HIS 112 The Worlds of the Middle Ages

This course covers over a thousand years of European history, roughly 300-1500 AD, as well as cross-cultural connections in the Mediterranean region and beyond. The medieval period began in the final gasp of the Roman Empire and saw the rise of medieval courts, with their kings, queens, and knights, Gothic cathedrals, illuminated manuscripts, and cloistered nuns and monks, before ending on the eve of the Age of Exploration. While tracking the major political, economic, and cultural developments in European and Mediterranean societies, this class discusses the christianization of Europe and the rise of Islam in the Middle East, feudal relationships and urbanization, monasticism and Papal power, scholasticism and heresy, as well as the everyday life of men and women. Western History Perspective. Noncredit for students who completed HIS 186 The Worlds of the Middle Ages.