Chapter 5 Study Guide Review

I. Vocabulary Review

1. decline of feudalism

H: Breakdown of the feudal system due to political changes in England, the plague and the Hundred Years’ War.

2. habeas corpus

I: The principle that accused persons cannot be held in jail without the consent of a court.

3. Magna CArta

F: Written in 1215 and it limited the king’s power and strengthened that of the nobles.

4. heretic

B: A person who holds beliefs that are contrary to the teachings of a church or other group.

5. Longbow

E: A large bow used for firing feathered arrows

6. commoner

J: A person who is not of noble rank

7. Hundred Years’ War

C: Between 1337 and 1453, France and England fought a series of wars. This conflict changed the way wars were fought and shifted power from the feudal lords to monarchs and the common people.

8. truce

G: An agreed-upon halt in fighting

9. crossbow

A: A medieval weapon made up of a wooden stock (which had a groove to direct the arrow’s flight) and operated by a trigger.

10. bubonic plague

D: Also known as the Black Death. The plague swept across Asia in the 1300s and reached Europe in 1347. The deaths of so many people led to sweeping economic and social changes.

II. Bubonic Plague

11. How did the Black Death start and where do they think it originated from?

The Black Death began by a bacteria in fleas. These fleas were on rats that were on many trade ships. These ships docked at various ports and that is how the Black Death spread rapidly throughout Europe and Asia.

Historians believe it started in Central Asia, probably China.

12. Which group was blamed for the spread of the disease? Why was this

group blamed for the disease?

Jews were blamed for this disease because their living conditions were much cleaner than that of Christians. These clean living conditions attracted less rats which is a reason why the Jews were less likley to become infected with the Black Death.

13. Why did the plague shift economically and socially?

The Plague shifted economically because many of the people that survived the plague were able to ask for more wages and better working conditions.

The Plague shifted socially because the lower class people went up in the social hierarchy because they had more money to live better lives.

14. How does the evidence of the black plague starting in a city known for its trading, help

support the historians’ theory of how it spread?

Since the Black Death started in Europe at the city of Kaffa which is off the coast of the Black Sea, the historians’ theory of the Black Death came from infected rats onboard Trade ships is most likely accurate.

15. How did the bubonic plague help bring down feudalism?

The Bubonic Plague brought down feudalism because it allowed lower class citizens to ask for higher wages and better working conditions. The feudal hierarchy basically became non-existent.

iii. Magna Carta

16. What were some of the reasons why the barons/lords were

upset with king john?

King John lost many of England’s lands to France. He would raise taxes to replenish his treasury and he would throw people in jail for no apparent reason just to collect a fine for their release.

King John also put people’s “afterlife” in jeopardy because he would fight with the church and then the church excommunicated him.

17. What two groups were now allowed to join King Edward I’s model parliament?

The two groups that were now allowed in King Edward I’s model parliament are: commoners and low ranking clergy members.

18. How did the Magna Carta help bring down feudalism?

The Magna Carta helped bring down feudalism because it set limits to a king’s power and the king now had to answer to a panel of lords/barons as well as church officials before any new laws or other important issues that could affect England.

IV. Hundred Years’ War

19. Why was the Hundred Years’ War fought?

The Hundred Years’ War was fought because France lost lands to England and France wanted them back.

20. Why were the English at an advantage over the French in the early stages of the Hundred

Years’ War?

The English were at an advantage because of the use of longbows and lighter armor. These new military tactics made the English more successful during many battles in the Hundred Years’ War.

21. How did the Hundred Years’ War help bring down feudalism?

The Hundred Years’ War helped bring down feudalism because these wars shifted the control away from the lords and gave it back to the king as well as the commoners.

The notion of a paid army came into existence during the Hundred Years’ War.