The Middle Ages Multiple Choice Quiz | 10 Questions

Answer: Donatist

The Donatists were a schismatic group, originating in North Africa where the founder, Donatus, was born. According to the Donatists, only the most righteous and pure could be members of the Christian church, making for a very exclusivist agenda. The Catholics (the name of which means 'universal'... there is no mistake in its selection), waged battles against Donatist heretics for nearly twelve centuries.

Answer: Leo I

Leo I, aka 'the Great', reigned from 440 to 461. His negotiations with both Attila the Hun and Genseric the Vandal helped spare Rome in the post imperial era. Leo was instrumental in establishing the authority of the Roman bishopric over the entire Catholic community by promoting the Petrine Doctrine.

Answer: St. Jerome

Jerome was never a holder of any high office, either civil or religious. Yet his writings are some of the most significant of the early church, and his translation of the Bible was a turning point for Rome. His Latin name: Sophronius Eusebius Hieronymus.

Answer: The Marriage of Mercury and Philology

The oddly named 'The Marriage of Mercury and Philology' is otherwise known as 'Satyricon' or 'Disciplinae'; it was a staple of medieval education. Martianus Capella was a contemporary of St. Augustine, both from north Africa. It was Martianus Capella (aka Felix Capella) whose work helped establish the seven liberal arts of the medieval curriculum, also known as the quadrivium and the trivium.

Answer: Theut

The term 'theut' means 'the folk' and/or 'people', and gave rise to the terms Teuton and Deutsch. Another term by which the Germans were known, Alemanni (the source of the modern word for Germany in both French and Spanish), was the name of a single tribe of Germans.

Answer: Merovech

Details of Merovich's life are sketchy at best, and largely can be drawn from the writings of Gregory of Tours, the hagiographer of Clovis and author of 'History of the Franks'. Clovis, who reigned from 481 to 511, was descended from Merovech.

Answer: Theodora

Theodora, though drawn from a rather shady background, turned out to be quite a help to her quite puritanical husband. Together, they reigned over a reunited Roman empire, established a powerful law code and built great monuments. Unfortunately, Justinian far overstepped his reach during his reign, and the Eastern Roman Empire was decimated soon after his death.

Answer: Jarrow

Jarrow monastery was located in Durham, just north of Yorkshire, one of the northernmost of the English counties. There, Benedict Biscop assembled the tools necessary to make Jarrow the primary center of learning in the vicinity. The Venerable Bede was a product of Jarrow.

Answer: Charlemagne

Einhard was of Frankish blood, and served under Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious. His masterwork of hagiography is called 'Vita Caroli Magni' (The Life of Charlemagne), written with the same flair as Seutonius, whose 'Lives of the Twelve Caesars' served as more than just inspiration.

Answer: Damiani

Peter Damiani relentlessly pursued a program of denunciation against Church corruption, and particularly spoke up against the sexual practices of the priesthood during his lifetime, insisting on sexual celibacy for all clerics. He died only a year before Hildebrand was made pope, and was placed in the highest level of heaven by Dante.