Historic Figures of the Middle Ages

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AP World History: Modern › Historic Figures of the Middle Ages

Questions 1 - 7
1

All of the following are true about Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine except _____________.

she refused to take on political responsibilities

she helped govern England with her husband, Henry II

like many noblewomen, she could inherit property as a widow

her presence as a public figure helped cause the rise of romantic love and chivalry

her sons, Richard and John, both became kings of England

Explanation

Eleanor helped govern England and she took on an active role as queen. Although her contemporaries believed that women were delicate (this was part of what fueled chivalry), Eleanor did not shy away from her state responsibilities.

2

William the Conqueror is famous for his conquest of __________.

England

France

Rome

The Iberian Penninsula

Scandinavia

Explanation

William the Conqueror, also called William Duke of Normandy, is famous for his conquest of England in 1066. He established feudalism in England and is the last invader to successfully conquer the British Isles.

3

Which of these statements about John Wycliffe is true?

All of these statements are true

His followers were called Lollards

He is considered to be a progenitor of the English Reformation

He was declared a heretic by the Papacy

He translated the bible into English for the first time

Explanation

John Wycliffe was a notable theologian and dissident within the Catholic Church in the fourteenth century. He is most famous for translating the bible into English for the first time. He is also considered to be a progenitor of the English Reformation for his rejection of church authority and his attacks on clerical indulgences.

4

The Venerable Bede is remembered for __________.

writing an early history of English civilization

his collection of relics from around the world

bringing Christianity to Ireland

his deathbed confession to Catholicism

his heretical writings against church teachings

Explanation

The Venerable Bede was a monk and historian in England in the seventh and eighth centuries. He is most commonly remembered as the author of The Ecclesiastical History of English People (completed circa 730 C.E.), one of the earliest recorded histories of the English civilization.

5

Joan of Arc is famous for her role in __________.

the Hundred Years' War

the French Wars of Religion

the Thirty Years' War

the War of Spanish Succession

the Seven Years' War

Explanation

Joan of Arc is often credited with helping turn the tide of the Hundred Years' War between the English and the French. At the time of Joan's arrival on the scene, the English had seemed poised to overwhelm the French monarchy and conquer much of France, but the piety and belief of Joan is said to have inspired the French troops to victory after victory. She was captured by the English and tried for witchcraft, for which she was condemned to death by being burnt at the stake.

6

The Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, is most commonly remembered for ___________________.

the Sack of Constantinople

the First Crusade

the Edict of Milan

the Edict of Paris

his role in Italian unification

Explanation

Enrico Dandolo was the ruler of Venice, a wealthy Italian city-state, from 1192-1205. He is most commonly remembered for the Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople in 1204. The Sack of Constantinople was instrumental in the decline of the Byzantine Empire and eventually precipitated the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the rise of the Ottoman Empire in Europe.

7

Rurik of Scandinavia is most famous for __________.

founding the Russian state

conquering the British isles

converting the Scandinavian people to Christianity

abolishing feudalism in Denmark

establishing feudalism in Denmark

Explanation

Prince Rurik of Scandinavia is a possible mythical figure who is credited with founding the Russian State in the ninth century C.E. and a ruling dynasty that lasted for several hundred years. The Kingdom he founded, Kievan Rus, eventually evolved into the Duchy of Moscow and later into the Russian state and the empire of the Soviet Union.

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