Test yourself! Take this The Middle Ages Quiz | European

Answer: On top of a hill

A castle was a stronghold and home for nobles. When built upon a hill, the castle guards could see an approaching attack before the attacking force got close to the castle walls. This eliminated the element of surprise and meant that attackers would have to fight their way uphill.

Answer: chain mail

Chain mail armor was made of many, many small strips of metal bits that were made into small hoops about the width of a pinky finger. They were then welded together by armorers or blacksmiths so they interlocked each other. Plate armor was very expensive and most soldiers could not afford it.

Answer: Pointsword

A broadsword had an edge on both sides of the blade. They were heavier than the standard sword but much more deadly. It was one of the earliest sword designs.

A longsword had a hilt that was longer than most to allow an easy two-handed grip. The blade was also much longer. As with a broadsword, the blade was double-edged but slimmer. This sword became popular with knights because of its longer reach.

A greatsword had a very large blade and was unusually heavy. It was double-edged and had the capibility to cut off limbs with just one stroke.

Answer: Fiefdoms

Fiefdoms were also called fiefs. Fiefs varied in size. Each lord or baron had a castle where they ruled their fief from. Each fief had knights assigned to help protect it. In principle, monarchs had the right to take a noble's fiefdom away if the noble was disloyal or did not do service.

Answer: Catholicism

Catholicism was the largest Christian denomination at the time. During most of the Medieval Ages, any religion other than that of the Catholic church was considered heretical in Western Europe and was likely to be persecuted.

Answer: Homer the Poet

Homer is the author of the famous poems "The Illiad" and "The Odyssey". Homer was Greek and lived sometime between 800 B.C. and 700 B.C.

Joan of Arc lived form 1412-1431. She roused the French to defy the English during the Hundred Years' War.

Vlad Dracula lived from 1431-1476. He was a Wallachian (Romanian) prince who lived in Transylvania. He enjoyed killing and is said to have killed over 40,000 people by impaling. He is also the inspiration for Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula". And no, Vlad Dracula was NOT a vampire!

Roger Bacon lived from 1214-1294. He was scientist, inventor, and philosopher.

Answer: Punching through armor

The crossbow was much smaller than a longbow and the arrows were called bolts. The crossbow packed a lot of power and could punch through medium-thick plate armor at close range. The longbow was used to shoot long distances and was the primary weapon of castle wall guards.

Answer: 1066-1485

By a widely accepted tradition among historians writing about English history, the Middle Ages began with the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It ended with the death of King Richard III and the end of the War of the Roses. German and French historians give earlier dates for the start of the Middle Ages in continental Europe.

Answer: son of landowner or noble

Once knights completed training, they were either assigned to help defend a fiefdom, patrol borders, explore foreign lands, or, in the event that a country was at war, join soldiers in battle. Knights were powerful. They had expensive plate armor, swords, elite warhorses, and many years of training. One knight was said to have the power of ten normal foot soldiers. I wouldn't want to cross one of them!

Answer: The Medieval Period

If you got this wrong, you need to crack open a history book!

'The Dark Ages' refers to the period from about 450-800 in Western Europe. It is given this name because of the lack of records from the time (about AD500-700). It doesn't mean that the period is full of 'dark' and horrific deeds.