Introduction
Instructions: Welcome to Mr. Miller's Middle Ages Webquest. You are about to embark on a voyage throughout the Middle Ages. On this voyage, you will discover many things about this unique time in Europe's history. Click on each site in the Process tab to find the answer to each of the following questions and record your answers on your worksheet. Good luck and safe traveling...this was a very dark & dangerous time in Europe's history! You must answer all of the questions before proceeding to part B.
Process
Timelines
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/timelines.html
1. The medieval times, or middle ages, refers to a time in history that lasted about 1000 years. When did the Middle Ages start, and when did they end?
__________ CE - ___________ CE (CE stands for Common Era and basically means the same thing as AD.)
The Plague
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/plague.html
2. What was the name of the horrible disease hit Asia, Africa, and Europe in the 1300s? ________________________
3. In ten years, the plauge had killed over ______________ of Europe's population 4.People thought they were getting sick as a punishment from their gods, but it was actually _______________ that were spreading the disease.
Feudalism
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/feudalism.html
5. In medieval times, there were three major groups of people. They were the __________________________, the ______________________________________, and the ______________________________________.
6. If people wanted more land, the would simply start a ______________________ with someone.
7. Around 900 CE, a new form of government called ____________________________ was formed.
8. In the feudal system, everyone was a vassal. What does the term vassal mean? ____________________________
9. What was the ceremony called in which the vassals promised their loyalty to a lord? _______________________
10. The most important promise of the vassal to the lord was ____________________
Fiefs
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/fiefs.html
11. ___________________ in medieval times was broken into fiefs.
12. The fief included at least one village, _______________ for the serfs, the manor house or _________________, and areas set aside to grow, feed, or catch ____________________ - the fields, pasture land, and woods.
13. In exchange for ownership of a fief, you had to promise certain things:
a.)
b.)
c.)
d.)
e.)
Life of the Nobility Kings, Lords, Ladies, Knights
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/nobility.html
14. During the middle ages, noblewomen had no rights. They were the _________________ of their husbands. They could not even chose their own husbands; their ________________ chose for them.
15. ___________________ did not go to school. They were taught by their mother how to behave and there was a strict code of behavior in the middle ages.
16. Which church ruled the daily lives of the people in the Middle Ages? ______________
17.) ______________ and ________________ were usually two reasons why arranged marriages were contracted
Medieval Castles
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/castles.html
18. Why did the nobility build their castles out of stone in the middle ages?
_________________________________________________________
The Manorial System
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/commoners.html
19. The common people in the middle ages were the __________________________ and the ___________________.
20. The _____________________ could not leave the manor without permission, but they weren't slaves. They stayed with the land even if the lad was sold to a new owner.
21. The _______________________ were free to leave the manor, but usually didn't because there really was no place for them to go.
22. How did the commoners pay their taxes to the lord? ____________________________________________________________________________________________
23. Could most of the common people read or write? _____________________
Knight Life
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/knights.html
24. At what age did the sons of noblemen begin their training for knighthood? _____________________
25. At age 15, he became a ______________________ and was assigned to a knight to learn how to fight and behave.
26. Once a squire proved himself in battle, he became a ________________________.
27. What was the code called that said that all knights had to be brave in battle and is now the basis of good manners in most Western societies? ______________________________________________
28.) Name six standards of the chivalric code:
a.)
b.)
c.)
d.)
e.)
f.)
Medieval Weapons & Tools
http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/weapons.html
29. Knights wore shirts of mail, which was made from hundreds of thousands of _________________________, all linked together to protect against the blow of another knight's sword.
30. What was a knight's most important weapon that blacksmiths invented to be able to cut through mail and bone? ________________________________________
31. What was the trajectory weapon called that was used at this time to fling rocks? __________________________
32. What was the name of the weapon that was used to tear down castle walls? ______________________________
33. A ________________________ was like a giant crossbow that shot giant arrows.
Part B (RESPOND to each question)
1.) What were the main features of feudalism? How did feudalism change the social structure of Anglo-Saxon England?
2.) Loyalty lay at the heart of the feudal system. The landowners extracted loyalty from their serfs, the lords expected loyalty from their knights, and the king demanded loyalty from everyone. Has loyalty remained as important in today's society? To whom, or to what, are you loyal, and why? Your answer might include institutions, like school or church, but does it include areas? Whom do you expect to be loyal to you, and in what ways? Jot down your thoughts on the issue (that means each question) to discuss with others in the class.