HISTORY 1110
MEDIEVAL HISTORY, I
Instructor: Bruce L. Venarde, Associate Professor of History
Office: Forbes Quadrangle 3M26, 624-8437
Office hours: Tuesdays, 2:30-4 and by appointment
bvenarde+@pitt.edu
DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
History 1110 surveys the societies and cultures of the Mediterranean basin and Europe from Roman imperial times to the eleventh century. Its primary goals are to familiarize you with the geography, chronology, and important themes of early European history; to teach critical reading in historical sources; and to develop skills in analytical writing. Topics will include the nature and transformations of late antique society, the origins and propagation of Christianity, the first European societies and their more sophisticated Mediterranean counterparts Byzantium and the religion and society of Islam, early medieval lordship and rulership, and revolutionary social visions and new social realities at the start of the second millennium. The running theme is the slow and unpredictable accumulation of elements that, by the eleventh century, provided the material and ideological bases for a society dimly recognizable as an ancestor of our own modern West.

This course operates in a lecture-discussion format that requires that you keep up with the assigned reading from class to class. Collective examination of medieval sources will be the central focus of informal but informed discussion, on questions posed either in the reading assignments or by the instructor so you can read critically, that is, with questions that will allow you to make important observations and discoveries. Therefore, it is essential that you work outside of class and come prepared to join the conversation about the material at hand. Because discussion is an essential part of the work of this course, you should enroll only if you will be able to attend and participate regularly.

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADE WEIGHTING
  • Active participation in discussions (10-30%)
  • In-class midterm examination Thursday, September 27th (20-25%)
  • Sort paper (about 5 pages) due Thursday, November 1st (20-25%)
  • Final examination, Monday, December 10th (30-40%)
Notes:
  1. The examinations will be mostly short answer and essay
  2. Topics for the paper will be distributed in advance.
  3. You may, after consultation with the instructor, substitute a medium-length (8-10 pages) for the final examination.
  4. The final will include a map quiz: keep yourself geographically oriented with the help of the Hammond sketch map available in the bookstore
CLASS MEETINGS
We meet TTh 1-2:15. There will be no class on November 20th. Otherwise, this course meets at all times except university holidays.
BOOKS
(available at the Book Center)
Required:
Alfred J. Andrea,The Medieval Record: Sources of Medieval History>
Two Lives of Charlemagne
Hammond Europe problem map #33
C. Warren Hollister,Medieval Europe: A Short History, 8th ed
Hrostsvit of Gandersheim: A Florilegium of Her Works
The Vinland Sagas

WEEKLY TOPICS AND READINGS
Week of August 27th: Introductory

Andrea, The Medieval Record (hereafter "Andrea") pp. 1-5
Handout (Four mystery excerpts)

Week of September 3rd: The Roman Empire

Andrea, pp.23-27
Handout (Tacitus, Agricola)
Hollister, Medieval Europe: A Short History (hereafter "Hollister"), pp. 1-16, 28-31

Week of September 10th: Christianity and Roman Society

Andrea, pp. 28-39
Handout ("The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity")
Hollister, pp. 16-27

Week of September 17th: Germanic Peoples and Kingdoms

Andrea, pp. 40-71
Hollister, pp. 31-41

Week of September 24th: Early Byzantium

Andrea, pp. 73-81
Hollister, pp. 42-52


FIRST MIDTERM EXAM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH

Week of October 4th: Society and Religion in the "Dark Ages"

Andrea, pp. 99-109, 122-134
Handout (Martin of Braga, "On the Correction of Peasants")
Hollister, pp. 56-74, 87-93

Week of October 8th: Islam

Andrea, pp. 87-98
Hollister, pp. 75-86

Week of October 15th: Charlegmagne

Andrea, pp. 135-136,141-152
Two Lives of Charlemagne, pp.49-90
Hollister, pp. 93-108

Week of October 22nd: Uh, oh, Vikings or: The Warning of the Carolingian Era

Andrea, pp. 153-162
Two Lives of Charlemagne, pp.91-172
Hollister, pp. 100-118

Week of Nov.1: The F-word?

Andrea, pp. 163-172
Handout (Documents on feudal practices)
Hollister, pp. 123-129

PAPER DUE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST

Week of November 5th: Emperors and Kings Outside the "Feudal Heartland"

Andrea, pp. 83-86, 180-188
Handout ( Russian Primary Chronicle )
Hollister, pp. 52-55, 119-123, 129-133, 136-138

Week of November 12th: Tenth Century Life and Culture

Andrea, pp. 176-180
Hrotsvit of Gandersheim: A Florilegium of Her Works pp.1-9, 19-20, 29-40, 101-110
Handout ( The Battle of Maldon )
Hollister, pp. 133-136

Week of November 19th:NO CLASS MEETING

Get a jump on the last two weeks' reading, since there's quite a bit of it


Week of November 26th: Identities At Home and Abroad

The Vinland Sagas
Hrotsvit of Gandersheim: A Florilegium of Her Works pp. 41-97, 111-121


December 3rd: The New Millennium - Y1K?

Andrea, pp.173-176, 194-198, 228-234
Hollister, pp. 138-146


FINAL EXAMINATION (OR PAPER) MONDAY, DECEMBER 10TH