24
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Why the Middle Ages?
Europeans living between 1000 and 1300 would have been shocked to hear that they were living in the "Middle" Ages. So where does the term come from? What does it tell us about the topic of this course?
1.
Why the Middle Ages?
|
13.
Jews and Christians
Jews were the largest religious minority in high medieval Europe. Curiously, despite the relative prosperity of the times, the treatment of Jews became noticeably harsher. Why?
13.
Jews and Christians
|
2.
Demography and the Commercial Revolution
One of history's most potent forces is demography. In the Middle Ages, when the line between sufficiency and dearth was so thin, small innovations and events could and did have huge effects.
2.
Demography and the Commercial Revolution
|
14.
The Origins of Scholasticism
Explore the bold and innovative intellectual methods of the Scholastics, and meet a key early figure in this pioneering movement in European thought.
14.
The Origins of Scholasticism
|
3.
Those Who Fought—The Nobles
Perched atop the society of high medieval Europe was a group of mounted, armored warriors who came to form a hereditary aristocracy with unique legal privileges.
3.
Those Who Fought—The Nobles
|
15.
Aquinas and the Problem of Aristotle
What was the project of Aquinas and his fellow Scholastics, and what made their work a focus of controversy amid their contemporaries?
15.
Aquinas and the Problem of Aristotle
|
4.
The Chivalric Code
When clerics sought to refine rough-hewn knights with literature, the result was the emergence of new genres such as the chivalric romance. How far did such books go to change actual behavior?
4.
The Chivalric Code
|
16.
The First Universities
The High Middle Ages gave birth to a new educational institution: the university. Of all the institutions to which high medieval Europe gave rise, the university is the most vibrant today.
16.
The First Universities
|
5.
Feudalism
Few words are so closely associated with the Middle Ages as "feudalism." Yet historians have argued ceaselessly over its meaning. So what is "feudalism," and how can we use the term to further our understanding?
5.
Feudalism
|
17.
The People's Crusade
The First Crusade, which ended with the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, demonstrated the rising power of Europe. How did this combination of holy war and pilgrimage begin?
17.
The People's Crusade
|
6.
Those Who Worked—The Peasants
Although most medieval people were peasants, a lack of written records makes them hard to study. It seems clear that the rights of lords weighed upon peasants, though less so in 1300 than in 1000.
6.
Those Who Worked—The Peasants
|
18.
The Conquest of Jerusalem
Despite internecine quarrels, crusading barons took Jerusalem in 1099 and carved out "crusader states" in Syria and Palestine that would last for nearly 200 years.
18.
The Conquest of Jerusalem
|
7.
Those Who Worked—The Townspeople
Revived urban life made townspeople a prominent part of medieval society. But was their outlook "bourgeois," or still characteristically "feudal"?
7.
Those Who Worked—The Townspeople
|
19.
The Norman Conquest
Broad, impersonal forces may shape history, but contingencies play a role as well. The conquest of Saxon England by Gallicized Norsemen on 1066 offers an excellent example.
19.
The Norman Conquest
|
8.
Women in Medieval Society
Long marginalized by political and military history, women's history and gender history have become two of the fastest growing fields in medieval studies.
8.
Women in Medieval Society
|
20.
Philip II of France
The French monarchy is one of the era's great comeback stories. The king most responsible for this turnaround was Philip II Augustus (1180-1223). A combat-averse hypochondriac, he outwitted rivals and laid the basis for French greatness.
20.
Philip II of France
|
9.
Those Who Prayed—The Monks
Monks formed a spiritual elite, living lives of work, study, and prayer under the Rule of Saint Benedict. The High Middle Ages saw a number of monastic reform movements, including the Cluniac and the Cistercian.
9.
Those Who Prayed—The Monks
|
21.
Magna Carta
Having early developed a powerful monarchy, the English also early developed instruments for restraining it. The Great Charter was such a tool, and its long-range consequences would be considerable indeed.
21.
Magna Carta
|
10.
Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan Movement
How did this Italian merchant's son create a new religious order that mixed monastic elements with his own ministry of itinerant preaching, evangelical poverty, and a mixed critique and affirmation of urban spirituality?
10.
Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan Movement
|
22.
Empire versus Papacy
The conflict between the Holy Roman Empire and the Church that is known as the Investiture Controversy would last two generations and leave imperial authority weakened for good.
22.
Empire versus Papacy
|
11.
Heretics and Heresy
During the High Middle Ages, heresy and heretical movements spread across much of Europe. Why did this happen? How did authorities respond?
11.
Heretics and Heresy
|
23.
Emperor Frederick II
Nicknamed stupor mundi, or "the wonder of the world," Frederick II Hohenstaufen (1211-50) was one of the most controversial figures of his age. Yet even he could not reverse the fragmentation of the Holy Roman Empire.
23.
Emperor Frederick II
|
12.
The Medieval Inquisitions
What were the various "Inquisitions" that existed in medieval and early modern Europe? What did they actually do? This lecture separates legend from documented historical fact.
12.
The Medieval Inquisitions
|
24.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
By 1300, Europe had assumed an economic and political importance that would have been unimaginable in 1000. Although much of the world was as yet untouched, the European hand had begun to stretch forth.
24.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
|
24
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Long Shadows and the Dark Ages
Though the Early Middle Ages and the world of Late Antiquity that preceded them are often little studied, the questions they raise about why Rome fell and why Christianity replaced paganism as Europe's dominant religion remain important and controversial.
1.
Long Shadows and the Dark Ages
|
13.
Rise of the Carolingians
The Carolingians finally depose the last Merovingian king in 751 A.D., bring all of Francia under their control, and even begin to intervene in Italy, reversing the power balance established during the Roman Empire.
13.
Rise of the Carolingians
|
2.
Diocletian and the Crises of the Third Century
During the 3rd century, the collapse of a reeling Roman Empire is staved off for a few centuries by the transformative changes introduced by an otherwise conservative emperor named Diocletian.
2.
Diocletian and the Crises of the Third Century
|
14.
Charlemagne
The Carolingian Empire reaches its territorial and military high watermark during the very long reign of Charlemagne, who makes the Empire the most powerful Christian state on the European continent and gains for himself the revived title of emperor.
14.
Charlemagne
|
3.
Constantine the Great—Christian Emperor
Constantine's military victories gain him control of the entire Roman Empire and begin the process of transforming Christianity from a minority, illegal religion to the majority, official religion of the Empire.
3.
Constantine the Great—Christian Emperor
|
15.
Carolingian Christianity
Carolingian rulers are deeply involved in the affairs of the Christian Church, dictating policy, sponsoring missionaries, and supporting ecclesiastical reform in a number of ways.
15.
Carolingian Christianity
|
4.
Pagans and Christians in the Fourth Century
The accession of Julian the Apostate causes brief hopes—or fears—of a pagan restoration. But his reign is short-lived, and by 400 A.D. it is clear that the tide has permanently turned toward Christianity within the Roman Empire.
4.
Pagans and Christians in the Fourth Century
|
16.
The Carolingian Renaissance
The fear that educational deficiencies were jeopardizing the salvation of souls and interfering with the ability of people to call on God for help drives a century-long period of educational reform known as the Carolingian Renaissance, the impact of which is felt to this day.
16.
The Carolingian Renaissance
|
5.
Athletes of God
With the conversion of Constantine and the end of imperial persecutions, and with martyrdom no longer readily available, those seeking new ways to excel in their faith turn to new ways of achieving Christian heroism.
5.
Athletes of God
|
17.
Fury of the Northmen
Beginning in the 8th century, Scandinavians fan out from their homeland in a diaspora that stretches from Newfoundland to Russia, involving settlement, the forging of new trading networks, and relentless violence.
17.
Fury of the Northmen
|
6.
Augustine, Part One
This is the first of two lectures about perhaps the most influential thinker of the later Roman Empire, whose life and career encapsulate some of the broad changes that were taking place.
6.
Augustine, Part One
|
18.
Collapse of the Carolingian Empire
Discredited by its inability to deal with Viking attacks, the Carolingian dynasty falls prey to battles over succession and its consequent civil wars and ultimately crumbles.
18.
Collapse of the Carolingian Empire
|
7.
Augustine, Part Two
In reaction to a theology that argued for the ability of humans to obey God's commands without the assistance of divine grace, Augustine develops a theology that emphasizes human helplessness and the inability to achieve happiness in this world.
7.
Augustine, Part Two
|
19.
The Birth of France and Germany
The collapse of the Carolingian Empire results in the emergence of the Capetians and Ottonians as the new ruling dynasties in West and East Francia, whose differing paths ultimately reshape them as the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Germany.
19.
The Birth of France and Germany
|
8.
Barbarians at the Gate
A chain of events set into motion by the Gothic migration of 376 A.D. ultimately leads to the formal end of the western half of the Roman Empire a century later.
8.
Barbarians at the Gate
|
20.
England in the Age of Alfred
Viking attacks on Britain produce very different results from those on the continent, with large sections of England settled. The ultimate result, after the Norman Conquest of 1066, is that a group of Christianized, French-speaking Viking descendents becomes the ruling class in England.
20.
England in the Age of Alfred
|
9.
Franks and Goths
An examination of the Gothic kingdoms and the kingdom of the Franks shows that while the deposing of the last Roman emperor in the west might have been significant from a political standpoint, the administrative, cultural, social, and economic impacts were minimal.
9.
Franks and Goths
|
21.
Al-Andalus—Islamic Spain
Islamic Spain becomes one of the most dynamic and developed areas of the continent. Despite the brutality of its high politics and religious restrictions on Jews and Christians, its flourishing economy, trade, and intellectual ferment make it an important center of cultural exchange.
21.
Al-Andalus—Islamic Spain
|
10.
Arthur’s England
The Anglo-Saxon settlement of England substantially transforms England's language and the god or gods worshipped there. By the 7th and 8th centuries, Irish and Anglo-Saxon monks have become the leading educators and intellectuals of the day.
10.
Arthur’s England
|
22.
Carolingian Europe—Gateway to the Middle Ages
This lecture makes the case that, during the Carolingian period, Europe stepped decisively out of its classical past and into its medieval present.
22.
Carolingian Europe—Gateway to the Middle Ages
|
11.
Justinian and the Byzantine Empire
The eastern half of the Roman Empire—known to historians as the Byzantine Empire—survives the Western Empire by roughly a millennium, managing to preserve classical culture and urban life even as its official language passes from Latin to Greek.
11.
Justinian and the Byzantine Empire
|
23.
Family Life—How Then Became Now
The family underwent a number of structural changes during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, and these changes illustrate how Roman and Germanic culture fused to become the medieval world.
23.
Family Life—How Then Became Now
|
12.
The House of Islam
An emerging Arab Empire conquers the Persian Empire, large sections of the Byzantine empire, and even parts of continental Europe, including most of the Iberian peninsula. But an Arab raiding party's insignificant defeat provides the key moment in the ascent of Europe's next great dynasty.
12.
The House of Islam
|
24.
Long Shadows and the Dark Ages Revisited
This final lecture examines how historical research has modified the ideas of Gibbon and Pirenne about the transition from the ancient to the medieval world, particularly as they explain the Roman Empire's demise.
24.
Long Shadows and the Dark Ages Revisited
|
24
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Late Middle Ages—Rebirth, Waning, Calamity?
This lecture introduces the course and its focus on two major questions debated by historians for centuries: Did the 14th and 15th centuries mark the turning point between the medieval and the modern? Was this period a high or a low point in European history?
1.
Late Middle Ages—Rebirth, Waning, Calamity?
|
13.
Witchcraft
Although the 16th and 17th centuries were the great age of European witch hunts, the first European witch trials date to the Late Middle Ages. You'll discover the fusion of the concepts of heresy and "harmful" magic that set the stage for those witch hunts.
13.
Witchcraft
|
2.
Philip the Fair versus Boniface VIII
You'll examine the conflict between the king of France and the papacy. The results—a growth of French influence and a weakened papacy—will shape the religious history of 14th-century Europe.
2.
Philip the Fair versus Boniface VIII
|
14.
Christine de Pizan and Catherine of Siena
You'll look at the work of two of the late-medieval culture's most noteworthy women: one perhaps the first self-supporting female author, the other a mystic who was to become one of the first female Doctors of the Church.
14.
Christine de Pizan and Catherine of Siena
|
3.
Fall of the Templars and the Avignon Papacy
Continued French defiance of papal authority generates a perception of French influence that—even though exaggerated by influential foreign voices such as Petrarch's—can only diminish the authority of an institution that aspires to universality.
3.
Fall of the Templars and the Avignon Papacy
|
15.
Gunpowder
The introduction of gunpowder and the weapons for it is one of the most important technological developments in late-medieval Europe, altering the balance of power and, together with other changes in military technology, forcing the medieval nobility to function less as warriors and more as courtiers.
15.
Gunpowder
|
4.
The Great Papal Schism
Two unusual papal elections produce two popes, one in Rome and the other in Avignon, with each claiming legitimacy. The resulting split, complete with competing lines of popes, will divide Christian Europe for nearly two generations.
4.
The Great Papal Schism
|
16.
The Printing Press
The printing press greatly increases the efficiency with which knowledge is disseminated, making it easier for subsequent generations to build on and surpass the intellectual achievements of their predecessors.
16.
The Printing Press
|
5.
The Hundred Years War, Part 1
The political history of 14th-century Europe will be dominated by more than a century of continual conflict between France and England over the latter's claims to the French throne.
5.
The Hundred Years War, Part 1
|
17.
Renaissance Humanism, Part 1
This first of two lectures on Humanism looks at the emergence of this strong belief in the inherent goodness, intellectual capability, and dignity of the individual, combined with a profound admiration for Classical literature and art and a desire to revive the literary and artistic values of antiquity.
17.
Renaissance Humanism, Part 1
|
6.
The Hundred Years War, Part 2
Although the thrones of the combatants ultimately remain unchanged, the war demonstrates the effectiveness of the longbow against knights and contributes to the emergence of larger, infantry-based armies—a trend that will soon have political and social repercussions.
6.
The Hundred Years War, Part 2
|
18.
Renaissance Humanism, Part 2
Continuing our discussion of Humanism, you'll look at its differences from the dominant intellectual method of the time—Scholasticism—and the role Humanist ideas were destined to play in European intellectual life.
18.
Renaissance Humanism, Part 2
|
7.
The Black Death, Part 1
With its population at a difficult level to sustain, Europe is ill-equipped to confront the calamity that arrives in 1347. Medical and cultural assumptions of the time are limited and the population drops by one-third, perhaps by one-half, in four years.
7.
The Black Death, Part 1
|
19.
The Fall of the Byzantine Empire
The eastern half of the Roman Empire outlives the western half by nearly 1,000 years. This lecture traces the fall of that empire, with the resulting migration of Byzantine scholars to Italy, helping to fuel the revival of antiquity's values then taking place in the West.
19.
The Fall of the Byzantine Empire
|
8.
The Black Death, Part 2
The consequences of the Black Death and subsequent outbreaks of plague include an increase in geographical mobility and wages and a drop in rents, land values, and food prices. The result is a rising gap between rich and poor, increasing the social tensions that sometimes manifested themselves in revolt.
8.
The Black Death, Part 2
|
20.
Ferdinand and Isabella
The marriage of the heir to the throne of Aragon to the heir to the throne of Castile sets the stage for one of the most important political events of the late 15th century: the dynastic unification of most of present-day Spain.
20.
Ferdinand and Isabella
|
9.
Revolt in Town and Country
The Late Middle Ages witnessed a relatively high number of large-scale revolts, and you'll examine both rural and urban examples: the Peasants' Revolt in England of 1381 and the revolt of the Ciompi in Florence in 1378.
9.
Revolt in Town and Country
|
21.
The Spanish Inquisition
In 1478, Ferdinand and Isabella establish the Spanish Inquisition. It is a reaction to the large number of Jews converting to Christianity in the aftermath of earlier pogroms and doubts about their sincerity, with Spanish Inquisitors likely playing a role in the decision to expel the Jews in 1492.
21.
The Spanish Inquisition
|
10.
William Ockham
You'll learn about the life and works of a man whose theological views and criticisms of the papacy made him a polarizing figure, not only during his own lifetime but for centuries to come.
10.
William Ockham
|
22.
The Age of Exploration
During the 15th century, Portuguese and Spanish explorers begin to venture down the west coast of Africa and farther out into the Atlantic Ocean, reaching places where no European, to anyone's knowledge, had ever been before—with enormous economic consequences to Europe.
22.
The Age of Exploration
|
11.
John Wycliffe and the Lollards
Another controversial English Scholastic theologian has an even greater impact than Ockham, inspiring—through his ideas about the church, priesthood, and spiritual authority—the first large-scale heretical movement to emerge in medieval England.
11.
John Wycliffe and the Lollards
|
23.
Columbus and the Columbian Exchange
Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas in 1492 marks a turning point not just in European history but in global history. Trading plants, animals, minerals, and diseases between the Americas and Europe quickly changed both continents.
23.
Columbus and the Columbian Exchange
|
12.
Jan Hus and the Hussite Rebellion
The execution of the man willing to defend Wycliffe's ideas in the Holy Roman Empire touches off a series of revolts known as the Hussite Wars, during which the Hussites become the only medieval heretical group to fight successfully for the establishment of their own church.
12.
Jan Hus and the Hussite Rebellion
|
24.
When Did the Middle Ages End?
Humanists of the Italian Renaissance came to believe they had brought the Middle Ages to an end, but there are several reasons to dispute that claim, as this closing lecture makes clear.
24.
When Did the Middle Ages End?
|