Political Reforms in the Middle Ages
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AP World History: Modern › Political Reforms in the Middle Ages
The Magna Carta was signed __________.
in England in 1215
in France in 1437
in Rome in 1096
in England in 1131
in Rome in 1066
Explanation
The Magna Carta was signed in England in 1215. The document provides certain guarantees of the rights of the English nobility against the abuse of the king. It was signed by King John II of England.
The Hanseatic League was created to __________.
protect the economic interests of merchants in Northern Europe
protect Christian Europe from the threat of Ottoman invasion
protect the Ottoman Empire from the threat posed by the European crusades
encourage the spread of Protestantism in Northern Europe
prevent the spread of Protestantism in Southern and Western Europe
Explanation
The Hanseatic League was created in the fourteenth century to encourage, protect, and facilitate trade in Northern Europe. It was an agreement designed to deter conflict and provide protections for various merchant classes.
William the Conqueror's Domesday Book was an attempt to do which of the following?
To survey and organize William's English territory for the purposes of taxation
To reform English common law to provide greater protection and rights for the common people
To undermine English religious traditions by establishing the Norman religion as the religion of the English territory
To consolidate the Saxon power base within the North of England
To reorganize the territory of Northern France to prepare the people for the invasion of England
Explanation
The Domesday Book is a record of the Norman survey of England carried out in 1086. The purpose of the book was to find out how much land, property, and so on was owned by each individual in the territory so as to facilitate taxation in William the Conqueror's new territory.
The Magna Carta __________.
provided guaranteed rights for members of the English aristocracy
established protection for the common people from the abuses of the aristocracy
provided guarantees that the aristocracy would protect the rights of the common people from the abuses of the king
established direct democracy in England
established representative democracy in England
Explanation
The Magna Carta, signed by King John II in 1215 and subsequently renewed on several occasions, is often cited as the beginning of democracy in England, or at least the beginning of the English Constitution. In practice, it effectively guaranteed the protection of the rights of some twenty-five members of the English aristocracy from the abuses of the King. The importance of the document comes from the precedent it established that in English society, the power of the King was never absolute.