Olympiad tasks on the history of the Middle Ages (grade 6).
School stage of the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren in the 2009-2010 academic year
Work time - 45 minutes
Exercise 1.
(7 points)
Find a logical match and fill in the gaps in the text
States
Christianity _________________ ____________________
Koran
Patriarch ____________________
Rome Constantinople ____________________
Task 2
(2 points for the correct answer. Total - 6 points)
1. Give the common name of the listed words:
Find this word.
3. Give a designation to this list.
Task 3.
(6 points)
Find three mistakes in the text, write down the correct answers:
The eastern part of the Roman Empire was inhabited by Greeks, Jews, Armenians, Gauls, Syrians. Inherited from ancient rome Byzantium received the Latin language as state language, although the inhabitants of the state called themselves not Romans, but Greeks. Foreigners, however, called all the inhabitants of Byzantium none other than Latins.
1.____________ 2________________________ 3________________________
Task 4. (5 points)
Who is it? What is it?
"Hammer"-________________ Mohammed-________________
Beneficiary-_______________ Clovis-__________________
Parchment-______________
Task 5.
Solve the crossword puzzle.
(10 points with keyword)
1 keyword
"City of the Prophet"
Large landowner
Nomads from Asia, whose invasion was the impetus for the migration of peoples
Normans from the south of Scandinavia, known in Russia under the name…….
Military servant. Received land for service
Abbot of the monastery
Small landowner with no subordinates
On the feudal stairs stands after dukes and counts
He gave part of his land with peasants to small landowners for service
Answers to Olympiad tasks on the history of the Middle Ages Grade 6
Exercise 1.
States
Western Europe Byzantium Arab Caliphate
Christianity Orthodoxy Islam (Muslim)
bible bible quran
Pope Patriarch Imam
Rome Constantinople Mecca
Task 2
1. common name of the listed words: barbarians
Saxons, Franks, Huns, Vandals, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Burgundians, Angles, Lombards.
2. Cross out one word from this list, you get a list of words that have a different meaning.
Find this word. Huns
3. Give a designation to this list: Germans
Task 3.
1. Gauls lived in the Western Roman Empire
2. not Latin, but Greek
3. not Latins, but Romans
Task 4.
"Hammer" - Karl Martell, Major
Benefice- land plot given for military service for a while
Clovis - first the leader, and then the king of the Franks
Parchment material for writing. Made from calfskin
Mohammed is the prophet of Allah, the founder of Islam
Task 5.
Keyword "Monastery"
Following the Visigoths, the Germanic tribe of the Vandals created their kingdom on Roman territory; in the 3rd century n. e. it moved from the inner regions of Germany to the Danube, to Dacia, at the beginning of the 4th century. - to Pannonia, and then, under the pressure of the Huns, moved to the west. Together with other barbarian tribes, the Vandals at the beginning of the 5th century. broke through the Roman defenses on the Rhine, invaded Gaul and subjected it to terrible devastation. From Gaul, the Vandals, together with the Alans and Suebi, crossed to Spain, where after some time they clashed with the Visigoths.
In 429, the Vandals, along with the Alans, crossed the strait (modern Gibraltar) into North Africa. They were led by King Geiseric, who managed to use the rebellion of the Roman governor in North Africa, the uprisings against Rome of local tribes (Berbers) and the unbroken popular movement of agonists. He conquered most of North Africa, where an independent Vandal kingdom arose with its capital in Carthage. The Vandals, who were Arians, seized the lands and property of the Roman nobility and the Catholic Church in the part of North Africa where they settled (modern Tunisia and Libya). Having then taken possession of the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Gaiseric in 455 attacked Italy from the sea and captured Rome. The vandals subjected the city to a terrible defeat and devastation, destroyed many cultural monuments and works of art. This is where the later term “vandalism” comes from. The Vandal kingdom lasted until 534, when the troops of Emperor Justinian defeated the Vandals and annexed North Africa to Byzantium.
Formation of the Burgundian kingdom
In southeastern Gaul in the 5th century. the Kingdom of Burgundy was formed. Together with the Vandals, Alans and Sueves, the Burgundians at the beginning of the 5th century. crossed the Rhine and founded their kingdom on the middle Rhine with its center in Boris. In 437 the Burgundian kingdom was defeated by the Huns, and the remnants of the Burgundians were settled by Rome as federates in Sabaudia (modern Savoy), south and southwest of Lake Geneva. Later, the Burgundians spread to the valley of the upper and middle Rhone and Saone with their tributaries, and in 457 a new Burgundian kingdom took shape with its capital in Lyon.
The Burgundians carried out the division of land with the local population. The Burgundians received half of the forests, meadows, and pastures, one third of the slaves, and at first half, and later two thirds of the arable land of the Gallo-Romans. The Burgundians settled in consanguineous groups (large families), which were called headlights (and their members - faramans). The Burgundians, like the Visigoths, did not meet resistance from the population of Gaul, who sought to get rid of Roman domination, from excessive taxes. Some representatives of the local nobility began to serve the barbarian kings. In 534 the Burgundian kingdom was conquered by the Franks.
Hunnic tribal union in the 5th century Invasion of the Huns in the West. Europe.
The Huns, having defeated the Ostrogoths, began to invade Roman territory. At the beginning of the 5th century they occupied Pannonia (the western part of modern Hungary) and created a vast association here, which included a number of Germanic and non-Germanic tribes conquered by them (Ostrogoths, Quads, Marcomanni, Heruls, Gepids, etc.). The level of social development among the Huns by this time had somewhat increased, social differentiation intensified, slaves appeared, and hereditary royal power began to take shape. However, remaining nomads for the most part, the Huns needed mainly pastures for livestock and military booty, and therefore continued their conquests. At the same time, they mercilessly destroyed entire villages and cities, and exacted tribute from the conquered population. In the middle of the 40s of the 5th century. At the head of the Huns was the energetic leader Attila, nicknamed by his contemporaries "the scourge of God", under whose leadership they devastated a significant part of Europe. The lower level of social development of the nomadic Huns ruled out the possibility of such an interaction between Roman and barbarian social relations, which was characteristic of the kingdoms “bound by agricultural Germanic tribes in Gaul, Spain and Italy. In the early 50s, Attila crossed the Rhine and invaded Gaul. In 451, one of the largest battles of that time took place in Champagne under Mauriac. On the side of the Romans, led by the commander Aetius, were the Visigoths, Franks, Burgundians; on the side of the Huns - Ostrogoths, Gepids. The Huns suffered enormous losses in this battle and were forced to retreat behind the Rhine. After the death of Attila, the Hunnic union of tribes disintegrated (454).
The Vandal expedition seemed extremely difficult. It was necessary to transport a large army by sea to North Africa, which was supposed to fight against the people, who had a strong fleet and had already ruined Rome in the middle of the 5th century.
In addition, the transfer of large forces to the West was to be reflected in eastern border, where Persia, the most dangerous enemy of the empire, has waged constant frontier wars since the latter.
The historian relates an interesting account of the council at which the question of the African expedition was first discussed. 299 The emperor's most faithful advisers expressed doubts about the feasibility of the planned undertaking and considered it reckless. Justinian himself was already beginning to waver, and only, in the end, having recovered from his short-term weakness, did he insist on his original plan. The expedition was decided. In addition, at that time in Persia there was a change of rulers, and in 532 Justinian managed to conclude an “eternal” peace with the new sovereign on the conditions that were humiliating for Byzantium by paying a large sum of money to the Persian king every year. The latter circumstance allowed Justinian to operate with greater freedom in the west and south. At the head of a large army and navy was placed the talented commander Belisarius, the chief assistant in the emperor's military enterprises, who shortly before had pacified the great internal uprising "Nika", which will be discussed below.
It must be said that by that time the Vandals and Ostrogoths were no longer those terrible enemies that they used to be. Once in the conditions of an unusually relaxing southern climate for them and faced with Roman civilization, they quickly lost their former energy and strength. The already known Arianism of the Germans put them in strained relations with the native Roman population. The rebellious Berber tribes also weakened the Vandals a lot. Justinian perfectly took into account the situation that had arisen: with the help of skillful diplomacy, he aggravated their internal strife and was sure that the German states would never come out against him together, since the Ostrogoths were at odds with the Vandals, the Orthodox Franks were at enmity with the Ostrogoths, and too distant, living in In Spain, the Visigoths will not be able to seriously intervene in this struggle. Justinian therefore hoped to defeat the enemies one by one.
The Vandal War continued with some interruptions from 533 to 548. 300 At the beginning, Belisarius, in the shortest possible time, subjugated the vandal state with a series of brilliant victories, so that the triumphant Justinian announced that “God, in His mercy, betrayed us not only Africa and all its provinces, but also returned to us the imperial ornaments, which, after taking Rome (by the vandals) were carried away by them. 301 Thinking that the war was over, the emperor recalled Belisarius with most of the army to Constantinople. Then a fierce uprising of the Berbers broke out in North Africa, with which it was very difficult for the left occupying corps to fight.
Belisarius' successor Solomon was completely defeated and killed. The exhausting war continued until 548, when the imperial power was fully restored by the decisive victory of John Troglita, both a diplomat and a talented general. The third hero of the imperial occupation of Africa, he maintained complete calm there for about fourteen years.
His deeds are told by a contemporary, the African poet Corippus in his historical work"John." 302
These victories did not fully correspond to the hopes and plans of Justinian, since the western part of it before Atlantic Ocean was not reunited, with the exception of the strong fortress of Septem (Septem) on the Strait of the Pillars of Hercules (now the Spanish fortress of Ceuta - Ceuta). Nevertheless, most of North Africa, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands submitted to Justinian, who put a lot of work into establishing order in the conquered country. Even now, the majestic ruins of numerous Byzantine fortresses and fortifications erected by Justinian in North Africa testify to the vigorous activity shown by the emperor to protect the country.
Even more exhausting was the Ostrogothic campaign, which continued intermittently from 535 to 554. From these chronological dates it is clear that this war was fought during the first thirteen years simultaneously with the Vandal war. Intervening in the internal strife of the Ostrogoths, Justinian opened hostilities. One army began the conquest of Dalmatia, which was part of the Ostrogothic state; another army, put on ships and having Belisarius at the head, occupied Sicily without difficulty and, transferring hostilities to Italy, conquered Naples and Rome. Shortly thereafter, the Ostrogothic capital Ravenna opened the gates to Belisarius. Their king was moved to Constantinople. Justinian added "Gothic" to his title "African and Vandal". It seemed that; Italy is finally conquered by Byzantium.
At this time, the Ostrogoths had an energetic and talented king Totila, the last defender of Ostrogoth independence. He quickly restored the affairs of the Ostrogoths. One after another, the Byzantine conquests in Italy and the islands passed into the hands of the Ostrogoths. Unfortunate Rome, which had changed hands several times, turned into a heap of ruins. After so many failures, Belisarius was recalled from Italy. Things were corrected by another outstanding Byzantine commander Narzes, who managed to defeat the Goths with a number of skillful actions. Totila's army was defeated at the Battle of Busta Gallorum in Umbria. Totila himself fled, but in vain. 303 “His bloody robes and the jeweled helmet he wore were brought to Narses, who sent them to Constantinople, where they were laid at the feet of the emperor as visible proof that the enemy who had so long challenged his power was greater. No". 304 After twenty years of devastating war, in 554, Italy, Dalmatia and Sicily were reunited with the empire. The pragmatic sanction, published in the same year by Justinian, returned to the large landed aristocracy in Italy and the churches the lands and privileges taken from them by the Ostrogoths and outlined a number of measures to alleviate the ruined population. Since the Ostrogothic War, industry and trade have stopped for a long time in Italy, and due to a lack of labor, the Italian fields remained uncultivated. Rome turned into an abandoned, ruined, politically unimportant center where the pope took refuge. [scientific ed.17]
The last conquest of Justinian was directed in the year of the end of the Ostrogothic war (554) against the Visigoths in the Iberian Peninsula. But the Visigoths, who forgot their internal strife in view of the impending danger, gave a strong rebuff to the Byzantine army and defended their independence. Only the southeastern corner of the peninsula with the cities of Carthage fell into the hands of Justinian. Malaga and Cordoba. Its territory, ultimately, stretched from Cape St. Vincent in the west behind Carthage in the east. 305
Vasiliev in subsequent editions. Meanwhile, it seems important: “Such neglect and backwardness of Rome as a city is its feature up to the Renaissance."
With certain changes, the imperial province thus established in Spain lasted under the rule of Constantinople for about seventy years. It is not entirely clear whether this province was independent, or whether it depended on the Viceroy of Africa. 306 A number of churches and other architectural monuments of Byzantine art have recently been discovered in Spain and, as far as one can judge, they are of little value. 307
As a result offensive wars Justinian, the space of his monarchy can be said to have doubled: Dalmatia, Italy, the eastern part of North Africa (part of modern Algeria and Tunisia), southeastern Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearic Islands became part of the state of Justinian. Its borders stretched from the Pillars of Hercules to the Euphrates. But despite these enormous successes, the difference between Justinian's plans and the actual results was very significant: he failed to return the western Roman Empire as a whole. The western part of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, the northern parts of the Ostrogothic state north of the Alps (the former provinces of Rezia and Norica) remained outside his power. All of Gaul not only remained completely independent of Byzantium, but Justinian, in view of the threat from the Frankish state, even agreed to a concession to the Frankish king of Provence. It should also not be forgotten that throughout the great expanse of the newly conquered territory, the power of the emperor was far from being equally strong everywhere; The state did not have the strength or resources to do so. Meanwhile, it was possible to keep these territories only by force. Therefore, the brilliant appearance of the offensive wars of Justinian harbored the beginnings of serious future difficulties, both political and economic.
Justinian's defensive wars were much less successful and at times very humiliating in results. These wars were fought with Persia in the east and with the Slavs and Huns in the north.
In the VI century, there were two "great" powers: Byzantium and Persia, which have long been tedious and bloody wars on the eastern border. After the "eternal" peace with Persia, which was discussed above and which untied Justinian's hands in the west, Persian king Khosrov Anushirvan, i.e., a just, talented and skillful ruler, taking the emperor's ambitious plans to the West, took advantage of the situation. 308
Having received a request for help from the oppressed Ostrogoths and always having pressing issues in the border areas, he violated the "eternal" peace and opened hostilities against Byzantium. 309 A bloody war began with a preponderance towards the Persians. Belisarius, summoned from Italy, could do nothing. Khosrow meanwhile invaded Syria, took and ravaged Antioch, this, according to Procopius, "ancient, famous, the richest, largest, most populous and beautiful city of all the Roman cities in the east," 310 and reached the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In the north, the Persians fought in the Caucasian countries, with the Lazians (in Lazik, modern Lazistan), trying to break through to the Black Sea. Lazika was at that time dependent on Byzantium. Justinian, after much effort, managed to buy a truce for five years for the payment of a large sum of money. But, in the end, the endless military clashes tired Khosrow as well. In 562, peace was concluded between Byzantium and Persia for fifty years. Thanks to the historian Menander, 311 accurate, detailed information about the negotiations and about the conditions of the peace itself has come down to us. The emperor undertook to pay Persia a very large amount of money annually and negotiated with the Persian king religious tolerance for Christians living in Persia, but under the indispensable condition not to conduct further Christian propaganda in it. What was important to Byzantium was the agreement of the Persians to clear Lazika, a coastal region in the southeast of the Black Sea. In other words, the Persians failed to establish themselves on the shores of the Black Sea, which remained at the complete disposal of Byzantium. The latter circumstance was of great political and commercial importance. 312
The defensive wars in the north, that is, on the Balkan Peninsula, had a different character. As mentioned above, the northern barbarians, Bulgarians and, in all likelihood, the Slavs devastated the provinces of the peninsula even under Anastasius. Under Justinian, the Slavs appear for the first time under their own name (with avalanches in Procopius). In his time, the Slavs, already in much denser crowds, and partly the Bulgarians, whom Procopius calls the Huns, almost annually cross the Danube and go deep into the Byzantine regions, betraying passable areas with fire and sword. They reach, on the one hand, to the outskirts of the capital and penetrate to the Hellespont, on the other hand, in Greece to the Isthmus of Corinth and to the west to the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Under Justinian, the Slavs had already shown their desire for the shores of the Aegean Sea and threatened Thessalonica (Thessalonica), the second city in the empire after Constantinople, which, together with its environs, would soon become one of the centers of the Slavs on the Balkan Peninsula. The imperial troops fought the Slavic invasions with great effort and very often forced the Slavs to leave again beyond the Danube. But it can almost certainly be said that not all Slavs went back; some of them remained, since the troops of Justinian, employed in other theaters of war, were unable to complete the annual operations in the Balkan Peninsula. The era of Justinian is important precisely because it laid the foundation for the Slavic question on the Balkan Peninsula, which, as we will see below, by the end of the 6th and the beginning of the 7th centuries will already be of paramount importance for Byzantium.
In addition to the Slavs, the Germanic Gepids and Kuturgurs, a people related to the Huns, invaded the Balkan Peninsula from the north. In the winter of 558–559, the Kuturgurs, led by their leader Zabergan, occupied Thrace. From here, one detachment (one band) was sent to ravage Greece, another captured Thracian Chersonese, and the third, an equestrian detachment, headed under the leadership of Zabergan himself to Constantinople. The country was ruined. Panic reigned in Constantinople. The churches of the occupied regions sent their treasures to the capital or sent them by sea to the Asian coast of the Bosporus. Justinian urged Belisarius to save Constantinople in this crisis. The Kuturgurs were eventually defeated in all three directions of their attacks, but Thrace, Macedonia, and Thessaly suffered terrible economic losses from their invasion. 313