Deck 11: Patterns of Medieval Life

Question 1

Chart the changing temper of the High Middle Ages,as reflected in the romance and the literature of courtly love.

Answer 1

From the Crusades emerged the medieval romance,a fictitious tale of love and adventure that became the most popular form of literary entertainment in the West between the years 1200 and 1500.The "spice" of the typical medieval romance was an illicit relationship or forbidden liaison between a man and woman of the upper class.During the Middle Ages,marriage among members of the nobility was usually an alliance formed in the interest of securing land.In such circumstances,romantic love was more likely to flourish outside marriage.Filled with bloody combat,supernatural events,and romantic alliances,medieval romances introduced a new and complex picture of human conduct and courtship associated with the so-called code of courtly love.
Courtly love,as the name suggests,was a phenomenon cultivated in the courts of the medieval nobility.Characterized by the longing of a nobleman for a (usually unattainable)woman,the courtly love tradition,with its "rules" of wooing and winning a lady,laid the basis for concepts of romantic love in Western literature and life.This romantic love was meant to have a purifying and ennobling influence on the lover;to suffer for true love was noble.The courtly love tradition contributed to shaping modern Western concepts of gender and courtship.It also worked to define the romantic perception of women as objects,particularly objects of reward for the performance of brave deeds.For although courtly love elevated the woman as worthy of adoration,it defined her exclusively in terms of the interests of men.

Question 2

Discuss the significance of Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance.

Answer 2

From the time he came to the throne in 768 until his death in 814,the Frankish chieftain Charles the Great (in French,"Charlemagne")pursued the dream of restoring the Roman Empire under Christian leadership.His holy wars resulted in the forcible conversion of the Saxons east of the Rhine River,the Lombards of northern Italy,and the Slavic peoples along the Danube.Charlemagne's campaigns also pushed the Muslims back beyond the Pyrenees into Spain,leading to the creation of the Holy Roman Empire.
Charlemagne's imperial mission was animated by a passionate interest in education and the arts and sponsored a revival of learning and literacy.This renaissance allowed important old texts,many Classical Latin manuscripts,to survive.The Carolingian Renaissance also produced magnificent liturgical and devotional objects,often made of ivory or precious metals,and illustrating the superior technical abilities of Carolingian metalsmiths.The integration of German,Roman,and Byzantine stylistic tradition typifies the Carolingian Renaissance,the glories of which would not be matched for at least three centuries.

Question 3

Which of the following is the quintessential lyrical representation of the fighting nobility in the feudal age?

A)the Song of Roland
B)beowulf
C)the Bible
D)the Magna Carta

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Chronicle the nature of Germanic tribal expansion and cultural expression.

Question 5

The Frankish chieftain responsible for reunifying the fallen Roman Empire under Christian leadership was

A)Alexander the Great.
B)Charlemagne.
C)Charles Martel.
D)Peter the Great.

Question 6

The Normans traced their direct ancestry to the

A)Ostragoths.
B)Vikings.
C)Greeks.
D)Franks.

Question 7

The main building inside a castle complex is the

A)crenellation.
B)keep.
C)moat.
D)dungeon.

Question 8

During this era,the only toe-hold of European occupation claimed by the Islamic peoples was in which of the following countries?

A)Ireland
B)France
C)Italy
D)Spain

Question 9

Discuss the characteristic features of feudal society,as reflected in the Song of Roland,Norman architecture,and the Bayeux Tapestry.

Question 10

The system of military and political organization known as feudalism centered around which of the following?

A)the Holy Roman Emperor
B)descendants of dukes and counts appointed by Charles the Great
C)the Bishop of Rome
D)the monarchs of the European countries

Question 11

Enamelwork produced by pouring molten colored glass between thin gold partitions is called

A)zoomorphoic.
B)niello.
C)cloisonné.
D)filigree.

Question 12

The biggest threat to the Roman Empire as early as the first century B.C.E.was which of the following?

A)lack of fresh water
B)the Germanic tribes
C)inadequate roads,making it difficult to move troops
D)Islamic invaders

Question 13

The "invincible" Roman army was defeated near Constantinople at the Battle of

A)Agincourt.
B)Hastings.
C)Adrianople.
D)Carthage.

Question 14

The Normans brought feudalism to which of the following?

A)France
B)England
C)Germany
D)Africa

Question 15

The type of copyist writing favored by the Carolingian monks and nuns is the direct ancestor of modern typography and is called which of the following?

A)block lettering
B)illumination
C)Roman script
D)the minuscule

Question 16

Explain the dynamics behind the Christian Crusades and their consequences.

Question 17

The principle of primogeniture allowed

A)serfs to have an equal share in the production of the land they worked.
B)serfs to purchase their own freedom.
C)the eldest male heir of an aristocratic family to inherit the entire estate.
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 18

The first monumental literary composition in a European vernacular language was

A)the Song of Roland.
B)Beowulf.
C)the Bible.
D)the Magna Carta.

Question 19

The bond of loyalty between chieftain and his warriors is called which of the following?

A)gallantry
B)fealty
C)chivalry
D)feudalism

Question 20

Which of the following groups was responsible for the infamous sack of Rome in which much of the ancient city was destroyed?

A)the Franks
B)the Burgundians
C)the Visigoths
D)the Vandals