All of the following were part of customary German legal procedure except 
A. A fixed number of honorable men could testify to the character of the accused 
B. Trial by battle in which the victor was judged innocent 
C. Picking up a red-hot iron to see if the accused's hand was damaged 
D. A trial conducted by professional judges 
ANSWER: A
Wergeld meant 
A. Trial by battle to determine guilt or innocence 
B. The process by which a person took an oath testifying to the good character of the accused 
C. A system of monetary fines for every offense from murder to insult 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: C
The whole system of Germanic law described in the text indicates that 
A. There was no concept that law was made by kings; they were supposed to be recording the will of the people 
B. Justice in the Germanic tribes was thought of primarily as vengeance 
C. The basic social unit in the Germanic tribes was not the individual but the family or the kinship group 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: D
The most important legacy of early Germanic law in the Middle Ages was 
A. That it entirely displaced Roman law, which became completely forgotten 
B. That it helped establish the principles of rule of law and representative assemblies 
C. That it created a great gulf between king and subject 
D. It insured that German would be that language of all of Europe 
ANSWER: B
The Venerable Bede 
A. Was the first Archbishop of Canterbury 
B. Was the most important intellectual at the court of Charlemagne 
C. Was the author of the best medieval history, the Ecclesiastical History of the English People 
D. Successfully defeated the Danish invasion of England 
ANSWER: C
Anglo-Saxon England 
A. Remained pagan until well after 1000 AD 
B. Produced several remarkable intellectuals, such as Bede.
C. Was the original home of the Vikings 
D. Was the original home of the Visigoths 
ANSWER: B
Alfred the Great 
A. Ruled England, developed a strong administration, and promoted scholarship 
B. Wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People 
C. Conquered Denmark 
D. Succeeded Charlemagne as Emperor 
ANSWER: A
The major problem faced by Alfred the Great in Anglo-Saxon England was 
A. A major Danish invasion that overran half of England 
B. The resurgence of paganism among a partially Christianized population 
C. The lack of officials to carry out royal policies 
D. The growth of serfdom, which left the peasants discontent 
ANSWER: A
The dominant ruler of Western Europe in the late 8th century was 
A. Clovis 
B. Bede 
C. Alcuin 
D. Charlemagne 
ANSWER: D
Which of the following was not a characteristic of the Carolingian monarchy under Charlemagne 
A. A vigorous warrior-king who fought fifty-three campaigns, most of them successful 
B. An administrator who tried but ultimately failed to establish an effective mode of governing 
C. A monarch who promoted intellectual life, attracting some of the best scholars of his day to his court 
D. An attempt to conquer Constantinople to make Charlemagne a universal emperor 
ANSWER: D
The effectiveness of the Carolingian administration rested primarily upon 
A. Charlemagne's renunciation of military campaigns in favor of a large bureaucracy 
B. Copying the Anglo-Saxon institution of sheriffs as the major local officials 
C. Charlemagne's designation of traveling inspectors, called missi dominici, to keep him informed 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: C
The coronation of Charlemagne as emperor 
A. Led him to move his capital to Constantinople 
B. Was performed against the will of the pope 
C. Took place when there was an Empress, but no Emperor, in Constantinople 
D. Was the major reason for the campaign against the Saxons 
ANSWER: C
Carolingian diplomacy 
A. Finally led to an 813 agreement with Byzantium that permitted him to use his imperial title 
B. Led to an irreparable breach with Haroun al-Rashid 
C. Led to the first Crusade 
D. Led to a breach with the Pope 
ANSWER: A
The Carolingian intellectual revival included all of the following except 
A. Establishing schools in the hope of obtaining an educated clergy 
B. Undertaking scientific research 
C. Developing a curriculum that became a foundation of liberal arts studies 
D. Developing a standardized handwriting that is the ancestor to the modern printed alphabet 
ANSWER: B
The Clunaic Order was 
A. A decree by Charlemagne raising taxes 
B. A famous book by Bede 
C. An administrative system developed by Haroun al-Rashid 
D. A reformed group of Benedictine monks who were accountable only to the pope 
ANSWER: D
The Carolingian empire started to break up because 
A. Charlemagne's son, Louis the Pious, left only daughters, creating a succession problem 
B. The Carolingians divided their realm among their sons, creating small kingdoms in place of a large Empire 
C. The missi dominici staged numerous local revolts when Charlemagne died 
D. Charlemagne's coronation as emperor so upset the Byzantines that they staged a devastating invasion in the reign of Charlemagne's son 
ANSWER: C
The Treaty of Verdun 
A. Temporarily reunited the Carolingian empire under Charles the Bald 
B. Established peace between Charlemagne and the Byzantine emperor, who had been upset by Charlemagne's coronation 
C. Provided for the independence of the papal states 
D. Confirmed the division of the Carolingian empire 
ANSWER: D
The tale of Dhuoda, a lady of Carolingian times, illustrates 
A. The problems of the decay of Carolingian monasticism 
B. The horrors accompanying the Viking attacks 
C. The fate of aristocratic families caught up deeply in the civil wars among the grandsons of Charlemagne 
D. The scholarly achievements of the Carolingian age 
ANSWER: C
The Carolingian empire was shaken by a major wave of invaders. Choose the one group that was not among the invaders.
A. North African Moslems 
B. Ostrogoths 
C. Magyars 
D. Vikings 
ANSWER: B
The society of the Vikings 
A. Differed radically from Germanic society 
B. Resembled early Germanic society, but tended to be more violent 
C. Was that of peaceful fishermen 
D. Was influenced by Islamic society 
ANSWER: B
The age of the invasions of the Magyars, the Vikings, and North African Moslems had all of the following results except 
A. Learning suffered when the attacks ended the "Carolingian Renaissance" 
B. The physical area of Western Civilization contracted 
C. The church structure deteriorated, as local lords often seized church lands or placed bishops and priests under their control 
D. The notion of a Christian Europe headed by emperors and popes collapsed as the empire fragmented 
ANSWER: B
The world raided and settled by the Vikings was vast. What is the only area on this list that was not affected by them? 
A. India and Arabia 
B. Russia and Constantinople 
C. Iceland, Greenland, and North America 
D. England and France 
ANSWER: A
In the medieval manor 
A. There was included pasture, woodlands, and ponds as well as agricultural fields 
B. The peasants lived on the land they farmed 
C. The land was farmed in large blocks 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: D
The medieval serf was 
A. A slave, usually from outside Europe, purchased to do menial work on the manor 
B. A person who had no obligation to any other person in the social hierarchy 
C. A servant, specifically of the village priest 
D. Not a slave, but was bound to the land, forbidden to leave it without permission 
ANSWER: D
The peasants who lived on the medieval manor 
A. Could not use the forests as these were reserved for the lord's use 
B. Worked the land in long narrow strips rather than in large blocks 
C. Had much livestock, which provided a good amount of meat for their diet 
D. Did not use their livestock as a source for clothing 
ANSWER: B
The obligations of serfs to the lords included all of the following except 
A. The duty to defend the manor house from attack 
B. Up to three days a week of work on the lord's land 
C. A portion of the cloth and garden vegetables produced by the women 
D. Erect buildings and dig ditches at the lord's command 
ANSWER: A
The adjective used by historians to describe the political and social relationships among the nobility in the early Middle Ages is 
A. Manorial 
B. Capitalistic 
C. Imperialistic 
D. Feudal 
ANSWER: D
Medieval Manorialism and feudalism were based on a hierarchy of mutual obligations. Which of the following relationships was not feudal or manorial? 
A. King and nobles 
B. Husband, wife, and children 
C. Lord and vassal 
D. Serf and lord of the manor 
ANSWER: B
The essence of the feudal relationship was 
A. The ability of the lords to exploit the serfs 
B. The monetary payments made by the lords to their vassals 
C. The linking of loyal military service with the possession of land that would support that service 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: C
Which of the following was not part of the feudal, as opposed to the manorial, hierarchy? 
A. Lords 
B. Serfs 
C. Kings 
D. Vassals 
ANSWER: B
Relationships between vassals and lords included all of the following except 
A. The vassal owed the lord unlimited military service 
B. Lords owed land and military protection to vassals 
C. The lord-vassal relationship gradually became hereditary, reducing the control of the lord over his vassals 
D. The lord-vassal relationship was considered contractual and could be voided if either side breached the agreement 
ANSWER: A
As feudal society became more complex 
A. The complexities destroyed the feudal kingdoms 
B. The concept of the liege lord, to whom ultimate obedience was owed, developed 
C. It became illegal for a vassal to have multiple lords 
D. No vassal could create a vassal beneath him 
ANSWER: B
It can be stated of noble women in the early Middle Ages 
A. That the church, by enforcing monogamy, enhanced the position of the wife in medieval society 
B. Wives often managed their husband's estates when the latter were absent on military campaigns 
C. They could inherit and hold land 
D. All of the above 
ANSWER: D
It can be said in general of the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries 
A. That all the achievements of the Greek and Roman worlds were destroyed 
B. That the Carolingian empire succeeded in ending the chaos caused by the various invasions 
C. The out of the chaos of the collapse of the Carolingian authority there emerged the groundwork for an orderly social and political system 
D. None of the above 
ANSWER: C
Germanic law at the time of the great migrations was often designed to limit the exercise of vengeance.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
Wergeld fines were the same regardless of the status of the person offended.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The great early English monk and historian, author of the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, was Alcuin.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
Alfred the Great was not only king of England, but also an important translator of works from Latin to the Anglo-Saxon.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The political turmoil in the Byzantine Empire was a factor leading to Charlemagne's coronation as emperor in 800.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
Charlemagne's great enemy in the Islamic world was the caliph of Baghdad, Haroun al Rashid.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The English scholar invited to Charlemagne's court to improve education was Bede.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The major innovation of the abbey of Cluny in late Carolingian times was that it was not subordinate to any noble or king, but only to the pope.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
Charlemagne envisioned that after his death his empire would remain united under a single ruler rather than be partitioned among multiple heirs.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The Treaty of Verdun confirmed the breaking up of the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms, each ruled by a descendant of Charlemagne.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The tale of Dhuoda showed how an aristocratic family could be destroyed by the political turmoil occurring during the collapse of the Carolingian empire.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
Of all the invaders of the Carolingian empire, the ones who did the most damage were the Magyars.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
Of the major Viking kings, only Canute succeeded in conquering England.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
In the medieval manor, the peasant lived on the land he farmed.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The livestock on the medieval manor provided the peasant a diet rich in meat.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The medieval serf could not leave his village without permission of the lord.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
Feudal society was a clear, well-organized structure.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
The basic purpose of feudal society was to organize men for war by granting enough land to support a warrior.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The vassal owed unlimited service to the lord in return for his fief.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B
Because of the complexities of loyalty in feudal Europe, kings tried to develop the idea of a liege lord to whom principal, unrestricted loyalty was owed.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
The early medieval church's insistence on monogamy enhanced the position of noble women.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A
