Download Middle Ages Stations and Questions

The Moors
In 711 A.D., General Tarik, accompanied by 100 horses and 400 African soldiers, crossed over into
Spain on an exploratory mission. Tarik's small army ravaged several Spanish towns and
returned to Africa laden with spoils. Later that same year, Tarik took an army of
7000 Africans, crossing from Africa to Gilbraltar (named after him), defeating King
Roderic and conquering most of the Iberian Peninsula. Thus began the Moorish
domination of Spain, which was not fully ended until 1492.
The Moors built magnificent cities in Spain. Cordoba, in the tenth century was
much like a modern metropolis. The streets were paved, and there were sidewalks for
pedestrians. At night it was said that one could travel for ten miles by the light of
lamps along a continuous strip of buildings. This was several hundred years before
there was a paved street in Paris or a street lamp in London. The population of the
city was over one million. There were 200,000 homes, 800 public schools, a number of colleges and
universities, and many royal places surrounded by beautiful gardens.
Education was universal in Moorish Spain, available to the most humble,
while 99% of Christian Europe was illiterate—not even the kings could read or
write. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, public libraries did not exist in
Christian Europe, while Moorish Spain had more than seventy, of which the one in
Cordoba contained over six hundred thousand manuscripts. There were more than
seventeen great universities in Moorish Spain, while Christian Europe had only
two universities of any value.
Scientific progress in astronomy, chemistry, geography, mathematics,
physics, and philosophy flourished in Moorish Spain. Scholars, artist and scientists formed learning
societies, while scientific congresses were organized to promote research and to facilitate the spread of
knowledge. A brisk intellectual life flourished in all Islamic dominated societies.
The moors also introduced the manufacture of gunpowder into Europe, which their enemies later
adopted, using this explosive to drive them back to Africa.
1. How did the Moors conquer Spain? How long did their reign last?
2. How did the Moors impact Spanish cities?
3. How was education different for the Moors than the rest of Europe?
4. What were some scientific achievements?
5. What did the Moors introduce to Europe?
Crusades:
The Crusades had long-lasting effects on the economy, society, and politics in Europe and
the Holy Land. First, trade increased as people in Europe learned about products from Asia,
such as the spices and textiles that had been brought home by Crusaders.
Second, the Crusades brought changes to the political structure of Europe. Because many
nobles and knights died during the Crusades, some kings took their land to increase their own
power. Also, fighting between European nations decreased because their soldiers were fighting
elsewhere.
Third, relations between people of different religions suffered as a result of the
Crusades. Many Europeans became intolerant, thinking of all non-Christians as enemies. In
return, Muslims and Jews viewed Christians as invaders. These attitudes caused strained
relations between the groups for centuries.
Finally, a lasting impact of the Crusades was Europeans’ rediscovery of Ancient Greek and
Roman knowledge that was preserved by the Muslims. As trade increased with the Middle East,
this knowledge was restored in Europe. Suddenly the doors to a new world of ideas opened to
Italians who could read. They began looking for more information, reading Arabic translations of
original texts and searching the libraries and finding lost texts. As they read, they began to
think about art, philosophy, and science in different ways. Along the way they began to think
more like the classical thinkers who had believed in the human capacity to create and achieve.
1. How did the Crusades impact trade? Justify your answer.
2. How did the Crusades change politics?
3. How did the Crusades impact Europeans’ views on non-Christians?
4. What was a lasting impact of the Crusades on Europe?
5. Why was the rediscovery of new works important to Europeans?
Italian City-States:
Urban areas also began to specialize, particularly in Italy. The
territory that today makes up Italy was divided into several large citystates in the north and various kingdoms and the Papal States in the
south. The northern city-states of Venice, Milan, and Florence became
bustling centers of commerce. In these city-states, the Roman Catholic
Church, nobles, merchants, and artisans dominated society. Merchants
were usually either bankers or traders. Artisans practiced such crafts
as goldsmithing. Knowledge of arts such as painting, sculpture, and
architecture increased as nobles and merchants sought to display their
new wealth.
Venice, a city with access to the sea, built its economy and
reputation on trade. Its people had a long history of trading with other ports along the
Mediterranean Sea. Shipbuilding prospered, and sailors traveled to the Near East. As a result,
Venetian merchants became some of the wealthiest in the world. They used this wealth to build
a unique city that has been described as “a work of art.”
Milan, to the west of Venice, based its economy on agriculture, silk, and weapons.
Florence, to the south, was famous for its banking and cloth. Monarchs appealed to Florentine
bankers for money to fund wars or other endeavors. Merchants refined raw wool into fine cloth
and sold it abroad. The leading merchants and bankers poured their wealth into creating a city
that rivaled any other in Europe.
The government of Florence, Italy during the Renaissance was a republic. The wealthy
merchant class helped the Renaissance flourish in northern Italy. Even though Florence was a
republic, the wealthy families, like the Medici family, had economic power over much of the
city-state.
1. What happened to the territory that is Italy today?
2. What happened to the cities in the North?
3. What was a merchant?
4. What form of government did Florence have?
5. How did the merchant class impact Florence?
Art:
In medieval times, artwork was created by anonymous artists who worked for the church. During
the Renaissance, artists worked for whoever offered them the highest price. The buyers of art, or
patrons, might be wealthy individuals, city governments, or the church. Wealthy individuals competed
against one another, displaying their wealth and modernity through the purchase of artworks.
Styles and Techniques Renaissance artists wanted to paint the natural world as realistically as
possible, which was a change from the style of the Middle Ages. To help with this goal, they studied
perspective. Using perspective, artists could represent three-dimensional objects on flat surfaces.
Painters also experimented with new ways of using color to portray shapes and textures accurately.
Renaissance art also differed from that of the Middle Ages in its subject matter. Although many
artists continued to choose religious subjects, artists began to paint and sculpt scenes from Greek and
Roman myths. In addition, religious paintings focused as much on the human personality of the figures as
their religious significance. This shift in themes displayed the humanist interest in classical learning and
human nature.
During the Renaissance, the design of buildings also reflected humanist reverence of Greek and
Roman culture. Churches, palaces, and public buildings incorporated columns and domes inspired by those
of classical Greek and Roman architecture.
Leonardo da Vinci achieved greatness in many areas, among them painting, engineering, science,
and architecture. Two of his paintings became extremely famous, Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. He
also came up with ideas for a flying machine, a tank, and a machine gun. Among other things, he designed
and built canals and a machine to cut threads in screws.
Michelangelo Buonarroti was an accomplished sculptor who was able to make very lifelike human
statues. His statue David is still unsurpassed. He also painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome,
and created many other masterpieces in painting, sculpture, and architecture.
1. How did patrons impact art?
2. How was Renaissance art different from the Middle Ages?
3. Why was perspective important?
4. What time period influenced Renaissance artists?
5. Leonardo was known as a Renaissance Man. He was a painter and what else?
Machiavelli:
After a period of war in the early 1500s, life in Italy seemed insecure and precarious. The
church no longer served as a source of stability and peace. Looking for comfort and guidance in the
midst of this instability, some people turned to a form of humanism developed from Petrarch’s
ideas. Their focus was also secular; that is, they had a worldly rather than a spiritual focus.
These humanists argued that individual achievement and
education could be fully expressed only if people used their talents and
abilities in the service of their cities. Under their influence, the ideal
Renaissance man came to be the “universal man,” accomplished in the
classics, but also a man of action. Such a man could respond to all
situations.
One of these humanists, the Italian diplomat Baldassare
Castiglione (cas-steel-YOH-nay) wrote a book called The Courtier.
Published in 1528, it describes how the perfect Renaissance gentleman—
and gentlewoman—should act. In the book Castiglione creates a fictional
conversation between a duke and his guests. They discuss how courtiers
and court ladies should behave, suggesting that they should
 Speak of serious subjects as well as amusing ones,
 Have a knowledge of Latin and Greek,
 Be well-acquainted with poetry and history,
 Be able to write prose as well as poetry.
Merchants also used Castiglione’s book as a guide to behavior. They hoped that if they acted like
courtiers, they would raise their status.
At about the same time that Castiglione was finishing The Courtier, a fellow Italian, Niccolò
Machiavelli (mahk-ee-uh-VEL-ee) of Florence, was writing another influential book. Machiavelli was a
political philosopher and statesman whose experiences with violent politics of the time influenced
his opinions about how governments should rule. He set down his ideas in a book called The Prince.
Much of Machiavelli’s advice seemed to encourage harsh treatment of citizens and rival
states. He describes men as “ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers” and advises rulers to separate
morals from politics. Power and ruthlessness, Machiavelli says, are more useful than idealism to a
ruler. He insists that a ruler must do whatever is necessary to maintain political power, even if it is
viewed as cruel, for without it the state will cease to exist.
1. How did the role of the Church start to change in Italy?
2. What is secular?
3. How did humanists envision (see) achievement being expressed?
4. How did Machiavelli describe men?
5. How did Machiavelli suggest a leader should rule?
Vikings
Vikings were pagans, not Christians like most people in Britain. A Viking robber did not think twice about
robbing a Christian church. Christian monasteries in Britain were easy to attack, because the monks in
the monasteries had no weapons. Churches and monasteries kept valuable treasures, such as gold, jewels
and books. There were food, drink, cattle, clothes and tools too - tempting for greedy Vikings.
Viking ships
The Vikings built fast ships for raiding and war. These ships were 'dragon-ships' or 'longships'. The
Vikings also had slower passenger and cargo ships called knorrs. They built small boats for fishing or
short trips.
Viking longships could sail in shallow water. So they could travel up rivers as well as across the sea. In a
raid, a ship could be hauled up on a beach. The Vikings could jump out and start fighting, and then make a
quick getaway if they were chased.
To launch the ship, the Vikings pushed it into the water. They slid it over log rollers to make the pushing
easier.
1. Are these images primary or secondary sources explain your reasoning?
2. From these pictures what ideas or characteristics can we determine about Vikings?
3. How were the making of Viking ships an advantage to their lifestyles?
4. Draw a Viking ship?
MUSLIMS
Watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udi8bek3s7c
List 3 facts you heard about Muslims and how they
helped improve the ancient world?