Middle Ages, Crusades and Ecuadorian Cultures

• The study notes cover topics related to the Middle Ages, Ecuadorian cultures, the Crusades, civilizations of the Americas, Abrahamic religions, the Renaissance, and key concepts in social studies.

The Middle Ages

• The Middle Ages began in 452 AD with the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
• The "Black Death" or "Great Plague" was an epidemic caused by rat fleas, leading to nauseating eruptions that turned black.
• The Carolingian Empire is named after Carlo Magno (Charlemagne), King of the Franks.
• The Crusades were a result of conflicts between Muslims and Christians.
• The end of the Middle Ages was caused by the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Ecuadorian Cultures

• Students are required to locate the cultures of Ecuador on a map.

The Crusades

• The Crusades involved a series of events, which must be chronologically ordered.
• The Muslim invasion advanced, creating a powerful empire with organizational challenges.
• The Carolingian Empire expanded among the Lombards, halting the Muslim advance into Europe.
• Muslims gained control of the Visigothic kingdom, later called Al-Andaluz.
• After Muhammad's death, emirs expanded their rule, controlling parts of Egypt, Israel, the Arabian Peninsula, and areas of Africa.
• The Crusades began with the goal of reconquering Jerusalem.
• During the Third Crusade, the Byzantine Empire fought against Western Christian kingdoms and Muslims due to Isaac II Angelo's alliance with Salad Ad-Din.
• Christians reconquered Jerusalem and maintained control, establishing the County of Edessa.
• The Council of Clermont was requested by Pope Urban II to aid Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in stopping the Muslim advance on Turkey.

Civilizations of the Americas

• The key characteristics of the Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations are compared and classified.

Abrahamic Religions

• The main aspects and criteria of Abrahamic religions (Islam, Judaism, Christianity) are analyzed.

Renaissance and Humanism

• The main causes of the emergence and expansion of Humanism and the Renaissance are discussed.

Renaissance Figures

• The images and information about important Renaissance figures should be matched with the correct name: Nicolas Maquiavelo, Tomás Moro, Erasmo de Rotterdam, Giovani Boccaccio, Dante Alighieri, Francisco Petrarca.

Contributions of Greek Civilization

• The statements corresponding to the contributions of the Greeks to later societies are identified.

Key Concepts

• Relationships between key concepts and their meanings:
  • Islam: Sometimiento a Dios (Submission to God).
  • Bible: Libros. Texto sagrado de la religión profesada por Jesús (Books. Sacred text of the religion professed by Jesus).
  • Koran: Alabanza o adoración (Praise or adoration).
  • Edict: Mandato o decreto ordenado por una figura de autoridad para la revisión u observación de un asunto en particular (Mandate or decree ordered by an authority figure for the review or observation of a particular matter).
  • Caliphate: Forma de organización social basada en la figura de un sucesor del profeta Mahoma (Form of social organization based on the figure of a successor to the prophet Muhammad).
  • Crusades: Guerras de carácter religioso que buscaban en su tiempo la recuperación de territorios santos y la expansión de las religiones involucradas por todo el mundo antiguo (Religious wars that sought in their time the recovery of holy territories and the expansion of the religions involved throughout the ancient world).
  • Empire: Estado en el que los poderes y funciones estatales se consolidan en una sola persona: el rey (State in which the powers and state functions are consolidated in one person: the king).
  • Humanism: Corriente filosófica y artística que sitúa al hombre como el centro del universo y del conocimiento (Philosophical and artistic movement that places man as the center of the universe and knowledge).
  • Kingdom: Un imperio es una unidad política estatal que ejerce control sobre una amplia extensión de terreno (An empire is a state political unit that exercises control over a large extension of land).