Chapter 1

Medieval Europe - Rise and Spread of Christianity

Textual Answer key

I. Tick ( ) the correct option.

1. This was an important event in medieval Europe.
a. The growth and spread of Christianity
b. The invention of wheel
c. The rise of Islam
Ans: a. The growth and spread of Christianity
2. Complete the given mind map.
Kingdom of Israel after King Solomon’s death – Israel and __________
a. Judaea
b. Judah
c. Bethlehem
Ans: b. Judah
3. Why did Jesus travel across Judaea and Galilee?
a. To preach his ideas
b. To trade
c. To graze his cattle
Ans: a. To preach his ideas
4. The life and teachings of Jesus are recorded in the _____________ canonical
Gospels.
a. Three
b. Four
c. Five
5. Complete the given analogy.
Constantine I: made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire:: Theodosius I: ?
a. Made Christianity legal again in the Roman Empire
b. Banned Christianity in the Roman Empire
c. Made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire
d. Ans: c. Made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire

II. Explain each of the following terms.

1. Medieval: The word Medieval is derived from the Latin word medium aevum, which
means ‘middle age’. The period in India between the 8 th and the 18th centuries CE I
known as the medieval period.
2. New Testament: The second part of the Christian Bible that tells about the life and
teachings of Christ and hi earliest followers.
3. Crucifixion: A very old form of execution that involved binding a person to a cross
and nailing him/her.
4. Monasteries: Christian monks organized together into religious communities called
monasteries. It also has a chapel or a church where the residents pray. Monasteries
became centers of both religious and secular learning.

III. Reflective learnings

1. ‘The Roman Emperor had a symbiotic relationship with Christianity’. Justify this
statement with examples from Constantine I’s reign.
Ans: During Constantine I’s reign, there was a symbiotic relationship between him and
Christianity. Constantine adoption of Christianity as the state religion had significant
impact on both the empire and the religion itself. Constantine issued the Edict if Milan
on 313 CE, granting religious tolerance to Christians and effectively legalizing Christianity
within the Roman Empire. This move established a favorable environment for the
growth of Christianity and helped to end the persecution of Christians.

IV. Christianity is a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus, who is
acknowledged as the only son of God by all Christians. In this context, answer
the following questions.
1. Which part of the Christian Bible tell us about the life and teachings of Christians and
his earliest followers?
Ans: The New Testament
2. What was the name of the town in Judaea where Jesus was born?
Ans: Bethlehem
3. Name the Roman perfect of Judaea ordered the execution of Jesus.
Ans: Pontius Pilate

V. Read the paragraph and answer the question that follow-

Early Christianity retained as well as rejected some of the doctrines and practices of the
1st century Jewish religion, known as Judaism. Over a period of the Christian teaching
were compiled to form the biblical canon. The biblical canon is a set of book regarded as
divine by the Christians. It constitute the Bible. The Bible contains both the old and new
testament.
1. What is the 1st century Jewish religion known as?
Ans: Judaism
2. What is meant by the biblical canon?
Ans: The biblical canon is a set of books regarded as divine by the Christian.
3. What contains both the Old Testament and the New Testament?
Ans: The Bible

VI. Answer the following questions in brief.

1. Name the imperial capital at Byzantium built by Constantine I.
Ans: Constantinople
2. Discuss the impact of the ‘barbarian invasion’ on the Roman Empire.
Ans: Many tribes like the Vandal, the Franks and the Visigoths repeatedly attacked and
invaded the Roman Empire. As a result of these invasions, the Roman Empire began to
collapse. The invades plundered and ravaged the Roman Empire. The city of the Rome
was destroyed several times. So, continues invasions causes the decline of the Roman
Empire and it lost its former glory and prosperity.
3. What happened to the Roman Empire after the death of Theodosius I?
Ans: After the death of Theodosius I, the Empire was divided into two parts – Eastern
and Western Roman Empires. The year 476 CE, when Romulus Augustulus was deposed,
I traditionally considered as the end of the Western Roman Empire. In the East, the
Roman Empire continued in the form of the Byzantine Empire.
4. By what name were the women who devoted their life to God in Christianity known
as?
Ans: Nuns
5. What were monasteries? How did they influence the life of people?
Ans: Christian monks organized together into religious communities called monasteries.
They influence the life of people as:
i. Monasteries became centers of both religious and secular learnings. They
studied different subjects.
ii. Monasteries provided shelter to travelers, and food and clothing to the poor.
Nuns educated the children and treated the sick and wounded.
iii. Monasteries also evolved as centers of production.
iv. Monasteries were responsible for the spread of Christianity to other regions.
Monk and nuns served as missionaries and spread the message of Jesus Christ.

VII. With reference to the Crusade, answer the following questions:

1. What were the Crusades?
Ans: To reoccupy the Holy Land, a series of wars were fought between the armies of the
Pope and Turkish Muslims. These wars, known as the Crusades. The Crusades were
crucial events in the history of Christianity in Medieval Europe.
2. How many major Crusades were fought between the armies of the Pope and Turkish
Muslims?
Ans: Eight
3. State the consequences of the Crusades.
Ans: The consequences of the Crusades:
i. The Crusaders learnt the use of Gun powder and guns from the Turks, which
changed the old military system present in medieval Europe.
ii. New trade routes were opened to cater to the newly acquired tastes of the
crusaders.
iii. The power of the king also increased, as the traders and manufacturers paid
taxes for improved law and order. The King started maintaining a big army. This
also led to the emergence of new cities.

VIII. Study the given picture. Answer the question that following:
This is the picture of the apostle after whom the religious headquarters of
Christianity at Rome was erected.
a. Who were apostles?
Ans: Apostles were the 12 disciples chosen by Jesus Christ to spread his teachings
and establish the early Christian church. They play a crucial role in the foundation
and expansion of Christianity after Jesus’s death and resurrection.
b. Can you name the apostle? Name a few others besides the one shown in the
picture.
Ans: Saint Peter
A few others are James, John and Thomas.