Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis The subject will look at the long term changes in European society and civilisation from the time of Charlemagne in the late eighth century to the first signs of the breaking apart of the idea of a unified Christendom in the early fourteenth century. Charlemagne endeavoured to impose some stability on barbarian Europe by creating a renovated Roman empire in the west. The subject will examine the disintegration of this ideal in the face of further invasions, the consequent decentralisation of authority in a society increasingly dominated by a feudal aristocracy and the gradual emergence of national identities in France and England. Themes studied in tutorials include social structure, urbanisation, relationships between men and women, education, the crusades, the role of the church and the relationship between religious reform and heresy. Emphasis is placed in tutorials on the interpretation of primary sources from the period. No prior knowledge of the Middle Ages is required.
Assessment Two essays (total 2500 words): 50% + Examination (2 hours): 40% + Class participation/attendance: 10%