Europe and the Mediterranean World in 1092
Europe and the Mediterrean World in 1120
Europe and the Mediterranean World in 1205
Europe and the Mediterranean World in 1270
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COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: The Crusades are one of the most
generally recognized phenomena of the Middle Ages, yet their importance
as anything else but a failed example of religious enthusiasm is not nearly
as well understood. This course will introduce the student to the crusading
movement from a pluralist perspective between 1000 and 1300, namely as
an important facet of a broad movement of European encounter with other
civilizations and societies as it was manifested on several frontiers,
and which prefigured the Atlantic routes into Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Students will study themes of cultural diffusion, conquest and colonization
within the context of interactions between the competing societies of western
Europe, eastern Europe, northern Africa and west Asia.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Students are required to attend and participatein class lectures and discussions, to complete all assigned readings, and, as outlined below, complete a research project and series of tests. Grades will be assigned according to the following percentages: 90-100=A; 80-89=B;70-79=C; 60-69=D; 0-59=F
Reading reflections will be assigned in advance of the day on
which the reading will be discussed in class. Instances of cheating
or other unethical conduct will result in a mimimum penalty of the grade
of zero for the affected assignment. Regular class attendance and participationis
required; excessive absences (generally the equivalent of two weeks of
class) will result in dismissal from class. The University of Central Arkansas
adheres to the requirements of the Americans with DisabilitiesAct. If you
need an accommodation under this Act due to a disability, contactthe Office
of Disabilities Support Services at 450-3135. Information
concerning University Academic Policies can be found on p. 36ff of
the Student Handbook and, for those on sexual harassment, on p. 107 ff.
Required Readings:
All Students: J. Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History (NewHaven:
Yale University Press, 1987.
Internet Reading Assignments, as indicated below.Please
note that the on-line version of this syllabus that contains hyperlinks
to web assignments can be found on the History Department website (http://www.uca.edu/history/history.htm)
or separately at: http://www.uca.edu/history/crusades.htm
ORB has a particularly good collection
of online materials concerning the crusade. Useful material can also be
found at LIBRO .
August 22: Orientation
August 25: European Borders at the End of the First Millennium
August 27-29: The Frontier of Medieval History; Charles J. Bishko, The Frontier in Medieval History
September 1: Labor Day Holiday
September 3: The Ideas and Models of Crusading; RS, xxvii-xxx, 37-39
September 5: Eleventh-century confrontations between the Islamic and Christian worlds: Sicily
September 8-10: The Christian-Islamic Confrontation in Iberia
September 12-15: Urban II and the First Crusade: RS, 1-17; Speech at Council of Clermont (Fulcher) ; Clermont According to Robert the Monk
September 17: The Expeditions to the Orient: RS, 18-36; Attack Against the Jews of Mainz ; Anna Comnena on the Crusaders
September 19: The Conquest of the East: RS, 40-60; Fulk of Chartres on the Capture of Jerusalem
September 22: The Organization of the Crusading States: RS, 61-69; Latin Kings of Jerusalem
September 24: Review
September 26: First Examination
Septemver 29: The Second Crusade in the East; RS, 88-107; Summons to the Second Crusade
October 1-3: The Second Crusade in Iberia and Eastern Europe; Term Paper topics due with bibligraphy
October 6: Religious warfare and the paradox of the Military Orders:the Knights/Hospitallers of St. John
October 8: The Order of the Temple; Bernard of Clairvaux in Praise of the New Knighthood Malcolm Barber on the Templars
October 10: Hattin and Alarcos: the crisis of the late twelfth century;RS, 69-87; Roger of Hoveden on the Fall of Jerusalem
October 13: The Third Crusade; RS, 109-120
October 15: The Ransoming Orders: Trinitarians and Mercedarians; Captivity in the Middle Ages
October 17: The Mendicants and the idea of mission toward Muslims and Jews
October 20: Fall Break
October 22-24. Victory in Iberia in the 13th century; RS,
139-41;165-66
TERM PAPER DUE
October 27: Review
October 29: Second Examination
October 31-November 3: Cultural cohesion, cultural coercion and the consequences of a multi-cultural society. Mudejares
November 5-7: Victory in Eastern Europe in the 13th Century;RS, 130-32161-64, 212-15; The Teutonic Knights
November 10-12: The lure of Asia: Mendicants, Merchants and the Mongol Empire RS, 200-3; Marco Polo on the Tartars
November 14: Trade and Missions in Asia; John of Monte Corvino Reports from China
November 17-21: Catastrophe in Palestine and the later Crusades: 4th,5th, 6th and 7th Crusades; RS, 121-30, 141-61; The Sack of Constantinople ; Summons to the Fifth Crusade ; Capture of Louis IX
November 24: Why did the eastern Crusades fail; what did they accomplish?. Aymeric on Christian Problems in Palestine
November 26, 28: Thanksgiving Holiday
December 1: The Legend and Legacy of the Crusades:
December 3: A Prelude to Imperialism?