NAME

DATE

CLASS

netw rks

Geography and History Activity

Medieval Europe
Lesson 1 The Early Middle Ages

Location: How Christianity United Europe

Europes development during the Middle Ages was due in great
part to geography. Most land in Europe lies within several
hundred miles from the sea. Closeness to the sea encouraged
trade between Europe and other places. Yet, within Europe,
wide rivers and tall mountains separated regions, allowing
isolated groups to develop distinct cultures. As a result, it was
difficult for a single ruler to take control of all of Europe.
Europe was a continent of many small kingdoms.
Within Europe, Christianity helped unite the divided European
kingdoms. Powerful leaders like Frankish King Clovis converted
to Christianity. A Christian priest named Patrick brought
Christianity to Ireland. Missionaries helped spread Christian
beliefs to England. By A.D. 1050, most people in Western
Europe were Catholic Christians. As a result, the Church
influenced every aspect of life. People attended mass daily.
Priests, monks, and nuns provided aid to the poor. They
provided medical care to the sick. They also recorded
births and conducted weddings and funerals. In cities like
Canterbury, England, people built massive churches to show
their faith. The Churchs influence over the people was not
enough. Church leaders also wanted Europes rulers to enforce
the faith and establish a unified Christian empire.

KEY
Predominately Christian by A. D. 325
Predominately Christian by A. D. 600
Christian community established by A. D. 325

Se

North
Sea

lt

ic

Ba

ATL ANTIC
O CE AN
Ca

Mediterranean Sea
Cyrene
0

500 miles

500 km
0
Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection

DOPW (Discovering our Past - World)

Antioch
Damascus
Jerusalem

Ephesus
Carthage

Se

Black Sea
Sinope
Constantinople

Philippi

Rome

ia

Cordoba

sp

Belgrade

Marseilles

Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies.

NAME

DATE

Geography and History Activity Cont.

CLASS

netw rks

Medieval Europe

Directions Use the information from the passage and map to

answer the following questions.

Understanding the Concept

1. Locating In what region was Christianity most common in
a.d. 325? In what directions did it expand to the greatest
degree by a.d. 600?

2. Identifying What largely Christian areas in a.d. 600 had

no Christian presence in a.d. 325?

3. Identifying According to the passage, who brought

Christianity to Ireland and England?

Applying the Concept

5. Making Inferences Why do you think the Christian cities

in Western Europe, such as Cordoba, Marseilles, and Rome,
were important?

Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies.

4. Making Generalizations Based on the information in the

map, what generalization can you make about the spread
of Christianity from a.d. 325 to a.d. 600?

NAME

DATE

Geography and History Activity Cont.

CLASS

netw rks

Medieval Europe
6. Analyzing How did the spread of Christianity help unite
Western Europe?

Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies.