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THE NORMAN CONQUEST OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD
| Carrie Benes New College of Florida Fall 2005 MTh 2-3:20 pm |
Office: Palmer E-127
Fall Office Hours: M 3:30-5, T 2-4 pm Email: benes at ncf dot edu Classroom: HCL 2 |
Course Description
This survey will introduce students to the power-hungry expansionists of the medieval world: the Norman conquest of England in 1066 was but one part of a broader bid for political influence that took the Normans from one end of medieval Europe to the other. Beginning with their Viking origins and settlement on the coast of northern France, this course will contextualize the Normans’ invasion of England with their near-simultaneous takeover of Muslim Sicily and domination of the Holy Land during the First Crusade. We will examine the tactics (such as castle-building) that made all three of these campaigns successful, as well as the cultural adaptability that stressed integration in a time of intolerance (Norman Sicily’s four official languages were Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, and Greek) and created such landmarks as the Tower of London and the Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily. No prerequisites or enrollment caps.
Required Texts
Marjorie Chibnall, The Normans (Blackwell, 2000); Elisabeth van Houts, The Normans in Europe (Manchester, 2000); Michael Clanchy, England and its Rulers, 1066-1272 (2nd ed., Blackwell, 1998); and Hubert Houben, Roger II of Sicily: A Ruler between East and West (Cambridge, 2002) are all available for purchase at the bookstore.
Other required readings will be available on the internet and on E-Reserve; links will be posted on the readings page (found here).
Procedures and Requirements
The course will be held as a lecture/discussion, meeting twice a week. The first session each week will be given as a lecture, with visual material presented in PowerPoint; the second will be held as a discussion period devoted to the analysis of primary and secondary literature. Active student participation is both encouraged and expected.
Students are required: to attend and participate in all class meetings, as well as to complete weekly readings and written assignments. In addition, there will be two short announced map/ID quizzes; a midterm exam; a comprehensive final exam; and one short essay.
Please do the assigned week’s reading before Thursday, so that you can participate fully in class discussion; I also recommend (because it will be easier on your brain as well as your schedule) that you do any assigned textbook reading before Monday’s lecture.
As a courtesy to those around you, please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices before entering any classroom. If you use such devices (PDAs, laptops, etc.) for notetaking, please ensure their volume is turned off. I reserve the right to answer any ringing cell phone.
Weekly Assignments
Every Thursday except when there is a quiz or an essay due, you will be responsible for a 10-minute in-class written response to the week’s assigned readings; discussion questions will be posted here online each Monday, but the only writing required will be in class. You may use your books and notes, but you may not prepare responses ahead of time; at the same time, neither should this be a free-association free-for-all: you will be required to demonstrate knowledge of the material, to have an opinion, and to substantiate your claims logically.
Assessment
Your evaluation will be based on the following criteria: attendance, participation, written assignments, and quizzes; midterm exam; essay; and final exam. You must complete all major assignments in order to receive a satisfactory evaluation for the course; more than 2 weeks of missed or late weekly responses will also result in an “unsat”. Both midterm and final exam will be open-book; these will be in essay format, and will ask you to synthesize and analyze material from the lectures, readings, and discussions.
All assignments must be handed in and exams taken as scheduled; documentation (doctor’s note, sheriff’s note, etc.) will be required for last-minute emergencies. This rule is not negotiable.
Essays
Essays should be between 7 and 10 pages long; they must be typed, double-spaced, and spell-checked, with page numbers. Essays must include a bibliography or full footnotes and all sources must be documented. Emailed papers and papers outside the specified length will not be accepted.
I am happy to help you with outlines or rough drafts up to the Friday before papers are due. Although your argument is by far the most important part of your essay, you will be assessed for style as well as content. If you are uncertain about how to write a history paper, or how to cite your sources, please consult my Guidelines for Writing a History Paper handout, the Writing Resource Center (which also has fabulous online advice on the writing process), and/or the following resources:
Strunk and White, The Elements of Style (New York, 1918).
Mary Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History (3rd ed., New York, 2001).
Please feel free to consult me with any questions.
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism or cheating in any form will not be tolerated. This includes using anyone else’s words, data, or bibliographical information as your own—if you have questions on how or what to cite, consult the sources listed above or see me. Any infractions will be referred at once to the proper college authorities.
Communications
Email and internet access are essential in this course. Syllabi, assignments, and announcements will all be posted here on the course webpage. This web syllabus will always be the most recent "official" version; the “readings” page will always be the most up-to-date list of assignments. Please note, the “readings” page (a hotlinked version of the course schedule, found here) is password-protected: to access this page, you must use New College authentication procedures (i.e. for “username” enter “student\yourusername”, then your password).
In addition, I will be contacting you via email to answer questions, make announcements, and so forth. In line with a new policy from the Provost's Office, I will only send email to your NCF email account, so please keep it current, or you will miss out. Email is also the best way for you to contact me; I am a self-confessed email junkie, and I make every effort to reply to questions as soon as I get them.
Teaching Assistant
Fourth-year student Caitlyn Miller will be acting as TA for this class. She is writing a thesis this year on the medieval English kings’ relations with the “Celtic fringe” (i.e. Wales, Scotland, and Ireland), and spent last spring studying at Oxford. As TA she will be holding an optional study session once a week (time, day, & place to be announced), where she will go over the week’s readings, answer any questions, and help you think about your papers; she will also help lead some of our class discussions. Feel free to email her at caitlyn.miller[at]ncf.edu.
Office Hours
If you have any questions or comments about the course during the term, please stop by my office hours; I am happy to chat about college, history, grad school, or other totally irrelevant subjects. If you have a conflict with my regularly scheduled hours, just email me or see me during class to set up an alternative meeting time. In particular, please let me know as soon as possible if you have any unusual circumstances or difficulties with which I can help you.
Important Note: Links listed as "E-Reserve: part 1/2/etc." are entire articles or chapters broken into parts to keep file sizes and download times low. You should always read all parts of an assignment. I have tried to allay any confusion by giving direct links to all online assignments, but please keep in mind that confusion is no excuse for not having done the assignment...
Other Important Note: This is the public version of this syllabus. The student version with links to Powerpoint presentations and online readings can be found here.
Third Important Note: The very basic discussion questions provided here will be updated during the course of the semester; each week's questions will be posted on the readings page (i.e. not here) by Monday evening, so please check for them.
Second Third Important Note: Each Monday's Powerpoint will be posted on the readings page for reference; just click on the lecture title.
WEEK 1: AUG 22 & 25
From Northmannus to Normannus: The Creation of Normandy in Post-Carolingian Europe
discussion: Where did Normandy come from, and why? Is it a place, a people, or a concept? How did the Norman dukes consolidate their power, and how/why were they more successful than the other princes around them? Are official historians like Dudo and William of Jumiéges “propagandists”? Why or why not? How do they and other authors characterize/describe the Normans, esp. with relation to their Viking heritage?
read: Chibnall chaps. 1-2
Three Sources on the Vikings (online)
van Houts, intro to part I [henceforth introI], #1-14
WEEK 2: AUG 29 & SEPT 1
Feudalism & the Norman Social Hierarchy
discussion: Is "feudalism" a useful model for for life in the Middle Ages? What problems does it present, and why do historians disagree so violently on the subject? In what ways do the Normans fit, and not fit, the model, especially at different points in their evolution as a culture? Did "feudal" ideas like knighthood and fealty reinforce or weaken the structure of Norman society?
read: Strayer & Brunner on feudalism (online)
Reynolds, excerpts from Fiefs and Vassals (online)
Reviews of Reynolds (online)
Duby, “Youth in Aristocratic Society” (online)
Bates, “Economy and Social Structure” (online)
Carolingian capitularies, The Battle of Maldon, Summa de legibus (online)
van Houts introII, #15-7, 57-8
WEEK 3: SEPT 5 & 8
The Conquest of England: Edward the Confessor, William the Bastard, Harold (the Unfortunate), & the Battle of Hastings
discussion: Why did the Normans win--was William brilliant or just lucky? How did the Normans turn a single military victory into the decisive conquest of the entire kingdom; i.e., what tactics did they use to gain and keep control? What are some of the major differences between the English and the Norman sources for the conquest?
additional assignment: thinking about a potential New College reconstruction of the Battle of Hastings, download and fill out the form linked to the readings page; bring it with you to class on Thursday.read: Chibnall 3
Clanchy intro, 1-3
Noxon, “The Bayeux Tapestry” (online at JSTOR)
Domesday Book excerpts (online)
van Houts, introIII & #31-50look at: http://www.essentialnormanconquest.com/: run the interactive maps (both 2D and 3D); look through the entire online Tapestry; and check out the QuickTime panoramas of what the battle site looks like today (the buildings all belong to Battle Abbey, founded by William in thanks for his victory).
WEEK 4: SEPT 12 & 15
The Normans & the Church
discussion: Quiz. How did the Norman aristocracy use the Church? Does “the Norman church” have unique characteristics?
read: Bates, “The Church” (online)
Clanchy chap. 4
Bates, “Odo of Bayeux” (online at JSTOR)
Chibnall, “The English Possessions of Bec” (online)
Thurlby, “Patron and Mason” (online)
Cownie, “St Albans” (online)
van Houts introIV, #54-6, 61-5
WEEK 5: SEPT 19 & 22
The Conquest of Southern Italy: From Mercenaries to Dukes in a Generation
discussion: How is this conquest different from that of England? What effect do the different circumstances of pre-conquest England and Italy have on their later development under the Normans?
read: Chibnall chap. 5
Loud intro, chaps. 2 & 5 (online)
Geoffrey Malaterra, Deeds of Count Roger 3.37-9 (online)
Breve Chronicon Northmannicorum (online)
van Houts, introV & #67-76
WEEK 6: Sept 26 & 29
The Norman Way of War
discussion: What were the main features of the Norman “fighting machine”? Why was it so effective?
read: Gravett/Hook, excerpts from Norman Stone Castles I & II (online)
Morillo, “The Anglo-Norman Military System” (online)
White, “Stirrup, Mounted Shock Combat, Feudalism & Chivalry” (online)
Strickland, “Securing the North” (online)
Chibnall, “Orderic Vitalis on Castles” (online)
van Houts #53
WEEK 7: OCT 3 & 6
Midterm (Monday) & Creative Assignment (Thursday). Paper topics distributed.
***Fall Break: Oct 10-14***
WEEK 8: OCT 17 & 2
The Anglo-Norman Empire (1087-1199)
discussion: How did the Norman & Angevin kings keep control of an empire that spanned the Channel?
read: Chibnall chap. 4
Clanchy chap. 5-6
Leyser, “The Anglo-Norman Succession, 1120-5” (online)
Chibnall, “From Domesday Book to the Pipe Rolls” (online)
Charter of Liberties of Henry I (online)
Assize of Clarendon (online)
van Houts #51-2, 66
WEEK 9: OCT 24 & 27
Norman Society
discussion: What if you weren’t a male aristocrat?
read: Rowley, “Towns of the Conquest” (online)
Chibnall, “Women in Orderic Vitalis” (online)
Brown, “Eleanor of Aquitaine: Parent, Queen, and Duchess” (online)
Metcalfe, “The Muslim Community” (online)
van Houts #18-30, 59-60
WEEK 10: OCT 31 & NOV 3
The Kingdom of Sicily (1130-98 & beyond)
discussion: Quiz. Multiculturalism and royal imagery in medieval Sicily.
read: Chibnall chap. 6
Houben chaps. 2, 4-6
Romuald of Salerno, etc. (online)
WEEK 11: NOV 7 & 10
The (Norman) Twelfth-Century Renaissance
discussion: What about Norman culture encouraged the Renaissance?
read: Chibnall chap. 9
Clanchy chap. 7
Douglas, “Scholars & Artists” (online)
Hollister, “Anglo-Norman Political Culture” (online)
Anselm, proof of the existence of God (online)
Adelard of Bath, Natural Questions (online)
Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain excerpts (online)
John of Salisbury, Policraticus excerpts (online)
Marie de France, “Le Fresne”, “Bisclavret”, and “Les Deus Amanz” (online)
WEEK 12: Nov 14 & 17
Lords of the Mediterranean
discussion: What role did the Normans play in the Eastern Mediterranean before and during the Crusades, and how was this related to their roles in Western Europe?
read: Chibnall chap. 7
Douglas, “East and West” (online)
Jotischky, “Crusader Society” (online)
van Houts #77-87
William of Malmesbury on the First Crusade (online)
WEEK 13: NOV 21
The Norman Myth
discussion: Eat turkey. Discuss Norman cultural influence on turkey.
read: Chibnall chap. 8
Davis chap. 2 (online)
Shopkow, “Truth” (online)
Albu, “Wace and Vernacular Romance-History” (online)
Wace, Roman de Rou, excerpts (online)
WEEK 14: NOV 28 & DEC 1
Conclusion, & a Mystery: The Normans Disappear as Quickly as They Came
discussion: Thematic synthesis & review.
read: Chibnall chap. 10
Turner, “The Problem of Survival for the Angevin ‘Empire’” (online)
Gillingham, "The End of the Empire" (online)
Davis, "The New Era in Monarchy" (online)
Final exam: 2 hours, to be completed anytime between 9 am and 5 pm on Monday, December 5.
Exams will be sent out by email, posted on this website, and (as a last resort) available on hard copy in my office; completed exams must be turned in by 5 pm.
Final essay: due in my box in Social Sciences by 4:30 on Thursday, Dec 8.
Please refer to the syllabus for paper rules and guidelines. There will be NO extensions granted.
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