Europe in the Later Middle Ages, Ca

History 303: The High and Later Middle Ages, ca. 1000-1450 Spring 2006: Tues./Thurs. 11-12:20 (Wyatt 305)

Instructor: Katherine Smith Email: [email protected] Office phone: 879-3906 Office / Hours: Wyatt 142 Mon/Wed 10:30-12 & other times by appointment

Description: During the centuries between the first millennium and the beginning of the early modern period European culture was repeatedly transformed in the political, social, and religious spheres, and the framework was laid for modern conceptions of the state, law, and family. Later medieval Europeans were forced to reevaluate the traditional relationship of church and state, define themselves against non-Christian and non-European cultures, and reinvent the long-standing social order to recognize the existence of new groups. Students will learn to analyze and contextualize narrative, non-narrative, and visual primary sources as we chart the major social, political, religious, and economic developments that repeatedly transformed Europe over the millennium known as the Middle Ages. We will follow several themes throughout this long period as we grapple with questions of chronological and geographic continuity and change; these will include relationships between secular and ecclesiastical power structures, ideal models of Christian society, gender roles within lay society and the medieval Church, and conceptions of sin and sanctity.

Course Objectives: All students in the class will have the opportunity to  acquire an in-depth understanding of the cultural traditions that shaped Western Europe and its neighbors from the eleventh through fifteenth centuries  hone their analytical skills through close readings of the rich variety of primary sources available for the study of the later medieval period: these will include narrative and non-narrative written sources, art, and material culture  engage with and evaluate major historiographical debates concerning this period, both in class discussions and through written assignments

Course Format: Classes will generally begin with a brief lecture designed to give an overview of the day’s topic and 1 clear up any areas of confusion, but the bulk of class time will be devoted to discussion, in which all members of the class will be expected to participate.

Requirements and Grading: Students are required to attend class meetings and to keep up with all reading assignments so that they can participate in discussions and activities. Be advised that than more than two unexcused absences in the course of the semester will adversely affect your participation grade, and that coming to late more than 15 minutes late constitutes an absence for that day. All members of the class will be expected to attend regularly, participate in class discussions, and complete two essays (5 pages each), three short reflection pieces (1- 1½ pages each) based on assigned readings, and take three in-class tests of 30 minutes each, as noted in the schedule of classes. Reflection Pieces: These short pieces of writing should reflect on an issue or question derived from the reading assigned for the day on which the pieces are due. Everyone will be assigned to a letter group (A-G) and your reflection pieces will be due on the days marked with this letter in the syllabus. You should not have to spend more than ½ hour on these; the point is not to produce a polished essay but allow you to reflect on some aspect of the reading. No late reflection pieces will be accepted. Quizzes: Each test will take approximately 30 minutes of class time, and will consist of short answers and identifications of important terms, individuals, and events covered in readings and class discussion. The tests are not cumulative; each covers material found on the syllabus from the day after the last test through the day on which the test is given. Dates for tests are marked on the syllabus, and make-up tests will only be given in the case of documented medical or family emergencies. Essays: 1. Medieval Crusading Mentalities and the Song of Roland (due Fri. 2/17 by 3pm) 2. Peasant Life and the World of the Manor (due Fri. 4/7 by 3pm)

Grades will be based on the following: Participation – 15% First Essay – 15% Second Essay – 20% Three Reflection Pieces – 5% each, for 15% Three Tests – 15 % each, for 35%

2 Grading Scale: Written assignments, exams and class participation will all be graded on a scale from A to F. For the numerical equivalents of each grade, see the list below. A: 94-100 A-: 90-93 B+: 87-89 B: 84-86 B-: 80-83 C+: 77-79 C: 74-76 C-: 70-73 D+: 67-69 D: 64-66 D-: 60-63 F: below 60 Texts: The books listed below are required and available for purchase at the campus bookstore; copies of all books are also on three-hour reserve at Collins. Additional readings will be found in the course packet available at the campus bookstore. Readings marked with an asterisk (*) are found in the packet in the order in which they are assigned. - Clifford R. Backman, The Worlds of Medieval Europe (Oxford, 2003) - Patrick Geary, Readings in Medieval History II: Later Middle Ages, 3rd ed. (Broadview, 2003) - The Lais of Marie de France, trans. Glyn Burgess (Penguin, 1999) - The Song of Roland, trans. Glyn Burgess (Penguin, 1990) - Judith Bennett, A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader of Brigstock (McGraw-Hill, 1998) A note on readings: The Backman book is a textbook intended to fill in the context (names, dates, major events and themes) of the later medieval period, and the assigned readings in Backman will often coincide with – but are not a replacement for – material covered in lectures. The remaining texts are primary sources (sources written during the period under study in this course) that will give you direct insight into the thoughts and feelings of medieval men and women.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

The Later Medieval Setting Tues. 1/17 – Sources and Approaches Thurs. 1/19 – Into the First Millennium (Group A) - (*) Ralph Glaber on the First Millennium - Backman, pp. 155-73

Lords and Vassals Tues. 1/24 – Medieval “Feudalism” in Practice (Group B) - Geary, no. 6-7: Agreement Between a Lord and Vassal, and The Murder of Charles the Good - Backman, pp. 175-96 Thurs. 1/26 – The Ideology of Vassalage and Lordship (Group C) - The Song of Roland (please read the entire text, though you may skip the intro if you wish)

3 Church Reform Movements Tues. 1/31 – The Investiture Controversy (Group D) - Geary, nos. 18-19: The Investiture Controversy, and Concordat of Worms - Backman, pp. 208-19 Thurs. 2/2 – Deformatio and Reformatio (Group E) - Geary, nos. 3-4: Bernard of Clairvaux on the Song of Songs, and Guibert of Nogent, Memoirs - Backman, pp. 219-29

Crusading Movements East and West Tues. 2/7 – The “ Reconquista ” and the Development of the Idea of Crusading (Group F) - (*)“Exile of the Cid and His Capture,” “Eulogius and the Martyrs of Cordoba,” and “The Chronicle of Albelda,” in Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources, ed. Olivia Remie Constable (U. of Pennsylvania, 1997), pp. 51-61 and 111-17. - (*) Marcus Bull, "Origins,” in The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades, ed. Jonathan Riley-Smith (NY: Oxford, 1995), pp. 13-33.

Thurs. 2/9 – The First Crusade (Group G) - Geary, no. 8: Four Accounts of the First Crusade

Tues. 2/14 – Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Europe and the Crusader States (Group A) - Geary, no. 33: Las Siete Partidas - (*) A Muslim View of the Franks: Usmah Ibn Munqidh **Test 1 (first 30 minutes of class time)**

The (Eleventh- and) Twelfth-Century Renaissance Thurs. 2/16 – The Intellectual Revolution (Group B) - Geary, no. 2: St Anselm’s Prosologion - Backman, pp. 231-41

Essay on the Song of Roland and Crusading Mentalities due in my office (Wyatt 142) Friday, Feb. 17th by 3pm.

Tues. 2/21 – The Rise of Universities (Group C) - (* Peter Abelard, “The Story of My Misfortunes” - Backman, pp. 241-52 Thurs. 2/23 – Courtly Love and Court Culture (Group D) - Lais of Marie de France. Read the following tales: Equitan, Le Fresne, Lanval, Les Deux Amanz, Chaitivel, & Eliduc - Backman, pp. 252-60

4 Structures of Authority in the High Middle Ages Tues. 2/28 – Popes as Kings (Group E) - (*) Pope Innocent III’s Letters on Papal Policies - Backman, pp. 262-73 Thurs. 3/2 – Heresy and Persecution (Group F) - Geary, nos. 9 & 15: Canons of the Fourth Lateran Council, and Jacques Fournier’s Register - Backman, pp. 273-79 Tues. 3/7 – New Conceptions of Rulers and Subjects (Group G) - Geary, nos. 24, 28 & 29: Enquêts of King Louis, Dialogue of the Exchequer, and Magna Carta - Backman, pp. 283-96

Intellectual and Artistic Revolutions of the Thirteenth Century Thurs. 3/9 –High Medieval Italy (Group A) - (*) Giovanni Vilanni, Florentine Chronicle - Geary, no. 37: Gregorio Dati, Diary - Backman, pp. 196-205 and 296-99

**SPRING BREAK: No Class Meetings 3/14 or 3/16**

Tues. 3/21 – Scholasticism (Group B) - Geary, no. 14: Three Views on the Eternality of the World - Backman, pp. 304-25

Thurs.3/23 – The Gothic Revolution in Art and Architecture (Group C) - (*) Abbot Suger, On His Administration **Test 2 (first 30 minutes of class time)**

Living in High Medieval Europe: Countryside and Town Tues. 3/28 – Life on the Manor (Group D) - Geary, nos. 27 and 31: Domesday Book and Wharram Percy - Bennett, A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader, chapters 1-3

Thurs. 3/30 – The Peasant Experience (Group E) - Bennett, A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader, chapters 4 and 6-9

Tues. 4/4 – The New World of the City (Group F) - (*) Account of a Riot in the Town of Chartres in1210 - Backman, pp. 327-33 and 337-49

New Forms of Spirituality Thurs. 4/6 – The Coming of the Friars (Group G) - Geary, nos. 10-11: St Francis’ Rule and St Clare’s Testament - Backman, pp. 352-61

5 Essay on Medieval Peasants due in my office (Wyatt 142) Friday, April 7, by 3pm.

Tues. 4/11 – Lay Piety in the Later Middle Ages (Group A) - Geary, nos. 17 & 23: The Book of Margery Kempe, and Joinville’s Life of St. Louis - Backman, pp. 361-67

Crises of the Late Middle Ages Thurs. 4/13 – Famine and Plague (Group B) - (*) Boccaccio on the Black Death in Florence - Backman, pp. 369-81; Bennett, A Medieval Life: Cecilia Penifader, chapter 5 Tues. 4/18 – The Hundred Years War (Group C) - Geary, nos. 25-26: Froissart’s Chronicles, and The Trial of Joan of Arc - Backman, pp. 381-87 Thurs. 4/20 – The Late Medieval Church in Crisis (Group D) - (*) William of Hundlehy on the Outrage at Anagni - (*) Petrarch on the Avignon Papacy - Geary, no. 16: Marsilio of Padua, Discourses - Backman, pp. 387-94 and 395-400

The Autumn of the Middle Ages Tues. 4/25 – Revolutions and Expulsions, East and West (Group E) - (*) The Expulsion of the Jews from Spain, 1492 - Backman, pp. 413-25 Thurs. 4/27 – The Renaissance in Medieval Context (Group F) - (*) Marsilio Ficino, Erasmus of Rotterdam, and Loys Le Roy on the Renaissance - Backman, pp. 427-36 **Test 3 (first 30 minutes of class time)**

Tues. 5/2 – Conclusions (Group G) Everyone’s assignment for the last class meeting is to watch The Name of the Rose (1986), a film set in 14th-century Italy, and come prepared to discuss the questions listed below. You may either come to a screening of the film on the afternoon of Friday, 4/28 at 4pm (location TBA) or borrow the film from Collins reserves for up to 3 hours. - How is monastic life depicted in the film? - Is the film’s portrayal of the Church’s hunt for heretics accurate? - How are peasants represented in the film? - Is this a “dark” or a “romantic” re-imagining of the medieval past?