Vikings, Crusades, Mongols: Shaping Medieval Europe, c. 850—1300

The death of Charlemagne in 814 ushered in a period critical to the formation of medieval Europe. From the ninth to the thirteenth centuries, Europe experienced significant migration of peoples and witnessed the emergence of enduring political, legal, and social institutions. At the same time, divisions between and consolidation of religious institutions took place alongside the flourishing of dynamic intellectual and cultural centres, while expanding horizons to the north, south and east of Europe led to both productive and violent exchanges with peoples and places beyond the continental mainland. Adopting a Global Middle Ages approach, this course will examine medieval Europe between c. 850 and 1300 from the twin perspectives of cultures and conflicts. To consider the important role these interlinked facets of medieval life played in shaping the European world, this course will explore a range of topics, including Viking raids and Norse settlement in Europe; the spread of Christianity; Angevins and empire; crusades; Mediterranean cultures, including those in Sicily and Al-Andalus; heresies and religious persecution; and Mongol invasions. By assessing cultures and conflicts across Europe in the centuries after the reign of Charlemagne, this course will introduce students to political structures, social systems, and cultural phenomena that shaped medieval Europe and would have a lasting impact on the centuries to come.