3 OF 7 Key Concepts and Ideas

Question 1

A Mesopotamian man thought to have lived around 1800 BCE. ___________features prominently in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur’an and is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. _________is believed to be the patriarch of the three major monotheistic religions. Abraham was one of the first people to teach the idea that there is only one God.

Answer 1

Abraham

Question 2

_________was a Jewish prophet and leader descended from Isaac who lived during the 14th century BC. According to tradition, he led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt in what is known as the Exodus.

He is the most important figure in Judaism, believed to have written the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible). _______ is an important prophet in both Christianity and Islam.

Answer 2

Moses

Question 3

was a Jewish man and teacher believed by Christians to be the Son of God and the Messiah. He lived in the Roman province of Judaea (now part of modern-day Israel) during the first century CE.

He is the most important figure in Christianity, held by tradition to have been the Son of God. Christians believe that _______ allowed himself to be crucified by the Romans to atone for the sins of humanity.

Answer 3

Jesus

Question 4

_________ was an Arab merchant who lived during the sixth and seventh centuries CE. He spent most of his life in the city of Mecca on the Arabian peninsula (modern-day Saudi Arabia), before migrating with his followers to Medina.

_________ is the founder of Islam. Muslims consider him to be the last in a line of prophets of God. His prophecies, collected in the Qur’an, are believed by Muslims to be the word of God.

Answer 4

Muhammad

Question 5

________are a set of acts considered by Muslims to be central to their faith. They are shahadah (statement of belief), salat (daily prayers), sawm (fasting) during Ramadan, zakat (alms-giving), and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Significance: Muslims believe that observation of the ________ is a sign of commitment to Islam.

Answer 5

Five Pillars of Islam

Question 6

The _______ were a line of Frankish kings beginning with Clovis I. Clovis I, who converted to Christianity, was a brutal man who expanded his territory at the expense of other kingdoms and even his own relatives.

the expansion of the kingdom and Clovis’s acceptance of Christianity helped to spread the influence of Christianity across Europe.

Answer 6

Merovingian

Question 7

_________ was a Frankish king who united the Franks and conquered neighboring lands in the old Roman province of Gaul. Born in 742 CE, ______ was a pious Christian who sought to reform the church and improve education in his kingdom.

_________ laid the groundwork for political and economic patterns that would dominate the rest of the medieval period in Europe

Answer 7

Charlemagne

Question 8

_______was an empire composed of lands in Central Europe, largely comprising what is now Germany. Its origins go back to the empire of Charlemagne, but the actual ________ didn’t begin until 962 with Otto I.

_______ was a major political power in Europe for a long time and continued to exist for over 800 years

Answer 8

The Holy Roman Empire

Question 9

______ were a series of military expeditions between the 11th and 13th centuries on behalf of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches to establish control over the Holy Land.

they did succeed in expanding the medieval European world, bringing Muslim knowledge to medieval Europe, and increasing the wealth and power of the Catholic Church.

Answer 9

Crusades

Question 10

_______the years 1088-1099. He is most famous for responding to the Byzantine emperor’s plea for help and defending the empire against the Turks by vigorously calling for Christians to begin a holy war.

_________called the Council of Clermont and issued a call for the First Crusade.

Answer 10

Pope Urban II

Question 11

______ I was known as “the Lionheart” for his bravery and leadership in battle. He battled with and won many victories against the Muslim military leader Saladin; however, he was never able to win back Jerusalem.

While his leadership in the Third Crusade is his most famous achievement, he is also prominent in some English folklore.

Answer 11

Richard the Lionheart

Question 12

_________ was a Kurdish Muslim warrior who gained prominence fighting in the Holy Land against the Crusaders. In 1187, he successfully conducted a coordinated force that retook Jerusalem in 1187.

_______ is most important for his role in uniting the Muslims of Egypt, Syria, and surrounding lands and driving the Christian Crusaders out of Jerusalem. Before Saladin, the major weakness of the Muslim defenders was their disunity.

Answer 12

Saladin

Question 13

________ He founded the kingdom in 1235 CE. Later, he expanded the kingdom’s territory to include parts of the Kingdom of Ghana.

was the founder of the Kingdom of Mali. He reestablished the gold and salt trade.

Answer 13

Sundiata Keita

Question 14

______was a king of the Mali Empire who came to power in1312 CE and ruled for 20 years.

His pilgrimage to Mecca made Mali famous, which in turn increased trade and made the Kingdom of Mali richer and more powerful. Finally ___brought Arab and Islamic scholars, scientists, and architects to Timbuktu, fostering developments in learning and making the city an important intellectual center.

Answer 14

Mansa Musa

Question 15

___ was the first king of the Songhai Empire who ruled from 1464 to 1492 CE.

____ was the founder of the Songhai Empire. His acceptance of Islam and his unusual practice of it helped to spread the religion into more areas of West Africa.

Answer 15

Sonni Ali the Great

Question 16

____ ruled the Soghia Empire from 1593 to 1628 CE. He was overthrown by his son.
____ strengthened the Songhai Empire and founded the Askia Dynasty. _____practiced traditional Islam and he made that religion the official religion of the Songhai Empire.

Answer 16

Askia Muhammad

Question 17

_______ changed the culture of East, Central, and South Africa. They spread their language and traditions, which included their agricultural skill and knowledge of iron working into these new areas. The Bantu also helped smaller communities grow into kingdoms.

Answer 17

Bantu Migration

Question 18

.______was an area of east Africa where in the eighth century CE.

______ became an important and powerful trading region. The combination of cultures in these trading centers created the language, Swahili, a combination of Bantu languages and Arabic, as well as a unique Swahili culture.

Answer 18

Swahili Coast

Question 19

_____ was a kingdom from the 11th through the 15th centuries CE in southeastern Zimbabwe, known today for its pottery and curved stone architecture.

______ was a major African kingdom and city-state. It sent interior trade goods to cities along the Indian Coast, especially gold.

Answer 19

Great Zimbabwe

Question 20

____ is an island just off the coast of Tanzania. ___ was also an important trading city along the Swahili Coast.

______ was among the most powerful cities on the East African coast, and also helped spread Islam and Islamic culture throughout the region.

Answer 20

Kilwa

Question 21

____ was a prince of Portugal and an early explorer. ______sailed along the coast of Africa where he “discovered” the island of Madeira (1419), where they constructed the first European fort on the African continent.

______ journeys established Portuguese dominance in early exploration

Answer 21

Prince Henry

Question 22

_______ a Portuguese explorer in the late 15th century. In 1488, he was the first European to sail around the base of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope.

This journey gave Portugal a distinct edge in the lucrative spice trade.

Answer 22

Bartolomeo Dias

Question 23

explorations brought Portugal increased wealth and power and provided new sea routes to India.

Answer 23

Vasco da Gama

Question 24

_______ was an Italian explorer who sailed for Spain. He was the first European since the Vikings to visit the Americas. ______ made four voyages;

______ “discovery” of the land between Europe and Asia set off the conquest of those lands, particularly by Spain. It also began the Columbian Exchange of animals, plants, and diseases. This exchange changed the world and led to the destruction of many Native American people who died from contact with European diseases.

Answer 24

Christopher Columbus

Question 25

______was a Portuguese explorer in the late 15th and early 16th century. The expedition reached the Philippines in 1522 where ———–
was killed.

________journey gave Spain enormous power and prestige.

Answer 25

Ferdinand Magellan

Question 26

_____ was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. From 1519 to 1521, he led the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire of Mexico.
_______conquest of the Aztec earned him awards and enemies in the Spanish empire. Ultimately, however, his conquest of the Aztecs gave Spain control over Mexico.

Answer 26

Hernan Cortes

Question 27

________ was a Spanish conquistador who conquered the Incan people of Peru and Ecuador in 1533.

_________conquest gave Spain control over the west coast of South America, much of the Andes mountain range, and all the Incan wealth.

Answer 27

Francisco Pizarro

Question 28

______is the name for the trade between Africa, the Americas, and Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the trade, slaves were brought from Africa to the Americas. The slaves provided the labor to grow the sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which were then sold to Europe. The sugar and cotton were manufactured in Europe into textiles and rum, which were then traded in Africa (along with other manufactured goods) for slaves.

________provided for much of Europe’s growth and prosperity in this era. It was crucial to the development and prosperity of the American colonies. It enslaved or killed millions of Africans.

Answer 28

Triangular Trade

Question 29

______was a Spanish missionary who traveled to the New World in the early 16th century as a missionary. He was horrified by what he saw: the brutal treatment, enslavement, and murder of native people. He wrote several essays and a book. For this work, he became known as “Apostle to the Indians.”

By publicizing the condition of native people, de las Casas helped to bring about some reforms.

Answer 29

Bartolome de las Casas

Question 30

_______ also known as Gustavus Vassa, was an African who was kidnapped and forced into slavery in about 1756. As an adult, he was able to purchase his own freedom. In 1789, he published his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of _____ This work describes the brutal conditions of slavery and the slave trade.

His book influenced many people to join the abolition movement. Its influence helped pass the law that ended the British slave trade.

Answer 30

Olaudah Equiano