Prof. Lisa Wolverton                                                                    Winter 2014

325 McKenzie Hall

Office Hours:  Mon 12-1:30 pm

lwolvert@uoregon.edu

 

 

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.

 

 

Reading

The reading for this course consists of a combination of primary source materials and secondary literature. 

 

Four books are available for purchase at the UO Bookstore; they are also on Reserve at Knight Library (except Cid).

 

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

The Song of Roland, trans. Glyn S. Burgess

Joseph Strayer, The Albigensian Crusades

 

A few readings are available only on Reserve, indicated by ®.  Items in PDF format on Blackboard are marked by * on the syllabus below.

 

 

Evaluation

 

Participation, including quizzes, in-class exercises, etc. (20%)

Two papers (50%, i.e., 25% each)

Take-home Final exam (30%)

 

SYLLABUS

 

The First Crusade

Jan. 6 – Introduction to the course

Jan. 8 – The Origins of Crusading

Riley-Smith, pp. 1-17; Peters, pp. 25-46

 

Jan. 13 – The First Response:  The People’s Crusade and the Jews                                                                                                               

Peters, pp. 102-51

Jan. 15 – 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. 20 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Jan. 22 – Franks and Greeks

                           *Anna Comnena, The Alexiad, pp. 308-68; Peters, pp. 159-86

 

Jan. 27 – An Overview:  Fulcher’s chronicle 

                           Riley-Smith, pp. 18-29; Peters, pp. 47-101

 

Jan. 29 – War in the Holy Land                                             

Selections from Peters (by group): pp. 187-206 & 213-21, or pp. 206-13 & 221-37, or pp. 238-60, or pp. 261-81  Quiz

 

Feb. 3 – War or Religious Movement?       1st paper due (25%)

Feb. 5 – The Crusader States

                           Riley-Smith, Ch. 3 & 4; Madden, Ch. 12 ®; *Gabrieli, pp. 73-83

 

Later Crusades

Feb. 10 – The “Reconquista”

                           Poem of the Cid

Feb. 12 – Second Crusade

                           Riley-Smith, Ch. 5; *Odo of Deuil

 

Feb. 17 – Crusade against the Wends

                           *Christensen, pp. 50-72; *Helmold

Feb. 19 – Third Crusade & Saladin

                           Riley-Smith, Ch. 6, first two sections; *Gabrieli, pp. 139-68, 182-91, 198-237  Quiz

 

Feb. 24 – The Influence of Crusade on Romance

                           Song of Roland

Feb. 26 – The Military Orders                       2nd paper due (25%)

                           *Rule of the Templars

 

Mar. 3 – Fourth Crusade                                

                           Riley-Smith, Ch. 6, next six sections; *Villehardouin

Mar. 5 – NO CLASS

 

Mar. 10 – Albigensian Crusade

                           Strayer, all but epilogue

Mar. 12 – Northern Crusades

                           *Christiansen, pp. 73-122; *Henry of Livonia

 

Monday March 17  3:15 pm  Take-home final exam due (30%)        

 

 

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

 

Paper #1—due Feb. 3

 

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 Feb. 26

 

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 Monday March 17, at or before 3:15 pm

 

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.