Department of History

EUH-3432: MEDIEVAL ITALY

Professor: Dr. Florin Curta

Office: 202 Flint Hall

Office hours: W 10:30-11:30, or by appointment

Phone: 273-3367

E-mail: fcurta@ufl.edu 

 2010 archaeological summer school in Andalusia

 

    The Middle Ages (ca. 500-1300) was a period of fundamental transformations in Italian history. At the same time it was the only period between Antiquity and the modern age in which serious attempts were made to turn Italy into some sort of independent political unit. Such attempts foundered on the same rocks that exist today: the continuing crucial importance of local identities and problems. Before the modern era, Italy was a single independent state for only a few decades between the 460s and the 530s. However, unlike the early modern period, a good portion of the mainland was in some sense part of the same state for most of the early medieval period, and the kings of Italy, Ostrogothic, Lombard, and Frankish, were both powerful and rich. Early medieval Italy (with the exception of Rome and the papacy) has not traditionally attracted the interest of historians, despite its great significance for later developments. Italy, the fount of culture and civilization, shows very little in common with contemporary developments in early medieval Europe, except, perhaps a considerable legal sophistication, and the occasional chronicler with (Paul the Deacon) or without real literary abilities (Liutprand of Cremona). During the early Middle Ages, Italy, the mercantile center of the ancient and medieval Mediterranean, seems to have temporarily lost contact with the sea and to have been dominated by the rough warriors of the Germanic north, who introduced new forms of social organization: a closed economy, the manor, and feudalism. During the early Middle Ages, Italy first became part of the northern Europe (as opposed to Mediterranean or southern Europe). A world of rural communities, with a small elite of aristocrats dominating and feeding itself from the labors of the peasantry, Italy before AD 1000 underwent exceptionally intense changes. Economic growth, territorial expansion, and dynamic cultural and social change, all marked the vitality of Italian society between 500 and 1000.
        In this course we will examine the various aspects of this transformation. We will initially follow a topical, rather than chronological order. Our focus will be on the mainland, but we will also look at some of the neighboring areas, such as Sicily and Sardinia.
 
 

• Chris Wickham, Early Medieval Italy: Central Power and Local Society, 400-1000. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2001 [hereafter Wickham]; available as e-book through Library West
•  David Abulafia (ed.), Italy in the Central Middle Ages,, 1000-1300. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 2004 [hereafter Abulafia]; on two-hour reserve in Library West.
•  Katherine Ludwig Jansen, Joanna H. Drell, and Frances Andrews, Medieval Italy. Texts in Translation. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009 [hereafter Jansen].
• (optional) Christopher Kleinhenz, Medieval Italy. An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge, 2004 [hereafter Kleinhenz]; available in the Reference section of Library West

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

        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 Jansen book and will consist only of multiple-choice 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. The following point system will be used in determining the final grade: