Middle Ages Study Terms

The Middle Ages and the Christianization of Europe
(Chapter 9 pgs. 262-287)
Gregory the Great (r. 590-604)
Hierarchy
Temporal & Spiritual Authority
Monasteries
Boniface and the Germanic Tribes
Centers of Learning
Scriptorium & Manuscripts
Frankish Kingdom
Clovis
Orthodox Christianity (versus Arianism)
Carolingian Kingdom
Charles Martel & the Battle of Tours
Charlemagne/Aachen
Coronation @ Rome/Holy Roman Emperor
Ninth-Century Invasions:
Vikings (Norsemen/Normans)
Muslims
Magyars
Feudalism
Warriors
Nobility/”Lords of the Manor”
Manors (Roman villas), Manorialism
Decentralization/Self Sufficiency/Isolation/Lack of Liquid Capital—Barter Services & Protection
Mounted (Mercenary) Knights
Personal loyalty at all levels of society/Chivalry
Workers
Serfs & “unfree” labor
Craftsmen
Worshippers
First Crusade
Urban II
Antioch and the “Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem”
Fourth Crusade
Venetians & Constantinople
Consequences of the Crusades:
Weakened Byzantium
New trade routes (Money)
Medieval towns
Cathedrals
Symbols of power and piety plus Economic engines—Pilgrims and holy relics
Romanesque vs. Gothic Architecture
Romanesque: Barrel Vaults, Rounded Arches, Thick Walls
Gothic: Ribbed Vaults, Pointed Arches, Flying Buttresses, Stained Glass.
St. Denis, Notre Dame de Paris, Chartres

Study Terms for Islam

Origins and Expansion of Islam
Chapter 6 (pgs. 181-192) & Chapter 7 (pgs. 209-218)
Arabia
Bedouins
Disunion
Polytheism & Monotheism
Mecca
The Ka’ba
Pilgrimage Sites
Caravan Routes & Trade
Muhammad
The “Seal” of the Prophets
Khadija
Mecca
Yathrib (or Medina)
Jerusalem and the Temple Mount
Hijra
Umma
Jihad
Abu Bakr
The first Caliph
The Caliphate

Islam:
Monotheistic
Abraham & Old/New Testament Prophets
Free Will
Paradise & Hell

Qur’an
Hadith

“The Five Pillars” (Duties):
Profession of faith (Islam/Muslim)
Prayer five times per day
Alms giving
Fasting during Ramadan
Pilgrimage (Hajj)

Abbasid Rule (Baghdad)
Non-Arab power base
Persia
Sunni
Majority (approx. 85%)
Non-relative of the Prophet as Caliph
Shi’te
Minority
(Apostasy)

Islam: Empire of Faith Documentary

View these two well-balanced links on the origins and spread of Islam.

Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Axum

Although mildly commercial and "sensationalist", view these two links to get a sense Ethiopia's religious and imperial past.

Study Terms for Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa(Chapter 8 pgs.238-261)

The Bantu dispersion
“Stateless society”
Militarism
Islam

Kingdom of Aksum (Axum)
Emperor Ezana (Constantine)
“Monophysite” Christianity
Coptic Church
Emperor Zar’a Ya’kob (Essay p. 246)
Aksum architecture
Emperor Lalibela
Stelae
“RockChurches”
Ark of the Covenant

Empires of the Western Sudan:
Kingdom of Ghana
Kingdom of Mali
Sundiata
Mansa Musa
Kingdom of Songhai
Timbuktu
Salt/Gold
Ivory/Slaves


The Swahili Coastal trade
City states vs. empires

The Great Zimbabwe