Deck 8: Early Medieval Civilizations, 600-900

Question 1

Analyze reasons for the breakup of the Carolingian Empire; which do you think was the most destructive to imperial unity?

Answer 1

Student answers will vary, but all students should refer to several causes for the disintegration.

Question 2

As Islam expanded, Jews and Christians were considered

A)"Peoples of the Book."
B)sharers in the same scriptural tradition and so they were spared the choice of conversion or death.
C)sharers in the same scriptural tradition and so they were particularly evil traitors and deserved death.
D)infidels and expected to submit and convert.
E)both "Peoples of the Book, " and sharers in the same scriptural tradition and so they were spared the choice of conversion or death.

Answer 2

both "Peoples of the Book, " and sharers in the same scriptural tradition and so they were spared the choice of conversion or death.

Question 3

Who were the Shi'ites and the Sunnis? What main issues divided them?

Answer 3

This very narrow question has particular relevance in the contemporary world.Students, however, should show an appreciation for the historical importance of the split regardless of its impact on the United States.

Question 4

Which of the following does not describe the Quran?

A)It consists of 114 Suras (steps).
B)Each chapter emphasizes the individual worshipper.
C)Early versions of the Quran included commentaries.
D)It is written in simple and elegant prayer that symbolizes the transcendence of Allah.
E)There is an emphasis on the religious continuity of Muhammad's teachings.

Question 5

Survey the great Islamic conquest; what territories did it include, and what were some of the reasons for its amazing success?

Question 6

Discuss the Carolingian Renaissance.What was its lasting impact in the West?

Question 7

The "Five Pillars" of Islam include all of the following except

A)the donation of significant alms to the poor.
B)holy war against all nonbelievers.
C)individual prayers five times daily.
D)one month of daytime fasting per year.
E)the profession of faith.

Question 8

Discuss developments in England and Ireland during this period.How did they become Christian? What was the main political problem for England?

Question 9

Muhammad was a(n)

A)schoolteacher born in Medina.
B)Bedouin warlord.
C)preacher who converted everyone in Mecca except his wife.
D)caravan trader.
E)orphan raised by local Bedouin tribes.

Question 10

Compare and contrast the three heirs to the Greco-Roman world: Byzantium, Islam, and the West.

Question 11

The differences between Shi'ites and Sunnis did not involve

A)the belief that Muhammad was a prophet.
B)the successors to Muhammad.
C)the standards of the ulama.
D)which group lived up to the good practices of Muhammad.
E)the legitimacy of the Umayyad and Abbasid line of ascendancy.

Question 12

In the early Middle Ages, the three heirs to the Roman Empire shared all of the following except

A)the belief that each was chosen by God.
B)the same level of literacy and commerce.
C)an interaction of local customs and the Roman past.
D)the belief that their rulers were God's agents.
E)an attempt to balance mutual interests with bitter rivalries.

Question 13

All of the following are reasons for the rapid creation of the Muslim Empire except

A)the military weakness of the Byzantine and Persian Empires.
B)Muslim superiority in large-scale pitched battles.
C)the redirection of traditional violence out of Arabia and into foreign wars.
D)the disaffection of many groups within the Byzantine and Persian Empires.
E)Islam addressed regional and ethnic sensitivities, which enabled them to maintain local control.

Question 14

Which of the following was not a "Rightly Guided Caliph"?

A)Umar
B)Abu Bakr
C)Abu'l Abbas
D)Ali
E)Uthman

Question 15

What is the Hjira?

A)Muhammad's conquest of Medina
B)the Islamic sacred text
C)the conversion of the Arab tribes
D)the emigration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina
E)the conquest of Mecca

Question 16

Compare and contrast the Carolingian experience of cultural expansion with that of the Roman Empire which you studied in previous chapters.Make sure to give specific examples of each to illustrate your understanding of the two periods.

Question 17

Arabia in the early seventh century was

A)a society based on tribes and competitive trade.
B)a unified nation-state.
C)desert with no cities.
D)mostly Zoroastrian in religion.
E)long dominated by Roman and Persian Empires.

Question 18

Fundamental changes that transformed the eastern Roman Empire into Byzantium include all of the following except

A)adoption of Christianity as the state religion.
B)sharp geographic contraction.
C)the creation of new military districts called themes.
D)neutralizing the powers of leading bureaucrats while multiplying the number of offices.
E)development of a more Eastern cultural orientation.

Question 19

According to the chapter, Islam

A)preached a faith that was old in its basic elements but new in its formulation.
B)conquered territories from Spain to the frontiers of China.
C)created an imperial system with a coherent government and ideology.
D)was founded by Muhammad who had received revelations to preach about Allah.
E)All of these.

Question 20

What were some reasons for the emergence of the Papal States? How did the popes amass temporal as well as spiritual authority during the early medieval period?

Question 21

Which Pope was instrumental in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons?

A)Leo I
B)Gregory I
C)Honorius
D)Zachary
E)Boniface

Question 22

Which of the following does not describe the transition and changes occurring in the British Isles between 600 and 900?

A)Seven kingdoms emerged from earlier numerous tiny ones.
B)Offa of Mercia became the "king of all England."
C)Viking invasions were successfully warded off by a combined English force.
D)Christian organization was installed by St.Patrick and Augustine.
E)The throne destroyed the noble class.

Question 23

The Lombards in Italy

A)completely eliminated the Byzantine presence in the Italian peninsula.
B)were unable to unite the Lombard duchies under the king.
C)defeated Pepin and Charlemagne.
D)always remained Arian.
E)forced the popes to seek the aid of Spanish Berbers.

Question 24

The First Carolingian King was

A)Charles Martel
B)Pippin III
C)Charlemagne
D)Louis the Pious
E)Charles the Bald

Question 25

What is a Carolingian Capitulary?

A)the Frankish congress
B)legal officials
C)a military unity
D)royal executive orders
E)a type of Carolingian architecture

Question 26

Which of the following is not true in explaining why Emperor Leo felt the need to destroy religious icons?

A)He felt icons were offensive to God.
B)Military defeats were the result of God's displeasure.
C)He wished the church icons to be replaced by images of himself.
D)He felt Moses had received the word against graven images.
E)Destruction of icons symbolized the growing differences between East and West.

Question 27

As the boundaries of Byzantium changed in the seventh century, which of the following was not a part of this change?

A)It still held southern and eastern shores of the Roman Mediterranean.
B)It added the western part of India as a sphere of influence.
C)It lost much of its eastern area to Arab expansion.
D)Arabs will eventually threaten Constantinople itself.
E)It checked the advance of the Slavic peoples in the Balkans.

Question 28

The Papal States are historically established by

A)Constantine
B)Charles Martel
C)Pippin III
D)Charlemagne
E)Louis the Pious

Question 29

Which enemy did Heraclius face during his reign?

A)Persians
B)Muslims
C)Slavic peoples
D)All of these
E)None of these

Question 30

The Visigoths in Spain

A)were able to unify and centralize the country.
B)were Catholic in a population of Arians.
C)offered the best hope of reunifying the West.
D)never unified the country because of unstable dynastic succession and foreign attacks.
E)created a law system that borrowed heavily from Roman law.

Question 31

What is the "mayor of the palace"?

A)The title of the Carolingian emperors
B)A military command
C)An official at the Carolingian court
D)The Merovingian "Prime Minister"
E)A puppet-king

Question 32

In the eighth century, the Berbers conquered

A)all of Italy.
B)the Asturias Mountains.
C)Oviedo.
D)all of Spain except for the Asturias in the northwest.
E)all of Italy except for the Vatican and Roman areas.

Question 33

The missi dominici was(were)

A)a new form of religious book.
B)inspectors who reported to Charlemagne on the conduct of his officials.
C)powerful vassals of the emperor.
D)ambassadors to the Anglo-Saxons.
E)Carolingian ambassadors to the Byzantium.

Question 34

Which of the following aided the Carolingians in their rise to power?

A)Their bloody suppression of the Merovingian Revolt
B)Charles Martel's defeat by the Arabs in 733
C)The eradication of rival noble families
D)The backing of powerful episcopal and monastic churchmen.
E)Alliances with Muslim leaders in Spain

Question 35

All of the following are true of Charlemagne except that

A)he was crowned Roman emperor by the pope on Christmas Day in 800.
B)he united much of Europe in one Christian empire.
C)his empire remained unified for two hundred years.
D)he promoted a great revival of learning.
E)although interested in learning and knowledge, he never learned to write.

Question 36

Charlemagne's new ideology, which characterized his realm as the "New Israel" (the Chosen People),

A)made no ethnic distinctions within the empire.
B)impeded the development of a secular royal ideology.
C)led to bitter struggles between secular rulers and the church.
D)made him the divinely appointed ruler on earth as the Holy Roman Emperor.
E)All of these.

Question 37

Where did Charlemagne establish his capital?

A)Paris
B)Rome
C)Aachen
D)Germigny
E)Milan

Question 38

All of the following apply to the Donation of Constantine except it

A)was used to justify papal temporal power.
B)stated that Constantine had given the pope authority to rule the western half of the Roman Empire.
C)helped to establish Christianity as the state religion.
D)was probably written in the 760s, over four centuries after the death of Constantine.
E)involved lands given to the popes by the Franks.

Question 39

Which of the following is not true of "icons"?

A)They were worshipped by Christians.
B)They come from a Greek word that means "image."
C)They portray Christ, Mary, and the Saints.
D)They decorated their churches and homes with them.
E)They are meant to give a sense of timelessness and holiness.

Question 40

The Byzantine office of Strategos was

A)A naval commander
B)A local official
C)A member of the imperial court
D)A civil lawyer
E)A civil and military leader of a district

Question 41

Which position was not open to women in the early medieval west?

A)Sainthood
B)Cloth trade worker
C)Queen
D)Abbess
E)Priest

Question 42

What geographic feature was critical for early medieval trade?

A)great Roman roads
B)rivers
C)access to sea-lanes
D)caravan routes
E)many remaining Roman bridges

Question 43

Immediately to the east of the Carolingian territories lay

A)a vast empty steppe (prairie)extending to the Ural Mountains.
B)Slavic lands, some of which were converted to Catholicism and some to Orthodoxy.
C)Scandinavia, with a monarchy rising in Denmark under Carolingian pressure.
D)the most northern lands of Islam.
E)colonies of Byzantium.

Question 44

The exploits of the Vikings included

A)an alliance with the Muslims against the Franks.
B)destruction of Charlemagne's schools and monasteries.
C)missionary activity rather than destructive raids.
D)the capture of Rome.
E)settlements in Normandy and Rus.

Question 45

The disintegration of the Carolingian Empire was affected by all of the following except

A)entrenched regional diversity.
B)instability caused by creating subkingdoms for royal sons.
C)the Treaty of Verdun, which reunified the empire.
D)new waves of invasions.
E)size and ethnic complexity.

Question 46

Which of the following can be said of early medieval European women?

A)Women's influence tended to be in the private, not the public, sphere.
B)Women seldom could inherit land if they had brothers.
C)Women were bound to the same hierarchies as men.
D)Aristocratic women had opportunities and power denied to ordinary women.
E)All of these

Question 47

What was a "vassal"?

A)A type of military unit
B)The obligation to serve in the military
C)Subordinate nobles, be they civil or religious
D)A type of castle
E)A Carolingian legal official

Question 48

During the early Middle Ages, European trade

A)declined until it became a purely local activity.
B)came to a standstill because of invasions.
C)included long-distance trade with the Byzantine and Muslim worlds.
D)was carried on only by land routes.
E)was hindered by religious differences and interference.

Question 49

Muhammad was born in 570 to a wealthy and highly powerful clan of the Quraysh tribe.

Question 50

Ninth-century Arab attacks on Europe included all of the following except

A)the conquest of Sicily.
B)the siege of Aachen.
C)a raid on Rome.
D)robbing travelers in the Alps.
E)an attack on the British Isles.

Question 51

Magyars, also known as Hungarians,

A)invaded the Roman Empire under their leader, Attila.
B)created the first major Slavic state: Great Moravia.
C)migrated to eastern Europe from the east and raided as far west as France and Italy.
D)allied with the Vikings and Arabs to bring down the Carolingian Empire.
E)had earlier defeated both the Huns and Avars.

Question 52

The mosque of the "Dome of the Rock" in Jerusalem was the first important shrine of Islam.

Question 53

As part of his approach to scholarship, Charlemagne

A)ordered all cathedrals and monasteries to establish schools.
B)never consciously thought of a "rebirth" or "restoration."
C)favored oral teaching but disapproved of books.
D)focused on the revival of Classical Greek culture.
E)prohibited women from learning and study.

Question 54

Which of the following did not occur during the Carolingian Renaissance?

A)standardization of liturgy and monastic rules
B)a virtual industry of copying manuscripts
C)a general lowering of academic standards
D)the increasing use of stone in architecture
E)a conscious effort at rebirth and reform

Question 55

Who was Charlemagne's biographer?

A)Bede
B)Alcuin
C)Theodulf
D)Einhard
E)Louis the Pious

Question 56

Which of the following evangelized Slavic Europe?

A)Boniface
B)Bede
C)Alciun
D)Cyril and Methodius
E)Einhard

Question 57

Which territory was not conquered by the Vikings?

A)Ireland
B)Britain
C)Denmark
D)Normandy
E)Spain

Question 58

Which of the following correctly describes an estate or manor?

A)Estate labor involved slaves.
B)Hired labor was never used as it affected the stability of the slave system.
C)Landowners did not share any part of the estate with their labor force.
D)Produce from estates-manor might be sold in the market place or consumed on the estate.
E)Estates-manors were not a common part of the Early Middle Ages.

Question 59

Which of the following statements is not correct?

A)In the Latin West, towns lost much of their governmental functions and cultural life.
B)The Arabs were great city-builders.
C)Byzantium experienced renewed urbanization after an early decline.
D)As a rule, cities grew as the heavy burden of Roman government disappeared.
E)Agriculture remained the most important trade element.

Question 60

Which of the following correctly describes the imperial coronation of Charlemagne?

A)To acquire the position of both secular and religious leader of Christendom, Charlemagne arranged the dethroning of Pope Leo III.
B)As a reward for funding the building of St.Peter's Basilica in Rome, he was crowned by the pope.
C)In crowning Charlemagne Emperor, he became the official ally and protector of the pope.
D)The Papal site fell within the Carolingian territory and accepted the role of Charlemagne as its king by divine right.
E)Charlemagne joined with disgruntled papal bureaucrats and forced the pope to coronate him.

Question 61

The influence of women in the west was only found in the public realm.

Question 62

In 597, Saint Augustine established an ecclesiastical base at Canterbury in hopes of spreading Christianity to the British Isles.

Question 63

In 832 an Abbasid caliph endowed an academy for scholars called the "House of Wisdom."

Question 64

The Papal States were established around the 600s when the Frankish king defeated the Lombards and donated the seized territories to the pope.

Question 65

Agriculture remained the most important aspect of the medieval economy.

Question 66

Charlemagne was part of the Merovingian dynasty.

Question 67

The Treaty of Verdun established a unified Frankish kingdom under one leader.

Question 68

The Carolingian Renaissance refers to the revival of learning that took place during the reign of Charlemagne.