This document provides a summary of key topics covered in Units 4-7 of a history course, including: - The rise of the Catholic Church and power of the Pope in medieval Europe. Important figures like Charlemagne and developments like the Crusades are discussed. - The emergence of feudalism and developments in government like the Magna Carta in medieval England. - The growth of cities and trade during the Renaissance period in Europe alongside influential artists, scientists, and the Protestant Reformation. - Overviews of the major pre-Columbian civilizations in Mesoamerica and the Andes region, including the Maya, Aztec, and Inca empires. - The

1. UNIT 4,5, 6, AND 7
REVIEW
Medieval Europe and Japan, Renaissance and Reformation, the Americas, and Age of
Exploration

2. Unit 4: Medieval Europe and Japan

4. Medieval Catholic
Church
1. Missionaries and the Germanic rulers helped
convert many people to Christianity in the 500-
600’s.
2. Monasteries- religious communities where
monks lived; monks opened schools, maintained
libraries, copied books by hand, and devoted their
lives to God
3. Convents- religious communities for nuns; they
fed the poor and healed the sick
4. Monks (men) lived in Monasteries
5. Nuns (women) lived in Convents

5. Pope Gregory
◦ 590 aka “Gregory the Great”
◦ Extended the power of the papacy (pope’s office)
in the non-religious, or secular
◦ Used church money to raise armies against
invaders, built hospitals and roads, and helped the
poor.
◦ Believed that all of Europe fell under his domain.

6. Charlemagne
◦ By 800 built an empire
larger than the Byzantine
Empire
◦ Saved Pope Leo III when he
was attacked; was crowned
“Roman Emperor” by him as
a thank you
◦ This symbolically joined
political power, the Church,
and the heritage of Rome

7. Secular vs. Religion
Lay investiture- System in which kings and nobles appointed
clergy instead of the pope; The church was against this practice.
Secularism-separation of church and state

8. William the
Conqueror and
the Tapestry
◦ Started feudalism in
England- the idea of
trading loyalty and
military service for
land
◦ The Bayeux Tapestry
is 230 feet long. It is
the most historical
piece from this time
era. It tells the
entire story of the
Battle of Hastings in
1066 AD

9. Magna Carta
◦ Limited the king’s power and gave rights to nobles
like trial by jury, no taxation w/o representation
◦ Parliament- legislative group that checked the
King’s power and taxes had to go through it

10. The Crusades
◦ Jerusalem was and still is home to 3
faiths: Judaism, Islam, Christianity
◦ European Christians started a series of
wars over the city of Jerusalem against
Muslim Seljuk Turks
◦ They were on a mission to regain the
“Holy Land” back
◦ Pope Urban II asked for a “Holy War” at
the Council of Clermont in 1095 to help
fight the Muslim Turks by Constantinople
and then retake Jerusalem.

11. 100 Years War
and Joan of Arc
◦ England and France from 1337-1453 over
land
◦ Changed warfare from mounted knights
to foot soldiers and archers who fought
for money
◦ Rose nationalism
◦ Joan won at the Battle of Orleans, Charles
was officially crowned King Charles VII.
Would be captured and burned at the
steak.

12. Black Death (1347) and
the Inquisition (1478)
◦ Began in Asia, arrived in Europe in 1347
by rats and fleas
◦ Killed over 25 million Europeans and
millions in the Americas and Asia (about
1/3 of all Europe)
◦ Tribunal set up by the Catholic Church
to find and persecute heretics- those
who believe in things not approved by
the church.

13. Changes in the
Economy
◦ Three-field system- farmers grew crops on
2/3 of their land; increased food production
and more population
◦ Guilds- group of people from the same
business that work together to protect and
regulate their service
◦ Commercial Revolution- Rise of credit; led
to the rise of banks

14. Medieval Japan
◦ Shinto- “Way of the gods” and religion
based off respect for the forces of
nature and worship of ancestors.
◦ Japanese Prince Shotoku sent many
missions to China starting in 607 to
learn about strong central governments,
art, and writing
◦ By the 8th and 9th century, Buddhism
had mingled with Shinto beliefs and
people could worship them together.

15. JAPANESE
FEUDALISM

16. LET’S LOOK AT
STIMULUS

19. UNIT 5: RENAISSANCE
AND THE
REFORMATION

20. Overview
◦ French for “rebirth”- led to the revival of art and
learning
◦ Lasted from around 1400-1600 AD
◦ Spread from northern Italy to the rest of Europe
◦ City-State - a powerful city & its surrounding region
◦ Venice- rich city based on trade with Asia
◦ Rome- Home of the Vatican & the Catholic Church
◦ Florence- rich in banking
◦ Humanism-The study of the humanities: grammar,
poetry, ethics, philosophy, & history based on the
writings of ancient Greek & Roman authors
◦ Focused on human potential, worth, & values
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

21. Influential
People
Machiavelli: Author of The Prince; Book about political science in which he
states that “it’s better to be feared than loved” & that politicians should lie to
maintain their power
Michelangelo: Famous sculptor, painter, & architect. Best known for works
such as David, La Pietà, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the dome of St.
Peter’s Basilica
Leonardo da Vinci: Best known for works such as Mona Lisa, Madonna on
the Rocks, & The Last Supper
Filippo Brunelleschi: Engineer & architect of the dome of the Florence
Cathedral
Johannes Gutenberg: Created the printing press
William Shakespeare: Famous plays include: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, &
Othello

22. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

23. Church Corruption
◦ Pope Leo X- Trying to raise money to rebuild St. Peter’s
Basilica, he authorized the sale of church positions to his
friends
◦ Indulgences- certificates that could reduce or even cancel
punishments for a person’s sins.
◦ Plenary indulgence remits all the temporal punishment for
sin.
◦ Partial indulgence does not remit all the punishment for sin.
◦ Martin Luther was a German monk that preached against
the sale of indulgences
◦ Nailed the 95 thesis to the church door and inevitably it will
lead to the Protestant Reformation.

25. UNIT 6: THE
AMERICAS

26. Mesoamerica Basics
◦ Middle America land that stretches between
North and South America (a.k.a. Central America)
◦ Great pyramids were created with flat tops for
these ceremonies
◦ Maize – a type of corn. The discovery of this seed
seed helped populations grow.
◦ The majority of these groups practiced human
sacrifices
◦ 3 Major Civilizations: Mayan, Aztec, Inca
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

27. Maya (2600 bc –
250 ad)
◦ Between 600-900 ACE, the Maya settled in the Yucatan
Peninsula
◦ many city-states connected by language, culture, &
religion
◦ polytheistic- believed in more than one god.
◦ Glyphs- hieroglyphic writing.
◦ Codex- Mayan book was made out of bark from a tree
◦ Pok-A-Tok: A religious ball game played by the captive
warriors; A combination of soccer and basketball
◦ Had the concept of 0.
◦ Made huge astronomical discoveries that led to
elaborate calendars both for religion and every day.
◦ Obsidian- volcanic rock used for religious ceremonies
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

28. The Aztecs
◦ Tenochtitlan: established in 1428
◦ Aztecs were built on military conquest.
◦ Social Hierarchy similar to Europe.
(Emperor, Priests/Family, Nobles,
Merchants/Artisans, and then Commoners
◦ Tribute System: the Aztecs required the
conquered peoples to give them labor,
sacrifices, and resources.
◦ Religion: They had over 1,000 gods, Had
enormous public ceremonies where priests
made offerings including human sacrifices
and blood offerings.
◦ Main Leader: Montezuma II, who Cortez
will conquer over.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

29. The Incas
(1430’s-1525)
◦ Present day Peru and Chile
◦ Mit’a- labor tribute that each was required
of each citizen.
◦ Built roads to help with bureaucracy and
economy
◦ Capital = Cuzco
◦ Terraces
◦ Major Leader: Huayna Capac, who will not
name a successor leading to a major war
that will weaken them when the Spanish
Arrive. (Pizzaro takes over Atahualpa)
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

30. STIMULUS TIME!

32. UNIT 7: AGE OF
EXPLORATION

33. Causes for Exploration and Major Voyages
◦ The Europeans needed to find a quicker and more direct route to Asia then on land, for three
reasons:
Gold, Glory, God
Bartolomeu Dias- sailed
along the southern tip of
Africa (Cape of Good Hope)
Vasco da Gama- explored
the eastern African coast
and India
Ferdinand Magellan -
sailed around the Earth
Christopher Columbus
Cortez-conquered Aztec
Pizzaro-conquered the
Incas

34. Triangular Trade, the
Columbian Exchange,
and the Atlantic Slave
Trade
◦ Triangular Trade: Trade route
between the Americas, Africa,
and Europe
◦ Atlantic Slave Trade- west
African slave ports to mostly
the Caribbean and South
America. Spain and Portugal
were main transporters.
◦ Columbian Exchange: trade
network of food, diseases,
animals, and plants between
the Americas and Europe

35. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=SKO-
_XXFYWK

36. Effects?
◦ Americas: next food and cattle, brought
diseases, and a huge diffusion of people
◦ Europe: new ways and materials to make
money, new food groups to depend on
◦ Africa: Mass transportation of slaves,
growth of weaponry available.

37. Economic and Political Systems
Mercantilism: idea that a county’s power come from how much money
they have
Colonies- lands that are controlled by another nation- to make lots of
money.
Encomienda- system in which the Natives farmed, mined, or ranched for
the Spanish landowners

39. THE END, GOOD JOB!