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western. civ > final > Flashcards

final Flashcards

1
Q

how did Diocletian attempt to save the Empire

A
  • by persecuting the Christians he believed that the gods would punish the romans who didn’t believe in them)
  • wanted to solve the problems by becoming more autocratic
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2
Q

what were Diocletian’s most significant reforms

A
  • punishments raised to brutal levels
  • ruled in a tetrarchy (ruled by 4)
  • created smaller administrative units
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3
Q

why was the Empire in great economic trouble

A
  • Diocletian imposed price and wage controls and new taxation system to try and control inflation
  • this failed and citizens began hoarding what they could buy which only made inflation worse
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4
Q

how and why did Rome become Christianized in the fourth century

A
  • eventually christianity become the religion of most people
  • christianity became state religion when Theodosius enforced a ban on privately funded polytheist
  • ordered the temples to close which were then converted to churches
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5
Q

what was the Byzantine empire

A
  • the eastern Roman Empire of Constantine
  • trade and agriculture kept it from poverty and emperors used force, diplomacy, and bribery to prevent invasions from the north and repel attacks by powerful empires in Persia
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6
Q

how “roman” was the Byzantine empire

A

-very, they wanted to preserve the memory of classical Roman culture and values by preserving earlier literature, both non-christian and christian

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7
Q

who was Justinian and why was he important

A

-byzantine emperor who really wanted to reunite the Roman Empire and restored imperial glory of the Augustinian period

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8
Q

what does it mean to call him the “last of the Romans”

A

he wanted to keep the Roman traditions alive

  • “mos maiorum”
  • also the last roman emperor to speak Latin
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9
Q

how and why was classical literature preserved in the Eastern Empire

A
  • texts survived because Christian education and literature depended on non-christian models (like greek or latin)
  • scholars preserved classical literature because the saw it as a crucial part of an elite education
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10
Q

What does Procopius reveal to us about Justinian and Theodora?

A
  • They were both bloodthirsty and to blame for poverty, prosecution, and slavery.
  • They were liars of the first order. They only cared about themselves and what they wanted (a.k.a they were bad people).
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11
Q

what is islam

A
  • Religion that formed under Muhammad.
  • Religion name means “Submission to God”
  • Muslims practice this religion.
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12
Q

who was Muhammad

A
  • Muhammad was the founder of Islam.
  • Around 610 Muhammad had a vision that summoned him to worship the “God of the Jews & Christians”.
  • Over the next few years, he received messages which were later compiled in the Qu’ran.
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13
Q

How/Why/Where did Islam spread

A
  • At Muhammad’s journey to Medina (Hijra) he found those who were ready to listen to his religious message and accept him as their leader (the Jews did not show their support for Islam at first).
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14
Q

why was Islam so successful and why did people convert

A
  • Muhammad fought & won the battle of Badr which secured his position in Medina and silenced his doubters.
  • He gained many new adherents after this victory.
  • Muhammad took on many military conquests in order to subdue Arabs and he welcomed converts from every tribe.
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15
Q

what was the Islamic Renaissance

A
  • It occurred throughout the Islamic world.
  • The dissolution of the caliphate multiplied centers of learning and intellectual productivity.
  • Prominent in capital cities such as Córdoba, Spain.
  • Islamic scholarship was diverse, scholars studied mathematics, philosophy, & astronomy.
  • Institutions of higher learning were where a rich Muslim might demonstrate his piety & charity by establishing a madrasa (school attached to a mosque) where the Qu’ran could be interpreted as well as literary & legal texts.
  • Students (only male) paid a fee for learning.
  • Islamic scholars wrote on paper which was cheap and they spoke to a broad audience.
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16
Q

what is a Caliphate

A
  • a Caliphate is an Islamic state under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of “Caliph”.
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17
Q

What was the Abbasid Caliphate and why was it important

A
  • The Abbasids were a new dynasty of Caliphs who ruled from 750 - 936.
  • The Abbasids rose to the Caliphate after civil war ousted the Umayyads in 750.
  • Under the Abbasids, Islamic rule shifted from Damascus (a city that has roots in the Roman tradition) to the newly founded city of Baghdad in Iraq.
  • Adhered firmly to Persian courtly models, w a centralized administration, large staff, & control over the appt. of regional governors.
  • Caliph Harun al-Rashid presided over a flourishing empire that declined after his death.
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18
Q

what is “Christian Paganism”

A
  • A form of Christianity formed in Western Europe.

- Christian religious culture with elements of pagan practice (ex: Christmas Tree).

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19
Q

what was Monasticism, and why did it develop

A
  • Religion that rejects the norms and favors a harsh life of solitude and spiritual discipline.
  • It developed because adherents wanted to show a stronger commitment to God.
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20
Q

what does monasticism have to do with book production

A
  • Monasteries monopolized book production because of Benedict’s insistence on study (creation of the 1st libraries).
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21
Q

who was Charlemagne, where did he rule, and what were his most important achievements

A
  • Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was king of the Carolingians between 768 and 814.
  • He forced Pagans to receive Christian baptisms.
  • the Pope placed the imperial crown on his head which made him furious even though he admired the Pope because he feared the reaction of the Byzantines because Charlemagne was crowned “Augustus” who was the 1st roman emperor.
  • Waged many successful wars and dreamed of an empire that would unite the traditions of Roman & Germanic worlds with the legacy of Christianity.
  • Heavily supported education (yet never learned to write) and sponsored many public building programs and appointed special officials.
22
Q

how did Charlemagne’s reign end

A
  • Charlemagne’s successor was Louis the Pious who rule from 814-840
  • After his death in 840, The Treaty of Verdun was created; Treaty dived the empire among Louis’ remaining 3 sons
  • By 843 the empire had dissolved.
23
Q

the Carolingian era was very short, and the empire collapsed after a few generations. Why then is it important

A
  • The Carolingian era was important because it created the Carolingian Renaissance which was the revival of classical learning and culture.
  • Christianity was spread because of Charlemagne’s rule.
  • Importance on education and public works showed a ruler who was always interested in the benefit of his kingdom.
24
Q

who were the “non-Romans” and why were the migrating west

A
  • The “non-Romans” were considered Barbarians by the Romans.
  • Migration West was due to the desire to flee from attacks by the Huns.
  • Wanted to share in Roman prosperity.
25
Q

How did the different cultures of Romand and Barbarians blend

A
  • Barbarians created written laws in resemblance of Roman law codes, published in Latin.
  • They also studied Roman teachings about Greek and Roman culture.
26
Q

why does the book call early Western Europe a “medley of kingdoms

A
  • It was called that because the Barbarians were a group of mixed ethnicities who wanted to integrate into Roman society.
27
Q

who were the Merovingians

A
  • Merovingians made up the Merovingian Dynasty which ruled Gaul from 486 - 751.
28
Q

what is local rule

A
  • Local rule was a decentralized break-down of power
  • Local allegiances / municipal relationships were created using feudalism.
  • Personal allegiance (sealed by an oath) between a lord (fief provider) and vassal who receives the fief.
29
Q

what is feudalism

A
  • Relationship between members of the ruling class (those who fight and those who pray)
30
Q

what is manorialism

A
  • Relationship between the holder of a fief and peasants (those who work on the fief).
31
Q

what is a fief

A
  • A grant of land given in exchange for services.
32
Q

what is a vassal

A
  • Faithful men who received fiefs in return for service (especially military).
33
Q

why did local rule emerge in western europe after Charlemagne

A
  • As royal power diminished after the decline of the Carolingian dynasty, courts & other powerful men stopped looking to the king for new lands & offices.
34
Q

what is primogeniture

A
  • A system of inheritance in which the heir is the king’s eldest son.
35
Q

what is the “peace” and “truce of God”

A
  • The “Peace of God” united bishops, counts, & peasants in an attempt to contain local violence.
  • The “Truce of God” prohibited fighting between warriors at certain times
    (Created by the bishops)
36
Q

what was the commercial revolution and how did the economy of Europe transform during the high Middle Ages

A
  • The commercial revolution spawned a widespread use of money, corporations, banks, accounting systems, and urban centers which thrived on economic vitality.
  • The revolution took place in markets, fairs, & permanent centers and a form of what is now modern capitalism took place.
37
Q

what is a crusade

A
  • A crusade is a culmination of a pilgrimage and holy war

- It is a fight in the name of God and to gain land / plunder

38
Q

why did Pope Urban II call the 1st Crusade

A
  • Pope Urban II called the 1st Crusade because he wanted to win Christian control of the Holy Land.
  • He also wanted to fulfill the “Truce of God” by creating a peace militia dedicated to the holy purpose.
39
Q

why would Pope Urban II’s call to arms appeal to the people of Western Europe

A
  • The people of western Europe were inspired by the Pope and local preachers to fight in the name of God.
  • They were also motivated because they would be rewarded with land for fighting.
40
Q

what was the purpose of the 1st Crusade and what was the result

A
  • The purpose was the wrest the Holy Land from the Muslims and subject it to Christian rule.
  • It resulted in the creation of crusader states in the Holy Land.
41
Q

what were the later crusades

A
  • The 2nd Crusade was not organized or well-planned and ended badly.
  • 8 more crusades took place.
42
Q

what was the “reconquista”

A
  • The Reconquista was the Christian “reconquest” of Spain from the Muslims.
43
Q

what were the new schools in the High middle ages, what did they teach and why did they develop

A
  • The best schools were in the Cathedrals of the largest cities.
  • They taught mainly theology, medicine and law among other subjects (such as the 7 liberal arts).
  • Schools began to flourish in the 12th century.
44
Q

why did architecture change in the 12th century

A
  • Architecture changed from Romanesque to Gothic
  • Romanesque: massive church buildings; heavy, serious, & solid Romanesque churches were decorated with brightly colored wall paintings and sculptures; used geometrical forms and tunnel vaults.
  • Gothic: reflected the self-confidence and wealth of merchants, guildspeople, bishops, & kings; used pointed arches, ribbed vaults, stained-glass windows
45
Q

what was Scholasticism

A
  • Scholasticism combines faith and reason to find the commonalities in the sacred and secular realms.
46
Q

what was the Fourth Lateran Council and why was it important

A
  • The Fourth Lateran Council was called by Pope Innocent III in an attempt to regulate all aspects of the Christian life.
  • It restates the Catholic position on important theological points related to the clergy & the laity.
  • Canons (church laws) were created over such subjects such as transubstantiation, the sacrament of the Eucharist, and attendance at mass + reconciliation and marriage.
47
Q

what was the Avignon Papacy

A
  • The period when the Roman Papacy moved from Rome, Italy to Avignon, France (1309-1387) marks the Avignon Papacy.
  • Many Europeans were ashamed that the Pope lived so far from Rome.
48
Q

what was the Great Schism

A
  • The Great Schism was the attempts to return the papacy from Avignon, France back to Rome, Italy (1318-1417)
  • First two, then three rival popes asserted universal authority.
  • The ordinary folk sought solace in new forms of piety (some forms condemned by Chruch as “heretical” - beliefs contrary to orthodox Christian religion).
49
Q

what was the Black Death

A
  • The Black Death was a calamitous disease.
  • It decimated the population wherever it struck and wrecked havoc on social and economic structures.
  • Survivors benefitted from an improved standard of living (Birthrates climbed, New universities established).
50
Q

what is humanism

A
  • Humanism was a literary and linguistic movement.
  • It is an attempt to revive classical Latin, the values and sensibilities that came with the language.
  • They saw parallels between their rules and the ancient world.
  • Wrote poetry, history, moral philosophy, and grammar books (the books were patterned on classical models).
51
Q

how and why did the arts transform during the renaissance

A
  • The arts transformed because they wanted a new way to express emotion.
  • The church was a major sponsor of music because every feast required music which is why humanism and music came together.

western. civ (1 decks)

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