The Middle Ages are often referred to as Medieval Times. Which is now also the name of a company that tries to recreate the experience over a family dinner.

The time period in history from 500 AD to 1,500 AD in Europe is referred to as the Middle Ages. This time period also carries a few different names (Dark Ages and Medieval Times), they are all the same period. For a time period that spanned one-thousand years, a whole lot occurred. The printable worksheets below will examine many different aspects of life during this time period.

The time period opens with the Fall of the Western Roman Empire. In the early 700s AD Charles the Hammer defeated the Moorish invaders which ended the expansion of Islam into Western Europe. In 800 AD Charlemagne was declared the Emperor of Rome and expanded his influence across most of Europe. This was followed by William the Conqueror who divided all the land of England and created a feudal system. This was followed one- hundred and fifty years later with the Declaration of the Magna Carta which was seen as the first step towards a full constitution. In the early 1300s AD a Great Famine overpowered northern Europe which led to many deaths, disease transmission, and overall citizen unrest. In 1337 AD England waged war with France over neighboring tensions, resulting in what is know as the Hundred Years War. The mid-1300s also saw the Black Death which was a global epidemic of the bubonic plague which resulted in the death of twenty-five million people or a one-third of Europe's population, at the time. This series of worksheets looks at all of the types of people and cultures during this time period. Students will explore key battles and wars that helped shape the belief systems and governing of these cultures. We will look at the formation of governance in the form of democracy in this area. Students will also study the life and times of many military leaders of this time period.



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Print The Middle Ages Worksheets

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An Overview

The social structure and style of government during the Middle Ages was called feudalism. The Bishop was the highest-ranking church official in a kingdom and everyone in the kingdom supported the church.

An Overview Multiple Choice Questions

Together, the Black Death, the Crusades, and the Peasants Revolt brought about the end of the Middle Ages.

Knights

There were three categories of soldiers during the Middle Ages: foot soldiers, archers, and knights.

Knights - Short Answer Questions

The first knights fought for King Charlemagne in the 700s. Charlemagne introduced the use of horses in order to allow his soldiers to engage in battle across his huge empire.

Vikings

The Vikings were a group of people who lived in the Scandinavian areas that are now Denmark, Sweden, and Norway during the Middle Ages.

QUESTIONS: Vikings

In the 9th century, the Vikings began to settle in parts of Great Britain, Germany, and Iceland. In the 10th century they moved into northeastern Europe, including Russia, and along the coast of northern France.

The Crusades

The Crusades were a series of wars that took place in the Middle Ages when European Christians tried to take Jerusalem and the Holy Land away from the Muslims.

QUESTIONS: The Crusades

In all, there were nine Crusades, almost all of which were unsuccessful.

The Magna Carta

The Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in the history of democracy. Signed by King John of England in 1215, it said that the king was subject to the law and was responsible for protecting the rights of the people.

QUESTIONS: Magna Carta

Though both sides signed the agreement, neither side kept their word.

Saxons Reading Passage

The Saxons were a group of people from the northern part of German who came to Britain in the 5th century.

QUESTIONS: Saxons

The first prominent Saxon kingdom was Northumbria in the early 600s. The kingdom of Mercia became powerful in the 700s, and in the 800s both Northumbria and Mercia were conquered by the kingdom of Wessex.

War of the Roses

The War of the Roses was a Civil War that took place in England at the end of the Middle Ages. Though it lasted over thirty years, it was made up mainly of small battles with years between them.

QUESTIONS: War of the Roses

The war had multiple causes. A primary cause was that both families were descended from Kind Edward III, placing them in the line of succession for the throne.

Kievan Rus

The Rus people were Vikings from Sweden who moved to Eastern Europe in the 800s and founded a small kingdom ruled by King Rurik. The Rurik Dynasty lasted for the next 900 years.

Kievan Rus - Short Answer Questions

The Kievan Rus empire began in 880 when King Oleg moved the capital of the Rus from Novgorod to Kiev.

Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great was the son of Aethelwulf, King of Wessex, in England in the 800s. Because Alfred had four older brothers, it was unlikely that he would ever become king himself.

Alfred the Great - Questions

King Aethelred named Alfred his second in command, and Alfred defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ashdown.

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was the daughter of a French farmer who had a religious vision when she was twelve years old that she would lead her people in a victorious battle against the English, and then accompany the French king to be crowned.

Joan of Arc - Short Answer

After the coronation, Joan led a small troop of soldiers to the city of Compiegne, where she was captured by the Burgundians and sold to the English.