Question 1

Medieval History
-Where was the location of the final battle of William of Normandy and Harold II of England in October 14, 1066, which led to complete Norman Conquest and changes in language, government, and culture?

Accepted Answer

The final battle between William of Normandy and Harold II of England was at Hastings. Due to Edward the Confessor dying without an heir in 1066, there were three pretenders to the throne in England. William the Conqueror, his brother-in-law Harold II of England, and Norwegian king Harold Handrada all had some sort of claim over the English throne leading to various skirmishes that decided who was rightfully king. Harold defeated and killed Harold Handrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25, 1066, after the later invaded the north of England in an attempt to remove Harold in power. Because of this battle, William I had an opening in the south of England and summarily defeated his brother-in-law, Harold II, in a span of a day. He was crowned king of England on December 25, 1066 at Westminster Abbey.

Question 2

Medieval History
-Which of the following defined the rule of Justinian I?

Accepted Answer

Justinian's reign was defined by his attempts to reconquer the western faction of the classical Roman Empire and his creation of the Code of Civil Law (or Corpus Juris Civilis). The Code of Civil Law was a three-part, unified body of legislation that assembled centuries of previously unwritten Roman legal thought and imperial statutes and gave it the force of law. Justinian was the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, formerly known as the Eastern Roman Empire. He successfully reacquired some of the land that was previously in the Western Roman Empire, though most of those reacquisitions were eventually lost again. (Justinian did increase the revenue for the empire significantly, but the government was merit-based, not drawn strictly from the aristocracy. He did not participate in the First Crusade, create the first feudal manor or organize the foundation of the Catholic Church. Justinian did successfully engage in seafaring to expand his territory. The outbreak of bubonic plague in 954- "the Plague of Justinian" not the Black Death- caused much of his empire's momentum to cease, and Byzantium subsequently experienced several centuries of decline.)

Question 3

Medieval History
-In two wall mosaics, a dark-robed man and woman are depicted each holding an ornate bowl, with golden halos behind them, and surrounded by people in white and purples robes. Who are these two people?

Accepted Answer

The artworks depict Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and his wife, Empress Theodora. Both mosaics were installed in The Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, a city in present-day Italy. Byzantine mosaics consisted of small pieces of colored tile affixed to a wall (or possibly to another interior surface in a building) to create portraits or patterned images. The tiled depictions of Justinian and Theodora are two of the most notable examples of medieval mosaics, and they are similarly two of the most notable works of Byzantine art.

Question 4

Medieval History
-Which of the following cities never belonged to the Umayyad Caliphate?

Accepted Answer

Constantinople never fell under Umayyad rule. Muslim forces attempted to take the Byzantine capital twice- in 674 and 717- but they failed both times. However, under the Umayyad Caliphate, the Islamic Empire seized control of several other major cities. In 638 they captured Jerusalem; in 643 they took hold of Alexandria; in 698 they scored Carthage; and in 711 the Muslims invaded nearly all of Spain, including Barcelona. During the Umayyad Caliphate, which lasted from 661 to 750, almost 30% of the world's people were citizens of the Islamic Empire for at least a brief time. Though the population dipped in subsequent years, the mid-eighth century marked the beginning of a 500-year-period known as the Islamic Golden Age.

Question 5

Medieval History
-During the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, which people aided the Byzantines in deflecting the Muslim invaders?

Accepted Answer

In 717, the Umayyad Caliphate of the Islamic Empire made a second attempt to conquer Constantinople, but they fell to the Byzantine defense, which was aided by the Bulgars. In 680 the First Bulgarian Empire was established when the Bulgars drove the Byzantines out of a section of the Balkans and claimed it as their own. The nature of the relationship between the Bulgars and Byzantines improved then worsened again shortly afterwards, but a 716 peace agreement between the two parties proved paramount. When the Muslims laid siege to the Byzantine capital the following year (717), the Bulgars sent 50,000 troops to help defend Constantinople, which ultimately saved the city. The Bulgar Khan (the head of state), Tervel, was subsequently heralded as the "savior of Europe" for blocking the Muslims' progress into Europe, while the caliphate was otherwise amassing one of the largest empires in world history. (Note: Several people were ultimately labeled "saviors of Europe" for blocking Muslim progress into the continent. To be fair, none of the people who receive that designation single-handedly kept the Islamic Empire from expanding beyond Spain.)

Question 6

Medieval History
-Which of the following statements about the Battle of Tours is not true?

Accepted Answer

Frankish leader Charles Martel was the hero of the Battle of Tours, and the victory allowed him to lay the foundations of the Carolingian Empire, which became a dominant force in Europe in the following century. In 732, the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate was in the middle of a seismic campaign of territorial expansion beyond Arabia, which also allowed them to spread Islam. The Muslims had recently conquered most of Spain before they moved into France. Had the Franks not won, the Muslims likely would have continued expanding into the Europe, imposing Islam in any territory that was added to their realm. More importantly, the establishment of the Carolingian Empire was a pivotal event because Charles Martel's grandson, Charlemagne, became one of the most significant figures in the Middle Ages. (Note: To be fair, none of the people who were recognized in their time as single-handedly saving Europe from Islamic seizure were truly owed that much credit. Martel did block Muslim expansion, but other factors were at work, too.)

Question 7

Medieval History
-The decline of the Byzantine Empire began when Constantinople was sacked in 1204 during:

Accepted Answer

The Holy Roman Empire sacked the capital city of the Byzantine Empire in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. Though Byzantine forces were eventually able to overthrow the Crusaders and reclaim the city, the event is still considered the onset of the Byzantium's decline. It was the penultimate act in the Great Schism, which permanently divided the Eastern Orthodox Christians from the Roman Catholic Church. The original intention of the Fourth Crusade was to capture Jerusalem, but the western Christian forces were ultimately redirected.

Question 8

Medieval History
-The siege of which Arab city ended the Islamic Golden Age?

Accepted Answer

The Siege of Baghdad in 1258 during the Mongol invasions of the Near East marked the end of the Islamic Golden Age, which lasted 500 years. Just prior to the dawn of the Islamic Golden Age, the Muslim Caliphate reached its zenith, becoming the largest empire (in terms of land area) in world history at the time. (It is the eighth largest empire as of the present day.) Three years later, the Abbasid Caliphate resumed power, but they relocated to Mamluk, Egypt and only claimed authority over religious matters. Around the time that the Mongols took hold of Baghdad, their empire became the new largest empire in world history. (Only the British Empire ever amassed more land area than the Mongols.)

Question 9

Medieval History
-When the Byzantine Empire ended, Constantinople became the capital of:

Accepted Answer

When the Byzantine Empire ended in 1453, its capital, Constantinople, became the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks who took control of the city ornamented it heavily and it remained occupied by an Ottoman sultan until 1922, when the West began to commonly recognize its post-Byzantine name, Istanbul.

Question 10

Medieval History
-How were Greek Stoic philosophy and St. Augustine's City of God similar?

Accepted Answer

The Stoic school of philosophy and St. Augustine, through City of God, commanded that an individual should forsake earthly pleasures and strive for spiritual enlightenment or perfection. In City of God, Augustine cited many attributes of Stoic philosophy because he agreed with how they ordered their hierarchy of needs: spiritual satisfaction over sensory satisfaction. However, St. Augustine and the Stoics differed on many of their other perspectives. The Stoics believed that a person's goal in life should be focused internally, to achieve their own moral or intellectual potential. St. Augustine believed that a person's goal should be focused externally, to glorify God. The Stoics considered an untroubled soul to be the truest pleasure, but St. Augustine believed that serving God through pure love was the greatest joy. Stoics argued for living in the present, breaking free from the confines of the past or the illusions of imagination (dreams of the future). Conversely, Augustine said that man should turn his attention to a future in Heaven. For Stoics, personal happiness was attainable by rationally choosing to be happy and pursuing spiritual and intellectual perfection. Augustine, on the other hand, thought that God and service to him were the only true joys.

Question 11

Medieval History
-The Song of Roland is a/an _________________ in which _________________ is a central figure.

Accepted Answer

The Song of Roland is a chanson de geste that chronicles the events surrounding the greatest military defeat of Charlemagne's career at the Battle of Roncesvalles. It is the oldest surviving work of French literature. A chanson de geste is a specific style of epic poem from the earliest period of French literature, dating back to the 11th century. They tend to mythologize, if not romanticize, historical events and figures. However, they also fictionalize or augment aspects of the event to fill in unknown information (like private dialogue) or create a more cohesive and emotional narrative. Though The Song of Roland is hardly historic fact, the heart of the story is an actual event in which some of the characters were truly involved. Ultimately, its veracity meant little to the French people, who adopted it as an epic episode of their cultural history.

Question 12

Medieval History
-What can be inferred from Charlemagne's crowning as Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day 800?

Accepted Answer

The statement that by the beginning of the ninth century, the Roman Catholic papacy had become one of the most powerful positions in the Western World can be inferred from Charlemagne's crowning as Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day 800. When Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day in 800, he was surprised and unhappy with his investiture because implied that the pope had substantial authority over him to impose the title. Charlemagne did not want to be the Holy Roman Emperor. His reign did not ultimately mark the beginning of centuries of peace and prosperity in Europe; the empire flourished during his lifetime, but his son's disastrous division of the realm between his own successors (Charlemagne's three grandsons) led to the Treaty of Verdun and centuries of infighting in Western Europe. The former Eastern Roman Empire did not respond well to the empire's reunification, and they refused to recognize Charlemagne as their legitimate ruler. Though Leo III held Charlemagne in high esteem, he did not hold the coronation on Christmas to symbolize that he considered the new emperor to be Christ-like.

Question 13

Medieval History
-Which treaty ended the three-year Carolingian Civil War, but it came at the expense of centuries of infighting in Western Europe?

Accepted Answer

Three years of fighting among Charlemagne's heirs (three grandsons from his son Louis the Pious) in the Carolingian Dynasty finally ended with the Treaty of Verdun, which divided the family's empire into three kingdoms. However, the manner in which the kingdoms were created- where the boundary lines were drawn and who was appointed king in each section- proved controversial and resulted in centuries of conflict. Lothair received the middle section of the empire, known as Middle Francia, which contained the Kingdom of Italy (including Rome) and several parts of present-day France, like Burgundy and Provence. Lothair also received the title "Holy Roman Emperor." Louis the German received the section known as East Francia, a region that ultimately became Germany. Charles the Bald received the section known as West Francia, which included all of the empire west of the Rhône River. West Francia ultimately composed of most of present-day France. In time, the middle kingdom fell apart, leaving Germany and France to fight over boundaries and territories well into the 20th century.

Question 14

Medieval History
-The Viking Age began when a band of Norsemen destroyed an abbey in _________________, where they ultimately established _________________.

Accepted Answer

The Viking Age began when a band of Norsemen destroyed an abbey in Northumberland, where they ultimately established Danelaw. Viking presence in England intensified in the decades following the event until a dispute with the King of Wessex, Alfred the Great, resulted in the 886 creation of the Danelaw, a region in England where Danish law reigned supreme. From the Danelaw, the Vikings continued attempting expansion in the British Isles. However, during that period, the various regions of England were coalescing, creating a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom. English forces finally drove the Vikings out of Northumbria in 954, ending any possibility of a Viking kingdom in Britain. In 1069, England was successful in driving the Vikings out of the British Isles altogether.

Question 15

Medieval History
-Feudalism was most likely to take hold in a kingdom or empire where:

Accepted Answer

Feudalism was most likely to develop in a region that had a small or weak central government. Prior to the creation of a feudal society in a kingdom or empire, it was common for the people to have experienced war, invasions, an inability to travel or engage in trade, a poor economy, famine, internal fighting or some other type of upheaval. While the king or emperor was at the top of the social hierarchy in a feudal society, feudalism was about being able to provide for people's basic needs and defense on a local level. Since lords had legal and economic jurisdiction over their manors, each manor turned into its own microkingdom, in some respects. The vassals were sworn to provide defense for the lord, and the serfs were bound to work the lord's land, producing the goods necessary to sustain all of the people within the manor. (Note: There were occasionally situations when a reasonably strong central leader (like William the Conqueror in England, for example) appeared after a period of war or instability, and, even though they could govern, they employed a feudal structure as a way to delegate the collection of taxes (or tithes) and local governance to the social class below them (lords).)

Question 16

Medieval History
-If a person was considered guilty of the heresy of Arianism, they disagreed with the Christian church's doctrine on:

Accepted Answer

If a person was deemed a heretic for supporting Arianism, they were advocating a belief about the Trinity that conflicted with the doctrine of the Christian church. Specifically, the dispute pertained to the divinity of God the Son, Jesus Christ, and whether or not he was truly "equal" to God the Father. The heresy of Arianism was a significant issue in the Christian church during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, when much of the church's doctrine was still being formalized. During the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 Arianism was condemned and the first part of the Nicene Creed was written to formalize the church's position on the matter. The Christian church believed that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit came from the same spiritual "substance," that it was the same supreme spiritual force residing in three entities and all of them were equally divine. Arians believed that God the Son and God the Father could not be the same and were, therefore, not equal in their divinity. Though trinitarian debates recurred later in history, most present-day Christian denominations still hold the same position as the early Christian church.

Question 17

Medieval History
-From the 6thto the 12th century, what was the dominant form of monasticism in Europe?

Accepted Answer

Benedict of Nursia founded a monastery at Monte Cassino, Italy in 520, creating the Benedictine order, which was the dominant form of monasticism in Europe until the 12th century. Benedict wrote the Rule of Saint Benedict (also known as "the Rule"), a book that detailed the way of life he believed monks should follow. Its primary thesis was that monks should live austere lives of prayer, education, and manual labor (in that order), removed from society. With encouragement from Pope Gregory the Great and Charlemagne, the Rule ultimately became the model for all of western monasticism, though later orders modified certain aspects of it. In particular, the Franciscan and Dominican orders, founded in the 13th century, believed that they should live among the people.

Question 18

Medieval History
-Which pope gave the most powerful speech of the Middle Ages when he commanded the First Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslims?

Accepted Answer

In 1095, Pope Urban II gave the most powerful speech of the Middle Ages when he commanded the First Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslims. He implored the members of the church to drive the Muslims from the East and out of the Holy Land, launching the First Crusade. Christians had long been denied access to the holy sites in the Near East, which is why they wanted to force the Muslims out of the Levant, too. Ultimately, there were nine Crusades altogether, and they lasted into the 13th century. There were many secondary outcomes of the Crusades that completely transformed Europe in terms of trade, warfare, geopolitical power, architecture and the arts, and cultural constructs. However, the stated goal was essentially never accomplished. Christendom only secured the ability to travel to the holy sites, but the Muslims retained control of the area.

Question 19

Medieval History
-As a direct result of the Crusades, _________________ flourished, which subsequently fueled the Italian Renaissance and the Age of Exploration.

Accepted Answer

One of (if not the) most important byproduct of the Crusades was the degree to which naval trade flourished. Italy was the most immediate benefactor of the naval improvements. With a reinvigorated naval trade industry, Italy began to prosper financially and the vast wealth accrued by the Italian sea merchants allowed for improved education, a more worldly perspective on intellectual and aesthetic culture, and it ultimately financed the Renaissance. The technological developments in seafaring and renewed interest in oceanic travel encouraged Western European nations to build the necessary tools and manifest the necessary skills to explore the world, which was the motive that defined the 15th and 16th centuries during the Age of Exploration. (While European colonialism flourished after the Crusades, colonialism had no effect on the Italian Renaissance. Scientific and medical knowledge from the Arab world and the still-growing Catholic Church both influenced the Renaissance and exploration, to an extent, but they were not the driving influences for either event like wealth and naval capabilities were.)

Question 20

Medieval History
-Which woman fought in the Second Crusade while she was the Queen of France, then served as regent in England when her son, the King of England, fought in the Third Crusade?

Accepted Answer

Eleanor of Aquitaine insisted on leading the soldiers from her duchy in the Second Crusade, where she joined her husband, King Louis VII of France. The Crusade was a military disaster for the French forces, and it was the final nail in the coffin for the royal marriage. Soon after their return, Louis and Eleanor sought and were granted an annulment on a technicality, and she quickly remarried to Henry Plantagenet of England, who became the King of England shortly thereafter. By the time the Third Crusade was underway, Eleanor and Henry's son, Richard I (Richard the Lion heart), was the King of England. When he left to fight in the Crusade, Eleanor served as the regent in England in his stead.

Quiz 10: CLEP: Western Civilization

Medieval History -Where was the location of the final battle of William of Normandy and Harold II of England in October 14, 1066, which led to complete Norman Conquest and changes in language, government, and culture?

Medieval History -Which of the following defined the rule of Justinian I?

Medieval History -In two wall mosaics, a dark-robed man and woman are depicted each holding an ornate bowl, with golden halos behind them, and surrounded by people in white and purples robes. Who are these two people?

Medieval History -Which of the following cities never belonged to the Umayyad Caliphate?

Medieval History -During the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, which people aided the Byzantines in deflecting the Muslim invaders?

Medieval History -Which of the following statements about the Battle of Tours is not true?

Medieval History -The decline of the Byzantine Empire began when Constantinople was sacked in 1204 during:

Medieval History -The siege of which Arab city ended the Islamic Golden Age?

Medieval History -When the Byzantine Empire ended, Constantinople became the capital of:

Medieval History -How were Greek Stoic philosophy and St. Augustine's City of God similar?

Medieval History -The Song of Roland is a/an _ in which _ is a central figure.

Medieval History -What can be inferred from Charlemagne's crowning as Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day 800?

Medieval History -Which treaty ended the three-year Carolingian Civil War, but it came at the expense of centuries of infighting in Western Europe?

Medieval History -The Viking Age began when a band of Norsemen destroyed an abbey in _, where they ultimately established _.

Medieval History -Feudalism was most likely to take hold in a kingdom or empire where:

Medieval History -If a person was considered guilty of the heresy of Arianism, they disagreed with the Christian church's doctrine on:

Medieval History -From the 6thto the 12th century, what was the dominant form of monasticism in Europe?

Medieval History -Which pope gave the most powerful speech of the Middle Ages when he commanded the First Crusade to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslims?

Medieval History -As a direct result of the Crusades, _________________ flourished, which subsequently fueled the Italian Renaissance and the Age of Exploration.

Medieval History -Which woman fought in the Second Crusade while she was the Queen of France, then served as regent in England when her son, the King of England, fought in the Third Crusade?