Office Hours: W 10-11:30 am
REVISED
Hist 322
The Crusades
In 1096 CE hordes of
Europeans, nobles and ordinary folk, set off to conquer Jerusalem on the first
of several armed pilgrimages, “the Crusades” as we call them. The first part of this course is
devoted to understanding the goals and progress of the first expedition to
Palestine; the states established there by the victors; relations between the
“Franks” (i.e., Europeans), Greeks, Muslims, and members of various Eastern
Christian sects; and the religious and social repercussions felt in
twelfth-century Europe. We will
then turn to three subsequent campains against the Muslims in Palestine, all
largely unsuccessful, as well as to the crusades summoned against pagan Slavs
in Northeastern Europe and against heretical groups within Europe itself. We will also consider the Spanish Reconquista,
yet another distinct form of
crusading.
The reading for this course
consists of a combination of primary source materials and secondary
literature.
Four books, as well as a
Coursepack, are available for purchase at the UO Bookstore; they are also on
Reserve at Knight Library.
Jonathan Riley-Smith, The
Crusades: A History, 2nd ed.
Edward Peters, The First
Crusade, 2nd ed.
The Poem of the Cid, trans. Rita Hamilton and Janet Perry
Participation, including
quizzes, in-class exercises, etc. (20%)
Two papers (50%, i.e., 25%
each)
Take-home Final exam (30%)
Jan. 5 – Introduction
to the course
Jan. 14– The Origins
of Crusading
Riley-Smith, pp. 1-17; Peters, pp. 25-46
Jan.
19 – The First Response: The
People’s Crusade and the Jews
Peters, pp. 102-51
Jan. 21 – The
Motivation for and Practicalities of Crusading Quiz
Everyone: Riley-Smith, The First Crusaders, Ch. 5 ®
Choose
two among: First Crusaders, Ch. 4; Madden, Ch. 6 or 7 ®
Jan. 26 – An
Overview: Fulcher’s chronicle
Riley-Smith,
pp. 18-29; Peters, pp. 47-101
Jan. 28 – Franks and
Greeks
*Anna
Comnena, The Alexiad, pp. 308-68
Feb. 2 – War in the
Holy Land
Selections
from Peters (by group): pp.
159-86, or pp. 187-206 & 213-21, or pp. 206-13 & 221-37, or pp. 238-60,
or pp. 261-81 Quiz
Feb. 4 – The Crusader
States
Riley-Smith,
pp. 40-77; Madden, Ch. 12 ®; *Gabrieli, pp. 73-83
Feb. 9 – War or
Religious Movement? 1st
paper due (25%)
Feb. 11 – The
“Reconquista”
Poem
of the Cid
Feb. 16 – Second
Crusade
Riley-Smith,
pp. 77-108; *Odo of Deuil
Feb. 18 – Crusade
against the Wends
Christensen,
pp. 50-72 ®; *Helmold
Feb. 23 – Third
Crusade & Saladin
Riley-Smith,
pp. 109-19; *Gabrieli, pp. 139-68, 182-91, 198-237 Quiz
Feb. 25 – The
Military Orders
*Rule
of the Templars
Mar. 2 – The
Influence of Crusade on Romance
Song
of Roland
Mar. 4 – Fourth
Crusade 2nd
paper due (25%)
Riley-Smith,
pp. 119-41; *Villehardouin
Mar. 9 – Albigensian
Crusade
Strayer,
all but epilogue
Mar. 11 – Northern
Crusades
Christiansen,
pp. 73-122 ®; *Henry of Livonia
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Paper #1—due Feb. 9
Write a 4- to 5-page paper
(5 pages maximum!) in answer to the question:
Should
the First Crusade be characterized primarily as a war, or as a religious
movement?
There is no right answer to
this question, although it explicitly asks you to make a choice. You may not argue “both”, even though
that is obviously a viable answer.
There are also a variety of
ways to approach answering the question:
for instance, by consideration of Urban’s intentions, the crusaders’
motivations, their actions on campaign, interpretations from hindsight, and so
on.
Whatever you choose to
argue, your position must rest on close analysis of the primary sources that you have read throughout the first part of
this course (originally in Latin, Hebrew, Greek, and/or Arabic). As proof of your answer, they should be
cited directly, referenced by page numbers in parentheses. Please edit your paper carefully: the bulk of your paper should be devoted
to analyzing the sources; keep background, summaries of what happened, etc., to
a minimum. Avoid rehearsing
information from class lectures or Riley-Smith. No outside research is expected (or desirable).
Your paper should be
grammaticaly well-written and logically organized; above all, it must have a thesis
(e.g., “The First Crusade should be
characterized primarily as a religious movement because…”). Style will not be evaluated separately
from content.
Paper #2—due Mar. 4
Write a 4- to 5-page paper
comparing and contrasting the depiction of Christian warfare in The Poem of
the Cid and The Song of Roland.
As before, you are being
asked to argue a thesis supported by direct evidence from the two poems. Do not rely on secondary sources,
including the books’ introductions, and avoid summarizing the action of the poems
at length.
This paper is open-ended,
giving you the freedom to pursue your own insights and interests. If you are uncertain what approach to
take, please do not hesitate to contact me during office hours or by email.
FINAL EXAM—due at my office in 325 McKenzie on Friday
March 19, at or before 10 am
Write a 5-page paper in
answer to the following question:
Do
later crusades represent a refinement or a perversion of Urban’s original
vision of the First Crusade?
Answer with specific
reference to the Second, Third, and Fourth Crusades to the Holy Land, the
Baltic Crusades, and/or the Albigensian Crusades.
Focus on precise, careful
analysis and good, clear writing.
Avoid rushes to judgment, and be very specific in supporting your
argument. All the information you
need is in the course readings: no
outside research is expected. The
more your argument is supported by evidence from primary sources, including
those cited in the secondary literature, the better.