Thursday, 41907

1
Thursday, 4/19/07

• 5 W Questions Writing on Late Middle Ages
  Topics
  
• Feudalism
• 1. (W2) Feudalism became the political system of
  the Middle Ages, (W1) involving Kings, nobles,
  clergy, and peasants, and was a form of
  government by landowning nobles.
• (W3) Feudalism became popular in and dominated
  western Europe, (W4) starting in 700 A.D.,
  lasting until the 1200s A.D., and (W5) since
  there was no strong central government, it
  provided protection for the King, his land, and
  all who lived in his kingdom.
• Castles
• All throughout (W3) western Europe, (W4) during
  the Late Middle Ages starting in the early
  1100s, (W1) Nobles would build castles as their
  home for their families, servants, officials, and
  defenders.
• (W2) Castles are large stone houses designed as
  fortresses (W5) to protect the Nobles, their land
  and home from attackers and invaders.
  

2

• Knighthood
• (W1) Most nobles became knights and had to go
  through the process of knighthood starting at age
  7, then becoming a page, a squire at 15, and then
  (W2) earning the right to be a knight or warrior
  on horseback.
• (W3) In western Europe, (W4) during the late
  middle ages, knighthood (W2) included the code of
  chivalry involving honor, courage, respect, and
  good manners in which (W5) knights were trained
  and needed to protect the King and Kingdom.
• Crusades
• (W2) The crusades were a series of holy wars
  which originated with the crusaders from (W3)
  western Europe who traveled to Jerusalem and
  Palestine (W4) from 1096 to 1291.
• (W1) The Crusades, which included Nobles, Kings,
  the Pope, peasants, and children, wanted (W5) to
  recapture the Holy Land Jerusalem from the
  Seljuq Turks as well as stop the persecution of
  the Christians there.

3

• Guilds
• Guilds came into being (W4) around the 1100s
  (W3) in many European towns and (W5) were created
  to protect workers by making sure their members
  were treated equally.
• These (W2) business groups were (W1) formed by
  merchants, artisans, and workers, all members who
  worked in the same craft/job and area.
  
• Black Death
• (W2) The Black Death was a plague that hit (W3)
  Europe (W4) during the 1300s, killing (W1)
  millions of European people (1/3 of the
  population), most (W4) from 1348 to 1350.
• (W2) This plague came from diseased rats on trade
  ships from the middle east and spread quickly
  (W5) because Europes sanitary measures were
  virtually non-existant the plague was highly
  contagious.

4

• Inquisition
• The Inquisition (W2) was a court set up by the
  church in which a (W1) council of bishops of the
  Roman Catholic- Christian Church (W5) tried to
  stop heresy by force, preventing anyone from
  coming against the church and their power.
• The Inquisition (W4) started in 1129 and affected
  (W3) people that lived in western Europe,
  primarily in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain.
  
• 100 Years War
• This prolonged war (W2) was a series of battles
  between (W1) (W3) France and England along with
  their leaders King Edward III and King Charles
  VII and (W4) took place from 1337 to 1453.
• The (W5) conflict began with Englands ongoing
  claim to part of S.W. France where the French
  wanted them out, and even more so when King
  Edward III declared himself King of France.

5

• Magna Carta
• This Great Charter was signed by (W1) King John
  in (W4) 1215 in (W3) Runnymede, England, where
  the (W1) Nobles forced the Kings hand to agree
  to this (W2) document stating the king had less
  controlling power, and could not collect taxes
  without consent of the council.
• (W5) The English Nobles were upset at the King
  for ignoring the law and increasing taxes, and
  they wanted certain rights and power which meant
  less power for the King.
• Joan of Arc
• (W1) Jeanne d Arc was a 17 year old peasant girl
  of France (W5) who believed that she had been
  told by God through heavenly voices that she was
  to help save France.
• (W4) In 1429, Joan of Arc (W2) received
  permission from the son of King Charles VII, was
  given an army, and led this French army in the
  attack against the English at (W3) Orleans.