The West in the World, 4th Edition (Sherman)

Chapter 7: The Struggle to Bring Order

Critical Thinking Questions

  1. Bringing Order with Laws and Leadership


  1. How did German assemblies determine the truth in disputed cases?


  2. What were the traditions that Germanic kings drew from once laws began to be written down?


  3. What did law codes reveal about the worth of various members of society?


  1. Anglo-Saxon England: Forwarding Leaning and Law


  1. Who was the Venerable Bede? What were his contributions to Anglo-Saxon learning?


  2. How did Christian Anglo-Saxon kings govern? What were the traditions and institutions that they relied upon?


  3. What benefits did Alfred's interest in law and learning bring to his kingdom?


  1. Charlemagne and the Carolingians: A New European Empire


  1. How did Charlemagne depart from the Anglo-Saxon model and Germanic traditions of governance?


  2. How did Charlemagne link religion and politics?


  3. How would you characterize Charlemagne's relations with the Byzantine and Islamic empires?


  4. How did Charlemagne foster learning in his kingdom? What was the role of Alcuin?


  5. How did scholars at Charlemagne's court contribute to text reform? Why was that important?


  1. Struggle for Order in the Church


  1. What services and benefits did monasteries provide for their communities?


  2. What was the Cluniac reform?


  1. Order Interrupted: Vikings and Other Invaders


  1. What was the Treaty of Verdun?


  2. How did the division of Charlemagne's kingdom among his grandsons create changes in the once-unified empire?


  3. What characteristics did the Scandinavians share with earlier Germanic peoples?


  4. Why did Scandinavians emigrate? What skills did they possess that enabled emigration?


  5. How did Vikings interact with the peoples they encountered in their travels and conquests?


  6. What was the impact of Muslim, Magyar, and Viking invasions on medieval European society?


  1. Manors and Feudal Ties: Order Emerging from Chaos


  1. How do historians distinguish "manorialism" from "feudalism"?


  2. Describe a typical manor. How was life organized on a manor?


  3. What were the duties and obligations of serfs? What were the duties and obligations of lords?


  4. How did lords oversee and control the social life of their serfs?


  5. How did Charles Martel solve the problem of establishing an army of armed and mounted knights?


  6. What did vassals owe their lords? What did lords owe their vassals?


  7. What were the benefits of the feudal system for medieval society? What were the disadvantages?


  8. What was the significance of marriage ties in the feudal system?


  9. What were medieval beliefs about health and medicine?


Sherman: The West in the World, Fourth Edition
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