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Activities

UNIT 5. THE MIDDLE AGES II

CHECK YOUR LEARNING

THE CHRISTIAN KINGDOMS

1. Where did the first Christian Kingdom develop? __________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the Reconquest and when did it begin? __________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

3. Which was the last Muslim kingdom in Spain? ___________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

4. Look at the map and complete the text with these words.

Christians fought the Muslims in Spain during

________________ centuries and unified into four Christian

kingdoms. The two biggest kingdoms, the Kingdom of

_____________________ and Aragón, unified in _________

when the _________________________ Isabel I of Castilla and

Fernando II de _________________, married. The Christian

Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula was completed with the

conquest of the Muslim Kingdom of ____________ in

____________ .

1469 - seven - Castilla - Catholic Monarchs - Aragón - Granada - 1492

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5. What was a medieval city like? Label the seven parts.

6. Why did cities become important in the Middle Ages? ____________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

7. Why did diseases spread quickly? _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

8. What was feudalism? __________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

9. List these people in order of importance in a feudal society.

serf - knight - king - noble - clergy - peasant

1. ________ 2. __________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________ 5. ___________ 6. _________

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10. Who do the sentences below refer to?

a. They lived in castles. ________________

b. The fought in the noble’s armies. ___________________

c. He ruled the country. _________________________

d. They worked on land belonging to the nobles. ___________________

e. They lived either in convents or monasteries _______________________

11. Describe he medieval society. Write the numbers and answer the questions.

1 = peasants and serfs 2 = the king 3= nobles/bishops and monks

a. Which social group had the most power?

______________________________________________

b. Which social groups share the same level on the

social pyramid? ________________________________

c. What professions made up the largest social

groups? _______________________________________

d. What is the mediaeval social organization called?

______________________________________________

12. Match each group with its role.

1. the king ___ a. They worked the land.

2. clergy ___ b. They protected the King and the land of the kingdom.

3. peasants ___ c. They carried out the religious and cultural activities.

4. nobleman ___ d. He was the highest political authority of the kingdom.

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13. Unscramble the words to complete the sentences about life in the Christian

Kingdoms.

a. Noblemen live in (tascels) _________________________ .

b. Clergy included (phisbos) _______________ and monks.

c. Monks lived in (setamosnire) _______________________ .

d. (fsers) ______________ were peasants that served a nobleman.

e. Medieval cities were surrounded by walls and organized into (strictisd) ____________ .

f. Merchants traded products in the market places and (gnidtra risaf) ______________ .

14. What were the guilds? Why were they important? _______________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

15. Match.

a. An apprentice ___ 1. was a person who bought and sold products.

b. A guild ___ 2. was the owner of a workshop.

c. A master craftworker ___ 3. was a young worker learning a profession.

d. A merchant ___ 4. was a group of craftworkers who did the same job.

16. Does the map show the beginning or the end

of the Middle Ages? Explain your answer. Was

your Autonomous Community in the Christian of

Muslim zone at his time? ______________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

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17. Look at the photos and write the corresponding style of architecture. The use the

words to complete the texts.

dark - frescoes - plaster - carving - towers - ceilings - tiles - stained glass - horseshoe - pointed - courtyards - windows -

rounded - cloisters - monasteries - colourful

______________________ architecture.

These buildings were made of clay, _________________________ and

wood. Their walls and columns were decorated with ______________________ and

__________________________. They included _____________________ arches,

rounded and pointed arches, dome and _____________ with fountains and pools.

______________________ architecture.

These churches, _________________ and cathedrals were built between the 10th and 12th

centuries. They had thick, solid walls with small, narrow _____________ which made the

interiors ___________________ . They had ______________________ arches. Their walls

were decorated with ______________________ of religious life. Their doorways and

___________________ included sculptures of religious scenes or daily life.

______________________ architecture.

These churches and cathedrals were built in the 13th and 14th centuries.

They were tall ribbed _________________ and pointed ____________________ .

They had ____________ arches. Their large _____________ windows made their

interiors bright and ______________________ .

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18. Use the words to label de pictures.

high walls - bell tower - stained glass windows - pointed arches - pointed towers - rounded arches - thick walls - columns - window

- rose window

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19. Complete the table with five characteristics of Romanesque and Gothic art and

architecture.

Romanesque Gothic

20. Who was Alfonso X el Sabio?

__________________________________________________________________________

21. Imagine you live in the Middle Ages. Write a short text explaining your life. Organise

your work into three paragraphs.

a. Which territory do you live in: the Visigoth Kingdom, Al-Andalus or in one of the

Christian Kingdoms? Explain.

b. Which social group do you belong to: noblemen, clergy, peasants, Mozarabs,

Muslim…?

c. Where do you live: in a castle, a palace, in a monastery, in a city? Are you rich or

poor? Where do you work?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

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REVIEW 22. Choose the correct words.

a. Muslim / Visigoth society consisted of a king, nobles and peasants.

b. The name for the social organization during the Middle Ages was feudalism / taifas.

c. The Kingdom of Granada was the last territory under Muslim / Visigoth rule.

d. The main artistic styles in medieval Spain were Islamic, Roman / Romanesque,

Gothic and Mudéjar styles.

23. Classify the characteristics listed below according to the style.

• Horseshoe arches _________

• Pointed arches ___________

• Thick walls _______________

• Stained-glass windows _______________

• Small windows __________________

• Mosaics __________________

24. Match and write the sentences.

a. The king ___ 1. copied religious books.

b. A noble ___ 2. wasn’t a free person.

c. A knight ___ 3. was loyal to the king.

d. A serf ___ 4. ruled the country.

e. A monk ___ 5. fought in the noble’s army.

25. Write (T) true or (F) false. Correct the false ones.

a. ___ The privileged in the Christian Kingdoms paid taxes.

b. ___ Nobleman lived in castles and were very rich.

c. ___ The clergy were non-privileged people.

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d. ___ The monks and nuns lived in monasteries and the priests and bishops looked

after churches.

e. ___ The non-privileged people were peasants, craftsmen and merchants.

f. ___ The peasants lived inside cities.

26. Unscramble the letters and write the words about life in the Christian kingdoms.

a. The cities were surrounded by walls; the we _________________ .

b. Cities had a main _____________ were merchants traded their products.

c. Craftsmen belonged to associations called _________________ .

d. These associations controlled the prices and _____________ of products.

e. Once or twice a year there were special events called _____________ ____________

where people from all over the world traded their products.

f. ______________ were founded in main cities such as Salamanca.

27. Is this a Romanesque or a Gothic church? Explain your answer.

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

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CASTLES Read the text about castles and match the headings to the correct paragraphs. There

are two extra headings.

____________________________

Life in a castle wasn’t very comfortable. The rooms were dark

and the tapestries on the walls and the straw-covered floors

didn’t do much to keep the occupants warm. The nobles that

lived there often shared the same bedroom, which was a

problem because the y didn’t was very often.

_________________________________________

In times of peace, the nobles often organized banquets. The guests ate many different types

of food and there was plenty of meat, finish and exotic dishes such as swan. Musicians,

acrobats and jesters entertained the guests. Sometimes a travelling singer called a

troubadour came to the castle to sing and share news from other regions.

_________________________________________

The knights had to practice fighting and often had

competitions, which they called tournaments. A popular

event was jousting. Two knights tried to push each other off

their horses using a long, havy pole called a lance.

________________________________________

The nobles went hunting. They used a bow and arrow to hunt deer and wild pigs in the

forests. They also used trained birds of prey to hunt smaller animals. The ladies of the court

also practiced this sport.

_______________________________________

The castle served as a home for the nobles and their families as well as the center of local

power. It was a court of law and also a prison.

Hunting - Knights - Tournaments - Castle life - Function of a castle - Entertainment - Food

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PROJECT 1. Search the Internet and find information about the University of Salamanca

• When was it founded?

• What studies were offered in the Middle Ages?

• Find photos of the Fray Luis de León. Describe the classroom.

2. Search the internet. Are there any streets names in your town or city inherited from

medieval times? What do these names tell us about the street.

3. Search the Internet for examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture in your

region. Make a poster with labelled photos.