Download Christianity and Medieval Society Notes

How did the Crusades influence Europe
and Asia socially, politically, and
economically?
Warm Up:
Date:
04.10.14A
04.11.14 B
The Crusades and Christianities Impact on
Medieval Society
Class Work:
What could convince a human to commit
murder in the name of religion? Thinking
about the 4 types of conflict you have
discussed in Language Arts; which type
of conflict do you feel best reflects this
choice in history? Provide reasoning for
your choice in 2-3 complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Warm-Up
Christianity Reading Qs
Crusades Reading Activity
WIO
Explain HW (Med. Weaponry
Assignment)
Homework:
WIO: In your own words and AT LEAST 4-6
sentences, describe the purpose of the Crusades
and at least 2 positive effects/results of the
Crusades.
Page126
Review your SS Notebook and create 5 questions
that you have from anything/any topic/
anywhere in your notebook that you would want
to review before MSL’s…
This will be collected the first day back from
break. We will use this to create the review at
the end of the year.
Page 127
Christianity and Medieval
Society
You will read and complete the reading
on Christianity and Medieval Society in
partners. You will have 25 minutes to
read and complete this assignment.
1. Why did people want to go on pilgrimages?
People wanted to go on pilgrimages to visit holy sites. The importance of religion
in medieval society grew, and people’s desires to know/interact more with religious
teachings became more important.
2. Why do you think people left land to the church when they died?
People left their land to the Church because during this time period people were very
religious and they wanted to Church to have valuables such as land so it could prosper (be
wealth).
3. What is a religious order?
A religious order is a group of people who dedicate their lives to religion and follow
common rules.
4. How were the Church/clergymen involved in the political aspect of life in the Middle
Ages?
The Church was the largest landholders in all of Europe because people gave it
land when they died. As a result the Church divided the land up into fiefs and became a
feudal lord. Also, clergymen, bishops, and other church officials often advised local rulers
on important political decisions. Some church officials became so involved in politics they
spend less time dealing with religious affairs.
5. Why were some people unhappy that the Church had political involvement?
Some people were unhappy about the Church’s involvement in politics because
they were afraid the Church had become obsessed with wealth and power. People felt that
the Church should only focus on spiritual matters.
6. Complete the Venn Diagram with a minimum of 3 facts per section and at least 2
similarities.
Monks
Friars
-lived apart from
people
-unhappy with
politics in
Church
-built monasteries
-collected, stored, and
copied Christian texts
-lived and worked among
people
-owned no property
-members of
religious order
-preached and begged
7. Who originally began creating universities? Why did they want to create them?
Some of the earliest universities were created by the Church to teach people about
religion.
8. How did teaching university classes in Latin help international relationships?
Teaching classes in Latin helped international relationships because all educated
people from different countries could communicate in Latin.
9. How did the universities early creation by the Church
influence society in areas outside of religion?

Early universities influenced society in areas outside
of religion because they brought together groups of
students who were interested in areas of study outside of
religion, and they worked together to seek out teachers
who could teach them about the world. Other areas of
study included law, medicine, and astronomy. People
began to study new subjects and some people began to
develop new ideas about the world. Mainly people
wondered how human reason and Christianity were
related.

10. How did Thomas Aquinas think understanding
natural law could help people?

Thomas Aquinas thought understanding natural
law could help people because he thought that God
created natural law, and if people studied and learned
more about this law they could learn to live the way
God wanted. He thought rational thought could be
used to support Christian beliefs. He wrote an
argument to prove God’s existence.
11. How did the Church influence art and architecture? Why
do you think so much art of the Middle Ages was religious?

The Church influenced art and architecture because
many churches were works of art. They were also filled
with beautiful objects such as paintings and tapestries that
showed respect to God. A lot of art was religious during
the Middle Ages because religious feeling provided
inspiration to a lot of artists at this time.
12. How did Gothic churches differ from earlier churches?

Gothic churches were much taller and had huge
stained glass windows.
13. Complete the chart below. In each box, list at least 2
specific things the Church did to influence society
politically, intellectually, or artistically during the Middle
Ages.
Political
The Church
in the Middle
Ages
Intellectual
Artistic
-Acted as feudal lords
-Advised rulers
-Clergy acted as
-Built cathedrals
teachers; teaching about
religion
-Inspired artists and
architects
-Helped create
universities
You are going to work in Expert Groups
to complete a reading about the Crusades.
You will need to complete a reading
guide sheet while you are reading about
the Crusades. Each group will have
assigned questions to answer.
After reading and completing the Expert
Groups assignment you will return to your
original tables and share your responses.
The reading guide sheet will serve as
notes for the Crusades.
1. What were the Crusades?
The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe
against the Muslims.
2. What was the Cause for the Crusades?
The reason for the crusades was a war between Christians and Muslims which
centered around the city of Jerusalem. The City of Jerusalem held a Holy
significance to the Christian & Muslim religion. The Pope preached a sermon
telling Christians to go and reclaim that land, at any cost!
3. What were the Objectives of the Crusades?
One of the main objectives of the crusades was at first to reclaim the
Holy Land, in particular Jerusalem, from the Saracens, but in time was extended
to seizing Spain from the Moors(Spanish Muslims), the Slavs and Pagans from
Eastern Europe, and the islands of the Mediterranean.
4. How many Crusades were there?
8
5. The First Crusade?
The first crusade, which is considered by many to be the only
successful crusade, lasted from 1095-1099, established the
Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, providing more lands for the
crusading knights, who often travelled across Europe to try
their fortunes and to visit the Holy Sepulchre
6. The other Crusades: Describe the other Crusades…
Small Christian states were established for a time in and
around Jerusalem, but they soon returned to Muslim
control.
7. The Crusaders: Who were the Crusaders?
The Crusades drew inspiration from two Christian
institutions, pilgrimage and holy war: liberation of the
holy places from Muslim rule partook of the character of
both.
All who fought in the Crusades guaranteed the remission
8. The Effects of the Crusades…
•They helped to end feudalism.
•The Crusades contributed to increase the wealth of the Church and the
power of the Papacy (Popes).
•Crusaders returning from Jerusalem brought back goods that stirred up
an interest in trade with the Middle East.
•They brought back knowledge and ideas. They brought back the idea of
a university, where higher learning would be made available. This was a
huge change for Medieval Europe, where higher education had largely
been confined to monasteries for years. – More people could and wanted
to learn!
In your own words and AT LEAST 4-6
sentences, describe the purpose of the
Crusades and at least 2 positive
effects/results of the Crusades.