Chapter 21 - 100 Years War

Question 1

What evidence is there for Richard the Lion-hearted’s heart being in a box?

Answer 1

He died in spring and there was pollen present in the box. Additionally, the alleged frankincense was also present, which was placed there in attempt to keep his corpse holy.

Question 2

What are some reasons for embarking on long distance trade-related journeys?

Answer 2

Reasons include: migration and conquest, religious pilgrimages, trade, diplomacy, and missionary.

Question 3

Who was Marco Polo?

Answer 3

Marco Polo was a Venetian long distance traveler who visited Mongol territory and China. His travels were recorded in prison by a fellow prisoner. The Great Wall of China was not present in his writings despite him allegedly passing through it.

Question 4

Who did the Mongols send as an envoy to convince the pope and Europeans to restart the Crusades.

Answer 4

Rabban Sauma, a Mongol envoy, was sent. He failed in convincing them.

Question 5

Who was Ibn Battuta?

Answer 5

He was a well-known Muslim traveler and a legal scholar who dealt with Sharia Law. He was Moroccan.

Question 6

Who was mainly responsible for the spread of gunpowder?

Answer 6

Muslim and Mongol merchants are largely attributed to the widespread of gunpowder. They brought this technology from China.

Question 7

How did Chinggis Khan utilize gunpowder?

Answer 7

He had an artillery unit in his army that used gunpowder bombs.

Question 8

What was the Little Ice Age?

Answer 8

It was a period of time that lasted 500 years where global temperatures dropped. It caused a decline in agricultural production, which led to famine. Additionally, Norse settlers abandoned Greenland.

Question 9

Where did the Bubonic Plague originate?

Answer 9

It originated in China via rodents and fleas.

Question 10

How much of the European population was lost due to the Bubonic Plague?

Answer 10

25% of the population was lost.

Question 11

How was price-gouging during the Bubonic Plague solved?

Answer 11

It was solved by restricting the movement of people who sought escape and with wage restrictions.

Question 12

How did the people of Eyam (Yorkshire, England) hinder the spread of the Bubonic Plague?

Answer 12

They participated in a voluntary sacrifice in which they gathered in a church in order to make certain that the plague spread no further. There was no gate to restrict them from leaving yet not one villager fled.

Question 13

How did the Hundred Years War start?

Answer 13

It started due to the English and French kings clashing over territory in France.

Question 14

Who did Joan of Arc claimed to have been visited by for inspiration? What is a common counterargument for the validity of the event?

Answer 14

Joan of Arc claimed to have been visited by the Archangel Michael at around age 13. She stated that he told her to drive the English out of France. Detractors claim that the event was a result of her alleged schizophrenia.

Question 15

How did Joan of Arc play a role in stopping the Siege of Orleans?

Answer 15

She led a contingent to end the Siege of Orleans. The contingent was given to her by the King of France upon request.

Question 16

What were gonnes?

Answer 16

They were handheld, miniature cannons that shot cannon balls or stones. Gonnes were not effective nor accurate.

Question 17

What is a caltrop?

Answer 17

It’s a metal, hollow spike that was designed to incapacitate a horse and its rider. It was hollow so that one’s flesh would be trapped inside and would have to be ripped off if the victim pulled their foot away. Joan of Arc stepped on a caltrop in battle.

Question 18

Why was Joan of Arc charged with heresy? What was the result?

Answer 18

She was charged with heresy because she wore men’s clothes (armor), which was considered illegal at the time. She agreed to only wear women’s clothes from that point forward. However, she wore men’s clothes once more.

Question 19

Why was it illegal for Joan of Arc to be burned at the stake?

Answer 19

Though she was in France at the time, the land was under English supervision so English law was still applied. English law states that only secular courts could execute. Additonally, killing a POW (made prisoner of war after she failed to recapture Paris) is considered wildly unethical due to the repercussions with the enemy side.

Question 20

What are some potential reasons for Joan of Arc wearing men’s clothes once more even after agreeing to wear female clothes?

Answer 20

1. Wearing armor would classify her as a soldier and thus ineligible and unethical to be burned at the stake because she would be a POW.
2. Prevent rape
3. Political statement

Question 21

Who was Leonardo da Vinci?

Answer 21

Leonardo da Vinci was a renaissance artist and inventor who is most famous for his painting known as the Mona Lisa.

Question 22

Who was Michelangelo Buonarroti?

Answer 22

Michelangelo Buonarroti was a sculptor, engineer, painter, architect, and poet who best known for the Statue of David and The Creation of Adam, located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He also designed the dome of the St. Peter’s Cathedral.

Question 23

In what style did Renaissance architects design building, and what was their most impressive achievement?

Answer 23

They built in a simple, elegant style preferred by their classical Greek and Roman predecessors. Their most impressive achievement was the construction of domed buildings, the technology and engineering had been lost after the fall of Rome.

Question 24

What does the term humanist refer to?

Answer 24

It referred to scholars interested in the humanities: literature, history, and moral philosophy.

Question 25

Who was Zheng He?

Answer 25

He was a Chinese muslim who rose through the ranks and became a trusted advisor to emperor Yongle.

Question 26

What ship was Zheng He’s fleet made up of?

Answer 26

It was made up of “treasure ships” with four decks capable of accommodating 500 or more passengers and huge stores of cargo. It was 408ft long and 166ft wide. It was by far the largest marine craft the world had ever seen.

Question 27

Did Christopher Colombus ever acknowledge that he had not reached Asia?

Answer 27

He never acknowledged that he had not reached Asia.