) Aachen.
B) Rome.
C) Paris.
D) Constantinople.
E) Ravenna.

Question 7

Charlemagne maintained regular diplomatic relations with the

A) Chola kingdom in India.
B) Tang empire.
C) Song empire.
D) Abbasid caliphate.
E) Mauryan empire.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is NOT correct about Charlemagne?

A) He extended his authority as far south as Rome.
B) He was mistrustful of intellectual pursuits.
C) He instituted the missi dominici.
D) He actively supported the popes.
E) He established a capital at Aachen.

Question 9

The mixture of secular and religious authority that marked Constantine's reign as well as that of the Byzantine emperors is known as

A) Byzantine.
B) caesaropapism.
C) Corpus iuris civilis.
D) secularism.
E) divine right rule.

Question 10

The wife of Justinian,who proved to be an invaluable adviser,was

A) Belisarius.
B) Livia.
C) Hagia Sophia.
D) Theodora.
E) Olympia.

Question 11

Justinian's issuance of the Corpus iuris civilis

A) won recognition as the definitive codification of Roman law.
B) outlawed the Greens and Blues.
C) brought immediate excommunication from the pope.
D) inspired the first crusade.
E) was immediately recognized as the greatest literary feat in Byzantine history.

Question 12

Theodora's career before marrying Justinian was as a

A) mother superior in a nunnery.
B) lady in waiting at the central court because of her family connections.
C) Church cleric-one of the few women to hold this position.
D) shop owner.
E) striptease artist.

Question 13

After the collapse of western Roman authority,

A) Germanic tribes established a series of successor states.
B) a greater pan-Germanic empire was established.
C) the Visigoths created imperial unity.
D) the Byzantine empire expanded into the west to re-create a lasting imperial state.
E) Europe was overrun and united by Islamic forces.

Question 14

Justinian's most important and long-lasting political achievement was his

A) reconquest of the western half of the Roman empire.
B) democratic reforms.
C) religious compromise between the Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox churches.
D) codification of Roman law.
E) establishment of a lasting peace with the Islamic world.

Question 15

Hagia Sophia was

A) the wife of Justinian,who proved to be a wise adviser.
B) the magnificent church at Constantinople.
C) the legal foundation for Justinian's code.
D) Justinian's most dangerous political enemy.
E) the central trading city on the silk roads.

Question 16

The most successful and influential of the German peoples were the

A) Visigoths.
B) Angles.
C) Franks.
D) Ostrogoths.
E) Vandals.

Question 17

Historians use the term caesaropapism to refer to the

A) European struggle between church and state.
B) split between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches.
C) attempt by later Roman emperors to abolish the papacy.
D) system in which the emperor has a mixture of political and religious authority.
E) bureaucratic revolution brought about by Julius Caesar.

Question 18

In 802,what gift did Charlemagne receive from the Abbasid caliph,Harun al-Rashid?

A) a thousand pounds of gold
B) a golden chandelier
C) a terra-cotta army
D) an elephant named Abu al-Abbas
E) a chess set displaying the two leaders as the kings

Question 19

One of the causes of Byzantine resurgence was the political innovation wherein a general was given military and civil control over an imperial province,or

A) theme.
B) Sasanid.
C) corpus.
D) satrapy.
E) polis.

Question 20

Constantinople withstood sieges in 674-678 and 717-718 by

A) the Sasanids.
B) the Gauls.
C) the Russians.
D) the Greeks.
E) Muslim forces.

Question 21

On Christmas Day 800,Charlemagne received the imperial crown from

A) himself.
B) Pope Leo III.
C) Pope Gregory I.
D) Byzantine emperor Justinian IV.
E) Pippin.

Question 22

After the death of Louis the Pious,the Carolingian empire

A) reversed a short period of decline and reached its greatest territorial extent.
B) was swallowed up by a resurgence of Byzantine power.
C) was split into three parts by his sons.
D) became a puppet state controlled by the expanding Islamic empires.
E) fell under British control.

Question 23

The rise of Orthodox Christianity in Russia was helped by the conversion in 989 of

A) Prince Vladimir.
B) Peter the Great.
C) Justinian.
D) Ivan III.
E) Catherine the Great.

Question 24

The incredibly important relationship that formed much of the core of feudalism was between

A) king and pope.
B) serf and pope.
C) lord and retainer.
D) serf and merchant.
E) king and archbishop.

Question 25

By the year 1000,the population of the two provinces of Christendom rose to about

A) ten million.
B) twenty-two million.
C) thirty-six million.
D) sixty-one million.
E) seventy-five million.

Question 26

Saints Methodius and Cyril

A) converted the Slavic lands to Roman Catholicism.
B) devised the Cyrillic alphabet.
C) were responsible for a compromise between the Roman Catholic and Russia Orthodox churches.
D) died while on a mission to spread the faith to Africa.
E) were highly influential "pillar saints."

Question 27

One of the biggest reasons for increased agricultural production in Europe was the

A) introduction of a heavier plow.
B) official support of the serfs by the popes.
C) introduction of new crops from the Byzantine world.
D) money invested in the countryside by the kings.
E) agricultural loans guaranteed by powerful Italian banks.

Question 28

In 1054 the pope in Rome and the patriarch in Constantinople

A) met at the Council of Milan to settle old differences.
B) mutually excommunicated each other.
C) agreed on a joint plan to bring Christianity to Russia.
D) jointly called for a new crusade.
E) agreed on a highly controversial plan to eliminate the Protestants.

Question 29

The Byzantine emperors deeply resented-as an affront to their dignity-the pope's imperial coronation in the year 800 of the Frankish king,

A) Otto of Saxony.
B) Charlemagne.
C) Basil II.
D) Cyril.
E) Hugh Capet.

Question 30

What city served as an important conduit for the spread of Byzantine cultural and religious influence in Russia?

A) Moscow
B) St. Petersburg
C) Kiev
D) Moravia
E) Manzikert

Question 31

Historians once used the term feudalism to refer to

A) a strong,centralized political order.
B) the Byzantine religious world.
C) the Islamic bureaucratic system that dominated for over five hundred years.
D) the class of highly trained Confucian officials.
E) the political and social order of medieval Europe.

Question 32

The bezant

A) was the hereditary line of priests that dominated the Byzantine religious and social worlds.
B) headed the Byzantine banking industry.
C) was the Byzantine gold coin that became the standard currency in the Mediterranean basin.
D) was one of the two main factions inside Constantinople.
E) was the Byzantine class of nobles who blocked imperial centralization.

Question 33

Who provided the Roman church with a sense of direction by reasserting papal primacy?

A) Charlemagne
B) Leo III
C) Gregory I
D) Benedict II
E) St. Augustine

Question 34

St.Basil of Caesarea

A) played a key role in the rise of monasticism.
B) excommunicated the pope and began the split inside Catholicism.
C) worked out a compromise between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches.
D) began the movement known as iconoclasm.
E) was the first and most famous of the "pillar saints."

Question 35

The Benedictine Rule was spread to women living in convents by

A) Gregory I.
B) Clement VII.
C) Leo III.
D) St. Scholastica.
E) Clotilda.

Question 36

When presented with the imperial crown,Charlemagne

A) hesitated to call himself emperor out of respect for the Byzantine emperors.
B) openly challenged the Byzantine emperors for the title.
C) accepted the preeminence of the more powerful Islamic empires.
D) laid siege to Rome in an attempt to force the popes to grant the title.
E) raised an army to attack Constantinople.

Question 37

Constantinople was raided at least three times in the ninth and tenth centuries by the

A) French.
B) Franks.
C) Russians.
D) Vikings.
E) Magyars.

Question 38

Emperor Leo III inaugurated the divisive ecclesiastical policy of

A) caesaropapism.
B) iconoclasm.
C) insisting that the patriarch of Constantinople was superior to the pope in Rome.
D) venerating religious icons.
E) translating the Bible into German.

Question 39

The theme system

A) weakened the peasantry by taking their land away.
B) made land available to the peasants in return for military service.
C) led to the break between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches.
D) limited the religious authority of the Byzantine emperors.
E) was the foundation of the Byzantine educational structure.

Question 40

In medieval society,political power was vested in

A) a strong centralized government.
B) local notables or lords.
C) the pope.
D) the hands of the Holy Roman emperor.
E) the hands of the Byzantine emperor.

Question 41

Prince Vladimir helped convert Russia to Orthodox Christianity.

Question 42

Examine the role played by Charlemagne in the establishment of a powerful Europe.What were his main inspirations? What were his policies?

Question 43

Describe the Christian missionary work that developed out of monastic society.How successful was it in spreading Christianity in the larger world?

Question 44

Basil II began iconoclasm.

Question 45

Compare the role that Christianity played in western Europe to the role played by Islam,Hinduism,and Buddhism in creating political and social unity in the postclassical world.

Question 46

St.Cyril helped to create a written Slavic alphabet.

Question 47

St.Basil of Caesarea played an important role in the rise of monasticism.

Question 48

Discuss the religious beliefs and structure of the Byzantine world.Examine the rise and influence of the Orthodox church.

Question 49

Examine the split between the Roman Catholic church and Greek Orthodox church.What led to this fundamental split? How did this split influence later history?

Question 50

Examine the social structure of the Byzantine empire.Explain the theme system.Trace the changing status of the peasants.

Question 51

Historians refer to the era from about 500 to 1500
C.E. as the medieval period of European history-the "middle ages."

Question 52

Justinian was the Byzantine emperor who attempted to reconquer the western Roman empire from the German tribes.

Question 53

Benjamin of Tudela proposed that,"Wealth like that of Constantinople is not to be found in the whole world." Why was Constantinople so wealthy? What role did trade play in its creation and its centuries of dominance?

Question 54

Charlemagne permanently reestablished imperial rule in the Frankish realm during his reign from 768 to 814.

Question 55

Corpus iuris civilis was Justinian's definitive codification of Roman law.

Question 56

Compare Europe during the early medieval period to other societies studied so far in the class.How do the political and social systems of Europe relate to those of the other regions?

Question 57

The term "Vikings" originally referred to a group that raided the British Isles from their home in Vik in southern Norway.

Question 58

By the time the Roman empire collapsed,Christianity was the principal source of religious,moral,and cultural authority throughout the Mediterranean basin.

Question 59

Medieval western Europe was a society where cities thrived and trade linked all of the regions.

Question 60

How did the Viking invasions influence the rise of Europe? Besides being powerful warriors,what were the main achievements of the Vikings?

Question 61

In what ways was the political,intellectual,and cultural makeup of Byzantium different from that of the western half of the Roman empire? How could these differences explain greater discrepancies between eastern and western Europe?

Question 62

Describe urban life in Byzantium during the height of its power.Why did western Europe remain largely rural by comparison?

Question 63

Discuss the importance of the Franks.How did they build an empire? What role did the other Germanic tribes play after the fall of Rome?

Question 64

In what ways did Byzantium carry on the legacy of Rome? What was Justinian's dream? In what ways was Byzantium different from Rome?

Question 65

Look at Map 16.2,The Carolingian empire,814 C.E. What were the foundations of Charlemagne's empire? In what ways did he attempt to re-create Rome? What were the major threats to his empire?

Question 66

Discuss the rise of monasticism.What were the religious and social implications of this system? What role did St.Basil of Caesarea and St.Benedict play?

Question 67

Examine the reign of Justinian.Explain the significance of Justinian's code.In what ways did Justinian influence history?

Question 68

What is the significance of the story of the monks smuggling the silkworm eggs to Byzantium?

Question 69

Look at Map 16.3,The dissolution of the Carolingian empire (843 C.E.)and the invasions of early medieval Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries. What has happened to Charlemagne's empire? Why did it fall apart so quickly? What role did the Vikings play in the destruction and rebuilding of Europe?

Question 70

What was the theme system? How did it work? Why was it so successful? What led to its demise?

Question 71

Trace the development of the Byzantine church to the schism.What caused the schism?

Question 72

What is Hagia Sophia used for today,and what does this use tell us about the fate of Byzantium?

Question 73

Examine Map 16.1,Success states to the Roman empire,ca.600 C.E. What region became the new center of political and religious authority? What role did the Germanic kingdoms play in early medieval Europe?

Question 74

Discuss the influence of Byzantium on eastern Europe.In what ways did this influence shape early Russian history?

Question 75

Examine the role that trade played in the Byzantine empire.How did the economic world of Byzantium change over the years?

Question 76

What economic advantages did the Byzantine empire possess?

Question 77

Examine the invasions that plagued Europe after the fall of Rome.How was Europe influenced by these migrations?

Question 78

Discuss the significance of the city of Constantinople.What was life in the city like? Why would its eventual fall be seen as such a disaster?

Question 79

Examine the theory of caesaropapism.What were its origins? Explain its relation to the power of the Byzantine emperor.What influence did it have on European history?

Question 80

Describe what historians in the past have meant by using the term "feudalism." Explain the lord-vassal relationship.