MEDIEVAL EUROPE – CHRISTIANITY AND THE ROMAN CHURCH

History Chapter – 2

I Short Question and Answers:-

1. Who were the Goths, the Vandals and the Franks?

Ans. The Goths, the Vandals and the Franks were European tribes which invaded the roman
and Greek empires in eth Early Medieval period.

2. What were the ‘barbarian invasions’?

Ans. The barbarian invasions were the raids by various Germanic tribes such as the Goths,
the Vandals and the Franks. These invaders penetrated deep into the Roman territory
and plundered and ravaged it.

3. Name the capital of the eastern Roman Empire.

Ans. The capital of the eastern Roman Empire was Constantinople (modern Istanbul).

4. What effect did the barbarian invasions have on the Byzantine (Eastern Roman)
empire?
Ans. The Byzantine empire was also attacked by the ‘barbarian tribes’, but it proved to be
more resilient than its western counterpart. It successfully withstood the onslaughts and
preserved some of the great legacies of the glorious Roman empire.

5. What were the Crusades?

Ans. Crusades were the holy wars waged by the Christians against the Turks, who had
captured the lands of the Christian emperor of Constantinople and Jerusalem (the holy
land of the Christians).

6. What was renaissance?

Ans. Renaissance was the period in Europe from the 14th century CE to the 16th century CE
when people became interested in the ideas and culture of ancient Greece and Rome
and used these influences in their own art, literature, etc.

7. How did the Crusades pave the way of the Renaissance?

Ans. In the course of their travels to the holy land, the Crusaders came in contact with the
superior civilizations and cultures of the Greeks and the Turks. They assimilated the
best elements of these cultures and started the process of the revival of Western
education and learning, paving the way for the Renaissance.
8. What was feudalism?
Ans. Feudalism was a form of government based on landholding. The king granted land in
exchange for military support.

9. How did the Crusades lead to the decline of feudalism?

Ans. The crusaders learned the use of gunpowder and guns from the Turks. These two
discoveries contributed to the decline of feudalism. The armoured knights had outlived
their usefulness and their services were no longer required.

10. Who were the monks?

Ans. Monks were priests who devoted their lives to the service of God and humanity. They
lived in monasteries and did not marry.

11. Where did the Christian monks live?

Ans. The Christian monks lived in remote, isolated places, far away from human habitation
which came to be known as monasteries.

12. Who were nuns?

Ans. Nuns were women who devoted their lives to the service of Goad and humanity. They
lived in nunneries and did not marry.

13. What is an abbey?

Ans. An abbey was a large church, together with a group of buildings in which the monks or
nuns lived.

14. Name two arts that flourished.

Ans. Two arts that flourished are mural painting and stained glass painting.

15. Name two internationally renowned universities that evolved from a Christian
monastery.
Ans. Two internationally renowned universities that evolved from a Christian monastery are
Oxford and Cambridge.

II Long Questions:-

1. Briefly discuss the causes of the decline of the mighty Roman Empire.
Ans. The decline of the mighty Roman Empire was due to the repeated attacks by various
Germanic tribes such as the Goths, the Vandals and the Franks. These invaders
penetrated deep into the Roman territory and plundered and ravaged it. They did not
even spare the magnificent city of Rome. The tribes gradually settled down and
assumed control of the western part of the Roman empire. Another reason for the
downfall of the Roman Empire was the political and economic crises in that time.

2. Write a brief on the Germanic tribes.

Ans. The Germanic tribes had lived for more than a century on the borders of the Roman
empire and were familiar with Roman culture. They were semi-civilized and they
brought with them their own traditions and culture.

3. Discuss the spread of Christianity in early medieval Europe.

Ans. The spread of Christianity was one of the most important developments in early
medieval Europe. The Germanic tribes that overran Italy left the Church of Rome
unharmed. The Church was allowed to retain its spiritual power over all the Christians.
In 400 CE, most people in Europe were non Christians. Within 500 years, by about 900
CE, most Europeans had been converted to Christianity. In every European state,
Christianity had become the state religion.

4. Discuss the power of the Church after the spread of Christianity.

Ans. As Christianity spread, the power and wealth of the Church multiplied. Christian
monks, fired by religious fervor, organized themselves into religious orders. These
orders built great monasteries where the monks stayed and pursued their religious
missions. The monks also pursued the arts and learning in all kinds of subjects. The
monasteries became great centres of scholarship, art, literature and religious studies.
Majestic churches were built in every town and city. Educational institutions, such as
the internationally renowned Cambridge and Oxford universities were built by the
Church. As the wealth and power of the Church increased, it became increasingly
conservative and authoritarian, demanding from every Christian unqualified obedience,
loyalty and total submission to its dictates.

5. The crusades brought about significant changes in medieval Europe. In this

context, discuss the following:
Ans. (a) Advent of the Renaissance: between the 11th and 13th centuries CE, the Christians
led eight military expeditions against the Turks. The crusades failed to achieve their
main objective, but they brought about several significant changes in medieval Europe.
In the course of their travels to the holy land, the crusaders came in contact with the
superior civilizations and cultures of the Greeks and the Turks. They assimilated the
 best elements of the cultures and started the process of the revival of western education
and learning which led to the advent of the Renaissance.

(b) Economic prosperity: Europe re-established direct trade contacts with other parts
of the world. The Crusaders got a taste of the luxurious lifestyle of the East. To meet the
demand for luxury items, European traders began to establish trade links with the East.
As trade increased, the economy of Europe flourished.

6. What led to the decline in the power of the feudal lords?

Ans. With the economic prosperity in Europe, many new towns and cities were established.
The traders and manufacturers demanded better conditions of law and order and a better
system of law. They paid taxes to the king and helped him to raise a large army. This
led to an increase in the authority of the king and a decline in the power of the feudal
lords.

7. Write short notes on Life in a monastery.

Ans. Monks became important members of medieval society. Life in the monasteries was
simple and orderly. Monks and nuns had to follow a very rigid code of conduct. Monks
did not marry; they devoted their entire lives to spiritual matters and to the service of
humanity. The life of a nun was devoted to prayer and service of the poor, the sick and
the oppressed. Nuns, too, could not marry.

8. Describe a monastery.
Ans. A monastery was usually a large, strong and simple building, surrounded by gardens,
fruit orchards, fields and ponds. Inside the abbey was a small church, living quarters for
the monks and nuns, a kitchen and storerooms. Attached to most monasteries were
hospitals, schools and libraries. Monasteries played a very important role in medieval
Europe. The nuns educated children and treated the sick and the wounded.

9. What did the monks and nuns do for the welfare of the people?
Ans. Very often, the barren land around the monastery was brought under cultivation and
made productive. Architecture, mural painting developed and flourished in the
monasteries. Monasteries provided shelter to travelers and gave food and clothing to the
poor and needy. They grew medicinal herbs in their gardens, which created new interest
in botany. The greatest contribution of the monasteries was in the field of education.

10. What was the contribution of the monasteries in the field of education?
Ans. The greatest contribution of the monasteries was in the field of education. Some of
these monasteries later developed into famous secular universities, such as the
 universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Besides the religious texts, secular subjects such
as history, philosophy, medicine, law and astrology were also taught in these
universities. The printing press and paper has not yet been invented, so the monks wrote
books by hand on parchment. Most of the books were copies of the Bible and prayer
books, and copies of Latin and Greek books on secular subjects. These books were a
very useful source of knowledge of the ancient and medieval civilizations in Europe.

III Choose the correct answer:

1. The mighty Turkish/ Roman/ Greek empire began to disintegrate in the 5th century CE.
2. The capital of the Byzantine empire was Rome/ Jerusalem/ Constantinople.
3. The orders built great monasteries, where monks/ kings/ soldiers stayed and pursued
their missions.
4. In the 11th century CE, the Goths/ Turks/ Vandals invaded the lands of the Christian
emperor of Constantinople.
5. The crusaders learned the use of gunpowder and guns from the Greeks/ Franks/ Turks.

IV State whether the following are True or False:

1. The invaders who attacked the Roman empire were semi-civilized tribes. True
2. In the confusion and disorder that followed the disintegration of the Roman empire, the
only unifying factor was Christianity and the Roman church. True
3. The spread of Christianity was one of the most important developments in the Early
Medieval period. True
4. By the end of the 5th century CE, Christian churches had been established in almost
every town and city. True
5. The greatest contribution of the monasteries was in the field of education. True

V Match the following:-

Column A Column B
1.) Invaders (a) Convents [5]
2.) Oxford University (b)Holy wars [4]
3.) Jerusalem (c)Vandals [1]
4.) Crusades (d)Holy land of the Christians [3]
5.) Monasteries (e)Built by the church [2]
VI Fill in the blanks:-
1. The Medieval period in Europe was a period of transition from the ancient to the
modern world.
2. The great Roman Empire began to disintegrate in the 5th century CE.
3. One important reason for the fall of the Roman Empire was the repeated attacks by the
Germanic tribes such as the Goths, Vandals and the Franks.
4. The repeated attacks by the Germanic tribes are sometimes referred to as the barbarian
invasions.
5. The two reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire were the repeated attacks by the
Germanic tribes and the political and economic crises in the Roman empire.
6. In 395 CE, the Roman Empire was divided into two parts - eastern and western.
7. The eastern part of the Roman Empire was known as Byzantium, its capital was
Constantinople which is modern Istanbul.
8. The Byzantium Empire was also attacked by the barbarian tribes, but it proved to be
more resilient than its western counterpart.
9. The spread of Christianity was one of the most important developments in early
medieval Europe.
10.By 900 CE, Christianity had become the state religion in every European state.
11.The conversion of a king or a feudal lord was usually followed by a mass conversion
of his subjects.
12.As Christianity spread, the power and wealth of the Church multiplied.
13.Christian monks, fired by religious fervor, organized themselves into religious orders.
14.The religious orders built great monasteries where the monks stayed and pursued their
religious missions.
15.The monasteries became great centres of scholarship, art, literature and religious
studies.
16.Educational institutions such as the internationally renowned Cambridge and Oxford
universities were built by the Church.
17.As the wealth and power of the Church increased, it became increasingly conservative
and authoritarian, demanding from every Christian unqualified obedience, loyalty and
total submission to its dictates.
18.In the 11th century CE, the Muslim Turks invaded the lands of the Christian emperor
of Constantinople.
19.The Crusades or holy wars were fought between the Christians and the Turks,
between the 11th and 13th centuries CE.
20.The assimilation of the best elements of the cultures of the Greeks and the Turks paved
the way for the Renaissance.
21.The Crusaders learned the use of gunpowder and guns from the Turks which
contributed to the decline of feudalism.