HIST 371
Office: Holton 328
Phone: (414) 229-5767
Messages: History Department, tel. (414) 229-4361
E-mail: carlin@uwm.edu
Home page: sites.uwm.edu/carlin
Office hours: Tuesdays 11 AM – 12 noon, and by appointment
Course description: This course will focus on England in the first half of the thirteenth century, one of the most formative periods in English history. It was shaped politically by the spectacular failures of King John’s reign — his catastrophic loss to the French king, Philip Augustus, of Normandy and other territories in northern France; his clash with Pope Innocent III, which resulted in a six-year Interdict and John’s humiliating grant of England to the pope; and John’s clash with his own barons, which resulted in a widespread rebellion that forced the king to issue the charter of liberties known as Magna Carta. After John’s death in 1216, the barons remained turbulent under John’s son, Henry III, whose long reign was also marked by political and military failure. These titanic clashes between king and king, king and barons, and king and pope had long-term effects that included centuries of conflict between England and France, the development of Parliament as an important counterweight to royal autocracy, and a resentment of papal power that ultimately influenced England’s alignment in the sixteenth century with the Protestant Reformation. But the early thirteenth century was also a period of great change in other ways, including the keeping of written records not only by government bureaus and ecclesiastical officials, but also by local office-holders and private households; the growing independence and influence of towns; the arrival of the mendicant orders; and the exploitation of new technologies including the windmill and the horizontal loom. To examine all this we will read numerous primary sources (chronicles, letters, charters, financial accounts, and other documents) as well as works by modern scholars, and we will also look at examples of the art, architecture, and material culture of the period.
Course objectives: This course will provide an intensive look at an important period in medieval history, one whose events and developments have had repercussions down to the present day. It will enable you to understand the significance both of outstanding individual careers and events, and of broad and long-term historical patterns, and to develop important skills in:
- reading and evaluating sources carefully and critically
- identifying and analyzing a wide variety of types of evidence
- using such evidence to reconstruct and interpret the past
- combining research and analysis with thoughtful writing to produce clear, original, and persuasive arguments
Required readings:
The required readings for History 371 will be drawn from textbooks, readings available on D2L, and material available online.
Please bring with you to each class paper or electronic copies of all readings and other materials assigned for that day.
There are two required textbooks, both available from the UWM Bookstore:
Bartlett, Robert. England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075-1225. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
DA195 .B28 2000
Carlin, Martha, and David Crouch, eds. and trans. Lost Letters of Medieval Life: English Society, 1200-1250. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013.
DA170.L67 2013
(I will donate to the UWM Foundation all royalties that I receive from sales of this book to members of this class.)
Required readings available on D2L:
Crane, Susan. “Social Aspects of Bilingualism in the Thirteenth Century.” In Thirteenth-Century England VI. Ed. Michael Prestwich, Richard Britnell, and Robin Frame. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, 1997, pp. 103-116.
DA225 .T45x, v. 6
Faulkner, Kathryn. “The Knights in the Magna Carta Civil War.” In Thirteenth-Century England VIII. Ed. Michael Prestwich, Richard Britnell, and Robin Frame. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, 2001, pp. 1-12.
DA225 .T45x, v. 8
Gies, Frances and Joseph. Women in the Middle Ages. New York: Harper and Row, 1978, pp. 120-142 and 241-2 (Chap. 7 “A Great Lady: Eleanor de Montfort”). HQ1143 G53 1978
Gillingham, John. “The Anonymous of Béthune, King John and Magna Carta.” In Magna Carta and the England of King John. Ed. Janet S. Loengard. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell, 2010, pp. 27-44.
Harding, Alan. England in the Thirteenth Century. Cambridge (UK) and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780521316125
DA225 H37 1993
Labarge, Margaret Wade. A Baronial Household of the Thirteenth Century. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1965. [Subsequently reprinted under the title Mistress, Maids and Men: Baronial Life in the Thirteenth Century], pp. 9-17 (Introduction), 38-52 (Chap. 2), 166-184 (Chap. 10), 189-201(Appendix)
DA185 .L3 and DA185 .L3 1980
Useful volumes to consult in the UWM library include:
English Historical Documents, volume III: 1189-1327. Ed. Harry Rothwell. London: Eyre and Spottiswood, 1975.
DA26 E55, v. 3
Holt, James C. Magna Carta. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965.
JN147 H64
E-mail and Internet access: You will require an email account and access to the Internet for this class. All UWM students receive a free UWM email account, and have free Internet access via UWM computer terminals and WiFi in UWM buildings. The History Department regularly contacts students via their assigned UWM email addresses. If you use another email service provider (e.g., Gmail or Yahoo!) instead of your assigned UWM e-address, please go immediately into your UWM email account and put a “forward” command on it to forward all incoming email messages to the account that you routinely use. This is your responsibility; the History Department reflectors use UWM email addresses only.
Writing assignments: There will be four required out-of-class writing assignments (described at the end of this syllabus).
Exams: There will be no midterm for this class, but there are likely to be in-class quizzes. The final exam is Assignment 4 (described at end of syllabus), which is due in class on the last day of class.
Grading and deadlines: Your final grade will be based on your attendance and in-class work (30%), and your four out-of-class writing assignments (70%; see breakdown at end of syllabus). The writing assignments will be due on the dates specified in this syllabus. Late work will not be accepted, except in cases of major illness or emergency (it is your responsibility to contact me immediately in such a case).
Attendance: Your regular attendance is essential. Students who, during the first week of classes, fail to attend class or to contact me may be dropped administratively.
Electronic devices in class: You may use a laptop or tablet computer in class but only for work related to this class. This is a zero-tolerance policy: any off-task computer use will result in the immediate forfeiture of the privilege of using a computer in class for the remainder of the semester. All other electronic devices, including phones, must be turned off and stowed away during class.
Disabilities: If you have a disability, it is essential that you contact me early in the semester to discuss any help or accommodation you may need.
Academic Advising in History: All L&S students have to declare and complete an academic major to graduate. If you have earned in excess of 45 credits and have not yet declared a major, you are encouraged to do so. If you are interested in declaring a major or minor in History, or require academic advising in History, please visit the Department of History’s undergraduate program web page, at: http://uwm.edu/history/undergraduate/.
Academic integrity at UWM: UWM and I expect each student to be honest in academic performance. Failure to do so may result in discipline under rules published by the Board of Regents (UWS 14). The penalties for academic misconduct such as cheating or plagiarism can include a grade of “F” for the course and expulsion from the University.
UWM policies on course-related matters: See the website of the Secretary of the University, at:
https://www4.uwm.edu/secu/news_events/upload/Syllabus-Links.pdf
Topics and Reading
Week 1: Introduction and Sources
6 Sept. –
Introduction to course
“Why study history from primary sources?” available online at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/robinson-sources.asp
Timeline of British history, by reign:
http://www.britroyals.com/timeline.asp
Timeline of European history, 1200-1300:
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/timeline_1200.html
8 Sept. –
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. xv-xxvi (Preface; A Note on Money), 1-23 (Introduction)
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 616-633 (chroniclers, 1066-1225)
Week 2: The Rhythms of Life: Languages
13 Sept. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 633-645 (Rhythms of the Day, Week, and Year)
15 Sept. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 482-506 (Languages and Literatures)
Crane, “Social Aspects of Bilingualism in the Thirteenth Century” (read only pp. 103-109)
Week 3: the Struggle for the Crown, 1066-1199
20 Sept. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 1-25 (Introduction; The Struggle for the Succession, and the Angevin Empire)
22 Sept. –
[ASSIGNMENT 1 DUE IN CLASS]
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 28-37 (Court Politics; The Role of Queens), 48-62 (Predatory and Punitive Rule; Rebellion), 90-92 (English Overlordship in the British Isles)
Week 4: English Politics, 1200-1250
27 Sept. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 25-28 (The Loss of the Northern French Territories), 62-67 (Magna Carta)
Harding, England in the Thirteenth Century, pp. 264-275 (England, France, and the papacy, 1199-1213; the assertion of baronial liberties, 1213-27)
Gillingham, “The Anonymous of Béthune, King John and Magna Carta”
29 Sept. –
Harding, England in the Thirteenth Century, pp. 275-283 (the ambitions of a king, 1227-1258), 321-323 (conclusion: the making of a state)
Rebellion, 1233-4, from Roger of Wendover’s Flowers of History
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/rebellion-1233-4/
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 124-136 (Documents 34-38)
Week 5: Lordship and Government
4 Oct. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 121-143 (Kingship and Lordship, Regality, the Household and Household Administration, Itineration), 193-201 (Records and Record-Keeping)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 84-85 (Document 19)
6 Oct. –
[ASSIGNMENT 2 DUE IN CLASS]
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 143-147 (Assemblies), pp. 147-171 (Territorial Administration, Royal Finances)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 144-149 (Documents 42-43), pp. 184-191 (Documents 58-60)
Week 6: Lords, Knights, and Ladies
11 Oct. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 206-213 (Social semantics; Earls; Barons), pp. 229-235 (Birth and Bearing; Knighting), pp. 245-251 (Seals, Heraldry, Arthurian Legend)
Faulkner, “The Knights in the Magna Carta Civil War”
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 73-77 (Document 15), 85-90 (Document 20), 92-98 (Documents 22-23), 158-164 (Documents 47-48), 216-218 (Documents 67-68)
13 Oct. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 547-549 (freedom to marry), 555-558 (dower and marriage-portions; divorce and separation)
Labarge, A Baronial Household of the Thirteenth Century, pp. 9-17 (Introduction), 38-52 (Chap. 2, “The Lady of the House”), 189-201 (Appendix: Extract from the household roll of Eleanor, Countess of Leicester, 1265)
Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln: Rules for the household of the widowed Countess of Lincoln, 1240 x 1242:
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/the-rules-of-saint-robert-grosseteste/
Week 7: Warfare
18 Oct. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 68-89 (Wales and Scotland), 252-269 (warfare and troops)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 115-24 (Documents 29-33)
20 Oct. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 269-283 (castles)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 99-111 (Documents 24-26)
Week 8: the Rural Foundations
25 Oct. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 287-311 (The Physical Framework, Population, Settlement Patterns, Land Use and Agricultural Technique)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 27-31 (Document 1); pp. 268-270 (Document 90)
27 Oct. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 311-317 (Food and Famine, The Manorial Economy, Rural Social Structure), 319-325 (The Size of Peasant Holdings, Freedom and Villeinage)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 90-96 (Document 21), 164-175 (Documents 49-53), pp. 274-277 (Document 93)
Week 9: Towns and Trade; Debt and Credit, The Jews
1 Nov. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 331-345 (towns), 346-360 (The Jews)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 53-73 (Documents 7-14)
3 Nov. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 360-376 (Trade: The Framework; Commodities; Coinage and Monetization)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 53-73 (Documents 7-14)
Week 10: Law and Order; Neighborliness and Community
8 Nov. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 177-193 (Courts and Judgments)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 111-115 (Documents 27-28), pp. 137-144 (Documents 39-41), pp. 149-158 (Documents 44-46)
10 Nov. –
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 257-268 (Documents 85-89), pp. 270-274 (Documents 91-92)
Week 11: The Institutional Church
15 Nov. –
[ASSIGNMENT 3 DUE IN CLASS]
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 377-382 (clerks and parish), 387-402 (bishops)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 79-84 (Documents 17-18), 175-184 (Documents 54-57), pp. 245-247 (Document 79)
17 Nov. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 402-412 (kingly power and priestly power)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 225-233 (Documents 71-73)
King John taxes the clergy; the arrival of the friars in England; the Interdict, from Roger of Wendover’s Flowers of History:
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/king-john-taxes-the-clergy-the-arrival-of-the-friars-in-england-the-interdict/
Week 12: Education
22 Nov. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 506-525 (Education and High Learning)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 247-257 (Documents 80-84)
24 Nov. –
THANKSGIVING DAY (no class)
Week 13: Religion
29 Nov. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 442-460 (concepts of the holy; devotion)
The vision of Turchill, from Roger of Wendover’s Flowers of History:
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/the-vision-of-turchill/
1 Dec. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 460-481 (saints and their cults; overseas pilgrimage; dissent)
Miracles and the instant cult of St. Hugh of Lincoln, from Roger of Wendover’s Flowers of History:
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/the-instant-cult-of-st-hugh-of-lincoln/
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/miracles/
Week 14: Display, Hunting, and Tournaments; Manners; a Knight’s Correspondence: Building a Barn and a Windmill
6 Dec. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 235-244 (Display; Horse and Hound; Tournaments), 670-674 (Animals of the Wild)
Labarge, A Baronial Household of the Thirteenth Century, pp. 166-184 (Chap. 10, “The Amusements of a Baronial Household”)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 191-216 (Documents 61-66)
8 Dec. –
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 573-588 (Grooming; Drinking and Violence; The “Civilized Man”)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 278-291 (Docs 94-100)
Week 15: the Course and Rythms of Life
13 Dec. –
[ASSIGNMENT 4 DUE IN CLASS]
Bartlett, England under the Norman and Angevin Kings, pp. 552-555 (betrothal and marriage), 558-572 (love and sex)
Frances and Joseph Gies, Women in the Middle Ages, Chap. 7 (“A Great Lady: Eleanor de Montfort”)
Carlin and Crouch, Lost Letters of Medieval Life, pp. 219-225 (Documents 69-70), pp. 233-245 (Documents 74-78)
Writing Assignments for History 371
There are four required out-of-class writing assignments for History 371. Assignments 1-3 are designed to lead you to produce a scholarly edition of a medieval letter (two letters for graduate students); Assignment 4 is a final exam with its answers. Each assignment is described below.
All written assignments must be submitted in paper copy, using 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins and numbered pages.
Please staple your papers or use some other sturdy fastener, not a paperclip.
You may not submit written assignments electronically or by fax.
No extensions will be allowed on the writing assignments except in the case of major illness or emergency; it is your responsibility to contact me immediately in such a case.
Assignment 1 (1-2 pages), due in class on 22 September (5% of final grade):
Pick one letter (two letters if you are a graduate student) from the collection of selected correspondence of Ralph Neville on my webpage at:
https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/selected-correspondence-of-ralph-de-neville-d-1244/
Print the original letter(s), in the English translation by Blaauw given in the website above.
Include the full bibliographical reference to Blaauw’s edition, and also the URL for the website where you found it (i.e., the webpage containing my transcriptions) and the date on which you
accessed it, following the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) citation format for Notes. (Parenthetical citations are not acceptable.)
For guidelines on Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) documentation, see below.
Re-write the letter(s) in modern English. Put your version(s) below Blaauw’s.
The aim of this exercise is to ensure that you fully understand your letter(s), so your modernized version(s) must be complete, clear, and accurate.
Assignment 2 (2-3 pages), due in class on 6 October (10% of final grade):
Re-print Assignment 1, with any necessary corrections.
List three topics that you will focus on in editing your letter(s) for Assignment 3. These can include such things as people, places, events, activities, or items mentioned in the letter(s), or any other noteworthy point.
Then list two primary sources (three for graduate students), and three scholarly secondary sources (five for graduate students), that you will use to research these features.
Each source must be specifically relevant to one or more of your discussion topics — avoid general works.
At least one primary source and one secondary source (two of each for graduate students) must be from outside this syllabus.
At least two of your secondary sources must be articles from scholarly journals or multi-author volumes of scholarly papers.
Webbed scholarly books and articles may be used, but websites (including Wikipedia) may not be used, except for optional illustrations.
An especially valuable webbed collection of scholarly books and primary sources on British history can be found at British History Online:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/Default.aspx
You will also find references to many valuable primary and secondary sources in the Notes and Bibliographies of the course textbooks and other assigned readings.
Cite all sources following the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) format for Bibliographies. Include relevant page numbers or other descriptors.
The aim of this assignment is to ensure that you have a good working copy of your letter, and have identified at least three appropriate topics to discuss in your main paper (Assignment 3), and some relevant primary and secondary sources for writing Assignment 3.
Assignment 3 (4-5 pages of text, 8-10 pages for graduate students, exclusive of endnotes, bibliography, and illustrations), due in class on 15 November; 30% of final grade:
Write a scholarly edition of your letter(s), using the Documents in Lost Letters of Medieval Life as your model:
Begin with Blaauw’s translation(s) of your letter(s). Add the Latin text(s), if available. Be sure to include full documentation in an endnote.
Then discuss the letter’s noteworthy points, drawing on Assignment 2. You must discuss at least three features per letter.
Minimum source requirements are as described in Assignment 2.
Webbed scholarly books and articles may be used, but websites (including Wikipedia) may not be used, except for optional illustrations.
Include full endnotes and a bibliography at the end of your paper, following the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) formats for these.
Illustrations are optional; if used, include at the end of your paper, preceding the endnotes and bibliography.
Be sure to include full documentation for any illustrations (use either captions or in endnotes).
Assignment 4 (length variable), due in class on 13 December; 25% of final grade:
Imagine that you have just taught this course. Write a suitable final exam for the class.
If you are an undergraduate, design this as a two-hour exam. If you are a graduate student, design this as a take-home exam.
You must include not only the exam questions but also the correct answers. In other words, if you design an essay exam, you have to write the kind of essays
that would result in a grade of “A”; if you design some other kind of final exam you must provide full, “A”-level answers.
Your exam must cover the full content of the course (Weeks 1-15, inclusive).
The exam questions and answers must be entirely your own work.
All Online Sources are Prohibited Except for:
Primary sources (such as medieval chronicles or legal documents, or photographs of art or artifacts)
Scholarly books or journal articles (such as those available through Google Books or JSTOR)
Maps and other illustrations (optional)
No websites (including Wikipedia) are permitted as secondary sources.
Remember that primary sources, which include artifacts as well as texts, date from the period that you are studying; they are “eyewitness” sources. Examples of primary sources from medieval Europe include texts such as chronicles, poems, and legal documents, and artifacts such as pottery, coins, skeletons, or buildings. It is OK to use as primary sources medieval texts in modern English translations, and to use photographs (but not drawings) of artifacts. You are welcome to use relevant primary sources from this syllabus.
Secondary sources date from after the period that you are studying; they are not “eyewitness” sources. Examples of secondary sources include modern books, articles, maps, and drawings that attempt to reconstruct some aspect of the medieval past. Use only scholarly secondary sources, which are fully documented with footnotes or endnotes; a bibliography alone is insufficient. Our two course textbooks both qualify as scholarly secondary sources.
If you are still unclear about the difference between primary and secondary sources, see me or read the essay “Why study history from primary sources?” available online at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/robinson-sources.asp
the Required Documentation Format for Your Paper is That of the Chicago Manual of Style:
Your paper must be fully documented in the format of the CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE (CMOS), and must include both endnotes AND bibliography. (Parenthetical citations are NOT acceptable.) College-level writing, using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, also is required. For guidelines on paper-writing and CMOS documentation, see my brief guide, “Documenting Your History Paper” (https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/documenting-your-history-paper/), or consult any of the other online style and documentation guides listed on my homepage, at: https://sites.uwm.edu/carlin/documentation-guides/
The papers are due in class on the dates specified above. You must hand them in on paper; please staple them or use some other sturdy fastener, not a paperclip. You may not submit your papers via e-mail or fax. No extensions will be allowed on the papers except in the case of major illness or emergency; it is your responsibility to contact me immediately in such a case.