hist2330 medieval europe, 1050 to the ...ebezzina/hist2330f13/2330f...i) explain how the succession...

HIST2330 MEDIEVAL EUROPE, 1050 TO THE REFORMATION

Fall 2013

Reading Guidelines

Using the Reading Guidelines from the Website

The reading guidelines are intended to help you focus your reading in an effective way

while giving you a structure for note-taking. Simply reading the textbooks and underlining key

passages will not be sufficient to help you assimilate and understand the material. You must take

notes, but of course you cannot take notes on every single detail in the course textbooks because

of time constraints.

In addition to taking detailed notes on introductory sections, use the questions in the

guidelines as your guide for what to focus on in the reading assignment. You will not be

required to hand in your answers to these questions per se, but I tend to build my lesson plans for

the discussion classes around them; also, I base my exams, mid-terms, and quizzes on those

reading guideline questions. If you can answer these questions in an intelligent and detailed

manner, then you will pass this course with flying colours.

The reading guidelines file on the course website is a running file that I add to for every

class. I tend to add the reading guidelines for the readings for the next class about two days in

advance.

If you are new to the discipline of history, you may wish to consult:

Clark, Vincent Alan. A Guide to Your History Course: What Every Student Needs to Know.

Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009.


Fall 2013

Friday, September 6, 2013: Lecture: The Concept of the Middle Ages

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, from both volumes, pp.

16-17 [handout]

Clifford R. Backman, The Worlds of Medieval Europe (second edition) (Oxford

and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), pp. xv-xviii [handout]

Some General Thoughts:

So we begin! My intent with these readings is to give you a few thoughts about what

“medieval” means? People who lived in the medieval period did not necessarily refer to their

time as such (“middle of what?” they would have asked), although many of them knew that they

were living after the demise of Roman civilization. Yet Backman in particular believes that it is

possible to speak of a “medieval worldview” in a very general sense, with room for exceptions

and nuance of course.

What is surprising about these two readings is that Rosenwein seeks to go beyond what

traditionally has been defined as the geographic “center” of the medieval period, i.e. Western

Europe. In her book, there is much detail about developments in the Islamic and Byzantine

worlds, which existed on the peripheries of Western Europe. That is because one cannot

understand what happened in places such as France, Germany, and Italy without delving into the

intereconnections between those three polities and the civilizations around them. You also will

receive some insight into why studying such a remote period is important for us, which is

intriguing because there is much in the Middle Ages that we would find bizarre; and yet there are

connections between that period and our own modern world.

Some Questions to Consider:

i) Why did Rosenwein choose the approach to her textbook that she did? What is the value of a

chronological approach as opposed to a thematic approach?

ii) In addressing developments in the Byzantine and Islamic worlds (in addition to Western

Europe), do you think that she is thus saying something about the medieval period?

iii) If medieval attitudes and institutions seem so foreign to us, what is the value of studying the

Middle Ages?

iv) Is there a connection between the medieval world and our modern, contemporary world? If

so, what is it?

v) What was the essence of the medieval worldview? Can one speak of something like a

medieval worldview or is that too general a concept?

v) Do you think that there is anything unique in the statement, “…the many worlds of the Middle

Ages tried to fashion connections and conflicts of everyday life into a unified vision of human

existence”? Does not every civilization and every society try to do that?


Fall 2013

Tuesday, September 10, 2013: Lecture: An Overview of the First Half of the Medieval

Period, Part I

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: A Brief History (seventh

edition) (Boston: Wadworth, 2011), pp. ch. 7, pp. 130-150 [handout]

Some General Thoughts

Now we are delving further into the first part of this course, Foundations. This

photocopied chapter is intended to give you a brief overview of the period that is

characteristically defined as the Early Middle Ages, the period from the demise of the Western

Roman Empire to the expansion of Islam in the eighth century.

You do not need to read the material in the document excerpts, as the purpose of this

reading is to give you a broad overview (although reading the document excerpts will help you

understand the broader historical forces at work).

Here are some themes to consider:

● The Roman Empire experienced significant military and political decline, especially in

the West, and yet it lived on in different ways through its “heirs”

● The consolidation of Christianity in administration, institutions, belief, and doctrine

● The intermingling of Roman and “barbarian” peoples

● The co-agulation of new kingdoms in the West

● The rise of Islam and the similarities/differences with Christianity

● The preservation of Greek and Roman classical culture and the integration of such

culture into medieval Christianity

Some Questions to Consider

A. THE LATE ROMAN EMPIRE

i) Explain some of the reforms of the emperors Diocletian and Constantine; were they

successful?

ii) Why did the eastern Empire become Christian?

iii) What trajectories did the two halves of the Roman Empire take?

iv) What role did the eastern Emperor begin to play in religious disputes in Christianity?

B. THE GERMANIC KINGDOMS

i) How did the Germanic and Roman peoples integrate with each other? How did invasion from

outside forces facilitate that integration?

ii) Explain the similarities and differences between the Germanic kingdoms.

C. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

i) If the Western Empire had deterioriated politically to such a degree, how was the pope able to

accumulate so much authority and power?

ii) What role did monasteries play in the spread of Christianity and the preservation of classical

culture?

iii) Why did monks and nuns become the new heroes of Christianity? What was so attractive

about the ascetic ideal, about celibacy?

iv) Outline some of the differences between male and female monasteries;

v) How did Christian doctrine congeal and take shape through the work of Augustine of Hippo,

Jerome and Cassiodorus? Did classical culture play a role here?

D. THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

i) How did the Emperor Justinian change the Byzantine Empire?

ii) What role did the emperor play in the Byzantine state? How was that role different from

western rulers?

iii) How did the legacy of the classical world live on in Byzantine civilization?

iv) Why did the Empire shrink?

E. THE RISE OF ISLAM

i) Why did many Arabs gravitate towards Islam and not Christianity?

ii) Explain the similarities between Islam and Christianity;

iii) Outline the teachings of Islam; what is the difference beween Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims?

iv) If there was internal dissension in Islam, how can one explain the spread of the new religion?


Fall 2013

Thursday, September 12, 2013: Lecture: An Overview of the First Half of the Medieval

Period, Part II

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: A Brief History (seventh

edition) (Boston: Wadworth, 2011), pp. ch. 8, pp. 154-172 [handout]


Here, even though we are moving further away from the demise of the Roman Empire,

we still seeing the ways in which that legacy continued in the three “heirs”: Western Europe,

Byzantine Civilization, and the Muslim world. Each civilization takes on a unique shape, but

each one still exhibits characteristics of the “parent” civilization. Much of this historical reality

is generated by the movements of peoples and the integration of peoples. No one ethnic group is

a cultural monolith; each is a composite, an alloy of different ethnic groups.

Here are some other themes to think about:

●the relationship between church and state (which one sees in a number of different ways; e.g.

●the links between the Carolingian rulers and the papacy)

●the integration of peoples and cultures

●the differences and similarities among the three “heirs”


A. THE WORLD OF THE CAROLINGIANS

i) Explain the factors in the rise of the Carolingian Empire; why could it not retain its

cohesiveness?

ii) Describe the elements of the Carolingian Renaissance? What role did Charlemagne play in

this cultural renewal?

iii) How did the Church in the West try to tighten strictures on sexuality?

iv) In what ways was Charlemagne’s imperial title a combination of Germanic, Christian, and

Roman elements? Compare it with Byzantine concepts of imperial power.

B. THE DISINTEGRATION OF THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE

i) Explain how the succession problems after Charlemagne’s death and the invasions from

external forces led to the empire’s disintegration;

ii) Did the Vikings remain entirely separate from the societies and peoples that they raided?

iii) How did conversion to Christianity facilitate the integration and intermingling of peoples?

C. THE EMERGING WORLD OF LORDS AND VASSALS

i) Explain the differences between vassalage, fief-holding, and manorialism;

ii) How did these elements contribute to a new social reality in the former territories of the

Carolingian Empire?

iii) What was it like to be a serf? Was it similar to being a slave?

D. THE ZENITH OF BYZANTINE CIVILIZATION

i) Explain how the Macedonian dynasty restored much of Byzantine glory, raising it to a status

that rivaled that of Justinian’s accomplishments;

ii) How and why did Roman and Orthodox Christianity continue to move further apart?

E. THE SLAVIC PEOPLES AND CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

i) How did the migration of the Slavic peoples produce the integration of different peoples,

particularly in the case of Kievan Rus?

F. THE WORLD OF ISLAM

i) Explain the factors that moved the world of Islam from the Umayyad caliphate to the Abbasid

caliphate;

ii) What changes did the Abbasids bring about? How could there be political fragmentation in

the Islamic world but still unity?

iii) Describe the great cultural legacy of Abbasid rule; how does that help us understand the

characteristization of the Muslim world as an “heir” of classical civilization?


Fall 2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013: Lecture: Political Reconfiguration in the Byzantine and

Islamic Worlds

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, preface to the original

edition, p. xv; ch. 4, pp. 139-15


So we dive into the Rosenwein textbook! This chapter carries on where we left off with

the reading in the Spielvogel book, although there is some overlap. Today, we are turning our

focus to the worlds outside of Western Europe: the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world.

There are two elements of these readings that I find intriguing. The first is that both contexts

experienced political fragmentation, but they did not break apart into civil disorder or chaos,

which is what one might expect. New historical realities emerged.

The second theme involves the connection between politics and culture. Political

developments exercised an influence on the type of culture (mentalities, intellectual endeavours,

etc.) that evolved in these two contexts. The Byzantine Empire extolled military virtues. The

Islamic world did this to a degree; also, the separate Muslim territories were still unified by their

use of Arabic, by trade routes, and by the Qur’an (in spite of the divisions between Sunni and

Shi’ite). Moreover, the cultural competition among the Muslim courts generated great advances

in learning and culture.


A. BYZANTIUM: THE STRENGTHS AND LIMITS OF CENTRALISATION

i) Describe the unique characteristics of the Byzantine court and the conception of imperial

monarchy;

ii) How did the Byzantine Empire become more like an “open hand” rather than a “closed fist”?

Explain the role of Basil II in this development;

iii) How did ethnic diversity change the character of the Empire? What forces threatened the

Empire?

iv) Could it be said that these threats made Byzantine culture oriented more towards a military

ideal?

iv) How did conversion to Christianity facilitate the closer alignment between the Byzantine

Empire and Kievan Rus?

B. DIVISION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD

i) How and why did more regional groups become powerful in the Islamic world? What

happened to the caliphs?

ii) Outline the characteristics of these regional groups (the Buyids, the Fatimids; the Umayyads

in Al-Andalus, etc.)

iii) If the Islamic world has become so politically fragmented, how could it be also culturally

integrated?

iv) How did the Abbasids change Islamic intellectual life?

v) In what ways was the Islamic world more regionalized than the Byzantine world?


Fall 2013

Thursday, September 19, 2013: Lecture: Western Europe Stabilizes Itself

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, ch. 4, pp. 152-173

*****introduction and annotated bibliography for the first essay due today


Now we are shifting our gaze mostly to Western Europe, to see how the political

fragmentation produced an entirely social and political reality than what is found in the

contemporary Byzantine and Islamic worlds. The three “heirs” are becoming more and more

distinct from each other. In Western Europe, the political fragmentation facilitated the rise of

local and regional powers, best exemplified in the relationship between lord and vassal,

something quite new and entirely different. This is all part of the system of feudalism (a

historian’s term) that began to congeal in this period. The word “feudal” has a negative

connotation today, meaning outdated and stupid, although a feudal lord living in this time did not

necessarily see the system in that way (“hey, who are you calling outdated and stupid??

Geeze!”). Feudal relations were based on concepts of trust and reciprocity. Yet the feudal

relationship still had to be aligned more neatly with the Christian religion, and this is where the

Peace of God and the Truce of God come into play.

Still, even though one would use the words the feudalism and political fragmentation to

characterize Western Europe in this period, monarchs were trying to consolidate their power and

reverse that process of political fragmentation. Even the Capetian monarchs, in their relatively

small enclave of the Île-de-France, sought to extend and strengthen royal power.

C. THE WEST: FRAGMENTATION AND RESILIENCE

i) Was there such a thing as “France” or “Germany” at this time?

ii) How did the Vikings integrate themselves into places such as Anglo-Saxon England?

iii) Why do you think that the Magyars converted to Christianity but the Muslims did not?

iv) Describe the new political and social dynamic that congealed in the aftermath of the

Carolingian Empire;

v) Explain how one could be both a vassal and a lord at the same time;

vi) What were the dominant characteristics of vassalage?

vii) Were most peasants in Western Europe serfs? Was there a clear distinction between “free”

and “unfree” peasants”?

viii) How did the changing condition and status of knights lead some bishops to implement the

Peace of God and the Truce of God? How could the ethos of the fighting knight be reconciled

with being Christian?

ix) How did the social situation in the Italian territories differ from that of the rest of Western

Europe?

x) How did Alfred the Great stabilize his kingdom? How was his approach to kingship different

from that of the Byzantine Emperor?

xi) How did the Ottonian Renaissance represent a continuation of the Carolingian Renaissance?

In what ways did political and artistic developments work together?

xii) Even though Hugh Capet’s power was not much greater than that of a castellan, how did he

try to build a base in the Île-de-France for further expansion? Could the symbols of royal

authority also help in this process?


Fall 2013

Friday, September 20, 2013: Discussion Class: “Political Communities Reordered,” Part I

Reading Guidelines

Readings: review materials from September 17th

and 19th

read Rosenwein, Reading the Middle Ages, Preface, p. xiv; ch. 4, pp. 198-

222

Here are first some tips on preparing for a discussion class:

i) Read the documents and take good notes, using the questions below as your guide (you will

probably need to read the documents more than once to truly understand them);

ii) You will probably need a dictionary close by, or at times access to a medieval encyclopedia

(although the footnotes in the book are quite helpful in that regard);

iii) Be cognisant of the use of language and try to find a passage in the document that

encapsulates the document’s message;

iv) If you can, look over your notes before class;

v) Bring your book and your notes to class; and

vi) Be prepared to contribute to the class discussions.


4.1 FRAGMENTATION IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD: AL-TABARI, THE DEFEAT OF THE

ZANJ REVOLT (C. 915). Original in Arabic

i) The Zanj revolt was defeated, but could one say that it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Muslim

rulers?

ii) What does the document reveal about the fragmentation of the Islamic world?

iii) Would you say that the author was sympathetic to the rebel slaves?

iv) Does the document convey something about the high level of civilization in this part of the

Islamic world?

4.2 THE POWERFUL IN THE BYZANTINE COUNTRYSIDE: ROMANUS LECAPENUS,

NOVEL (934)

i) Why do you think that the Byzantine emperor is passing this law to protect peasant families?

ii) Does the document in some ways reflect the Emperor’s faltering authority?

iii) How is the Emperor depicted in the document?

4.3 DONATING TO CLUNY: CLUNY’S FOUNDATION CHARTER (910) AND VARIOUS

CHARTERS OF DONATION (10TH

-11TH

C.) originals in Latin.

i) How do the charters depict the problematic relationship between owning wealth and following

Christian doctrine?

ii) What kinds of things are being bequeathed to the monastery?

iii) How do the bequests and charters demonstrate the importance of Cluny?

iv) Are attitudes about the Afterlife expressed in the document?

4.4 LOVE AND COMPLAINTS IN ANGOULEME: AGREEMENTS BETWEEN COUNT

WILL OF THE AQUITAINIANS AND HUGH OF LUSIGNAN. Original in Latin

i) How does the document reflect the complicated social situation that characterized feudalism?

ii) Do you think that instances like this one led the Church to promote the Peace of God and the

Truce of God?

iii) Where is royal authority in this conflict? Does the answer to that question say something

about the political fragmentation in Western Europe?

4.5 THE PEACE OF GOD AT BOURGES: ANDRE OF FLEURY, THE MIRACLES OF ST.

BENEDICT (1040-1043). Original in Latin

i) In the Christian mindset, did taking an oath carry considerable significance?

ii) How is the document infused with religious content?

iii) What does the document say about the complicated relationships and social conditions

created by feudalism?

4.6 A CASTELLAN’S REVENUES AND PROPERTIES IN CATALONIA: CHARTER OF

GUIFRED (1041-1075)

i) Does the document convey a degree of blurring of lines between secular and religious

authority?

ii) How does the document convey the authority of the castellan?

iii) Link this document to the characteristics of feudalism?


Fall 2013

Tuesday, September 24, 2013: Discussion Class: “Political Communities Reordered,” Part

II

Reading Guidelines

Readings: read Rosenwein, Reading the Middle Ages, ch. 4, pp. 223-236


There are three themes that I would like to emphasize in these readings. The first

concerns the political configuration of the Byzantine and Muslim worlds, in that there are hints

in the document that convey the degree of imperial expansion but also fragmentation evident in

each empire. With the Byzantine documents, one also can detect the distinct type of court

ceremonial surrounding the emperor as well as the militarization of Byzantine civilization.

Remember that the character of an imperial court influenced the society that surrounded it.

The second theme involves the interaction between the three “heirs” of classical

civilization. Byzantine court ceremonial built upon its Roman imperial antecedent, but we see

the impact of the parent civilization especially in the Muslim world, in the strong recourse to the

works of Aristotle by Muslim scholars.

Speaking of Aristotle takes us to the third theme: the use of Aristotelian logic to solve

philosophical questions and problems. The fourth document in this collection of reading is

probably the most challenging of the set. What Avicenna was trying to do is to use logic to

eventually supplement revelation (i.e. the Qur’an), in order to prove religious truths such as the

existence of God and the soul. Faith in the Qur’an was not deemed enough in order to truly

believe and understand the message. Christian scholars would apply Avicenna’s approach to

supplement Christian revelation as expressed in the Bible.


4.7 MILITARY LIFE: CONSTANTINE VII PORPHYROGENITUS, MILITARY ADVICE TO

HIS SON (950-958). Original in Greek

i) Describe the how the documents conveys the elaborate ritual and ceremony surrounding the

emperor at the Byzantine court;

ii) What characteristics can be used to describe how the emperor perceived his role?

iii) Does the document indicate the degree to which Byzantine civilization had become more

militarized, as discussed in the Rosenwein textbook?

4.8 IMPERIAL RULE: MICHAEL PSELLUS, PORTRAIT OF BASIL II (C. 1063). Original in

Greek.

i) How does the document convey the extraordinary expansion of the Byzantine Empire in this

period?

ii) Compare this depiction of Basil II with the depiction of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in

the previous document;

iii) How does the document convey the militarization in Byzantine civilization? Do you think

that the character of the emperor determined this development to a considerable degree?

4.9 POLITICAL THEORY: AL-FARABI, THE PERFECT STATE (C. 940-942): original in

Arabic.

i) What are the characteristics and the role of the city? What does rulership require to be

effective?

ii) The Muslim world has often been credited with preserving the works of Aristotle; how does

this document reflect that historical reality (in the authors cited and the whole approach to the

concept of the perfect state)?

iii) Is there something in the document that conveys the political character of the Muslim world

in general?

4.10 LOGIC: IBN SINA (AVICENNA). TREATISE ON LOGIC (1020s and 1030s). original in

Persian

i) Why would one want to apply Aristotelian logic to philosophical problems and questions?

ii) What is the difference between essential and accidental universals? What are the implications

of such categorization?

iii) How does the document demonstrate connections between the Muslim world and the

classical heritage and between the Muslim world and the Christian world?


Fall 2013

Thursday, September 26, 2013: Discussion Class: “Political Communities Reordered,” Part

III

Reading Guidelines


Here are some themes that I would like you to think about for this collection of

documents:

●The depiction of the ruler

●References to historical events such as the Viking invasions

●The Christianization of pagan territories

●The intermingling of Christian and pagan ideals

●The depiction of women and the status of women

●The ways in which these documents reflect connections to the parent civilization (i.e. the

use of the sources)

●Aspects of literature and culture

●European medieval mentalities (an elusive topic)

4.11 KIEVAN RUS: THE RUSSIAN PRIMARY CHRONICLE (C. 1113)

i) Do you believe that Yaroslav the Wise is depicted as an archtypical Christian ruler in this

document? If so, in what ways?

ii) What can the document tell us about the Christianization of Kievan Rus?

iii) Compare and contrast the depiction of the ruler in this document with the depiction of the

Byzantine Emperor (evident in other documents that we have read).

4.12 HUNGARY, KING STEPHEN LAWS (1000-38)

i) What can the document tell us about the penetration of Christianity into Hungarian society?

ii) Do you see any pagan vestiges in this law code? [hint: the weregild]

iii) Can you detect any gender hierarchies in this document? What about divisions according to

social status?

iv) Do you think that the adoption of Christianity and the application of this law code would

have led to the reduction of slavery in this kingdom?

4.13 AN OTTONIAN QUEEN: THE “OLDER LIFE” OF QUEEN MATHILDA (973-4)

i) Compare and contrast this document with the Cluniac charters that we read last week;

ii) How is this document following a number of hagiographic prototypes?

iii) Can you find anything in this document that would link it to the Ottonian Renaissance? What

kinds of sources are being quoted?

4.14 AN OTTONIAN KING: THIETMAR OF MERSEBERG, THE ACCESSION OF HENRY II

(1013-1018)

i) How can this document be connected to the Ottonian Renaissance?

ii) What does the document tell us about the authority of the Ottonian rulers?

4.15 LITERACY: KING ALFRED, PREFACES TO GREGORY THE GREAT’S PASTORAL

CARE (C. 890)

i) Can you detect any implicit references to the Viking invasions?

ii) Why did King Alfred write a translation of the Pastoral Care by Pope Gregory I?

4.16 LITRATURE: BATTLE OF MALDON (not long after 991)

i) What kind of document is this and can the answer to that question tell us something about

Anglo-Saxon culture?

ii) Do you detect in this document an intermingling of warrior culture and Christian ideals?

4.17 LAW: KING AETHELRED, LAW CODE (1008)

i) Can this document be connected to the Viking invasions of the British Isles?

ii) Why is there is so much discussion of sexuality and celibacy?

iii) Can you detect in this document the intermingling of Christian and pre-Christian ideals?

PLATE 4.1: CHRISTIANITY COMES TO DENMARK, THE JELLING MONUMENT (960s)

i) Why is it accurate to state that the Jelling Monument tells us as much about its patron as about

the Christianization of Denmark?

4.18 THE MAKING OF ICELAND: ARI THORGILSSON, THE BOOK OF ICELANDERS (c.

1125)

i) Compare and contrast this document with documents 4.11, 4.12, and plate 4.1; what do these

excerpts and images have in common?

ii) How does the document convey the history of Norwegian settlement patterns?


Fall 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013: Lecture: Territorial Expansion, Crusade, and Conflict

Reading Guidelines

Readings: read Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, ch. 5, 177-202


So now are entering the third part of this course: Expansion, Reform, and Intolerance.

Most of the material concentrates on Western Europe, but to understand what is going in

Western Europe (especially when referring to the Crusades), a knowledge of the rise of the

Seljuks as well as the faltering Byzantine Empire is essential.

Much of this material explains the background to the First Crusade, which can be linked

to the revival of Europe economically and politically. Europe grows in confidence. The second

factor is church reform and religious fervour, which seemed to have been quickening in the

eleventh century. One could claim that the First Crusade was the attempt to export that

confidence and religious revival to places outside of Europe.

Another theme in this material is the often conflictual relationship between church and

state. The papacy zealously sought a political program, that is, to free the papacy from secular

interference and to claim jurisdiction over secular rulers. The struggle with the Emperor and the

papal pretensions to supreme temporal power may strike a modern reader as excessively

ambitious and contrary to the pope’s spiritual mission. A person might well ask: why could not

the pope simply mind his own spiritual business and leave the imperatives of government to

secular rulers? Temporal and ecclesiastical realms could not be so easily separated, however.

Much of the papacy’s struggle with the Emperor reflected the pope’s own grandiose ambitions,

but it was also a reaction to what was perceived to be excessive interference from these same

secular rulers in papal affairs.


A. THE SELJUKS

i) How did the Seljuks manage to dominate the Muslim world?

ii) How did the Seljuks threaten the Byzantine Empire?

iii) What were the forces and factors that were making the Byzantine Empire brittle during this

period?

B. THE QUICKENING OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMY

i) How did economic development and population growth work hand in hand in Western

Europe?

ii) How were the urban and rural worlds becoming increasingly distinct? What role did

merchants play in this regard?

iii) How were merchants fueling the Commercial Revolution?

iv) What is the difference between a commune and a guild?

C. CHURCH REFORM AND ITS AFTERMATH

i) Why do you think that there was so much impetus for religious reform at this time? What

forms did reform take?

ii) Describe the role of Cluny in this regard;

iii) How did the papacy begin to assert its primacy in Western Europe and how did this sour

relations with the Byzantine Orthodox Church and with the German Emperor?

iv) Outline the Investiture Controversy and its overall significance;

v) How can the First Crusade be linked to the troubles in the Byzantine Empire, the advance of

the Seljuks, and the reform of the Church?

vi) Why did the Crusaders go all the way to the Holy Land? Which groups suffered as a result?

D. RULERS WITH CLOUT

i) If there had been a Commercial Revolution in Western Europe, why was it almost impossible

for the Western powers to hold onto the Crusader States?

ii) How did the Battle of Hastings draw England more closely to the European continent?

iii) In what ways was Spain becoming increasingly “Europeanized”?

iv) How did the approach to monarchy by Abbot Suger and Louis VI differ from that of the

German emperor Henry IV?


Fall 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013: Lecture: Territorial Expansion, Crusade, and Conflict

Reading Guidelines

Readings: read Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, ch. 5, pp. 203-217

*****first quiz today, based on:

Readings: read Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, ch. 5, 177-202


There are two themes that I would like you to consider here, both of which can be related

to the Commercial Revolution. The first involves the new learning and approaches to learning

that we see in this period. It was not just a matter of curriculum; new questions were also being

considered, at a much higher or more sophisticated level. Here, we see the influence of the

Greek classical world (i.e. Aristotle) as well as the influence of Arabic scholars (who translated

Aristotle’s works into Arabic and commented on them). That takes us to the much broader

historical theme of the “three heirs” of classical civilization.

The second theme concerns the “embarrassment of riches” that the Commercial

Revolution brought in its train. How could a Christian reconcile wealth and ostentation with

being Christian? That unease seems to have been expressed in the new monastic orders,

especially the Cistercians. Sensing that the Cluniac monasteries had become too worldly and

ornate (with very elaborate meals, apparently), the Cistercians sought to knock Christians back

into their proper spiritual orbit by accentuating simplicity, austerity, and poverty.


E. NEW FORMS OF LEARNING AND RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION

i) Why in the opinion of many scholars at the time was it important to apply logic and reason to

doctrine and belief? How did they do it?

ii) Compare and contrast the realist and nominalist positions concerning universals;

iii) Describe some of the developments in education at this time;

iv) Relate the idea of living a monastic life to the general medieval concepts of order and unity;

v) Describe the characteristics of the Romanesque style and how such a style was particularly

suitable for the religious sentiments of the period;

vi) Compare and contrast the Carthusians and the Cistercians;

vii) Can the new monastic orders be connected to the ambivalence of wealth and riches that

seems to have resulted from the Commercial Revolution? Why were the Cistercians against

ostentation in the churches?


Fall 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013: Discussion Class: “The Expansion of Europe,” Part I

Reading Guidelines

Readings: review materials from September 27th

and October 1st

read Rosenwein, Reading the Middle Ages, ch. 5, pp. 273-303


These documents relate to four main themes:

i) Geography (maps were not necessarily intended to give directions, which might seem odd!

But they certainly reflected an understanding of the world, from the perspective of a particular

culture);

ii) The Commercial Revolution (this relates especially to the expansion of agriculture and the

growth of towns);

iii) The high point in the Conflict between Church and State (i.e. the Investiture Controversy,

which certainly reflects very differing understandings of the spiritual and temporal “swords”);

and

iii) The Crusades (the documents here are very intriguing because they present the Crusades

from a variety of perspectives).

Some Questions to Consider (note that I grouped some of the documents together):

PLATE 5.1 THE WEST: T-O MAP (12TH

Century)

PLATE 5.2 THE IMAGE OF THE WORLD late 12th

PLATE 5.3 THE ISLAMIC WORLD: DIRECTIONS TO MECCA (12th

c).

PLATE 5.4 BYZANTIUM: THE INHABITED WORLD, FROM A COPY OF PTOLEMY’S

GEOGRAPHY 13TH

C.

i) If these maps were not necessarily drafted to help people get from point A to point B, what

were such maps supposed to do?

ii) How are religious and political motifs embedded in such maps?

iii) How was the Byzantine map somewhat different?

5.1 CULTIVATING NEW LANDS: FREDERICK OF HAMBURG’S AGREEMENT WITH

COLONISTS FROM HOLLAND (1106)

i) If you were a peasant, would you find this agreement attractive? Why is this agreement being

made?

ii) What does the document tell us about ecclesiastical and secular authority?

5.2 LOCAL MARKETS: IBN JUBAYR, A MARKET NEAR ALEPPO (1184)

i) What does this document convey about the Commercial Revolution?

ii) Can it be said that commercial connections between Europe and the Middle East were helping

the European economy expand?

5.3 THE ROLE OF ROYAL PATRONAGE: HENRY I, PRIVILEGES FOR THE CITIZENS

OF LONDON (1130-1133)

i) What can the document convey about the Commercial Revolution and the rise of the towns?

ii) Does the document give us information about the successive waves of invasion that overran

the British Isles?

iii) How can the document be connected to the strengthening of the English monarchy?

5.4 THE ROYAL VIEW: HENRY IV, LETTER TO GREGORY VII (1075)

i) What argument does Henry IV use to bolster his power against papal pretensions and

interference?

ii) Why do you think that Henry IV went so far as to call the Pope a “false monk”?

5.5 THE PAPAL VIEW: GREGORY VII, LETTER TO HERMANN OF METZ (1076)

i) What arguments does Pope Gregory VII use to justify the excommunicaiton of kings

ii) What is the significance of the excommunication for Henry?

iii) How does Gregory envision the difference between spiritual and temporal power?

5.6 MARTYRS IN THE RHINELAND: RABBI ELIEZER B. NATHAN (“RABAN”), O GOD,

INSOLENT MEN (early to mid-12th

century)

5.7 THE GREEK EXPERIENCE. ANNA COMNENA, THE ALEXIAD (C. 1148)

5.8 A WESTERNER IN THE HOLY LAND: STEPHEN OF BLOIS, LETTER TO HIS WIFE

(March 1098)

5.9 THE MUSLIM REACTION: IBN AL-ATHIR, THE FIRST CRUSADE (13TH

century).

i) Compare these various accounts; how are the Europeans perceived?

ii) Do the differences arise from the fact that the documents address different phases of the First

Crusade? Do the documents reflect differing perceptions of the same historical events?

iii) Could one read into these documents the various motives that drove the crusaders to the Holy

Land?

iv) Do the documents convey the extent to which the three “heirs of classical civilization” had

become so different?

5.10 THE CRUSADE IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL: THE CONQUEST OF LISBON, (1147-

1148)

i) How was the Reconquista in Spain connected to the Crusades to the Holy Land?

ii) Describe the language and imagery used by Peter of Oporto to motivate the crusaders.


Fall 2013

Friday, October 4, 2013: Discussion Class: “The Expansion of Europe,” Part II

Reading Guidelines



This small collection of documents deals with the Norman Conquest and its aftermath.

The Conquest of course was viewed in different ways, by the conquerors and by the conquered

and those differences manifest themselves in the documentation, even though they are often

discussing the same things. Part of this also involves making the Norman presence more solid

and palatable, because Duke William’s rule is establishing a new dynasty, a new monarchy, and

that would have momentous consequences for the subsequent history of the British Isles.

5.11 THE PRO-NORMAN POSITION: WILLIAM OF JUMIEGES, THE DEEDS OF THE

DUKES OF THE NORMANS (C. 1070)

i) How is the document a celebration of Duke William’s victory over Duke Harold? How are

religious and supernatural motifs used in this regard?

ii) Why do you think that William of Jumièges presented the Battle of Hastings and Norman

Conquest in this way?

5.12 THE NATIVE POSITION” FLORENCE OF WORCESTER”: CHRONICLE OF

CHRONICLES (early 12th

century)

i) Compare and contrast this text with that of William of Jumièges;

ii) Compare and contrast the backgrounds of the two authors.

PLATE 5.5: THE CONQUEST OF DEPICTED: THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY (end of the 11th

century)

i) If this tapestry is a piece of propaganda, would you situate it closer to the viewpoint of

William of Jumièges or to that of “Florence of Worcester”?

i) Why is the reliquary so important?

5.13: EXPLOITING THE CONQUEST: DOMESDAY BOOK (1087)

i) What was the purpose of the Domesday Book? How was it connected to the Norman

Conquest?

ii) Why was the document called the Domesday Book?

iii) How is taxable wealth measured in the document?

iv) How does the document exhibit aspects of the feudal system?


Fall 2013

Tuesday, October 8, 2013: Discussion Class: “The Expansion of Europe,” Part III

Reading Guidelines



There are a number of themes to consider in this set of readings. First, we see in the

document by Abelard and in the glosses on Psalm 101 considerable evidence of new learning in

Europe and new approaches to learning. Much of that learning dealt with religious subject

matter, but essentially such scholarship sought to apply the medieval ideal of unity to

scholarship.

The second theme involves medicine and here the Trotula text is particularly important.

Of course, I am not certain if some of the recommendations for conception or contraception

worked ;)….One should not give them a try, I would not think. Yet the text certainly reflects

popular medical knowledge as well as Greek classical influence.

Another theme involves the condition and status of women and here Héloïse converses

with Abelard, at one time her teacher and lover (ugh). After a disastrous love affair, they both

entered monasteries and kept up a correspondence over the years. In commenting on the need

for a female monastic rule, one cannot but wonder if in her letter she is critiquing the female

stereotypes of her time, or merely repeating them. Food for thought…

Particularly intriguing in the last two documents are the comments on wealth and church

decoration. That is a debate that one often finds in the history of the Church: how can so much

money be spent on decorating churches when there are still so many poor people in the world

who need help? The debate between St. Bernard and Peter the Venerable also reflects some of

the tensions created by the Commercial Revolution and the new wealth in the European

economy.

5.14: LOGIC: ABELARD, GLOSSES ON PORPHYRY (C. 1100)

i) Compare this document with Avicenna’s Treatise on Logic (document 4.10); do you have the

sense that Abelard is arriving at similar conclusions, based on the premise that he and Avicenna

are both going back essentially to Aristotle?

ii) How is logic applied in this document?

PLATE 5.6 GILBERT OF POITIERS, GLOSS ON PSALM 101 (c. 1117)

PLATE 5.7 THE “STANDARD GLOSS”: GLOSSA ORDINARIA ON PSALM 101 (1130s)

5.15 BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP: GILBERT OF POITIERS, GLOSS ON PSALM 101 (C. 1117)

i) Examine the marginalia and glosses; do they imply that these medieval biblical commentators

were attune to the varieties of possible interpretations of specific biblical passages?

ii) In Gilbert of Poitiers’ gloss on Psalm 101, how is Christ integrated into the Psalm? Why

would medieval scholars want to do this?

5.16 RETHINKING THE RELIGIOUS LIFE: HELOISE, LETTER (1130s)

i) Why is Héloïse calling for a separate monastic rule for women?

ii) How does the document itself convey her learning, in spite of the restrictions on female

education?

iii) In commenting on the female gender, do you think that Héloïse is being ironic? Perhaps she

is implicitly critiquing the stereotypes that were imposed on women?

5.17 MEDICINE: THE TROTULA (C. 1250, BASED ON 12TH

CENTURY SOURCES)

i) What kinds of sources are used in this document? Refer in particular to Galen and the theory

of the four humours [hint: see footnote 4];

ii) Why do you think that the document advocates such bizarre approaches and methods for

conception and contraception? Where do you think such knowledge came from?

5.18: THE CISTERCIAN VIEW: ST. BERNARD, APOLOGIA (1125)

i) Link this document to the growth of the Cistercian movement and reaction against the

burgeoning European economy and the “embarrassment of riches”;

ii) In what ways was St. Bernard trying to draw all monks back into their spiritual orbit?

iii) Connect St. Bernard’s comments on church decoration to the images of Romanesque

churches in the Rosenwein textbook.

5.19 THE CLUNIAC VIEW: PETER THE VENERABLE, MIRACLES (MID 1130s-MID

1150s)

i) How does Peter the Venerable respond to the Cistercian critique?

ii) How does the document convey the range and impact of the Cluniac monastic reform

movement?


Fall 2013

Thursday, October 10, 2013: Lecture: the Political Evolution of the “Three Heirs”

Reading Guidelines



You will see some parallels between the material in this chapter and the previous chapter

in terms of the reconfiguration of the Muslim and Byzantine worlds, but also the consolidation of

states in Western Europe. Political consolidation could operate through a variety of forms:

territorial consolidation, the extension of royal law, theories of royal prerogatives, and so on.

Yet conflict also could result, on the one hand between church and state (the assassination of

Thomas Beckett was particularly grisly!), and, on the other, between kings and nobles, and also

between larger kingdoms and city-states.


A. TWO NON-EUROPEAN HEIRS OF THE RE: THE SEQUEL

i) Outline the ways in which the Muslim territories were becoming stronger; what role did

Saladin play?

ii) Why was the Byzantine Empire in such a beleaguered state? Did the sack of Constantinople

represent a turning point in Byzantine history?

B. THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF GOVERNMENT IN THE WEST

i) In England, how could the systematization of law and the application of royal law serve to

extend the King’s power?

ii) How did the legal innovations pursued by King Henry II of England place him in a position of

conflict with the Church? Does this remind you of the Investiture Conflict or are the two

conflicts two far too different from each other?

iii) How was the Battle of Bouvines an outcome of the Norman Conquest and also the attempt by

the King to extend his authority over his subjects?

iv) Should the Magna Carta be considered a major document in the history of democracy?

v) Compare and contrast France and Spain in terms of their formation as cohesive kingdoms with

strong monarchical authority;

v) How did Spain and France consolidate their territories? Was religious fervour a powerful

factor in that consolidation?

vi) Why was the German Emperor (soon to be called “Holy Roman Emperor”) interested in

Italian territories? How did that interest lead to conflict with the papacy?

vii) How did Frederick I Barbarossa justify his claim to the Italian city-states?

viii) How did the continuing struggle under Frederick II change the Kingdom of Sicily?

ix) Can you think of parellels between what happened in these German and Italian territories and

what happened in England and France? Or perhaps the contexts are too different from each

other?

x) Why did city-states such as Venice benefit from the papal-imperial struggle?


Fall 2013

Friday, October 11, 2013: Lecture: The Splendour of the Gothic

Reading Guidelines


****first essay due today


Here are some themes to consider for today’s reading:

●The further definition of countryside and town

●Developments in culture: expressed in literary, artistic, architectural forms

●The further consolidation of the Church and the marginalization and persecution of religious

minorities

●The conflict between Christian ideals and other belief systems


C. CULTURE AND INSTITUTIONS IN TOWN AND COUNTRYSIDE

i) Outline the factors that were leading to the expansion of the European peasantry;

ii) Did aspects of the changing courtly culture clash with Christian ideals?

iii) Compare and contrast the chansons de geste, the fabliaux, and the romances;

iv) Did the new courtly culture offer a different image of women or create opportunities for

independent female agency?

v) Compare and contrast the guilds with the universities;

vi) How did the new universities contribute to the expansion of learning?

vii) How was the Gothic style different from the Romanesque? Was there such a thing as a

unified Gothic style in Western Europe?

D. THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD

i) Outline the importance of the papacy of Innocent III;

ii) How did the Fourth Lateran Council attept to codify and strengthen Christian doctrines?

iii) Did the Franciscans, Beguines, and the Dominicans fit into this papal program? What was

their respective goals?

iv) How did the Albigensians/Cathars counteract the papal program?

E. EUROPEAN AGGRESSION WITHIN AND WITHOUT

i) How and why did the consolidation of the Church and of Church doctrine lead to the

persecution of the Jews?

ii) If it is true that this consolidation of the Church produced a new crusading zeal, why did the

crusading army sack Constantinople in 1204?

iii) Outline the significance of the English invasion of Ireland.


Fall 2013

Thursday, October 17, 2013: Discussion Class: “Institutionalizing Aspirations,” Part I

Reading Guidelines

Readings: review materials from October 10th

and October 11th



Here are some themes to consider for today’s reading:

●The crusades and the role played by non-religious motives (the Crusades were not just

about or all about a crusading zeal)

●The extension of royal power in England, in terms of law

●The Reconquista and the territorial expansion of Christian Spain

●The treatment of religious minorities

●The Commercial Revolution and the growth of towns

●Conflicts between church and state

●The expansion of the papacy

●The “embarrassment of riches”


6.1 SALADIN: IBN SHADDAD, THE RARE AND EXCELLENT HISTORY OF SALADIN

(1198-1216)

i) How does the document convey the faltering Crusader presence in the Holy Land and to what

extent was Saladin responsible for that development?

6.2 THE LONE BYZANTINE WARRIOR: DIGENIS AKRITIS (12TH

century)

i) Give examples of how the document reflects the Byzantine warrior ideal.

6.3 THE NORTHERN CRUSADE: HELMOLD, THE CHRONICLE OF THE SLAVS (1167-

1168)

i) Do you detect any connections between the crusade described in this document, the expansion

of Christianity, and the justification for the crusades in general?

6.4 THE FOURTH CRUSADE: NICETAS CHONIATES, O CITY OF BYZANTIUM (C. 1215)

i) Can you detect any similarities between this document and the Alexiad in terms of the way that

the Byzantines described the crusaders?

6.5 ENGLISH COMMON LAW: THE ASSIZE OF CLARENDON (1166)

i) Give specific examples of how the document conveys the growint territorial control that the

King of England sought to secure over his kingdom; how could law enforce royal authority?

6.6 ENGLISH LITIGATION ON THE GROUND: THE COSTS OR RICHARD OF ANSTEY’S

LAW SUIT (1158-1163)

i) Does this document demonstrate the interaction between secular and ecclesiastical

jurisdictions? Do the extensive costs involved in litigation mean that the English legal system

had become too complex, in trying to be more elaborate?

6.7 THE LEGISLATION OF A SPANISH KING: THE LAWS OF CUENCA (1189-1193)

i) Situate this document within the greater history of the Spanish Reconquista;

ii) What does the document tell us about the history of the family in this context?

iii) Were you surprised by some of the articles regulating relations between Jews and Christians?

6.8 A MANORIAL COURT: PROCEEDINGS FOR THE ABBEY OF BEC (1246)

i) Does the document reflect the persistent impact of manorial law in the teeth of growing royal

interference?

6.9 DOING BUSINESS: A GENOESE SOCIETAS (1253)

i) Link this document to the Commercial Revolution; how does the document serve as an

example of the emerging business strategies and arrangements in this period?

6.10 WOMEN’S WORK: GUILD REGULATIONS OF THE PARISIAN SILK FABRIC

MAKERS (13TH

CENTURY)

6.11 MENS’ WORK: GUILD REGULATIONS OF THE SHEARERS OF ARRAS (1236)

i) Considering these two documents together, what was the purpose of the guild? Could the

guild (aka the Fraternity) also have religious significance and purposes (i.e, the Confraternity)?

ii) Can at least one of the documents tell us something about the role of women in the Europena

medieval economy? Are women cited in the regulations in both documents? If not, why not?

iii) How do the two documents convey the growth of the towns in terms of organization and

structure?

6.12 THE GROWTH OF PAPAL BUSINESS: INNOCENT III, LETTERS (1200-1202)

6.13: PETITIONING THE PAPACY: REGISTER OF THOMAS OF HEREFORD (1281)

6.14: MOCKING THE PAPAL BUREAUCRACY: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE

MARKS OF SILVER (C. 1200)

i) How do the three documents reflect the extending reach of the papacy? Why would the

papacy involve itself in local and regional disputes across Europe?

ii) Is there anything in these three documents (particularly the third, but also the second) that

would convey that the motives for such papal intervention perhaps were not always spiritual?

iii) Can you draw a connection between the third document and St. Bernard’s critique of the

Cluniac order, from the previous chapter?

iv) Consider some of the biblical references in the footnotes in the third document; how is the

author using the Bible in an ironic way in order to make his point?


Fall 2013

Friday, October 18, 2013: Discussion Class: “Institutionalizing Aspirations,” Part II

Reading Guidelines



There are two lines of comparison that one can detect here. The first involves the nature

of authority in its various manifestations, and conflicts over the interpretation of such authority.

Such conflicts involved the King of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury over secular and

ecclesaistical criminal jurisdiction, between the King of England and his barons over their

respective rights and prerogatives, and between the papacy and the German Emperor (Holy

Roman Emperor) over the divine right of kings and its origins.

The other line of comparison involves literature and here we move from the chansons de

geste to the courtly literature of the troubadours and trouvères. Most of these stories deal with

the human dimension of knighthood and chivalry, but then love begins to take on a new

prominence. Then, well, there are the fabliaux (oh my goodness, the fabliaux!), which takes

pleasure in ridiculing pretensions, especially those of priests, and sometimes in a violent way,

too.

6.15 HENRY II AND BECKET: CONSTITUTIONS OF CLARENDON (1164)

i) Compare and contrast this document with the Assize of Clarendon discussed in document 6.5;

how do the two documents exhibit a similar purpose?

ii) How and why did the document serve as the source of the conflict between Henry II and the

Archbishop of Canterbury?

6.16 EMPEROR AND POPE: DIET OF BESANCON (1157)

i) If the Concordat of Worms of 1122 had supposedly ended the Investiture Conflict, why did the

conflict between the Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and Pope Adrian IV take place?

ii) What were the issues involved in this particular conflict? What was so inflammatory about

the word beneficia, for example?

6.17: KINGS AND NOBLES: MAGNA CARTA (1215)

i) Would it be right to argue that this document was connected indirectly to the Norman

Conquest?

ii) Is this document a statement of democratic principles? How can it be situated in the history of

Western democracy and which clauses would be most relevant in this regard?

6.18 EPIC POETRY: RAOUL DE CAMBRAI (1180-1223)

6.19 A TROUBADOUR POEM OF LOVE: JAUFRÉ RUDEL, WHEN DAYS ARE LONG IN

MAY (C. 1125-1150)

6.20 A POEM OF WAR: BERTRAN DE BORN, I LOVE THE JOYFUL TIME (12TH

C.)

i) Compare and contrast these three literary works in terms of the depiction of women, the role of

the knight, the warrior ethic, and the chivalric code;

ii) How do the three pieces exhibit different phases of courtly literature?

iii) How does love take on a different character in the three works?

6.22 FABLIAUX: BROWNY, THE PRIEST’S COW and THE PRIEST WHO PEEKED (13th

century)

i) How could such stories have been written in an age of continued religious fervour and the

growing power of the papacy?

ii) Do you believe that the two stories are ridiculing renegade priests or priests in general?


Fall 2013

Tuesday, October 22, 2013: Discussion Class: “Institutionalizing Aspirations,” Part III

Reading Guidelines


****proposal for the research paper due today

Whoops! I forgot this from the last set of reading guidelines (my apologies):

6.21 SONG OF A TROBAIRITZ: COMTESSA DE DIA, I’VE BEEN IN GREAT ANGUISH (C.

1200?).

i) Would such a poem run afoul of Christian ideals surrounding marriage?


This era is very much one of paradoxes. While Christian doctrine was becoming more

codified and systematized, the Church was also moving against those who not Christian or who

were Christian but espoused a different form of Christianity. Christianity had become clearer,

but more exclusivist.

Art often reflects religious principles. Here, we see that Gothic architecture was not just

about innovations in structure and design, but also that this form of church architecture was

meant to reflect Christian principles. On another note, the text by St. Francis is quite startling

and unique, in that this represents one of the few texts that attempted to draw a connection

between the Bible and the Book of Nature.


6.23 DISCIPLINING AND PURIFYING CHRISTENDOM: DECREES OF LATERAN IV

(1215)

i) Provide examples of how this document codified and clarified existing Christian doctrines;

ii) In what ways does the document restrict the activity of religious dissidents and the Jews?

Why do you think that Innocent III embarked on this path?

6.24. ART AND ARCHITECTURE AS RELIGIOUS DEVOTION: SUGER, ON WHAT WAS

DONE UNDER HIS ADMINISTRATION (1148-1149)

i) How do the principles of Gothic architecture embody Christian principles, especially the

concept of light?

ii) How might Suger have responded to St. Bernard, remembering what the latter said in his

critique of church art and decoration?

6.25 DEVOTION THROUGH POVERTY: PETER WALDO IN THE CHRONICLE OF LAON

(1173-1178)

i) If Peter Waldo and his followers extolled the virtue of poverty, why did the papacy move

against them and can that antagonism be connected to the “embarrassment of riches” that we

discussed in class?

6.26 DEVOTION THROUGH MYSTICISM: JACQUES DE VITRY, THE LIFE OF MARY OF

OIGNIES (1213)

i) Compared to previous hagiographic accounts that we have read, do you think that the notions

of the sacraments are much clearer in this document?

ii) What forms does female saintliness take in this document?

6.27 THE MENDICANT MOVEMENT: ST. FRANCIS, THE CANTICLE OF BROTHER SON

(1225)

i) How does this document convey the Christian notion of light? Can nature be connected to

Christianity?

6.28 THE EXPULSION OF THE JEWS FROM BURY ST. EDMUNDS: JOCELIN OF

BRAKELOND, CHRONICLE (1190-1202)

i) Why are the Jews being expelled from this town? Does it surprise you that the abbot has the

power to do this? How did he acquire that prerogative?

6.29 BURNING HERETICS IN GERMANY: CHRONICLE OF TRIER (1231). ORIGINAL IN

LATIN

ii) How does this document reflect some of the principles of the Fourth Lateran Council?

ii) For what reasons were the religious dissidents persecuted? Do at least some of those charges

suggest that the Church’s attitude towards doctrine had hardened considerably, to the extent that

minor deviations from orthodoxy carried great weight?


Fall 2013

Thursday, October 24, 2013: Lecture: Historical Background to Arthurian Romances

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Chrétien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances, pp. 1-22 (you can read the note

on the translation, too, if you like)


And now for something completely different! We are studying a very different type of

primary document, fiction in fact. Of course, we have been introduced already to fiction in the

primary document reader, in that some some of the stories described in poems were entirely

fictional. Yet fiction can have historical significance. These Arthurian Romances still can take

us to some important aspects of medieval culture in this period, specifically:

●the new element of “courtly love,” which has a strong female component

●the clash between knightly ideals and Christian values

●the relationship between these texts and the former chansons de geste

Of course, more elements will occur to us along the way. The introduction will provide

the basic understanding of why these texts are important in this course. You do not need to focus

on the literary aspects of the works, such as the use of the octosyllabic rhymed couplet (whatever

that is); but, aspects of symbolism can be important insofar as they have historical significance.


i) Why is a French author writing about English legends?

ii) Explain the background of Chrétien de Troyes; why is he important?

iii) Why are we reading fictional stories in this history course? What can fiction inform us of the

historical period studied in this course, if the stories themselves refer to a much earlier period

(i.e. Arthurian Britain)?

iv) What were some of Chrétien’s sources?

v) Where do these stories fit in the changing history of European medieval literature?

vi) Would some of the themes addressed in these Arthurian Romances have clashed with

Christian ideals?

vii) Why are the stories called “Arthurian Romances”? Are they really just about love?

viii) What is “courtly love” and what role did women play in promoting it?

x) How can the symbolism in Chrétien’s works be said to have historical significance?

xi) Describe the influence of Chrétien and his work.


Fall 2013

Friday, October 25, 2013: Lecture: Erec and Enide

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Chrétien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances, start reading Erec and Enide


It first would be a good idea to outline the plot in some way in your notes. You do not

need to know all the details of the individual battles and episodes, but you need a clear sense of

where the plot is going and how the characters are developing. Some of the interactions between

the characters will strike one as somewhat offputting (e.g. Erec’s initial scolding of Enide when

she is afraid that he might be killed). Those tensions will become reconciled as the plot unfolds.

Try to keep in mind the following:

●The depiction of courtly love

●The survival of older chivalric ideas that were common to the chansons de geste

●The clash and alignment between these ideas of knighly valour and honour with Christian

ideals (connecting that in part to the new status of the knight that arose during the

Crusades)

●The depiction and role of women

●Aristocratic knightly culture


i) Remembering what was written in the introduction to the collection, what are the underlying

questions in the work?

ii) Give examples in the story where knightly honour perhaps departs from Christian ideals;

iii) Give examples in the story where knightly honour aligns with Christian ideals;

iv) How are God and the Christian religion represented in this story, and is that surprising

considering the period in which the epic was written?

v) How does Arthur’s kiss to Enide reflect this chivalric ethic and code?

vi) Give examples in the work of the love between Erec and Enide in terms of how it is

expressed;

vii) How is the underlying tension between knightly honour and love for his wife reflected in the

relationship between Erec and Enide?

viii) Describe examples of female agency in the work, where Enide plays an active role;

ix) There are violent passages in the work but are they in some ways legitimated?

x) How does Erec embody the perfect knight?

xi) Why do you think that so much attention is devoted to describing the beauty and glitter of

objects?

xii) How are the virtues of Erec and Enide juxtaposed with some of the other characters?

xiii) Can you detect any feminine influence on the story, in terms of the audience to whom it was

written, or is it not possible to speak of such influence?


Fall 2013

Thursday, October 31, 2013: Lecture: Historical References in Cligés

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Chrétien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances, start reading Cligés

Here are the reading guidelines that we will be using for Friday’s discussion class


This story has a number of layers to it. The first reflects the theme of knightly honour

and Christian virtue. Perhaps that is best embodied in the concept of the oath, which appears

repeatedly in the story and seems to contain elements of both the chivalric code and Christian

ideals.

Perhaps more than Erec and Enide, there are far more classical references in Cligés,

especially to the Greek variant. That theme relates to the whole use of the Byzantine Empire as

the backdrop for much of the story; remember that Byzantine Civilization was the main preserver

of Greek classical culture. Yet there is also tension in the use of such a context, and that appears

especially in the last paragraph of the work.

Finally, we see the dilemmas raised by love and extensive discussions about love, a

sentiment that is personified in a way that suggests suffering and pain. In that sense, we are not

speaking in terms of something that would gladden the heart of the Marquis de Sade (Heavens,

no!) , but in terms of the melancholy and even destruction that love can bring. Alis cannot

keep his oath to his brother because the dictates of love are too powerful for Alis; Fenice cannot

be forced to love Alis because she would rather give her heart to Cligés; Fenice and Cligés must

suffer in silent longing for each other until they are able to express their mutual love towards the

end of the story, and so on.


i) Identify some classical references in the work; do you think that perhaps part of it reminds you

of the classical legend of Helen and the fall of Troy?

ii) Cite some examples of how knightly valour aligns but sometimes clashes with Christian

ideals;

iii) How is “Love” personified in the story; do you think that it is sometimes juxtaposed with

suffering and pain? If so, what do you think was in Chrétien’s mind when he decided on such a

juxtaposition?

iv) Why do you think so much space is devoted to the life of Cligés’ father, Alexander, and his

wife, Soredamors? Could it be said that Cligés “inherited” a number of things from his father?

v) By the time that this story was written, the split between Western Europe and the Byzantine

world was quite deep; and yet why are “the Greeks” so prominent in this story? Do you detect

any lingering Western animosity in the depiction of the Greeks or the Byzantine Empire in

general?

vi) Do you sense in Alis a conflict between the imperatives of Love and the imperatives of power

and honour?

vii) Why is it important that Fenice not “consummate” the marriage with Alis? Why did she

resort to the use of Thessala’s potion?

viii) Compare the character of Fenice with that of Enide? Do you detect strong elements of

independent female agency in both characters?

ix) Describe the importance of oaths in the story;

x) Connect the love between Cligés and Fenice to the concept of courtly love (give specific

examples);

xi) Why could not Cligés simply follow the example of Paris (of Troy) and “steal” Fenice? How

do Christian ideals short-circuit that idea?


Fall 2013

Thursday, November 7, 2013: Discussion Class: The Story of the Grail

Reading Guidelines


To repeat something that I said in class, in order to lighten the reading load somewhat,

you do not need focus on Gawain’s adventures (although it is important to remember how

Gawain is a foil to Perceval in some ways). With regards to Perceval, it would be possible to see

his development and dilemmas as part and parcel of the complexity of adhering to Christian

principles completely (mercy, charity, forgiveness, and a level of compassion that never falters

and never fails). There is some humour underlying the tale, as Perceval slowly works his way

out of his naïveté and foolishness.

One can also detect in this work a popularization of the Christian ideals and doctrines that

were crystallizing during this period (ideas of penance and the Eucharist as well as the virulent

anti-Semitism that is congealing as well). There are even symbols that convey this, such as the

lance and the grail. Both can be connected to the sacraments of the Eucharist and penance as

well as the Passion of Jesus Christ. The lance with the three drops of blood would have

reminded the medieval reader of the lance that the Roman soldiers used to pierce Jesus’ after he

had been crucified, likewise reminding the reader of the forgiveness of sins through Christ’s

sacrifice on the cross. The grail held the Eucharist itself.

Some General Points

i) Which biblical passages are used in the work to underline the importance of Christian charity?

ii) Why did Perceval’s mother wish to keep him away and sheltered from the whole idea of

knighthood? Do you believe that this approach shaped Perceval’s character in some way?

iii) Describe the anti-Judaic sentiments and passages in the story and relate them to the growing

Christian exclusivity in medieval Europe;

iv) Connect the story to document 6.23 (the Decrees of the Fourth Lateran Council) in the

Rosenwein reader, referring specifically to penance, the Eucharist, and anti-Semitism; would it

be accurate to claim that the story represents the popularization of such concepts?

v) Explain the ways in which Perceval demonstrates his naïveté and his inexperience; why does

he misapply his mother’s advice?

vi) How is the ideal of the knight in this story different from the ideal of the knight in the other

two Arthurian Romances that we have read?

vii) Explain how Gornemant’s advice to Perceval complements that of Perceval’s mother? How

does Gornemant’s advice fit into the ideal of the Christian knight?

viii) What is the symbolism of the lance and the grail in the castle of the Fisher King?

ix) How did Perceval falter in the castle of the Fisher King? What were the consequences for

Perceval and how does the hermit explain the meaning of such a failure to him?

Friday, November 8, 2013: Discussion Class: The Story of the Grail

Readings: Chrétien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances, The Story of the Grail; read also

the appendix (with the continuations)

****again, you need only concentrate on the continuations dealing with Perceval, and not

Gawain

One question: how do the continuations reflect the central message of the story of the grail?


Fall 2013

Tuesday, November 12, 2013: Lecture: A Growing Sense of Discordance

Reading Guidelines


****research paper due today

****don’t forget about the quiz on Thursday, which will be based on the reading for November

12th


We are now returning to the Rosenwein books, moving into the fifth part of this course

(Part V: The Approaching Storm). One can state that a major “storm” came already out from the

east, in the form of the Mongol conquests. What is interesting about this conquest is how the

Mongols integrated themselves to an extent in these Christian territories. Mongol overlordship

could involve a degree of flexibility and even religious toleration.

The economic and demographic conditions would certainly make the European

population vulnerable to the pandemic that would slam into Eurasia in the mid-fourteenth

century. Trade routes and commercial epicenters were taking shape, bringing commercial

prosperity; but, the cities were growing in population, reaching a level that could not be

sustained by the available food supply.

The theme of the chapter “Discordant Harmonies” also can be seen in the hardening

European attitudes towards Jews, lepers, religious dissidents, and, to some extent, beggars.

Those attitudes had already been congealing in the previous centuries (e.g. with the massacre of

the Jewish communities during the First Crusade); but, the persecution crystallized and became

more intense in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Such attitudes would become visceral

during periods of crisis.


A1. THE CONTOURS OF THE MONGOL EMPIRE

i) Explain how the Mongols were able to amass such an enormous empire? Why did they stop

expanding?

ii) How did the Mongols integrate themselves into the Muslim world and in Christian Europe? Is

there anything surprising about their overlordship?

iii) How did the Venetians and the Genoese seek to establish a strong commercial presence in

this empire?

B. THE MATURATION OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMY

i) Outline the major European trade routes and epicenters in North Africa, Northern Europe, and

the Atlantic; who were the major players?

ii) Explain how the growth of some cities created urban social problems? Refer specifically to

the case of Flanders and the northern Italian cities;

iii) Why did urban developments in the Italian cities lead to the rise of the signori?

C. XENOPHOBIA

i) Why was it so difficult for Christian Europeans to accept the presence of Jews?

ii) Compare and contrast the restrictions placed on Jews in various European kingdoms in this

period with the restrictions applied in previous centuries; what had changed?

iii) How does the persecution of the Jews differ from that of beggars, lepers, and heretics? Could

this persecution in general be connected to the medieval accent on order?


Fall 2013

Thursday, November 14, 2013: Lecture: Changes in Medieval Politics and Culture

Reading Guidelines

don’t forget about the quiz for today: on the following reading


Thursday’s reading



This part of the chapter is filled with musical motifs! Perhaps the strongest motifs

involve harmony and discordance. They could take a political form, in that we see the attempts

made by monarchs to co-opt the support of their broader populations, through the medium of

representative institutions. Discordance is also visible in the conflict between secular rulers and

the papacy.

In the religious sphere, we see the striving towards harmony in the attempt to reconcile

secular and religious themes in art and music, to reconcile reason with revelation, to integrate

Christian doctrines into broader cultural mediums. However, one also detects a growing

discordance in the inability of the papacy to remain within its spiritual orbit, encouraging lay

movements of religiosity and devotion.

I suppose that any era can be characterized as one of harmony and discordance. Yet we

see here a general progression to the European crisis of the mid-fourteenth century. Already, the

population is being weakened by famine and the inability of the food supply to feed the

population. Likewise, once the pandemic slams into Europe in the 1340s, the papacy will not be

necessarily be the institution that people turn to for spiritual guidance.

D. STRENGHTENING MONARCHS AND THEIR ACCOMMODATIONS

i) Why would monarchs be interested in representative institutions? Does not an institution such

as the English Parliament suggest that the King has to share power with it?

ii) How and why did such institutions emerge?

iii) Explain how the political developments described in this section relate to the broader tangent

of the medieval state; refer specifically to the graph that I used in class.

E. THE CHURCH MILITANT, HUMILIATED, AND REVAMPED

i) Compare and contrast this phase in the struggle between secular rulers the papacy with

previous phases;

ii) Does the the fact that the Avignon Papacy was materially and politically successful mean that

it was fulfilling its true purpose?

iii) Outline the sources of devotion in lay religiosity and the forms that such religiosity could

take.

F. THE SCHOLASTIC SYNTHESIS AND ITS FRAYING

i) What is scholasticism and how was it connected to the expansion of learning and literacy?

ii) Compare and contrast Thomas Aquinas with Peter Abelard;

iii) Did some theologians believe that it was problematic to try to reconcile reason with

revelation? If so, why?

G. HARMONY AND DISSONANCE IN WRITING, MUSIC, AND ART

i) How did the literature of Dante Alighieri, Guillaume de Lorris, and the anonymous author of

The Quest for the Holy Grail seek to popularize Christian doctrines and beliefs?

ii) Explain how the motet sought harmony by incorporating secular concepts and religious

themes;

iii) How did the artistic trends of the period exhibit classical influences? Why was this

especially prominent in Italian art?

H. CRISIS

i) Outline and describe the factors that were weakening the European population;

ii) How could commercial prosperity lead to famine?


Fall 2013

Friday, November 15, 2013: Discussion Class: “Discordant Harmonies,” Part I

Reading Guidelines

Readings: review materials from November 12th

and November 14th

read Rosenwein, Reading the Middle Ages, ch. 7, pp. 414-427 (adjusted to p. 421)

As I promised to trim some of the reading, I’m thus removing the following documents

from the reading for this chapter in the Rosenwein sourcebook: 7.5, 7.7, 7.8, 7.11, 7.18, and 7.22


I will keep my comments here brief (for once). To understand the significance of the

Mongol invasion for Europe, you need to review the material in the Rosenwein textbook. The

first element involves the ways in which the Mongols ruled over conquered territories, which is

different from what we might expect. The second involves the impact of the Mongols’ conquests

on European trade routes.

One might also express surprise that there was not a crusade called against the Mongols,

at least nothing similar to the crusades called against the Muslim presence in the Holy Land

centuries earlier.

7.1 THE MONGOLS SPEAK: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE MONGOLS (first half of the

13th

c.)

i) Can you glean from this document reasons that explain the Mongols’ expansion?

7.2 A MONGOL REPLY TO THE POPE: GUYUK KHAN, LETTER TO POPE INNOCENT IV

(1246)

i) Why did Pope Innocent IV wish to convert the Mongols and why did Guyuk Khan resist the

appeal?

7.3 ACCOMMODATIONS: MENGU-TEMIR KHAN, CHARTER TO PROTECT THE

RUSSIAN CHURCH (1308)

i) Is there anything surprising about this document in terms of how the Golden Horde decided to

rule Russia?

ii) Relate what is conveyed in this document to what is discussed about the Mongols in the

Rosenwein textbook.

7.4 THE HUNGARIAN KING BEWAILS THE MONGOL INVASIONS. BÉLA IV, LETTER

TO POPE INNOCENT IV (c. 1250)

i) Why is the King of Hungary begging the papacy for aid against the Mongols?

ii) Why does it seem that no Christian prince is coming to the aid of Hungary? Did European

monarchs not feel threatened by these “pagans”?

A general question: why do you think there was not a calling of a crusade against the Mongols as

there had been with the Holy Land centuries earlier?


Fall 2013

Tuesday, November 19, 2013: Discussion Class: “Discordant Harmonies,” Part II

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Rosenwein, Reading the Middle Ages, ch. 7, pp. 428-460


There is a great deal of material here, certainly. The theme of “discordant harmonies” is

apparent in a number of ways:

●Monarchies such as those of France and England are consolidating their power even

further, but grating upon papal authority

●The northern Italian cities are experiencing greater commercial prosperity but increasing

civic conflict

●The Church struggles to maintain its notion of Christian unity, in the face of entrenched

dissident opinions in the south of France

●The accent on unity and harmony leads to the exclusion and persecution of lepers and

non-Christians


7.6 THE POPOLO GAINS POWER: THE GHIBELLINE ANNALS OF PIACENZA (1250)

i) How does this document reflect the tensions in the northern Italian cities during this period?

ii) Explain the dynamic beween the popolo, the podestà, and the commune.

7.9 FAMINE AT CONSTANTINOPLE: ANTHANASIUS I, PATRIARCH OF

CONSTANTINOPLE, LETTER (1306-1307)

i) Can the famine described in this document be connected to the worsening demographic

conditions outlined in the textbook? Or were greed and problems of distribution to blame for the

grain shortage?

7.10 INQUISITION: JACQUES FOURNIER, EPISCOPAL REGISTER (1318-1325)

i) What sorts of dissident notions is Guillaume Austatz being accused of in the register?

Compare and contrast those opinions with the doctrines outlined in decrees of the Fourth Lateran

Council (document 6.23);

ii) Does Austatz’s renounciation of his previous opinions suggest that the Church’s methods

were effective?

7.12 JEWS IN ENGLAND: STATUTE OF THE JEWRY (1275) AND PETITION OF THE

“COMMONALITY” OF THE JEWS (shortly after 1275).

i) Connect these decrees concerning Jews in England to the xenophobia discussed in the

textbook; how did the Jews respond?

7.13 A CHARISMATIC RULER: JOINVILLE, THE LIFE OF ST. LOUIS (1272)

i) How does King Louis IX exhibit many of the ideals of the medieval Christian monarch? Do

you believe that Joinville’s account helped to consolidate the French monarchy’s power?

ii) Can you glean from the document Louis’ attitudes towards non-Christians?

7.14 THE COMMON PARTICIPATE: SUMMONS OF REPRESENTATIVES OF SHRIES AND

TOWNS TO PARLIAMENT 1295.

i) Connect this document to the development of parliamentary traditions in England? How did it

expand on the Magna Carta (cf. document 6.17)?

7.15 THE POPE THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET: BONIFACE VIII, CLERICIS LAICOS

(1296)

7.16 THE POPE REACTS: BONIFACE VIII, UNAM SANCTAM (1302)

7.17 THE FRENCH KING RESPONDS TO BONIFACE: WILLIAM OF PLAISIANS,

CHARGES OF HERESY AGAINST BONIFACE VIII(1303)

i) Compare this struggle between secular rulers and the papacy to previous conflicts between

church and state? What is similar and what has changed?

ii) Do you see other elements of the immediate historical context playing a role here? [hint:

consider the rise of secular monarchs, or the Church’s struggle against heresy];

iii) What arguments does the papacy use to defend its position?


Fall 2013

Thursday, November 21, 2013: Discussion Class: “Discordant Harmonies,” Part III

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Rosenwein, Reading the Middle Ages, ch. 7, pp. 461-481

**remember that you do not need to read the document 7.22


Some of this might material might make you blush, well, perhaps not as much as the

fabliaux (and there is nothing more blush-inducing than the fabliaux!) . Consider what

Aquinas discusses in his Scholastic text, but also how some marital and even perhaps sexual

motifs are present in a perplexing way in the text on Juliana of Mont-Cornillon (i.e. the

references to the Song of Songs from the Christian Old Testament).

Again, returning to that theme of “discordant harmonies,” we see in these readings an

attempt to harmonize arguments and belief systems through the writings of Aquinas. Dante’s

Canto XXII also reflects this accent on perfection and harmony, as expressed in the divine. Still,

there were atonal notes as well: consider the forms of popular devotion, some of which strayed

from Christian orthodoxy. Increasingly, in some ways the Church and especially the papacy

were becoming more worldly, more distant from the spiritual needs of laity. The laity thus found

their own means of spiritual expression, some of which were heterodox.


7.19 SCHOLASTICISM: THOMAS AQUINAS, SUMMA AGAINST THE GENTILES (1259-

1264)

i) Why does Aquinas leave quotations from the Bible to the last section of his argument?

Considering the importance of the Bible in this context, should it be not the other way around?

How does this approach reflect Aquinas’ scholasticism?

ii) Why does the Church condemn “simple fornication” and polygamy? Was there a need for

Aquinas to discuss polygamy?

7.20 MYSTICISM: MEISTER ECKHART, SERMON 101 (1298-1305)

i) Explain Eckkart’s mystical perspectives; why would they have been considered almost

heterodox in some ways? Are there any references in the document to some of the more

traditional Christian practices and beliefs?

7.21 ITALIAN COMES INTO ITS OWN: DANTE, INFERNO, CANTO 5 (Paolo and

Francesca); PARADISO CANTO 22 (meeting with St. BENEDICT) 1313-21

i) Connect the sins of Paolo and Francesca to Aquinas’ text above;

ii) How does Dante’s text in general reflect how the vernacular Italian is achieving a greater

degree of prominence? Does writing so beautifully in such a language serve to heighten the

importance of the language?

iii) How is the concept of light expressed in the Canto XXII? How are some of the issues

discussed with St. Benedict a problem in Dante’s time?

7.23 MEDIEVAL DRAMA, DIRECTIONS FOR AN ANNUNCIATION PLAY (14TH

C.)

7.24 THE FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI: THE LIFE OF JULIANA OF MONT-CORNILLON

(1261-1264)

i) How do these two texts reflect a more popular expression of medieval devotion?

ii) Why are there marital (and perhaps even sexual) motifs in The Life of Juliana of Mont-

Cornillon?


Fall 2013

Friday, November 22, 2013: Lecture: Decades of Catastrophe and Upheaval

Reading Guidelines



We are now entering the last part of this course, Part VI: Plague, War, and Death; The

Early Renaissance. It would seem that these two segments here are completely at odds with each

other (crisis and Renaissance), but we will see some connections as we work through this

material.

The readings for this class focus on the first part: plague, war, and death. You will notice

many connections between this material and the theme of “discordant harmonies” discussed in

the previous chapter. The difference is that the accent in this part of the eighth chapter is on

discord, disaster, and dislocation. We are truly in a period of crisis, an intense period of crisis.

For example, very few people “benefitted” from the Black Death, except those who survived the

pandemic and were able to negotiate better conditions and agreements with their lords, given the

labour shortage.

Some of the material in this reading also anticipates the next phase in European history:

The Reformation. Martin Luther’s ideas were not born in a vacuum; he had predecessors.

Indeed, the crisis in the papacy triggered many heterodox movements, as the papacy struggled to

maintain its revenue base by commercializing its prerogatives. The selling of indulgences was a

good example of this.


A. CRISES AND CONSOLIDATIONS

i) Connect the arrival of the Black Death in Europe to the material discussed in the previous

chapter (i.e. the trade routes through the Mongol Empire; the famines and the weakening of the

European population);

ii) Describe in detail the various effects that the Black Death brought in its wake;

iii) Did anyone actually benefit from the Black Death? [hint: think of the labour shortages]

iv) Account for the rise of the Ottoman Empire and the fall of Constantinople;

v) Connect the Hundred Years’ War to the long-standing issues involving England and the

European continent;

vi) Why did the French people rally to Jeanne d’Arc? What impact did she have on turning the

tide for the French?

vii) Describe the numerous political and social effects of the Hundred Years’ War on France and

England;

viii) Would it be correct to claim that power was becoming increasingly concentrated during this

period of crisis? Cite some examples and exceptions;

ix) Compare and contrast the revolts in Flanders with the revolts in France, England, and

Florence; what did they have in common? How were they connected to the crisis conditions of

this period?

B. THE CHURCH DIVIDED

i) How did the Great Schism knock the papacy even further out of its spiritual orbit?

ii) Compare and contrast conciliarism with some of the views on papal supremacy that we have

examined in this course;

iii) Could it be said that the Lollards and the Hussites were a direct response to this crisis in the

papacy? What did the two groups of religious dissidents advocate and did they have any long-

term impact?

iv) Could it be claimed that the development of national churches in France and Spain was also a

response to the crisis in the papacy? Or, were monarchs simply trying to consolidate their power

even further?

v) Connect the attitudes of Ferdinand and Isabella to the xenophobia discussed in the last

chapter.


Fall 2013

Tuesday, November 26, 2013: Lecture: The Beginning of the Renaissance

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, ch. 8, 327-347


Much of this material will seem like an epilogue to this course in that the study of the

Renaissance and the voyages overseas speak more to the period after the Middle Ages (as far it is

possible to demarcate when the Middle Ages “ended”). Yet one could argue that there were

many precedents and antecedents to the Renaissance and the voyages, so much so that perhaps

these two historical phenomena do not represent such a radical break from the past. This takes

away from the “Poof!” Theory of History, that historical turning-points and events happen quite

suddenly (e.g. “Michaelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel and poof! The Renaissance starts!

Poof!). There are catalysts, to be sure (e.g. Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses was a catalyst

for the European Reformation). Yet one could find prior more long-term historical

developments that made such catalysts possible. For the Renaissance, one thinks of the long

growth of the power of the prince, the connection between Europe and the Byzantine and

Muslim worlds, the vestiges of the classical past in the medieval epoch, and so on. For the

Reformation, one can turn to the Brethren of the Common Life and the crisis in the papacy.


C. DEFINING STYLES

i) What is meant by “Renaissance humanism” and how was it different from earlier forms of

humanism?

ii) Why were scholars such as Cincius Romanus interested in the classical past?

iii) Describe the components of the Renaissance program;

iv) How was Renaissance art connected to humanism but also to the court culture of secular and

ecclesiastical princes?

v) Even though the Ottomans had overrun the Byzantine Empire, would it be accurate to claim

that Ottoman civilization was completely cut off from Renaissance civilization? If not, why not?

vi) Compare and contrast the Northern Renaissance with the Italian Renaissance;

vii) How was Northern Renaissance Art connected to secular imperatives?

D. NEW HORIZONS

i) In the examples of interiority discussed in this chapter, can you see any connections with

Renaissance art? Is focusing on the inner self a mark of humanism, a focus on the self?

ii) How did the printing revolution change mass communication? Give some examples;

iii) Why do you think that it was Portugal that seemed to be at the forefront of Europe’s global

expansion?

iv) How was the colonization of the Cape Verde Islands a microcosm of the form of colonialism

that Europe would develop?


Fall 2013

Thursday, November 28, 2013: Discussion Class: “Catastrophe and Creativity,” Part I

Reading Guidelines

Readings: review materials from November 22nd

and November 26th



There are three historical developments underlying these documents. The first is the

Black Death, in terms of its impact but also in terms of how Euorpeans explained the root cause

of the pandemic. Both aspects relate to European collective mentalities that had been evolving

over the previous centuries. For example, the recourse to penance and processions was

connected to the developing ideas around Purgatory and the remission of sins. Similarly, the

attack on the Jewish communities represents a visceral and violent response that was made

possible by the anti-Judaic sentiment that dates back to the First Crusade (incidentally, there is

nothing inevitable about anti-Semitism in European history; there are many examples of peaceful

Christian-Jewish coexistence in medieval Spain and the Holy Land, usually before the Crusades).

The second historical development involves the rise of the Ottoman Empire, which would

have enormous implications for the history of Eastern Europe in centuries to come. Connected

to that was the fall of the Byzantine Empire, an event that can be connected to the Black Death

(remember that the Byzantine Empire was particularly vulnerable to the plague because of its

coastal cities and its extensive mercantile connections with other parts of the world). One

wonders if the role of personality is also a prominent a factor in these two historical

developments (compare, for example, the characters of Sultan Mehmed II with the last Byzantine

Emperor Constantine XI).


8.1 A MEDICAL VIEW: NICEPHORUS GREGORAS, ROMAN HISTORY (c. 1350)

i) Reading the editor’s introduction, how may have the nature of the Byzantine Empire and

particularly Constantinople made it more vulnerable to plague? Would it be accurate to claim

that the plague weakened the Byzantine Empire further?

ii) How does Nicephorus Gregoras explain the Black Death? Does he mention divine causation?

8.3 PRAYERS AT YORK: ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM, LETTER TO HIS OFFICIAL AT YORK

(JULY 1348)

i) In Archbishop William’s opinion, what was the root cause of the Black Death?

ii) Connect his suggestions to the medieval understanding of penance, Purgatory, and

indulgences.

8.4 BLAMING THE JEWS: HEINRICH VON DIESSENHOVEN, ON THE

PERSECUTIONOF THE JEWS (c. 1350)

i) Why does Von Diessenhoven blame the Jews for the Black Death?

ii) Connect this document to the long history of anti-Judaic sentiment and violence in medieval

Europe.

8.5 A LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE: ORDINANCES AGAINST THE SPREAD OF PLAGUE AT

PISTOIA (1348)

i) How do the ordinances convey the city government’s understanding as to why the plague

spread? In their opinion, what caused the plague to spread?

ii) In addition to improving sanitation, what was the city government trying to do to alleviate the

impact of the plague on the local population?

8.7 DIPLOMACY: PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE OTTOMAN SULTAN MEHMED II

AND THE SIGNORIA OF VENICE (January 25, 1478)

i) What does the document suggest about the long-term relations between Venice and the

Muslim world?

ii) Situate this document in the rise of the Ottoman Empire.

8.9 THE FALL BEWAILED: GEORGE SPHRANTZES, CHRONICLE (BEFORE 1477).

ORIGINAL IN GREEK

i) Can you glean from this document clues that would explain the fall of the Byzantine Empire?

How, conversely, can the document shed light on the rise of the Ottomans?

ii) Why do you think that virtually no Christian power came to the aid of the faltering Byzantine

Empire?

8.7 DIPLOMACY: PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE OTTOMAN SULTAN MEHMED II

AND THE SIGNORIA OF VENICE January 25, 1478

i) What does the document suggest about the long-term relations between Venice and the

Muslim world?

ii) Situate this document in the rise of the Ottoman Empire.

8.9 THE FALL BEWAILED: GEORGE SPHRANTZES, CHRONICLE (BEFORE 1477).

ORIGINAL IN GREEK

i) Can you glean from this document clues that would explain the fall of the Byzantine Empire?

How, conversely, can the document shed light on the rise of the Ottomans?

ii) Why do you think that virtually no Christian power came to the aid of the faltering Byzantine

Empire?


Fall 2013

Friday, November 29, 2013: Discussion Class: “Catastrophe and Creativity,” Part II

Reading Guidelines

Readings: Rosenwein, Reading the Middle Ages, ch. 8, pp. 512-535 (adjusted to p. 530)

***remember that I reduced the reading for today


It would seem that these documents deal uniquely with the element of crisis in this period

(e.g. the revolt in England and the devastation that resulted from it, the Avignon papacy, the

Great Schism, the religious dissident movements). Yet one can see elements of creativity as well

(as the textbook defines it), and even elements that anticipate the following period, the European

Reformation. The desire to limit the papacy and the wish to receive the sacrament of the

Eucharist in both kinds was a fundamental tenet of aspects of the Reformation. Of course, the

Reformation went much further than that. Even the idea of conciliarism: that proved to be

something quite revolutionary for its time.


8.12 NATIONAL FEELING: JEANNE D’ARC, LETTER TO THE ENGLISH (1429)

i) If it is seems highly probable that Jeanne’s words were altered by the English notaries, what

value does the document have for historians?

ii) Can you glean from the document any evidence as to why the French would have placed their

trust in her?

8.13 THE COMMONS REVOLT: WAT TYLER’S REBELLION (AFTER 1381)

i) What were the demands of the rebels and connect these demands to the aftermath of the Black

Death? Did that aftermath create heightened expectations among the peasants who survived the

plague?

ii) How does the document convey the impression that the insurgents were able to dictate terms

to the King?

8.14 THE HUMILIATION OF AVIGNON: ST CATHERINE OF SIENA, LETTER TO POPE

GREGORY XI (1376)

i) Connect this document to the crisis of the papacy; why does Catherine want the Pope to return

to Rome?

ii) Does Catherine of Siena remind you somewhat of Jeanne d’Arc in terms of her tone and her

language?

iii) Do you believe that there was an ongoing dialogue between Catherine and the Pope before

this letter was written?

8.15 THE CONCILIARIST MOVEMENT: JEAN GERSON, SERMON AT THE COUNCIL OF

CONSTANCE (1415)

i) How does Gerson use scholasticism to make his case for a Church council?

ii) In his conception, what kind of power would the council have? Do you think that he was

arguing that the Council’s power should be superior to that of the Pope?

iii) Situate this document in the history of the Great Schism, as discussed in the Rosenwein

textbook.

8.16 THE HUSSITE PROGRAM: THE FOUR ARTICLES OF PRAGUE (1420)

i) Do you have the sense from this document that the Hussites were trying to bridge the gap

between clergy and laity, or at least reduce it?


Fall 2013

Tuesday, December 3, 2013: Conclusion and Review for the Final Exam

Reading Guidelines



Here are some themes that are apparent in these readings:

●The components of Renaissance humanism

●A “renaissance” of sorts in the Islamic world

●Questions about the condition and nature of women

●Links between Renaissance humanism and political/religious contexts

●Changes in technology and cartography and the voyages overseas


8.19 RE-EVALUATING ANTIQUITY: CINCIUS ROMANUS, LETTER TO HIS MOST

LEARNED TEACHER FRANCISCUS DE FIANA (1416)

i) Why is Romanus so interested in finding ancient classical manuscripts?

ii) In his approach to the classical past, how can Romanus be connected to the Renaissance and

Renaissance humanism? Were not many scholars in the Middle Ages fascinated by the classical

past? How was Romanus different?

8.21 OLD SOURCES CRITICIZED: LORENZO VALLA, DISCOURSE ON THE FORGERY

OF THE ALLEGED DONATION OF CONSTANTINE. (1440)

i) Outline Valla’s argument against the Donation of Constantine?

ii) Do Valla and Romanus have something in common? Could both be connected to Renaissance

humanism in some way?

iii) Do Valla and the conciliar movement have something in common?

8.22 DEFENDING WOMEN: CHRISTINE DE PISAN, THE BOOK OF THE CITY OF LADIES

(1404-07)

i) If Christine de Pizan still saw social and gender relations in terms of divinely ordained

hierarchies, how does she make an argument for female intellectual capabilities and their ability

to rule?

ii) In her citing of examples, what do you think is the main reference point that inspired

Christine?

iii) Compare Christine’s text with the documents involving Catherine of Siena and Jeanne d’Arc.

8.24 AN ISLAMIC RENAISSANCE THINKER: IBN KHALDUN, MUQADDIMAH (1377-

1381)

i) In Khaldun, what is meant by “group feeling” and why is it important?

PLATE 8.1 A NEW KIND OF MAP: GABRIEL DE VALSECA, PORTOLAN CHART (1447)

i) Compare this map with the maps on pp. 273-276 of this source reader; what had changed by

the year 1447?

hist2330 medieval europe, 1050 to the ...ebezzina/hist2330f13/2330f...i) explain how the succession...

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