Prospectus

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Current Debates in Medieval and Early Modern European History

Course
2009-2010

Note: this Literature Seminar only spans one semester: students may take the course in either the first or the second semester

In this course we will be examining current debates in the history of medieval and early modern Europe. Each students studies two topics over a period of six weeks.

FIRST SEMESTER

Weeks 1-3: Wars of religion, 1400-1700
Prof.dr. P.C.M. Hoppenbrouwers and Dr. D.M.L. Onnekink.

Late medieval and early modern Europe was plagued by social and political instability which, combined with religious tension, formed an explosive mixture and could lead to conflicts. These could take the form of revolts of heterodox religious groups and the subsequent suppression of heresy, or the large-scale confessional wars of the Reformation period. At the same time, Christian Europe was locked in battle with the the forces of Islam, now headed by the Ottoman Turks. So, here we have two completely different set-ups for religious warfare, one directed against an enemy from within, the other against the infidels outside Christendom; the latter tinged with antemurale undertones, the former coloured in apocalyptic shades. These two scenarios generated a curious mixture of dogmatic intractibility, crusading heroism, chivalrous values, burgeoning national feelings, eschatological fanatism, sheer banditry, and the usual itch for adventure, that certainly is worthwhile studying.
This course aims to analyse these two-headed developments from the late Middle Ages until the Peace of Westphalia (1648). First, we will study recent debates on the nature, dynamics and impact of religious conflict. Then we will diachronically look at several cases, such as the Hussite wars in late-medieval Bohemia and the start of the Thiry Years War in Bohemia, or the conflict between the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires.

Reading:

  • Norman Housley, Religious Warfare in Europe, 1400-1536 (Oxford, 2008)

  • Konrad Repgen, ‘What is a religious war?’, in E.I. Kouri en Tom Scott, red., Politic sand Society in Reformation Europe (Basingstoke, 1987), 311-326.

Additional reading will be announced during the classes.

Weeks 4-6: 1492 – a watershed?
Prof.dr. J. Pollmann and Dr. H. Wijsman

Should we consider Columbus’ journey of 1492 a watershed in European history? Since the 1970s, scholars have challenged this assumption in a number of ways. Medievalists have argued both that medieval predecessors had paved the way for people like Vasco da Gama’s and Columbus, and that the non-European world was already the target of much (imaginative) thought. On the other hand, early modernists have questioned the willingness and ability of early modern Europeans to take on board the intellectual implications of their discoveries. In this class we will analyze this debate, and investigate its implications for our understanding of the causes of cultural change in the later Middle Ages and the early modern period.

Reading:

  • J.R.S. Phillips, The medieval expansion of Europe (Oxford 1988) all chapters except II

  • John Larner, Marco Polo and the discovery of the world (New Haven 1999)

  • John Elliott, The Old world and the New, 1492-1650 (Cambridge 1970), chapters 1 & 2

  • Anthony Grafton, New worlds, ancient texts. The power of tradition and the shock of discovery (Cambridge Mass, 1992).

Additional reading will be set in the first class.

SECOND SEMESTER

Weeks 1-3: Individualism in Renaissance Europe. Myths, theory and reality
Dr. H.M.E.P. Kuijpers and Dr. R. Stein

In his famous essay on The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860), Jacob Burkhardt depicted Renaissance Italy in sharp contrast to the Middle Ages. People in the Middle Ages would only be aware of themselves as members of families, clans, communities and corporations. In the Renaissance, on the other hand, modern self-awareness rose. People started to write their autobiographies, have themselves portrayed and sign their works. The rise of individualism in Renaissance Europe became a myth that can still be found in popular literature on art and history.
There are a number of reasons why even Burkhardt himself doubted the validity of his statements on Renaissance individualism. In the past decennia debates have focussed on the sociological side of the problem: who actually shared the self consciousness of Dante or Da Vinci? And didn’t early modern people still derive their identity from collective ideas and group membership? On the chronology: what about the traits of individualism found in the works of medieval authors as early as the twelfth century? And first and for all on definitions: What do we actually mean by individualism? In this seminar we will consider and discuss the definitions and development of individualism in relation to community and state, culture, religion and education.

Reading:

  • John Jeffries Martin, Myths of Renaissance individualism. 2004, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. x, 187pp

  • Jacob Burckhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860), Italy (Die Cultur der Renaissance in Italien) (1860) in any modern edition

  • Christopher Marlow, Doctor Faustus (c.1589, or, c.1593) in a modern edition of your choice. Early prints of this play can be found on: Early English Books Online (EEBO) edited texts on the website of the Perseus project: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu – The complete works of Christopher Marlowe

  • Ian Watt, Myths of Modern Individualism. Faust, Don Quixote, Don Juan, Robinson Crusoe, (Cambridge 1996)

Weeks 4-6: Europe and Islam
Prof. dr. M.E.H.N. Mout

The relationship between Europe and Islam must be examined dispassionately, although it continues to be perceived by many as a continuation of the clashes between Christianity and Islam in the distant pastFirst, the history of the relationship between Europe and Islam, from its medieval beginnings to the Age of Enlightenment, will be studied with the help of a textbook. After a general knowledge of the subject is acquired the seminar will focus on current debates among historians.

Reading:

The students are required to study Franco Cardini, Europe and Islam (Blackwell Publishing, Oxford 2001), paperback, ISBN 0631226370, chapter 1-11 before the seminar starts. Additional reading to be announced later.

Language of instruction

English if necessary. Reading knowledge of Dutch is essential.

Time Table

Semester I and II, see timetables.

Method of Instruction

Literature seminar; attendance is compulsory (see the rules and regulations of the Department of History, art. 2).

Course objectives

Students (a) familiarise themselves with some key debates in the field, (b) learn how to analyse and contextualise a historical discussion, © learn how to discuss and analyse such a debate succinctly (d) learn how to write a review.

Examination

Students will be asked to prepare and sometimes to report in writing on the reading they do for the classes. They will also write a short essay or review article on each of the two topics they study.

Information

With the coordinator: Prof.dr. J. Pollmann

Enrolment

For the Spring Semester, please use this form to apply.