Teaching Medieval Europe

Lecturing with Chapter 14

2010-12-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

Last week of classes. Yay!

On Tuesday, I traced the political history of late medieval Europe. Here’s the outline:

From Feudal Kingdoms to Nation States

1. What’s the difference? I talked about centralization, coherence, and abstract loyalties.

2. How was it accomplished? I talked about bureaucratic growth, new economic powers, new ideological functions (nationalism), new religious powers, and powers from combating what I called “enemies within.”

On Thursday, I looked at “medieval” in relation to “modern.” Here’s the outline:

1492 and all that . . .

1. Europe and the “New World”. I traced yet again medieval baggage about “others” that shaped how Europeans encountered Americans; I talked about impetuses, technological and economic; and I traced what contact meant for both Europe and the Americas.

2. Back in Europe: Inquisitions and “Enemies Within”. Spanish Inquisitions, with a bit of gory detail. Medieval precedents acknowledged and modernity stressed.

3. Back in Europe: Witch-Hunting. More gore, with medieval precedents acknowledged and modernity stressed.

4. The “Medieval Other” (one last time). I reviewed once again how all the characteristics we associate with modernity have their opposite in fantasies about the Middle Ages. Moral: any past = different, but not “other.”

Done!

Quiz Questions for Chapter 14

2010-11-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

After 1347-50, the proportion of literate people
(a) increased.
(b) fell.
(c) was unchanged for the next 150 years.

Hans Behem
(a) preached radical ideas.
(b) invented the telescope.
(c) sailed around the coast of Africa.

Francesco Petrarch died in
(a) 1274.
(b) 1374.
(c) 1474.

The gothic architecture of the Later Middle Ages stressed
(a) height and decoration.
(b) simplicity.
(c) creating open spaces for paintings and processions.

Which of the following was NOT a late medieval trend in political thought?
(a) the clericalist position (different jurisdictions for church and state) gained more support than before.
(b) a practical interest in nitty-gritty matters of governance developed.
(c) the divine right of kings became the predominant justification for royal power.

Which of the following statements about William of Ockham is NOT true?
(a) he favored papal supremacy.
(b) he severed the bonds between revelation and reason.
(c) he was a radical empiricist.

Marsilio Ficino translated the works of
(a) Galen.
(b) Aristotle.
(c) Plato.

Donatello’s David expresses
(a) the concept of redemptive suffering.
(b) the influence of Greco-Roman traditions.
(c) late medieval misogyny.

Lecturing with Chapter 13

2010-11-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

Only one lecture this week, and I decided to reward the few students who tend to show up on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving with a one-off lecture on sex and sexuality. In the event, most of my students came. The lecture ranged over many matters, none of them particularly pertinent to chapter 13. For what it is worth, here's the outline:

MEDIEVAL SEX AND SEXUALITIES
1. Preliminaries
2. "Good" Sex
3. "Bad" Sex
4. Prostitution
5. Chastity

Quiz Questions for Chapter 13

2010-11-20T14:23:00.001-08:00

“Sovereignty” means
(a) divine right of kings.
(b) unchallenged authority over a state.
(c) maintaining the gold standard.

In consolidating power, late medieval kings faced two main challenges. Which was NOT a major challenge?
(a) papacy.
(b) aristocracy.
(c) peasantry.

Which of the following statements about the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) is correct?
(a) It pitted France against the Holy Roman Empire.
(b) It led to the independence of Scotland.
(c) It provoked the intervention of Joan of Arc.

Louis XI (r. 1461-1483)
(a) was mad.
(b) subdued the aristocrats of France.
(c) claimed the English throne by right of his wife, Mary Tudor.

Who dominated Russia c. 1500?
(a) Mongols.
(b) Muscovite princes.
(c) Swedes.

The story of William Tell is a symptom of the growing importance of
(a) paternalism.
(b) nationalism.
(c) capitalism.

The Hapsburg dynasty first took root in
(a) Italy.
(b) Spain.
(c) the Holy Roman Empire.

Lecturing with Chapter 12

2010-11-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

This was the week for fourteenth-century disasters. I managed it as follows:

1. Europe Before the Great Plague
--Great Famine—population pressure, bad weather, cattle murrain, royal exactions, etc.
--quick survey of pre-1348 challenges for papacy, monarchies, intellectuals, and towns

2. During the Plague
--What was it? I told the usual story; then elaborated on Sam Cohn’s critics; then used the most recent DNA reports (see http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/health/01plague.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=yersinia&st=cse) to concede the bubonic fight; I then discussed Mike Baillie’s recent arguments, based on ice cores and dendrochronology, about comets and cosmic impacts.
--What did it do? All the usual gory stuff. I put Boccaccio’s description to good use.
--How did people react? I discussed hyper-religiosity (esp. flagellants) and attacks on Jews, lepers et al.

3. After the Plague. This was basically a (possibly misguided) romp through the later middle ages. I covered these topics:
--recurrences of plague
--low population
--mentality—fashion, excess, death, and the like
--improved opportunities for peasants and wage-earners
--manorial reaction
--mercantile reaction and then expansion
--woes in the Church

Good stuff, but everyone is exhausted. One of my student students nodded off today. Sigh.

Lecturing with Chapter 11

2010-11-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

This week's lectures had remarkably little to do with the content of Chapter 11. On Tuesday, I relaxed while my excellent Teaching Assistant gave a great lecture on the crusades (what they were; what happened; with what consequences). On Thursday, my lecture attempted to artfully mingle three discrete tasks: (a) preparing the students for our transition to "late medieval" and the intersections with modernity raised thereby, (b) "renaissance," humanism and the "othering" of an intervening dark age, and (c) background on Christine de Pizan, whose Treasure of the City of Ladies is this week's assignment for discussion groups.

Quiz Questions for Chapter 11

2010-11-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

Which match is NOT correct?
(a) Hildegarde of Bingen: mysticism.
(b) Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica.
(c) Averroes: founder of Oxford University.

With its vaulted ribs, pointed arches, and flying buttresses, Gothic cathedrals were able to
(a) support flat roofs.
(b) let in more light.
(c) eliminate supporting columns in the nave.

Compared to lyrics, epics, and romances, fabliaux were enjoyed by audiences that were
(a) more monastic.
(b) more humble in social rank.
(c) more female.

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) wrote The Divine Comedy. He also wrote lyrics inspired by
(a) his Cathar faith.
(b) the Chanson de Roland.
(c) his unconsummated love for Beatrice.

Which statement about Roman law principles is most accurate?
(a) They were never applied in Church courts.
(b) They were especially influential in English law.
(c) They became more important in the medieval West after 1100.

The debate over universals concerned whether
(a) the pope could be a universal monarch over all the kings of Europe.
(b) Roman and Byzantine Christians could be united in a universal Church.
(c) Platonic archetypes (or ideals) were real.

Robert Grossteste and Roger Bacon were important
(a) lawyers.
(b) theologians.
(c) scientists.

Peter Abelard died in 1142. Thomas Aquinas died in
(a) 1074.
(b) 1174.
(c) 1274.

Lecturing with Chapter 10

2010-11-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I conceded to student demand and lectured on beer. Not much of general use, there. But my Tuesday lecture might be useful to think with. It was on Race & Gender in Medieval Europe.

1. Medieval Conceptions of Race. I mostly followed Robert Bartlett here.

2. “Imagined Others” Outside Europe. I talked briefly about ideas, inherited from Pliny et al., about monstrous races on the edges of the world.

3. Imagined Africans. I talked about how “black” was figured negatively in European culture. We then looked at positive (St Maurice, Black Madonnas), exotic (e.g., Balthasar), and negative (execution of John the Baptist, crucifixion) images of Africans in medieval art.

4. Medieval Science & Religion on Gender Differences. For science, I talked the authorities used to justify gender differences; the gendering of humoral theory; ideas about conception; ideas about femaleness as an necessary error in gestation; and, of course, the one-sex theory. For religion, I talked about the authorities deployed; Eve and BVM; misogyny and misogamy.

5. Gender Rules on the Ground. I talked briefly about the real experiences of women, as mostly excluded from formal political life, mostly expected to be dependent socially, and as to economy, mostly confined to low status occupations. I also reminded them of what we've seen earlier vis-a-vis women in (a) monastic life and (b) education & intellectual life.

Quiz Questions for Chapter 10

2010-11-04T09:13:00.001-07:00

After c. 1250, the Holy Roman Empire

(a) controlled all of Italy, except the Papal States.

(b) fell under the control of the Rus.

8. Edward I of England ruled from 1272 to 1307. He is associated with

(a) the loss of the Angevin Empire.

(b) the development of the English common law.

Louis IX of France ruled from 1226 to 1270. He is associated with

(a) the establishment of the Salian dynasty.

(b) royal sanctity.

Blanche of Castile (1182-1252)

(a) was a saint and mystic.

(b) saved the Capetian monarchy.

Lecturing with Chapter 9

2010-10-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Only one lecture this week (we are still in recovery from the disruption of Obama’s visit to campus), and I devoted it to the rise of persecutions from the 11^th century on. Here’s what I did:

WHAT HAPPENED?

Between 1000 and 1300, certain groups of people began to be

singled out as dangerous and perverse. These were: heretics, Jews,

prostitutes, lepers, and male homosexuals. Before 1000, these groups were

readily accommodated within medieval communities, but after 1050, they began

to experience persecution. First, they were marked out as different,

especially by requirements that they wear special dress, badges, or hats.

Second, they were either segregated from the main community (Jews into

ghettoes; lepers into special leper-houses; prostitutes into brothels or

special neighborhoods) or expelled by either exile (an experience especially

of Jews and lepers) or death (the fate of some heretics and male

homosexuals).

TWO EXAMPLES OF PERSECUTED GROUPS:

1. Heretics. I discussed: what a heretic was; the Waldensians and Cathars as examples; the Church’s response in terms of preaching, inquisition, and crusade.

2. Jews. I reviewed how Jews had long lived in Christian communities before the 11^th century; how their circumstances changed dramatically with First Crusade; how relations were further exacerbated by new Christian pieties (as rehearsed in an earlier lecture); how they were also hurt by new Christian theological ideas that deemed Jews to be abusing the Old Testament; how everyday tensions (moneylending; the special but dangerous protection of kings) did not help; and how the results were attacks and expulsions.

THE IMAGINED “OTHER”:

I talked here about how each of these groups—lepers, heretics, prostitutes, Jews, male homosexuals—was different from the others. Nevertheless, ideas about these groups overlapped in some terrifying ways. All of them were seen as (a) sexually deviant, (b) sources of pollution, and (c) evil agents of the devil. Moreover, ideas about one group seeped into other groups. I read to them the twelfth-century description of heretics (p. 234 of MESH) that illustrated this tendency: heretics were seen, in the passage, not only as guilty of religious error but also as (a) meeting in a synagogue (like Jews), (b) consorting with the devil (like heretics), and (c) engaging in a sexual orgy that included same-sex relations (like male homosexuals).

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

These persecutions cannot be explained by the new arrival of these groups in Europe, for Jews, lepers, male homosexuals, prostitutes, and heretics had long been part of medieval society. In other words, diversity itself did not cause these attacks. Historians are still not sure how to explain the growing intolerance of Europeans, but here are some hypotheses:

--frustrated millenarianism? There were many millenarian movements in the

Middle Ages, especially around the year 1000 but also afterwards. It has

been suggested that the purification, anxiety, and frustration of these

movements led to a rise in intolerance.

--centralization of state & church? The High Middle Ages saw not only the

centralization of the power of feudal monarchs but also the growth of the

papal monarchy. For both kings and popes, minorities were (a) a threat to

their power and (b) an occasion (through control or elimination of

minorities) for the extension of their power.

--creating community? As communities grew larger and more complex in the

Central Middle Ages, perhaps cohesion could only be maintained through the

creation of "common enemies" against whom unity seemed necessary.

That’s it. A fun and important lecture. They discuss the Prioress' Tale tomorrow.

Quiz Questions for Chapter 9

2010-10-24T20:44:00.001-07:00

John and Giovanni; William and Guglielmo; Thomas and Tommaso. These are examples of

(a) the greater value placed on boys, compared to girls.

(b) the Europeanization of Europe.

The term “Reconquest” is usually used with reference to

(a) Christian advance against Muslim lands in Iberia.

(b) Christian crusades to their “Holy Land.”

In the eleventh century, Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula fell under the control of

(a) Saracens.

(b) Romans.

German expansion was mostly to the

(a) north.

(b) east.

The First Crusade was preached by Pope Urban II in 1095. It

(a) ended in a swamp near Constantinople.

(b) captured Jerusalem.

The “military orders” were designed to accommodate

(a) monkly knights.

(b) ordinary people who wanted to participate in the crusades.

In the history of Jewish-Christian relations in the Middles Ages, the twelfth century marks the beginning of

(a) forcing Jews to lend money to Christian businesses.

(b) admitting Jewish men to Christian universities.

Lecturing with Chapter 8

2010-10-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I lectured on a topic directly related to chapter 8: “New Christian Pieties and Anti-Jewish Fantasies.” Here’s what I did.

1. Veneration of the BVM. I reviewed the slow development of her veneration—Mary as a counterweight to Eve, as a symbol of the incarnation, as an intercessor. I talked about discussions of her virginity, her immaculate conception, her assumption. And I described how her veneration took off after 1100, partly from grassroots enthusiasms, partly from courtly love borrowings, and partly thanks to St Bernard. I also briefly discussed Black Madonnas. (And, with all due deference to the DaVinci Code, I threw in a bit of info about Mary Magdalene.)

2. Eucharistic Devotion and Corpus Christi. All the basics: transubstantiation; the visions of Juliana of Liège; Urban IV’s institution of the feast in 1264.

3. Redemptive Suffering. I talked about the Gero Cross as symptomatic of a new emphasis on the crucifixion; I talked about contemplation of the wounds of Christ; I emphasized that all this was about redemptive suffering, not sadism; I discussed stigmata and St Francis; and I talked a bit (using St Catherine of Siena as my example) about how individual holy people also sought, through their own suffering, to redeem the sins of others.

4. Anti-Jewish Fantasies. I then talked about how a by-product of these new pieties was the development of new fantasies about Jews:

BVM . . . and her role in the much repeated “Jewish boy” story.

CORPUS CHRISTI . . . and charges of host desecration.

REDEMPTIVE SUFFERING . . . and blood libel tales that Jews ritually crucified Christian boys.

It worked pretty well—and much better than last Thursday’s dull, dull lecture. Then on Thursday, I laid the groundwork for our discussions of the letters of Abelard & Heloise.

First, I discussed the intellectual contributions of A. and H., as well as their life histories. I used a map in the hope it would help them “see” the story.

Second, I discussed how institutions of learning changed and developed over the Middle Ages—from the foundations of Boethius and Cassiodorus; to the proliferation of monastic schools under Charlemagne; to cathedral and municipal schools c. 1050+; to universities c. 1200+. I did my best to help them locate Abelard & Heloise in the proper chronological place.

Third, I discussed intellectual developments, basically, the influx of new texts c. 1150-1250 and the development of scholasticism from Abelard to Aquinas. I gave the class an example of an article, using “Whether there can be sin in sexual desire?” (Second Part, Question 74, Article 3) Not sure if they were swayed or not!

Obama comes to USC tomorrow. Much chaos and secrecy . . . and we are still supposed to hold our classes. Not me. I’m not asking my students to forego the chance to see their president and I'm not missing the chance either!

Quiz Questions for Chapter 8

2010-10-15T11:45:00.001-07:00

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) is associated with

(a) the Cluniac reform.

(b) the mendicant reform.

The most troubling heretics of the Central Middle Ages were the

(a) Cathars.

(b) Gugliemites.

Which match is NOT correct?

(a) Poor Clares: nursing.

(b) Franciscans: poverty.

Moses Maimonides sought to reconcile Judaism and

(a) Christianity.

(b) the writings of Aristotle.

The carved oak figure known today as the Gero Cross is an example of a shift toward a greater emphasis on

(a) Christ’s redemptive suffering.

(b) the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Lecturing with Chapter 7

2010-10-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I lectured about a subject from chapter 6: medieval towns. Here’s how I did the deed:

1. “Those Who Trade and Sell.” I began by talking about how townspeople fit poorly into the Three Orders—were, indeed, excluded from it. That allowed me to present my thesis for the day, namely that towns were both peculiar in medieval culture and essential to it.

2. Early Medieval Collapse (except for al-Andalus & Italy). The usual.

3. Revival c. 1000+. I focused here mostly on why (fewer invasion, agricultural revolution, population growth, etc) and how (old Roman sites, burgs, around monasteries, etc.)

4. The “Communal” movement, c. 1100+. The usual, but I added in some topographical and social material—town walls, tolls, etc.

5. Towns as Typically Medieval. I talked here about (a) how essential towns were in economic, administrative, and cultural terms, and (b) how townspeople also lived with what has become the big three of the course this semester: hierarchy, mutuality, and exclusion. I used guilds as my main example.

6. Towns as Atypical. In addition to not being conceptualized as part of the Three Orders, townspeople were suspect because of their economic practices (usury, just price). They were also different because towns were (a) more mobile societies, (b) societies that had more women than men, and (c) places where the main religious minority in the Middle Ages—Jews—mostly resided.

That’s it. It all wrapped up nicely into the conclusion that towns were both a sort of ”other” in the medieval world and essential to it.

Thursday was a low, low point. Very poor turn-out which always, I think, depresses those who are in attendance—it seems as if they always think, “Ah, the ship is sinking. The rats are leaving. Why I am still here?” But it is midterm time, so I prefer to assume the ship is not sinking and the non-rats will reappear. In any case, my lecture was utterly unremarkable—I walked the class through the history of the papacy from Peter to Alexander VI. Obviously, some broad strokes. I tried to jazz it up, but they seemed utterly bored. I’ll need to try something much more fun next week. Here’s my outline:

Foundations: Peter, Leo I, Gregory I

Papal-Carolingian Alliance 750-850

Tough Times 850-1050

Gregorian Reform 1050-1100

The Papacy Ascendant 1100-1215

--power through canon law

--power through bureaucracy

--power through territory

--power through councils

Powerful but less Pastoral, 1250-1305

Worse Still to Come (scandalously brief preview of Avignon, Schism, Conciliar Movement, Renaissance Popes)

I've thought this was a useful survey in the past, especially as I inflect it with an interpretation explicitly midway between nineteenth-century Protestant invective and Catholic defense. But today was not its day. Ah, well . . . such are the trials of mid-semester.

Quiz Questions for Chapter 7

2010-10-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

At the castle of Canossa in 1077, what critical event occurred?

(a) Emperor Henry IV humbled himself before Pope Gregory VII.

(b) King John of England captured Pope Boniface VIII.

Of all early universities, the greatest was in

(a) Rome.

(b) Paris.

The Papacy reached its greatest power under

(a) Urban II, c. 1100.

(b) Hadrian IV, c. 1150.

The Investiture Controversy involved

(a) lay authority over clergy.

(b) papal control of central Italy.

The papalist position argued that the pope was the head of Christendom, the imperialist position argued that the Holy Roman Emperor should rule in matters religious as well as temporal, and the clericalist position argued that

(a) a representative assembly of clergy should govern Europe.

(b) Church and state should coexist.

The shift “from memory to written record”

(a) facilitated the growth of papal power over lordly power.

(b) discouraged the growth of municipal schools.

In consolidating the Papal States, popes faced

(a) rebellions in Rome.

(b) difficulties with the Holy Roman Empire.

(d) both.

Lombardy is located

(a) north of Rome.

(b) south of Rome.

(d) west of Rome.

Quiz Questions for Chapter 6

2010-10-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

Which best summarizes the circumstances of the medieval West, Byzantium, and Islamic states between 1000 and 1300?

(a) the West began to prosper, while the fortunes of Byzantium and Islam declined.

(b) the Byzantine state remained stable, but al-Andalus expanded at the expense of the medieval West.

Which of the following was NOT a result of the Agricultural Revolution?

(a) population growth.

(b) women began to outlive men.

Most medieval peasants lived within three critical institutions: manors, villages, and

(a) publicans.

(b) parishes.

Masters, apprentices and journeymen were regulated by medieval

(a) guilds.

(b) manors.

Burghers or burgesses

(a) followed the Bogomil heresy.

(b) lived in cities and towns.

Manorialism allowed medieval elites

(a) to extract wealth from the peasantry.

(b) to dominate towns as well as the countryside.

Godric of Finchale ended his life as a hermit, but before that he made a fortune as

(a) a crusader.

(b) a seafaring merchant.

Historians talk about a “communal movement” in medieval Europe. The medieval commune

(a) gave rise to the first major medieval heresy.

(b) was the equivalent of the modern Jewish ghetto.

Usury was

(a) the loaning of money at interest.

(b) denial of the presence of Christ in the wine and bread of the mass.

Lecturing with Chapter 6

2010-09-30T17:37:00.001-07:00

I had only as one lecture this week, as I'm traveling off to give a paper. Since the students are discussing peasants at the end of the week, so I devoted the lecture to matters rural . . . and tried to cover 5 things:

1. Defined manorialism; discussed its murky origins; described how it worked; and considered its relationship to both “those who fight” and “those who pray.” In the process, I hope the students learned to distinguish village from manor from parish. 3. Briefly treated the matter of how elites saw peasants--that is, either as cursed descendants of Cain or Ham . . . or as blessed poor.

3. Discussed the first agricultural revolution, covering basically what's in the chapter, but with more oomph, good pictures, and lots of enthusiasm for humble peasants. (I set this up as a counter to the "Great Man Theory of History" I had offered up for Charlemagne.)

4. Reviewed some basic stuff about peasant lives, focusing on household, as well as village, parish, and manor. I emphasized how house and farmyard offered scope for individualized economic activity, which I set up in distinction to the cooperation required in village fields and pastures.

5. Primary Source prep. The students are reading a manorial court session, so I introduced them to the manor (Walsham) and to court rolls generally.

Lecturing with Chapter 5

2010-09-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

This was a feudal week. Here's how it went (spread over 2 classes):

Last week, I had covered the essentials of the origins of feudalism. This week, I covered it’s two stages:

AGE OF FEUDAL LORDS, c. 900-1100. Armed thugs, prominence of war in all aspects of life; marginality of women; castles and castellans; details of the lord-vassal tie.

AGE OF FEUDAL KINGS, c. 1100+. I began by discussing the slow dilution of feudalism.

--Lord-vassal ties less intimate thanks to heritable fiefs, multiplication of feudal ties, and formalization of obligations (always ready to fightà40 daysàscutage).

--The reassertion (in some places) of royal or duchal power . . . creating less decentralization and less public power in private hands.

I then discussed the long, slow growth of royal power in some parts of Europe. I used England and France as examples of how kings slowly reasserted power, esp. through bureaucracy, territorial acquisition, justice, and national assemblies. I highlighted only a few figures (e.g. Philip Augustus, Louis IX, and Philip the Fair for France) and and emphasized these four mechanism of royal aggrandizement. Did it very fast: I hope the brief story I told will help them make sense of the political history in the chapters ahead.

Finally, I dealt with growth of courtly culture. I talked here about how knights, still having to excel at military prowess, now had to serve their lords as diplomats, advisors, supervisors, and the like—and also to compete with a growing cadre of literate churchmen-bureaucrats. And, of course, they also had to excel at courtship and love. Lots of talk about courtly love. The upshot was the knights had an impossible set of roles to juggle, and ladies were stuck on a pedestal from which they were adored or hated. . . .

Quiz Questions for Chapter 5

2010-09-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Between 800 and 1000, Western Europe was

(a) reabsorbed briefly into the Byzantine empire.

(b) devastated by the “little ice age.”

Which is an area untouched by Viking raiders?

(a) Ireland.

(b) Russia.

In the 9^th century, the “Danelaw” was

(a) Jutland.

(b) part of Sweden then under Danish control.

Alfred the Great

(a) united all of non-Danish England under his authority.

(b) crowned Charles the Bald in 843.

The textbook talks of West and East Francia. Most of West Francia eventually became the kingdom of France. Most of East Francia became part of

(a) the Lombard Kingdom.

(b) the Magyar imperium.

Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of early feudalism?

(a) public power in private hands.

(b) the lord-vassal tie.

A critical new technology in the development of feudalism was

(a) the heavy, wheeled plow.

(b) the stirrup.

Which match is NOT correct?

(a) Louis the Pious: Charlemagne’s heir.

(b) Otto: Holy Roman Empire.

Hugh, Earl of Chester died

(a) in the Battle of Hastings.

(b) in rebellion against his king.

The Treaty of Verdun in 843

(a) established the Papal States.

(b) divided Charlemagne’s empire among his three grandsons.

The ninth and tenth centuries were a time of renewed pressure on Europeans from

(a) the imperial ambitions of the Byzantine emperors.

(b) Viking raiders, Magyar horsemen, and Muslim pirates.

Around the year 1000, Italy was

(a) united under the Lombard King Ulfrich.

(b) politically dominated by bishops and their cities.

Lecturing with Chapter 4

2010-09-23T14:34:00.001-07:00

This week was a breeze. I hope you cannot tell it from the textbook, but when I get towards the year 1000, I begin to feel much more comfortable. We aren’t there yet in terms of chapters, but it’s coming, and I’m responding accordingly.

1. CHARLEMAGNE

On Tuesday, I used the topic of Charlemagne as an opportunity to prep the students for their first essay. In other words, I laid out for them the basic essay template and then “performed” it in a lecture. Here’s what I did, using the template as my guide:

Introduction: warm up (start ’em smiling); introduce subject; state thesis.
I cracked a joke or two; offered basic info on Charlemagne, and gave them my thesis: “The Great Man Theory of History still works sometimes . . . and the case of Charlemagne proves it.”

Preliminaries: whatever you need to set the scene: define terms; clarify coverage/set perimeters; give background, etc.
I defined “Great Man Theory of History,” critiquing its male-focus on the side. Then, a bit more info on Charlemagne.

Acknowledge and defang counter-arguments:
I used “luck” as my hook here, saying that one might say that Charlemagne was more lucky than he was great:

--he was lucky in the weather

--he was lucky in his progenitors

--he was lucky in his timing (few invasions)

--he was lucky in his advisers

I countered that:

--Charlemagne was not so lucky in other respects (e.g., 30+ years struggle with the Saxons).

--some of his so-called luck was more cunning than luck (e.g., his relations with Leo III)

--and in any case, luck does not negate greatness

Proof of thesis #1: Charlemagne’s conquests are one proof of his extraordinary personal greatness. This gave me a chance to talk about the usual stuff.

Proof of thesis #2:Charlemagne’s governance is another proof of his extraordinary personal greatness. Again, the usual.

Proof of thesis #3:Charlemagne’s reforms of education and religion are a final proof of his extraordinary personal greatness. Again, the usual.

Conclusion: sum up and go beyond . . . leave ’em smiling
I summed up (in an explicitly perky, not dull way) and then tried to leave them smiling with a joke about it’s good the “Great Man” theory works because we certainly need great men leading us through this economic crisis. But somehow, my PowerPoint shot of Obama and Geithner seemed to leave them cold. Oh well. . . .

2. FEUDALISM

On Thursday, I turned to the first of two days on feudalism. I aim to cover it in one broad sweep (as I did last week with monasticism). Here’s how it went:

1. “FEUDALISM”. I discussed how medieval people would have called it “lordship” or “vassalage.” I talked about differing understandings (esp. from Marx) about what “feudalism” means. I settled on my definition (relations among a small, military elite). And I emphasized that feudalism was never a system, but also a changing, ad hoc arrangement. (I used frat hazing as a analogy; it worked well.)

2. THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF FEUDALISM. I discussed in turn: lord-vassal relationship; decentralization; public power in private hands.

3. ORIGINS. I nodded to antecedents (Roman clientage; barbarian comitatus). Then, I traced how the three characteristics emerged between 700 and 900: lord-vassal relationship in 700s (stirrup, cavalry); decentralization (esp. Verdun, 843 and thereafter); public power in private hands (esp. invasions). I then wrapped this up, as I often do, by imagining ourselves in a government-less world and facing invasion, and resorting to local strong men . . . football team on motorcycles, defending us against the nasty UCLAers . . . always good for a laugh. But it also emphasized that feudalism was an effective response to a desperate situation.

4. THE AGE OF FEUDAL LORDSHIP, 900-1100. Here, I discussed lord-vassal relations a bit more, the importance of local power and violence, and the overriding importance of war in feudal culture (hunting, chess, booty, etc.)

5. HOW DID FEUDALISM RELATE TO MANORIALISM? The usual: most fiefs were manors, but not all; most manors were fiefs, but not all.

6. HOW DID FEUDALISM RELATE TO THE CHURCH? The usual: same elite; ecclesiastical involvement in vassalage and war; lay “advocates.”

Quiz Questions for Chapter 4

2010-09-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Pseudo-Dionysius and his translator John Scottus helped to stimulate interest in

(a) Neoplatonism.

(b) Catharism.

Charlemagne was crowned “Emperor of the Romans” by Pope Leo III in

(a) 800.

(b) 850.

Which of the following was NOT an aspect of the Carolingian intellectual revival?

(a) development of a clearer form of handwriting.

(b) establishment of the first university (in Paris).

Eighth-century Francia witnessed considerable political and religious consolidation. It also saw the development of manorialism which

(a) sought to improve the culture of court life, especially in the winter-time.

(b) linked the landed elite to the peasantry in a web of social and economic obligations.

Compared to the term “Europe,” the term “Christendom” was

(a) identical.

(b) more inclusive.

Which match is NOT correct?

(a) Leo III: alliance with Empress Irene.

(b) Alcuin: educational reform.

The “Donation of Pepin” helped to found

(a) Burgundy.

(b) the Papal States.

“Capitularies” and “missi dominici” are associated with Carolingian

(a) intellectual revival.

(b) monastic reform.

Into which region did Charlemagne’s empire extend?

(a) Britain.

(b) Saxony.

Quiz Questions for Chapter 3

2010-09-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

Oops. I forgot to publish these last week. Sorry!

Byzantine government tended to be

(a) defensive and conservative.

(b) poorly funded and weak.

In the Byzantine Orthodox Church between 500 and 1000, controversy raged about

(a) monophysites and iconoclasm.

(b) clerical celibacy.

Justinian and his empress Theodora lived

(a) c. 350.

(b) c. 450.

Mohammed died in

(a) 632.

(b) 732.

The split between Sunni and Shi’i Muslims began as a dispute about

(a) who should lead the community of the faithful.

(b) whether Mohammed was human or divine.

Which provides the proper chronological order?

(a) Umayyad dynasty; Abbasid dynasty; al-Mansur in al-Andalus.

(b) Abbasid dynasty; al-Mansur in al-Andalus; Umayyad dynasty.

In the tenth century, the greatest city in Western Europe was

(a) Marseilles.

(b) Lisbon.

Lecturing with Chapter 3

2010-09-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

This week, I treated two discrete subjects in lecture.

1. MEDIEVAL ISLAM. I divided this topic in three sections:
a. Neighbors. Here I talked about how the Roman “mare nostrum” had morphed into a region of three civilizations by c. 750. I then described relations among Islam, the medieval West, and Byzantium, c. 750 and 1000. Really, just a brief review of the usual stuff—religious antagonism and misunderstanding; political tensions, esp. over claims to the imperial throne; trade, esp. in luxuries; intellectual imbalance.
b. Medieval Islam. Given the current blast of anti-Islamic sentiment in the USA, I decided to spend a fair bit of time on the fundamentals, so I talked with the students about Muhammad; the Quran, Hadith, and Sunnah; the Five Pillars of Islam; Sharia law; distinctions among Sunni, Shi’ite and Sufi Muslims. It was almost all in the textbook, but I thought it was worth going over again, and their questions indicated that this was, indeed, a good idea.
c. Islamic Iberia. I decided to focus a bit on medieval Europe’s closest Muslim neighbor and especially on the tenth-century heyday in Cordoba under Abd al-Rahman III and al-Mansur. I hit the convivencia angle with perhaps undue enthusiasm; I discussed intellectual life (esp. Ibn Rushd and Maimonides); and I wrapped up with an awesome picture of the Great Mosque of Cordoba. If this worked as I hope, the students have no doubt that tenth-century Cordoba was light years ahead of anything north of the Pyrenees (Paris was my main comparison).

2. MONASTICISM. My students are reading the Rule of St Benedict for their discussion this week, so I decided to supplement the treatment of the subject in chapter 2 with a broad overview of medieval monasticism. Here’s how I did it:
a. 400-800: Foundations. I began with different sorts of monasticism (Irish, eremitic, cenobitic); then moved on to St Benedict and his rule; and then discussed at length what I called “lived monasticism”—a large pot that included vows, daily routine, monastic enclosure, oblation, lay involvement. I also discussed the ways in which monks and nuns contributed to larger society (missionary work; retreats; refuge for travelers; alms for poor; education; economic impact; and of course, prayers), and how these communities were funded (labor, endowments, tithes, gifts). I talked briefly about double monasteries, Abbess Hilda, and the estimate that 1 in 4 monastics in this period were women.
b. 800-900: Crisis. You know, you know . . . Vikings, lack of oversight, lax discipline, too much lay involvement.
c. 900-1300: Reform (again and again). Here I marched them through the big reform movements—Cluny, Cistercians, mendicants—trying to emphasize that, although each reform reacted to failure, each reform also spoke to the hopes and promises of the monastic ideal. I ended with 1215, the 4th Lateran’s proscription on the founding of new orders, and the challenges this posed for later internal-only reform.
d. Women in Reformed Orders. I then went back over the same stuff, but from the point of view of women. I set up a problem that needed explanation—that is, the declining presence of women in monastic life (I threw out an estimate of roughly 1 in 12 by c. 1300). Why did this happen? I talked about (i) clerical celibacy and male anxiety; (ii) the poor synch between the new monastic virtues of the reformed orders (Cluniac liturgy; Cistercian taming of wilderness; mendicant preaching) and female roles; (iii) takeovers of female houses, perhaps a result of greater centralization; and (iv) the poverty of female monasteries. I then ended on an upbeat note by reviewing how holy women responded—i.e., female mysticism, female “independents” (anchoresses, vowesses, tertiaries, et al.), and last but not least, beguines.

This was a huge, grand-sweep lecture, but I’m hoping it will give rise to lots of “aha!” moments in the chapters ahead.

And, a confession. I didn’t make it through this lecture—ran out of time with the mendicants. But I didn’t mind, as the students were energetic and even (dare I say?) enthused. Lots of questions, lots of fun. I’ll finish it off on Tuesday.

Lecturing with Chapter 2

2010-09-07T14:38:00.001-07:00

This was a one-lecture week because of Rosh Hashanah, and I spent the time on the barbarians—the third part of the medieval sunthesis. It did not go all that well, but here’s what I tried:

INTRODUCTION: I began by linking barbarian settlement to what we had seen last week in terms of longing for glorious ancestors (Aeneas and all that). In other words, I talked about how modern Europeans often have wanted to tie their “Frenchness” or “Englisness” or whatever to barbarian settlers who somehow legitimize their nationhood. I told them this was dangerous and bad history.

THE “REAL” STORY. I then proceeded to tell them how the changes that came over the old Western empire were long and messy and complicated. I laid out Celtic, Germanic, and Slavic language groups; I talked about how varied they were; I talked about Rome’s changing and varied contacts with these groups; and then I used the example of fourth- and fifth-century Italy to describe how muddled and mingled it all was.

FOUR POINTS TO REMEMBER. Next, I set out four things in particular for them to ponder and remember:
• Arianism.
• Social Organization (esp. the comitatus).
• Law (wergild, compurgation, trial by ordeal).
• The historical power of the barbarian legacy (here I got back—as a wrap up—to ties with modern nationalism.

That’s it. We are done with the medieval synthesis. Onward!

Quiz Questions for Chapter 2

2010-09-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

When the barbarians moved into transalpine Europe, they encountered a Gallo-Roman population. “Gallo” indicates that this population mingled elements that were Roman and

(a) Celtic.

(b) Basque.

Your textbook says that polygyny was common among the landed classes of seventh-century Europe. “Polygyny” means

(a) a woman can have several husbands.

(b) a man can have several wives.

The kingdom of the Ostrogoths c. 500 encompassed much of modern-day

(a) Italy.

(b) France.

Boethius and Cassiodorus are important because they

(a) withdrew Roman forces from Britain in 410.

(b) converted the Visigoths to Christianity.

Compared to Britain and North Africa in the sixth century, Gaul, Italy, and Iberia were

(a) more stable.

(b) more rocked by invasions.

St Benedict (c. 480-550) is important for his

(a) monastic rule.

(b) work converting the Saxons and Frisians.

Arians

(a) settled in in modern-day Netherlands.

(b) ravaged North Africa.

By the eighth century, the intellectual center of Europe had shifted to monasteries in

(a) Spain.

(b) Ireland.

Which match is NOT correct?

(a) Merovingians and Gaul.

(b) St Bede the Venerable and Theodoric.

Lecturing with Chapter 1

2010-09-02T14:41:00.001-07:00

This was a bit of a mish-mash week. I did not stick to the syllabus, and instead blended the two days of lecture into coverage of three topics:

1. Medieval Overview

Chronology
Social Structure

Here, I aimed to do two things. First, I wanted to give the students an overview of the 1000-year sweep of medieval history and the master narrative that drives its history. So, I discussed the Early, Central, and Later Middle Ages using the same set of criteria for each—context (e.g. climate, migrations); economy; politics; religion; intellectual life. The tale was familiar: early medieval difficulties; central medieval apogee; later medieval woes coupled with plucky responses. Second, I needed to set them thinking about “hierarchy, mutuality, and exclusion” for their first essays, so I threw up the picture of the Three Orders found on p. 135 of the textbook, and talked it through with them. This might have been jumping the gun too much chronologically, but they needed the concepts now.

2. Rome after Rome

Anxieties about Rome’s “fall”
Practical legacies
Dreams of Renewed Empire
Claims of Glorious Ancient Ancestors

I did all the usual stuff here: interrogated the “fall” of Rome; discussed the many interpretations of its causes; reviewed the many ways in which Rome survived in the medieval West; talked about its legacy in the Holy Roman Empire. Item d is particularly good for the USC Trojans—I talked about Aeneas and Brutus and the ways that Romans and medieval people and even we today like to link ourselves to the glory that was Greece (and Rome).

3. Early Christianity

establishment (Jesus, c. 4 BCE-30 CE; Paul, c. 5 BCE-67 CE; “terribly terrific” third century; security & triumph in the fourth century)
consolidation (theology; papacy; classically)

My objective here was to reemphasize the story in the textbook with an eye to the exchange between Pliny the Younger and Trajan in 112 CE that they are discussing in sections this week. So I hope they got a good sense of how Christianity developed in its first century. But we went way beyond, too—to cover expansion, toleration, theological developments (Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, Council of Nicaea), the assertion of papal authority (Leo I, Gregory I), and the integration of classical ideas into Christianity (Boethius, Cassiodorus).

Basically, then, I've covered 2 of the 3 elements of the medieval synthesis. We'll get to barbarians next week. In the meantime, we continued to work on the diversity theme in discussion sections:

Discussion #2: Christians, as the Romans Saw Them

READING: Pliny's Letter about Christians to the Emperor Trajan, 112 C.E. and Trajan's Reply

Question for discussion paper: What did pagan Romans imagine about Christians in their midst?

So, not a bad week, and I think we are now settled into the semester. They are not laughing at my jokes, so it could be a looong semester . . . here's hoping they are chuckling inside.

Quiz Questions for Chapter 1

2010-08-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

I give my students short quizzes at the beginning of each week. It’s a sure-fire way to get them to read the assigned chapter on time. Writing the quizzes is a dreary business, but it's pedagogically effective, and I have made it somewhat less burdensome by giving many more quizzes (14) than the students need (10). This helps the students improve their final quiz grade (if they take all 14, only the best 10 count), and it helps me by eliminating the need for make-up quizzes. (Each quiz has ten questions.)

In any case, I’ll post here the questions I’ve used, chapter by chapter. On my quizzes, I also have map questions (from a map of modern Europe) and questions from lectures, but I’ll post here only the textbook questions. Feel free to use them. As you’ll notice, I’ve not given the answers in the hope that any student who encounters these will be inspired to do the reading and research necessary to obtain the answer.

Which of the following statements about the “fall of Rome” is accurate?

(a) only the Western empire “fell.”

(b) it was caused by lead poisoning.

The term “hagiography” means the

(a) adulation of the emperor.

(b) claim of Rome to primacy over the Church.

St Augustine died in

(a) 330.

(b) 430.

Early Christians debated

(a) the balance between humanity and divinity in Jesus.

(b) the place of Greco-Roman pagan ideas in Christian theology.

(d) neither of the above.

Which of the following statements about the Pax Romana (or Roman Peace) is true?

(a) it lasted from c. 31 BCE to 180 CE.

(b) it was brought about by the triumph of Christianity.

Wergild, compurgation, and ordeal are terms associated with barbarian

(a) metal-work.

(b) law.

As you can see, these are straightforward. I aspire to questions that cannot be answered without exposure to the chapter but otherwise easily can. So, for example, the St Augustine question might look picky, but it really isn't given the extensive coverage of him (in text, in bio, in photo) in the chapter.

The Semester Begins . . .

2010-08-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

Phew. The first week is over. We managed to do pretty much what we had planned:

Lecture #1: Introduction

I arranged my introduction a little differently this time; rather than handing out the syllabus right away, I waited until the end of class. I spent the lecture time covering two main things:

1. Medieval Europe History. I took each of these words apart, which enabled me to talk about (a) how “medieval fits into the master narrative of Europe history, (b) how “Europe” is an iffy geographical and institutional concept that nevertheless is very imaginatively powerful (also how it arose from Carolingian discourses and was linked with “Christendom”), and (c) what “history” is and is not. Along the way, I got them thinking in terms of timelines and maps, and I also offered them what I call “swing dates”—that is dates that a novice can hold onto in order to master chronology: 476; 800; 1215; 1348; 1517 (I almost used 1453 . . . and probably should have).

2. The Course. Before I gave them the syllabus, I outlined the course objectives and modes of evaluation. We returned to these the next day.

Lecture #2: The Middle Ages as “Other”

I ended up squeezing three things into this class:

1. Discussion of the syllabus. All the usual enthusiasms and admonitions.

2. A brief warm-up for their reading of Beowulf. I focused mostly on the history of the manuscript, which gave me an opportunity to show them said manuscript and let them consider its challenges.

3. The Middle Ages as Other. Because my course fulfills a diversity requirement, it’s important set up terms at the beginning. So I defined what I meant by “other” and “othering”; I explained that we will often observe medieval people doing this “othering” (e.g., Christians & Jews, English & Irish, etc.); and I then offered the historiographical example of how the middles ages are constructed as utterly “other” in relation to the modern—either utterly horrible or utterly sweet. This enabled me to (I hope) demolish and delegitimize “othering.” We’ll see.

Discussion #1: Imagining Beowulf, Then and Now

READING: Beowulf, lines 1-2210 (pages 3-151). Question posed in advance: What in Beowulf’s world is familiar even today?

I don’t actually teach the discussions, I can report only on my design and hopes. In this case, I figured probably half of this discussion section would be consumed by nitty gritty stuff—details of the course and getting to know each other, so I assigned only the first bit of Beowulf. I told the students that they would find it fun and rousing . . . and weird, and that I wanted them to work against that weirdness by *not* “othering” the people of Beowulf—that is, by looking for the ways in which its characters were as human as we are. Hope it worked!

That’s it. A decent start, but oh is my desk piled high with stuff to do! Another semester begins . . .

Why this Blog?

2010-06-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog! It has a simple aim: to chronicle how I teach the new edition of Medieval Europe: A Short History during the fall semester (2010). The blog is linked to the textbook’s website MedievalEuropeOnline.com, and you and your students will find lots of resources there. This blog is aimed at teaching per se. It’s a place where you and I can share ideas and information about what does and does not work in the classroom.

So, let me start with the basics about my university, my course, and my philosophy of teaching.

I teach at the University of Southern California: a private but very large university. The students are better than average. They are an easy-going bunch, rarely academically driven.

Titled "Medieval People and Places: Early Europe and its Neighbors," the course is a twofer for the students--it fulfills a “General Education” requirement and a "Diversity" requirement. It will have lots of students for whom this will be their one and only History course, and they might be a bit inclined to grumpiness. I'm supposed to include lots of opportunity for reflection about diverse peoples and cultures, but I'm free to decide how to do this.

My aims for the course are pretty simple and conventional. Yours are probably much the same. I want to make students enthusiastic about history--to see it as fun and challenging and useful. I want students to emerge with a basic grasp of the master narrative of medieval history. And I want them to finish the semester more skilled at thinking and writing. Easier said than done, of course . . .

Go here for info about how I'm planning the syllabus, as of June 2010.

So, that's me and my plans for the blog. Let me know what you think of this project--and what you'd like it to do for you as a teacher.