A History of the Crusades
History 4332/5332
Department of History
University of Central Arkansas
Spring, Semester 2008
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 11 am, Irby 101
***
Dr. James W. Brodman
Office: Irby 105G
Office Hours: MWF: 10 am noon or by appointment
Telephone: 450-3158
E-mail: jimb@uca.edu
On-line Syllabus: http://www.uca.edu/divisions/academic/history/crusades.htm
*
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
1. Undergraduate Students: Three Examinations @ 100 = 300 points Term Paper @100 = 150 points
Reading Reflections = 50 points
2. Graduate Students: Three Examinations @100 = 300 points Historiographical Term Paper* =150 points Class Presentation/Lecture = 100 points
*Undergraduate students will prepare a 10-15 page paper that studies an individual battle, siege or other significant military event associated with the Crusades. Graduate students will prepare a 15-20 page review of the historical literature pertaining to a topic related to the Crusades. Note: All research papers will conform to the style of the UCA History Department Style Sheet
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 minimum penalty of the
grade of zero for the affected assignment. Regular class attendance and participation is 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
Disabilities Act. 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. 35 ff of the Student Handbook and,
for those on sexual harassment, on p. 112 ff.
Required Readings:
All Students: J. Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History ( 2nd edition, NewHaven: Yale
University Press, 12005).
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 .
Course Outline and Reading Assignments
January 10: Orientation
January 14: European Borders at the End of the First Millennium
January 16-18: The Frontier of Medieval History; Charles J. Bishko, The Frontier in Medieval History
January 21: Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday
January 23: The Ideas and Models of Crusading; RS, xxvii-xxx, 37-39
January 25: Eleventh-century confrontations between the Islamic and Christian worlds: Sicily
January 28-30: The Christian-Islamic Confrontation in Iberia
February 1-4: Urban II and the First Crusade: RS, 1-17; Speech at Council of Clermont (Fulcher) ; Clermont According to Robert the Monk
February 6: The Expeditions to the Orient: RS, 18-36; Attack Against the Jews of Mainz ; Anna Comnena on the Crusaders
February 8: The Conquest of the East: RS, 40-60; Fulk of Chartres on the Capture of Jerusalem
February 11: The Organization of the Crusading States: RS, 61-69; Latin Kings of Jerusalem
February 13: Review
February 15: First Examination
February 18: The Second Crusade in the East; RS, 88-107; Summons to the Second Crusade
February 20: The Second Crusade in Iberia and Eastern Europe; Term Paper topics due with bibligraphy
February 22: Religious warfare and the paradox of the Military Orders:the Knights/Hospitallers of St. John
February 25: The Order of the Temple; Bernard of Clairvaux in Praise of the New Knighthood Malcolm Barber on the Templars
February 27: Hattin and Alarcos: the crisis of the late twelfth century;RS, 69-87; Roger of Hoveden on the Fall of Jerusalem
February 29: The Third Crusade; RS, 109-120
March 3: The Ransoming Orders: Trinitarians and Mercedarians; Captivity in the Middle Ages
March 5: The Mendicants and the idea of mission toward Muslims and Jews
March 7-10. Victory in Iberia in the 13th century; RS, 139-41;165-66
March 12: Review
March 14: Second Examination
March 17-21: Cultural cohesion, cultural coercion and the consequences of a multi-cultural society. Mudejares
March 21: TERM PAPER DUE
March 24-28: Spring Break
March 31- April 4: Victory in Eastern Europe in the 13th Century;RS, 130-32161-64, 212-15; The Teutonic Knights
April 7-9: The lure of Asia: Mendicants, Merchants and the Mongol Empire RS, 200-3; Marco Polo on the Tartars
April 11: Trade and Missions in Asia; John of Monte Corvino Reports from China
April 14-16: 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
April 18: Why did the eastern Crusades fail; what did they accomplish?. Aymeric on Christian Problems in Palestine
April 21: The Legend and Legacy of the Crusades:
April 23: A Prelude to Imperialism?
April 25: Study Day
April 28: Final Examination