History 211: The Early Middle Ages

Spring, 2007 course alias: history-211 Office hours: MWF 10:45-11:50, or by appointment

Prof. Carrington Holland 509, x3628 e-mail: carringt@stolaf.edu

 Course Goals

This course will introduce you to a period of history that is formative in the development of our own world: the early Middle Ages, from about 300 to 1050. During this time a major world empire, the Western Roman Empire, lost its political and geographical integrity, giving way to an assortment of successor states that blended the institutions of Rome with those of a variety of "barbarian" tribal groups to form a new, fluid political map of Europe. At the same time, Christianity underwent a profound transformation, as it ceased to be a persecuted religious cult in a pluralist Roman Empire and came to dominate the religious and cultural life of the West. New institutions emerged as the Church established its leadership and became part of the structures of power in western Europe. Finally, a rival, dynamic religious tradition, that of Islam, had its foundation during this period.

The approximately 700 years that are the material of this course were a time of crisis and great hardship. Following a period of tenuous political consolidation under Charlemagne in around 800, western Europeans encountered new waves of invasions and political turmoil. Yet the resourcefulness and resilience of the population is testimony to tremendous vitality as well as hardship. Our goals will be to gain insight into a time and place that is vastly different from our own, to develop an awareness of how to read sources from the period that reflect attitudes foreign to our own ways of thinking, and to learn how historians studying such sources arrive at conclusions about the distant past.

 Assignments

• Daily homework assignments on the sources;
• Two in-class midterm examinations, on Tuesday, March 6 and Thursday, April 12, consisting of an essay on a significant question, several short answer questions, and identifications;
• A source analysis, due Thursday, February 22;
• An analytical essay on your choice of several questions, due Tuesday, Apr 24;
• An in-class final examination, on Friday, May 18, 2:30-4:30.

 Grading and Policies

• Class Grade: 20%
• Source analysis and analytical essay: 15% each
• Essay examinations: two at 15% each
• Final examination: 20%

The Class Grade includes your attendance, preparation, and participation in class on a daily basis. Regular attendance is essential to doing a good job in this course. If you need to miss class for any reason you must notify me, in advance if possible. For preparation, you will have homework assignments consisting of questions on the primary source material for each class. These will be collected at the beginning of the class period at the discretion of the professor. Students will be expected to be prepared to contribute their insights in class discussions.

Papers are due on the days indicated in class, at class time, unless you come to me in advance to request an extension.

The final examination date is firm. Please make your plans for the end of the semester accordingly. Students who need to take the exam at another time must petition the Chair of the History Department, Jim Farrell, in writing. Do not make such requests of your professor. Students are advised to review the final examination policy as stated on p. 45 of the St. Olaf catalogue: "Chairs and directors will exclude from consideration rescheduling requests involving rides home, early family vacations, early summer employmnet, pre-purchased airline tickets, and the like." Please also make a note of the dates of the midterm, and make any plans with these obligations in mind. If you believe you need to reschedule, please request permission of your professor at the beginning of the term.

 Texts

• Peter Brown The World of Late Antiquity
• Jo Ann H. Moran Cruz/Richard Gerberding Medieval Worlds: An Introduction to European History 300-1492
• Patrick Geary Readings in Medieval History: vol. I
• The Koran
• Pierre Riché Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne

 Calendar of Assignments

Tue Feb 6 Introduction

Thu Feb 8

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 1: The Roman Foundations of Medieval Europe;
Geary 1 Theodosian Code, Title 3 (p. 4) - Title 9, Title 11, Title 13, Title 16

Tue Feb 13

Brown Part One I: Society;
Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 2: Early Christianity

Thu Feb 15

Brown Part One II: Religion, secs. iv, v, vii

Tue Feb 20

Geary 2 Augustine On Christian Doctrine Book I ch. 1, 3, 4; Book II ch. 18-24, 26-30, 36-38, 40-42; City of God sels. from Book XIX

Thu Feb 22

Geary 3 St. Perpetua
SOURCE ANALYSIS

Tue Feb 27

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 3: Barbarians Enter the Empire
Geary 4 Tacitus; 7 Tomb of Childeric

Thu Mar 1

Brown Part Two I: The West
Geary 5 Jordanes History of the Goths secs. IV-XIII, XXIV-XLIII, LII-LX

Tue Mar 6

Geary 8 Salic Law; 9 Letters to Clovis; 10 Gregory of Tours History of the Franks Excerpts from Book II

Thu Mar 8

FIRST MIDTERM EXAMINATION

Tue Mar 13

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 4: Two Eastern Mediterranean Empires
Brown Part Two II: Byzantium

Thu Mar 15

Brown Part Two III: The New Participants
Koran, surahs 1-2, 4-5, 8, 17

Tue Mar 20

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 5: Popes, Priests, Monks, and Nuns,
Geary 13 Gregory the Great Dialogues

Thu Mar 22

Geary 12 St. Benedict Rule, Prologue, Chapters 1-8, 16, 19-73

Tue Mar 27-Thu Mar 29: SPRING BREAK

Tue Apr 3

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 6: An Early Medieval Empire in the West: The Carolingians
Geary 18 Einhard Life of Charlemagne

Thu Apr 5

Riché Chapters I 1, 4-7; II 8, 10, 13

Tue Apr 10

Riché Chapters III 14, 17-19; IV 20; V 24-26

Thu Apr 12

SECOND MIDTERM EXAM

Tue Apr 17

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 7: The British Isles: Celts, Anglo-Saxons, and Vikings
Geary 14 Laws of Ethelbert; 15 Bede History of the English Church and People

Thu Apr 19

Geary 16 King Alfred

Tue Apr 24

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 8: New Influences
Medieval Sourcebook: Annals of Xanten, 845-853; Three Sources on the Ravages of the Northmen in Frankland, c. 843-912 (handout)

Thu Apr 26

"The Desolation of the Pagans" from Roger Collins Early Medieval Europe (handout)
Excerpt from Egil's Saga (handout)

Tue May 1

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 9: Land and People
"Wealth and Society. The Manorial Economy," from Georges Duby Rural Economy and Country Life in the Medieval West (handout)
ANALYTICAL ESSAY DUE

Thu May 3

Geary 23 Fulbert of Chartres, 24 Hugh of Lusignan
"The Development of Feudal Institutions," from Brian Tierney Sources of Medieval History (handout)
Medieval Sourcebook: Reginald of Durham's Life of St. Goderic, Accounts of the Routes of the Jewish Merchants to the East, Guibert of Nogent The Revolt in Laon, 1115, The Deeds of Bishop Arnald of Le Mans and the Le Mans Commune, 1065-1081 (handouts)

Tue May 8

Cruz/Gerberding Chapter 10: Rulers and Religion
Geary 20 Liudbrand of Cremona A Chronicle of Otto's Reign

Thu May 10

Geary 21 Charters of Cluny, Charters of the Grossi Family
Medieval Sourcebook: Otto the Great: Grant of Market, Coinage, and Taxation Privileges; Ralph Glaber: On the First Millenium (handouts)

Fri May 19 2:30-4:30 FINAL EXAMINATION

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