Political Reforms in the Middle Ages

Help Questions

AP World History: Modern › Political Reforms in the Middle Ages

Questions 1 - 4
1

The Magna Carta was signed __________.

in England in 1215

in France in 1437

in Rome in 1096

in England in 1131

in Rome in 1066

Explanation

The Magna Carta was signed in England in 1215. The document provides certain guarantees of the rights of the English nobility against the abuse of the king. It was signed by King John II of England.

2

The Hanseatic League was created to __________.

protect the economic interests of merchants in Northern Europe

protect Christian Europe from the threat of Ottoman invasion

protect the Ottoman Empire from the threat posed by the European crusades

encourage the spread of Protestantism in Northern Europe

prevent the spread of Protestantism in Southern and Western Europe

Explanation

The Hanseatic League was created in the fourteenth century to encourage, protect, and facilitate trade in Northern Europe. It was an agreement designed to deter conflict and provide protections for various merchant classes.

3

William the Conqueror's Domesday Book was an attempt to do which of the following?

To survey and organize William's English territory for the purposes of taxation

To reform English common law to provide greater protection and rights for the common people

To undermine English religious traditions by establishing the Norman religion as the religion of the English territory

To consolidate the Saxon power base within the North of England

To reorganize the territory of Northern France to prepare the people for the invasion of England

Explanation

The Domesday Book is a record of the Norman survey of England carried out in 1086. The purpose of the book was to find out how much land, property, and so on was owned by each individual in the territory so as to facilitate taxation in William the Conqueror's new territory.

4

The Magna Carta __________.

provided guaranteed rights for members of the English aristocracy

established protection for the common people from the abuses of the aristocracy

provided guarantees that the aristocracy would protect the rights of the common people from the abuses of the king

established direct democracy in England

established representative democracy in England

Explanation

The Magna Carta, signed by King John II in 1215 and subsequently renewed on several occasions, is often cited as the beginning of democracy in England, or at least the beginning of the English Constitution. In practice, it effectively guaranteed the protection of the rights of some twenty-five members of the English aristocracy from the abuses of the King. The importance of the document comes from the precedent it established that in English society, the power of the King was never absolute.

Return to subject