HIST 306: The Crusades (GS)

Course Description

In 1095, Pope Urban II conceived a new way for devout Christians in Europe to combine the religious benefits of pilgrimage with the attractions of medieval warfare: the result was a series of expeditions to Jerusalem and the Levant known today as the First Crusade. This course will examine the resulting crusading movement from the eleventh to the beginning of the sixteenth century, noting how the idea of a “crusade” changed from an expedition to the Holy Land to a war aimed at the enemies of Christendom both within and outside its borders. The course will rely heavily on the examination and analysis of key episodes of the Crusades from the perspectives of European (Latin) Christians, Orthodox (Greek) Christians, Muslims (Sunni and Shiite) and European Jews. Particular attention will be devoted to the background and genesis of the First Crusade, to the reactions of Muslims to the crusaders and to the formation of the Crusader States, to the appeal of crusading ideology to European knights, and to the effects of the crusading movement on European social life, politics, and theology. Because the foundations of current relations between Christians, Muslims and Jews were formed during this period, it is a particularly relevant field of study for the twenty first century. Two goals of the class will be to help students appreciate the different religious and cultural beliefs that influenced the actions of those involved in the Crusades and to enable students to understand how actions within Europe affected the Byzantine Empire and the Levant and vice versa. Prerequisites: Junior standing and 100-level History course or instructor consent.