Prologue:
The Late Middle Ages, c. 1200-c. 1450
Introduction
AP European History really starts with The Renaissance around 1450 AD. But a survey of conditions in Europe just prior to when our story begins is helpful.
|
Summer Assignment
|
Optional Readings
These textbook selections provide a thorough background of European History from antiquity through the Middle Ages.
|
First, read “The West Before 1300” from The Western Heritage Since 1300 by Kagan, Ozment, and Turner.
|
| ||
|
Next, read “Chapter 12: The Crisis of the Later Middle Ages” from A History of Western Society by McKay, Hill, and Buckler.
|
| ||
Required Key Terms
Study the terms below related to The Medieval Christian Church, Feudal Society, and Late Medieval Conflicts in preparation for a quiz during the first week of the course.
- focus on the basic identifiers "Who/what, where, and when?"
- understand “How did it make a difference?” (causes and course of the event)
- explain “Why is it significant?” (short- and long-term impacts)
The Medieval Christian Church
Feudal Society
A 13th century French representation of the tripartite social order of the middle ages – Oratores: "those who pray", Bellatores: "those who fight", and Laboratores: "those who work".
|
Late Medieval Conflicts
During the Battle of Agincourt, a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War, English longbow archers killed a significant percentage of French nobility thereby hastening an end to the age of chivalry.
|
|
The Medieval Christian Worldview
This required secondary source reading will be assigned during the first week of class. However, it is a heavy, difficult reading, and you may wish to read ahead in order to be better prepared.
| |||