Medieval Europe Quiz

1. The medieval period in European history is generally defined as spanning from approximately:

1. 1000 AD to 1500 AD
2. 300 AD to 900 AD
3. 476 AD to 1492 AD
4. 800 AD to 1300 AD

2. What was the feudal system?

1. A hierarchical system of land ownership in exchange for military service
2. A religious organisation run by the Pope
3. A system of elected governments
4. A trading network across Europe

3. The Black Death was a devastating plague of the 14th century caused by what?

1. A fungal infection from diseased crops
2. A poison in contaminated water
3. A virus spread by mosquitoes
4. The bacterium Yersinia pestis, spread primarily by fleas on rats

4. The Crusades were medieval military campaigns launched primarily to achieve what?

1. Defeat the Mongols
2. Recapture the Holy Land from Muslim control
3. Spread Christianity to Northern Europe
4. Unite European kingdoms under one king

5. Who was William the Conqueror and what did he do in 1066?

1. A Saxon king who defended England in 1066
2. A Viking who raided England in 1066
3. The Duke of Normandy who conquered England at the Battle of Hastings
4. The last King of the Anglo-Saxons

6. Magna Carta was signed in 1215. What was its significance?

1. It ended feudalism in England
2. It established a Parliament for the first time
3. It established trial by jury for everyone
4. It limited the power of the king by establishing certain rights of barons and freemen

7. Joan of Arc led French forces against which country during the Hundred Years' War?

1. England
2. Portugal
3. Spain
4. The Holy Roman Empire

8. What was the Domesday Book, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086?

1. A comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England
2. A history of the Norman Conquest
3. A list of all nobles who swore loyalty to William
4. A record of all English laws

9. The Hundred Years' War was fought between which two countries?

1. England and France
2. England and Scotland
3. France and Spain
4. France and the Holy Roman Empire

10. Who was Thomas Becket and why is he historically significant?

1. A monk who translated the Bible into English
2. A Norman baron who opposed Magna Carta
3. Archbishop of Canterbury murdered in his cathedral in 1170, later canonised
4. The founder of the Knights Templar

11. What were medieval guilds?

1. Associations of craftsmen or merchants controlling trade and maintaining standards
2. Groups of knights sworn to the Crusades
3. Peasant assemblies
4. Religious orders of monks

12. The First Crusade (1095) was called for by which Pope?

1. Pope Alexander III
2. Pope Gregory VII
3. Pope Innocent III
4. Pope Urban II

13. What was a 'serf' in medieval feudal society?

1. A free peasant farmer
2. A low-ranking soldier
3. A peasant legally bound to the land and to service under a lord
4. A skilled craftsman in a guild

14. Richard I of England was known by what nickname?

1. Richard the Brave
2. Richard the Crusader
3. Richard the Great
4. Richard the Lionheart

15. Which medieval European university, founded in 1088, is the oldest continuously operating university in the world?

1. Bologna
2. Cambridge
3. Oxford
4. Paris

16. What was the Great Schism of 1054?

1. The division of the Holy Roman Empire
2. The permanent split of Christianity into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches
3. The split between the Pope and King Henry VIII
4. The split of France during the Hundred Years' War

17. The Mongol Empire, at its height, was the world's largest contiguous land empire. Who founded it?

1. Attila the Hun
2. Genghis Khan
3. Kublai Khan
4. Timur (Tamerlane)

18. The Black Death of 1347–1351 reached Europe via which route?

1. Brought by Viking raiders from Scandinavia
2. Carried by crusaders returning from the Holy Land
3. Spread through contaminated drinking water in France
4. Via Mongolian trade routes (Silk Road) and arriving by ship in Sicily

19. What was the purpose of medieval castle keeps?

1. As a comfortable residence for the lord
2. As a grain storage facility
3. As a last line of defence and symbol of power
4. As a place of worship

20. What was the 'Reconquista'?

1. The Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule (711–1492)
2. The Crusades in the Holy Land
3. The Norman Conquest of England
4. The Viking conquest of Northern France