HST301 Europe in Late Antiquity (410–1066)

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course focuses on Europe in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Through either a historical overview or a thematic approach it will clarify how the Roman Empire gave way to a feudalistic Europe. The impact of German­ic tribes and the development Christianity will be assessed to explain the distancing between East and West Europe culminating in the 1054 schism and the investiture struggle between popes and kings over who has superior power. Other possible topics may include the development of monasticism, the rise of Clovis and Charlemagne, the writings of key authors such as St. Augustine, Boethius and the Venerable Bede, Islamic conquests in Spain and Sicily, and the later conquests of the Normans.