Spring Exam Study Guide

Name:____________________

This guide is only a guide! Just because you can define a term does not mean that the questions
on the test will be a direct definition. Your best bet is to answer who, what, when, where, why
and how for each of the following terms or questions. The test will cover information on Maps,
Rome, the Americas, and the Middle Ages. The majority of the exam will be on our unit on
Christendom, but there will be sections devoted to the other topics.
Part 1: Rome
Define:
Consul-2 Patricains who ran govt and headed the army. Served 1 year and could veto each
other.
Tribune-was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the
power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the
right to propose legislation before it.
Senate-group of 300 Patricains. Served for life advised consuls proposed laws and approved
govt programs
Republic-citizens vote for their own leader
Dictator-In time of emergency republic was suspended was appointed for 6 months to solve
problems was expected to leave office when problem passed
Patricians- wealthy landowers Romes ruling class had right to vote paid taxes served in the
military
Plebeian-common people of Rome majority of the population same rights and
responsibilities as pats could not hold office in govt
TriumvirateWhat cultures influenced Roman religion, technology, and culture? Etruscans and the Greeks
What kind of government was established in 509BC?Repubulic
What kind of power did the Patricians have? What kind of power did the Plebeians have?,
Romes ruling class, Had the right to vote, could be in the Senate, could be a Praetor, could
be a member of the Assembly of Centuries Plebs could be a part of the Council of Plebs
What are the twelve tablets? Spelled out Roman law. Engraved on bronze tablets in the
Forum. Established the principle that all free citizens had the rights to equal treatment under
the law.
When was a dictator appointed in Rome? In times of emergency, the republic was suspended
A dictator was appointed for 6 months to solve problems, Dictator was expected to leave
office when problem passed
How did Carthage challenge Roman expansion? Carthaginians were a superpower who
controlled all of North Africa, Corsica, Sardinia, parts of Sicily, Eastern Spain, and the Strait
of Gibraltar. They were a direct challenge to the Romans. The Romans and the
Carthaginians decided the best way to solve their differences was to divide the
Mediterranean into two parts. Sicily was the point where to the west belonged to Carthage

and to the East belonged to Rome. Unfortunately, the Romans were bent on getting rid of
their competition in the Mediterranean
What was the Battle of Zama? the battle began on the plain at Zama. At first, the
Carthaginian forces held their own, but soon the superior skills of the Romans turned the
battle
Describe the Punic Wars. Who, What, When, Where, Why (Remember we talked about 3)
First Punic War
Who fought: Rome and Carthage
What for: The war began over Sicily. Both powers believed Sicily was a part of their trading
empire
Where: Med. Sea
Main Events:
Romans copied a quinquereme
Corves made ships top heavy.
The wealthy citizens of Rome gave all their wealth to build one last fleet of ships. This time
they built them without the corvuses. The investment paid off and Rome defeated Carthage
on the Sicilian Coast,

Second Punic War

Who fought: Rome and Carthage
What for: Carthage wanted revenge for losing the first war
Where: Italy
Main Events:
Hannibal marched his soldiers over the Alps. Most of the men expected to make it
across the Alps and win glory in Italy.
Hannibal believed that many people that they encountered along the way would join
their army and fight against Rome.
For 15 years, Hannibal marched up and down the Italian Peninsula inflicting heavy
losses
But, without reinforcements and seize weapons he never defeated Rome
Meanwhile, Rome sent a young general named Scipio to Spain to attack Carthaginian
bases there.
Scipio defeated the Carthaginians in Spain and then sailed to Carthage to attack
Hannibal was called home to fight against the attack of the Romans
Third Punic War:
Who fought: Rome and Carthage
What for: Rome wanted Carthage to suffer
Where: Carthage
Main Events:
The citizens of Carthage held off the Romans for 3 years.
In 146 BC, their walls were breached and the city was ruined.
50,000 Carthaginians were sold into slavery
The city was burned to the ground and salt was sowed into the fields.

What major problem existed in Rome between the rich and poor? There was a large gap
between them. Most Romans were poor.
Why did Julius Caesar come to power? He and 2 other men seized power together in 60 BC
and established the first Triumvirate
Describe Caesars relationship with Pompey? When Crassus died, the Senate turned to
Pompey. He was made the lone ruler of Rome and Caesar was ordered to return to Rome and
disband his army. Caesar dismissed the Senates order and marched his army toward Rome.
When he reached the Rubicon River he was given an ultimatum by Pompey to stop or risk
civil war.
What happened to Pompey? He was beheaded by Ptolemy XIII.
What is Pax Romana? Roman Peace
How did Rome treat armies that were defeated by Roman soldiers? They were offered
citizenship or allied status
Who was Octavian? He was the first Emperor of the Roman and started the Pax Romana
What did the Gladiator matches signify? Decline in morals and values
How did Romans treat the Jews? They persecuted them
How did Romans treat Christians? At first they left them alone as long as they did not
challenge Roman law, later they persecuted them and used them as slaves in the gladiator
matches.
Who accepted Christianity and began to change the way Romans felt about Christians?
Constantine after a battle where he saw a vision of the cross.
Write information about the 4 topics below which contributed to the decline of the Roman
Republic.
Inflation - Roman coins were made from gold and silver.
As time passed, less gold and silver was put into the coins and the coins lost value.
More coins were needed to pay for items because the coins were less valuable
Many Romans turned to a barter economy
Barbarian Invasions- Romes borders were being invading by Goths, Vandals, ect. Because
they wanted protection from the Huns who were traveling across Asia into Europe, they were
treated poorly by the Romans and later rebelled against Roman authority.
Political Corruption- Roman leaders were incapable even though some tried reforms, many
came to power because they had the strongest army or bought the office, many others lied
and cheated

Decline in Morals and Values- Romans lost their traditional values of discipline, courage, and
duty, they enjoyed gladiator matches and death
How did Diocletian attempt to reform Rome? He divided the empire and instituted reforms to
keep people on their jobs
Who were the invaders who overran the Empire and why did they invade? Barbarians
What language of Rome is the basis for all Romance language? Latin
What architectural advances did the Romans create? Concrete roads, arches, domes and
aqueducts
Part 2: Christendom
Study all of the following parts of your Christendom Notes
Who was Charlemagne? What did he value? What happened to him? King of France, he valued
education, died and his empire was split into 3 parts which later collapsed.
Understand how Feudalism worked and know what each of the following people owed to each
other.
People: Church, kings, lord, vassals, peasants, serfs
What is a feudal contract? Formal written order between a lord and his vassal which
stipulated obligations.
What is owned in a contract? Obligations
Understand how Manorialism worked.
Identify and define the following parts of the castle:
Portcullis
Parapet
Moat
Keep
Donjon
Study Castle sheet with conditions and purposes of the castle.
Church:
Who is the Pope? Leader of the Catholic church, highest authority in Medieval times
What is a monastery? Church in the countryside where monks lived and worked

What is a cathedral? Large church built in cities in the Gothic style

Locate the following items on a diagram of a cathedral.
Flying Buttress
Pulpit
Choir
Nave
Faade
Bell Tower
Arches
What distinctive features exist in Gothic architecture? Flying buttress, pointed arches, vaults,
stained glass windows
Knighthood:
Describe all three states of knighthood Page- boy learns household chores, Squire-trains with
the knight, Knight- protects and fights
What is the Coat of Arms? Design that is used to identify a knight
What is a tournament? What happened there? A set of games where knights used their skillsjoust and sword were two of the competitions
Farming:
What new farming process began? 3 field
What new technology helped farmers? Horse collar, iron tipped plow
Guilds:
Describe the 3 levels that a man must complete Apprentice-boy learned all he could,
Journeyman- traveled around completed masterpiece, Master
What is a guild? Medieval trade union

William the Conqueror:

Write down all you know about the following:
Edward the Confessor: King of England who died without an heir. Named William as his
successor but changed his mind on his deathbed, married Edith.

William: Duke of Normandy, fought against Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings,
became King of England, cousin of Edward the Confessor
Harold Godwinson: Brother to Edward the Confessors wife, became king after he claimed
Edward told him to be king on his deathbed, died at the Battle of Hastings
Harold Hardrada: Norwegian king who claimed the throne in England, related to King
Canute, died at the Battle of Stamford Bridge
Battle of Hastings: Between Godwinson and William the Conqueror, William won

Make sure you know how all are connected on a family tree.
Crusades:
Who is Pope Urban? Pope who called for the first crusade
Describe each of the four crusades:
1st Crusade:
Who: Peasants Crusade
Why: Pope called for it
What for: To win Jerusalem back
2nd Crusade:
Who: Europeans and Muslims
Why: Crusaders sent to reinforce the feudal states established during the first crusade
What for: Crusaders sent to reinforce the feudal states established during the first crusade
Only made it as far as Constantinople. Spent more time fighting with each other than the
Muslims Jerusalem was lost to the Muslims
3rd Crusade:
Who: Crusade of the Kings
Why: To win back Jerusalem back
What for: Led by kings, including Richard, did not win Jerusalem back
4th Crusade:
Who: Europeans and Muslims
Why: Too many debts
What for: To get as many valuable things to pay off debs
Who is King Richard? King of England who led the 3rd Crusade

What happened to Richard? Captured and held for ransom, later died on his way back to the
Crusades
What did the nobles think of John? Hated him didnt trust him
What document did he sign? Magna Carta
What document was written using the Magna Carta as a model? US Constitution
What is excommunication? Pope bans a person form the sacraments of the church
What is interdict? Pope places this on the people who are ruled by a King who has been
excommunicated, all people cannot receive the sacraments of the church
Black Death:
Describe the symptoms of Black Death. Tingling, boils, fever, vomiting, death within 4-5 days
How was the disease transmitted? fleas
What nursery rhyme is associated with the Black Death? Ring around the Rosey
How many people died in Europe due to the disease? 38-40 million
End of Middle Ages:
What ended Chivalry? Hundred Years War
What is Nationalism? Having pride and association with a country
The Americas:
List the early cultures in Mexico in write at least 2 important details about each culture: for
example: Aztecs: lived in a society based on social classes and offered human sacrifices to
please their gods
Do the same for the Anasazi, Mississippians, and Sioux- Mississippian-mound builders, lived
in Alabama Anasazi-Pueblo homes Sioux- western tribes relied on buffalo
Write 2 important details about the Incan and Moche people of South America. Inca lived in
Peru, Llamas, quipu
Why did Christopher Columbus sail to the Americas? Looking for a new route to Asia

What are the 3 Gs of history and how are they related to Spanish Exploration? God, glory and
gold-Spanish claimed exploration was to spread Christianity, but they also benefited from
gold found or stolen, and the glory they received back home.
Who is Hernan Cortez? Why is he important? Explorer who defeated the Aztecs and
Montezuma, claimed Spanish rule in Mexico.
What diseases killed so many Native Americans? Small pox and measles

Map Skills: Practice labeling all of the following places on the map provided.
Mediterranean Sea
Italy
Greece
Egypt
Jerusalem
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Mesopotamia
Nile River
England
India
Aegean Sea

Rome
China
Alps Mts.
France
Spain
Pacific Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Black Sea
Persian Gulf
Indian Ocean
Red Sea

Crusaders Map: Know where all these locations are on the Crusaders Map
Venice
Mediterranean Sea
Rome
Black Sea
Holy Roman Empire
Marseilles
Jerusalem
Genoa
Constantinople
Spain
Clermont
England