1. Chapter 5
Worksheet Review
The Decline of Feudalism

2. 5.1 ~ Introduction

3. 1.) What was the Magna
Carta?
A written agreement that limited the king’s
power and strengthened the rights of
nobles. It was also known as the Great
Charter.

4. 2.) What was the bubonic
plague?
Called the Black Death and it swept
across Asia in the 1300s and reached
Europe in 1347. This disease killed
millions of people in Europe.

5. 3.) Explain the Hundred
Years’ War
Between 1337 and 1453, France and
England fought several wars that were
known as the Hundred Years War. This
war shifted power from the feudal lords to
monarchs and common people.

6. 4.) Looking at the picture on page 53, how does
this illustrate the three key events discussed
above?
Answers will Vary:
My Opinion: The document signifies the
Magna Carta, the skeleton represents the
bubonic plague and the soldier with the cannon
represent the hundred years war. The broken
down castle is a visual sign to signify that the
feudal lord is no longer in power.

7. 5.2 ~ Political
Developments in England

8. 1.)What was the main outcome of
Henry II’s Legal Reforms?
Feudal lords weren’t needed as much any
more because King Henry II insisted that
a jury had to find a person guilty in a royal
court instead of on a feudal manor.

9. 2.)How did Henry II’s reforms lead to Thomas
Becket’s, the Archbishop of Canterbury, death?
Henry had gotten into a “fight” with the church
and he was also in an argument with archbishop
Becket. Four knights who wanted to look good
for the king killed the archbishop in front of the
altar. Canterbury is now a place where people
go on a pilgrimage!

10. 3.)Which actions of King John made
the lords/barons upset with him?
King John lost many of England’s lands
to France and he taxed the lords/barons
heavily to make up for this loss.
He also became excommunicated from the
church!

11. 4.)Do you feel the Magna Carta was justified due to
King John’s actions? Please use evidence from the
text to explain your answer.
My Opinion: Yes. Since King John was
excommunicated from the church and everyone
within England had to pay the price of his
excommunication. It was important for King
John to have to follow rules of the land so
England wasn’t lost forever or so it wouldn’t
sink deeper into further financial ruin!

12. 5.)What was the main outcome of the
Magna Carta?
The Magna Carta stopped King John
from acting impulsively such as raising
taxes, fighting with the church or throwing
people into jail for no apparent reason.
He had to discuss all of these issues with
church officials as well as barons.

13. 6.)What was different in King Edward
I’s model parliament?
In the model parliament, King Edward
included more people in the government.
He allowed commoners as well as lower-
ranking clergy part of the government.

14. 7.)What were the two ways that these political
developments in England help bring down
feudalism?
Some developments strengthened royal
authority at the expense of the nobles.
Other developments weakened feudalism
by shifting power to common people!

15. 5.3 ~ The Bubonic
Plague

16. 1.) Where do historians believe the plague
originated?
Historians believe that it started in
Central Asia, probably China.

17. 2.) Looking at the map on page 56, where do they
think the plague entered Europe?
1346-1348: Plague enters and spreads
through Europe.
Kaffa which is on the coast of the Black
Sea.

18. 3.) What type of “job” helped spread this disease?
What “road” helped spread this disease?
Merchants helped spread this disease
either through the Silk Road or on trade
ships.

19. 4.) List at least three symptoms of the Black Plague:
Fever, vomiting, fierce coughing and
sneezing fits, and egg-sized swellings or
bumps.

20. 5.) What is the theory of why the plague spread
violently throughout Europe? Hint: Living
conditions & people’s hygiene
People had no idea where or how the
plague spread. City streets were covered
in garbage.
People blamed the plague on many
different things.

21. 6.) Which group was blamed for the spread of the
disease?
Jews were blamed for the spread of the
disease because they weren’t struck with
the plague as much because they lived in
cleaner conditions.

22. 7. What actually spread the disease?
People lived in disgusting living conditions
which attracted rats that had infected
fleas on them. These fleas would jump
from rats to humans in search of a new
host.

23. 8.) What are the statistics of those who perished in
Europe from the plague?
Historians believe that 24 million
Europeans died as a result of the plague-
about 1/3 of the population.

24. 9.) Why did the plague shift change in Europe
economically and socially?
Many of the commoners were able to ask
for higher wages and better working
conditions because the plague left little or
no workers in society.
Workers were high in demand.

25. 10.) When the plague eventually left Europe, why
did the plague give the common people a sense of
new found freedom?
The commoners were now able to
advance economically which would lead to
advancing socially.
They were able to control their own
destiny.

26. 5.4 ~ The Hundred
Years’ War

27. 1.) Why was the Hundred Years’ War fought?
Between 1337 and 1453, England and
France fought a series of wars over teh
control of lands in France.

28. 2.) Why were the English war tactics better than the
French?
The English army were lighter and faster
on their feet because the French wore
heavy armor and couldn’t move as quickly.
The English had a paid army that
recruited commoners to fight.

29. 3.) What weapon helped the English to succeed in
the Battle of Crecy?
The Longbow helped the English defeat
the French in the Battle of Crecy.
The Longbow was lighter, faster and
more accurate than the crossbow used by
the French.

30. 4.) How did the sense of national identity help the
French fight against the English in later battles
during the Hundred Years’ War?
Joan of Arc brought about a sense of
unity or Nationalism.
The modern tactics used by the French
as well as people feeling a part of the
France, made them want to succeed and
fight for their country.

31. 5.) How did paying the common people to fight help
bring down feudalism in Europe?
Paying commoners to fight created a more
professional and organized army.
This also released the monarch’s ties to
the feudal lords since the monarch didn’t
have to rely on the lord to supply him with
knights.

32. 6.) How did the following help bring down feudalism
in Europe?
New military technology: The
introduction of the cannon which brought
down castles helped feudalism decline in
Europe.

33. 6.) How did the following help bring down feudalism
in Europe?
Nationalism: A sense of Unity especially
in France helped bring down feudalism.
People rallied together in order to protect
their rights.

34. 6.) How did the following help bring down feudalism
in Europe?
Common People: Commoners became
professional armies and the monarchs did
not have to rely on the feudal lords to
supply knights in times of need.