EUH-4123: HOLY WAR IN THE MIDDLE AGES

2013 archaeological summer school in Catalonia

Course description

   Crusades and crusading remain a very popular topic. The idea of holy war--either the Muslim jihad or the Christian crusade--conveys the image on epic clash between two of the world's great religions. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, this is in fact the prevailing view among those who are eager to project onto the present their interpretations of the past. Islamists call fellow Muslims to take part in a worldwide jihad against the people of the "West," whom they label "crusaders." In reality, medieval holy wars were much more complex and contradictory, often involving such things as friendship and alliances between Muslims and Christians, triumphs of diplomacy rather than by the sword, as well as crusades launched agains Christians or jihads proclaimed against fellow Muslims. The historical understanding of what happened is therefore vital for a positive outcome of the present turmoil in that trouble part of the world, the Middle East. This course is designed as a chronological and topical introduction to the history of the Crusades, from the beginning to the present. Since this is a survey, it is impossible to cover everything. Instead, the course will offer a selection of representative topics from a much larger possible list. We will examine some of the key concepts of theology that had historical significance, the political circumstances leading to the launching of the Crusades, and the main aspects of Christian-Muslim interactions throughout the Middle Ages. Our focus will at times shift towards the organization of the crusader states, but we will also take quick glimpses at some other Christian groups in the Near East, especially at the Orthodox and the Armenians, as well as the fate of the Jews in Europe. Anyone with enough curiosity and desire to learn is welcome. There are no pre-requisites and no special recommendations for this course.

Course objectives

Upon completing this course, students will be able to explain large-scale and long-term historical developments in Western Christianity; analyze ways in which Christians have come into contact with Muslims and Jews through trade, migration, conquest, and cultural diffusion; assess the significance of key turning points in the history of the Crusades; describe the development and explain the significance of distinctive forms of political and military organization, doctrine, and forms of religious culture; identify achievements in Crusader art, architecture, and literature, and assess their impact on medieval society in Western Europe, Islam and Byzantium; explain ideals, practices, and rituals associated with holy war in Islam and Christianity.

Course requirements and grades

There is no attendance policy, but you are responsible for attending all lectures and reading the required texts. Class participation  may be taken into account to determine the overall grade. The basis for evaluation of performance will be four quizzes and two exams (Midterm and Final). The unannounced quizzes are exclusively based on primary source readings from your Allen and Amt book, as well as from the Internet Medieval Sourcebook. All quizzes will consist only of questions (no essay). A careful study of these texts is necessary for a good performance at the quiz. The Midterm and Final exams will cover everything from lectures and readings. Both will consist of a short answer portion and a longer essay. Make-up Midterm and Final exam will be given for very serious reasons. There is no make-up for quizzes. Extra-credit work will be accepted only for students with active participation in class discussions. The format of the extra-credit option shall be discussed with the instructor during regular office hours. The following point-system will be used in determining the final grade:

Grades. The following scale will be used in determining your final grade

Additional information on grades can be found at:

http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationgrades.html

http://www.isis.ufl.edu/minusgrades.html

Textbooks

• Jean Richard, The Crusades, c. 1071-c. 1291 (Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999) [hereafter Richard]; on two-hour reserve in Library West.
• S. J. Allen and Emilie Amt, The Crusades. A Reader. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2003 [hereafter Allen and Amt]; on two-hour reserve in Library West.
• (optional) Peter Lock, The Routledge Companion to the Crusades. London/New York: Routledge, 2006 [hereafter Lock];  on two-hour reserve in Library West

NOTE: It is essential that you read the assigned sections in the textbook(s) ahead, i.e., before the time they are due in class. Class meetings will be organized around a lecture/discussion format and your weekly assignments  will necessitate familiarity with the material.

WEEK 1 (January 7-12): Introduction

• Problematic concepts: holy war, jihad, crusade [Richard 1-4; Allen and Amt 7-17]; see also modern views on the different meanings of jihad and crusade (as something requiring apologies)
• West European society on the eve of the crusade [Richard 4-10; Allen and Amt 28-31]
• The Middle and Near East in the eleventh century: Byzantium and the Seljuks [Richard 11-18; Allen and Amt 31-35]; see a map of the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk territories in the 11th century; read an account of the Seljuk conquest of the Near East

WEEK 2 (January 14-19): The call to Crusade

• The Church Reform, the Truce (Peace) of God movement and the papacy [Richard 19-34; Allen and Amt 28-31 and 34-35]; see brief biography of Pope Urban II and Pope Gregory VII's call for a crusade (1074)
• Urban II and the Council of Clermont [Allen and Amt 39-47]; read the letter Emperor Alexios I allegedly wrote to Count Robert of Flanders
• The People's Crusade and the Byzantine problem [Richard 36-47; Allen and Amt 47-63]; see a map of the itinerary of the First Crusade

WEEK 3 (January 21-26): The First Crusade and its aftermath

• From Constantinople to Jerusalem [Richard 47-69; Allen and Amt 67-68 and 73-80]; read a basic narrative of the events and some of the letters written by participants in the Crusade; see a map of the expedition in the Near East
• The Crusader states [Richard 77-94; Allen and Amt 83-91]; see a map of the crusader states to the mid-12th century and visit the Krak des Chevaliers
• Muslims, Christians and Jews in the Crusader States [Richard 94-124; Allen and Amt 93-103, 108-124]

WEEK 4 (January 28-February 1): The Second Crusade and its aftermath

• The military orders and the rise of Zengi [Richard 124-155; Allen and Amt 127-134, 197-204]
• Bernard of Clairvaux and the Second Crusade [Richard 155-169; Allen and Amt 134-145]; read Pope Eugenius III's call to crusade and an account of the fiasco at Damascus (1148)
• Nur ad-Din and the revival of jihad [Richard 170-190]

WEEK 5 (February 4-9): Crusades elsewhere

• The conquest of Lisbon and the proclamation of the crusade in the Iberian Peninsula [Allen and Amt 304-308, 316-318, 326-331]
• The Wendish crusade [Allen and Amt 268-276]
• Teh Teutonic Knights, Livonia and the Baltic Crusade [Allen and Amt 276-285]

WEEK 6 (February 11-16): The Third Crusade

• The rise of Saladin and the Horns of Hattin [Richard 190-215; Allen and Amt 148-161]; see excerpts from medieval accounts of the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin and a map of the Near East in the late twelfth century
• Calling of the Third Crusade [Richard 216-224; Allen and Amt 162-169]
• A comparison: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin  [Richard 224-231; Allen and Amt 170-177]

WEEK 7 (February 18-23):  The diversion of the Fourth Crusade [Dunbabin 124-222]

• The crusade of Emperor Henry VI and Innocent III [Richard 231-242; Allen and Amt 221-245]; see a brief biography of Pope Innocent III
• Venice, Zara, and the sack of Constantinople [Richard 242-252; Allen and Amt 225-240]; see a map of the itinerary of the Fourth Crusade
• The consequences of the Fourth Crusade [Richard 252-258]

WEEK 8 (February 25-March 1): More crusades in Europe

• The Albigensian Crusade and the children's crusade [Allen and Amt 241-251]
• Midterm

WEEK 9 (March 4-8): Crusades as an institution

• Theory and recruitment [Richard 259-270; Allen and Amt 181-192]
• Finances and logistics [Richard 271-282; Allen and Amt 204-211]
• Army  morale, women, and crusading literature [Richard 287; Allen and Amt 211-217].

WEEK 10 (March 11-15): Spring break. No classes.

WEEK 11 (March 18-22): Later crusades

• The Fifth Crusade [Richard 294-307; Allen and Amt 256-261]; read the basic narrative of the events and see a map of the Egyptian campaign
• The crusade of Frederick II [Richard 307-331; Allen and Amt 285-295]
• The crusades of St. Louis [Richard 332-356; Allen and Amt 343-347]

WEEK 12 (March 25-29):  The crusading territories during the Late Middle Ages

• Crusade and mission [Richard 361-368; Allen and Amt 370-375]
• Frankish lordship, trade, and Italians [Richard 369-393]
• Crusader society and art [Richard 393-407]

WEEK 13 (April 1-5): The Mamluks, the Mongols, and the end of the crusader states

• The rise of the Mamluks and the Mongols [Richard 408-420; ; Allen and Amt 352-355]
• The Eighth Crusade and other subsequent expeditions [Richard 424-441]
• Baybars and the end of the crusader states [Richard 442-466; Allen and Amt 355-366]; see a map of Baybars expedition of 1271 leading to the fall of Acre

WEEK 14 (April 8-12): Crusades after crusades

• The transformation of the military orders [Allen and Amt 378-384]
• The kingdom of Cyprus and the rise of the Ottomans [Richard 466-473; Allen and Amt 405-407]
• Nicopolis, Varna, Constantinople, and Granada [Allen and Amt 397-405]

WEEK 15 (April 15-19): Crusades in the modern era

• Crusades in literature (from Walter Scott to Steven Runciman)
• Crusades and nationalism, West and East
• The legacy in the Middle East