MEDIEVAL HISTORY I

The teaching falls within the related and supplementary disciplines of the degree courses in Literature and Philosophy, as well as in the basic ones of the degree course in Conservation of Cultural Heritage. It aims to provide the student with a sure knowledge of the history of medieval Europe from the crisis of the late ancient to the threshold of the moder age (5th-15th centuries) also through a direct comparison with the sources. In order to achieve this aim, the student will be given, in addition to the relevant bibliographic knowledge, some fundamental notions relating to the tools of historical research and to the problems of the historiographic method.

Frequency and / or personal study allow students to acquire:
knowledge and understanding of the problems and methods od medieval history and its periodization;
knowledge and understanding of the different forms of secular and ecclesiastical power, of social and religious structures, and their evolution;
knowledge and understanding of the economic trends and conjunctures of the medieval age;
ability to apply knowledge and understanding to the identification of persistences, developments ad transformatios of medieval society;
ability to apply knowledge and understanding to the framework of the main historical problems related to the Middle Ages and to illustrate their developments and lines of investigation;
autonomy of judgment in the contextualization and critical evaluation of the sources analyzed in class, correctly placing them in the historiographic debate;
communicative ability to acquire an adequate lexicon and develop the ability to critically expose what has been studied;
learning ability to understand and critically analyze the complexity of historical evolutions in reference to other historical periods.

There are no prerequisites, except the correct knowledge of the Italian language.

The course analyzes the characteristics and salient moments of medieval Europe, with particular regard to the transition from the late ancient to tle early Middle Ages, the emergence of a Byzantine East, the comparison with the Germanic populations, the expansion of Islam and the Feudal Europe, the growth of the West between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries and the period of its greatest success, the fourteenth century crisis and the recovery on the threshold of the moder age. The investigation is conducted with the help of written sources and with referral to the historiographic debate for crucial issues.

Attending students:
A) personal notes, sources and materials presented in class available in F. Steffens, Paleographie latine, Roma, Multigrafica, 1982 (http://www.icar.beniculturali.it/biblio/-view-volume.asp?ID-VOLUME=51 );
B) a manual to choose from:
G. Albertoni – T. Lazzari, Introduzione alla storia medievale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2015,
L. Provero – M. Vallerani, Storia medievale, Milano, Le Monnier – Mondadori, 2016,
A. Zorzi, Manuale di storia medievale, Torino-Novara, UTET – De Agostini, 2016.

Non attending students:
A) a manual to choose from:
G. Albertoni – T. Lazzari, Introduzione alla storia medievale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2015,
L. Provero – M. Vallerani, Storia medievale, Milano Le Monnier – Mondadori, 2016,
A. Zorzi, Manuale di storia medievale, Torino-Novara, UTET – De Agostini, 2016.

B) a text to choose from:
P. Cammarosano, Guida allo studio della storia medievale, Bari, Laterza, 2004 (o edizioni successive),
F. Senatore, Medioevo: istruzioni per l’uso, Milano, Mondadori, 2008,
G. Sergi, L’idea di medioevo. Tra senso comune e pratica storia, Roma, Donzelli, 1998-2005.

C) a text to choose from:
M. Bloch, La società feudale, Torino, Einaudi, 1949 (o edizioni successive),
G. Chittolini, La formazione dello stato regionale e le istituzioni del contado, Torino, Einaudi, 1979,
V. Fumagalli, Paesaggi della paura. Vita e natura nel medioevo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1994,
A.J. Gurevic, Le categorie della cultura medievale, Torino, Einaudi, 1983 (o edizioni successive),
R.S. Lopez, La nascita dell’Europa, Torino, Einaudi, 1966 (o edizioni successive),
R.S. Lopez, La rivoluzione commerciale nel medioevo, Torino, Einaudi, 1971 (o edizioni successive),
G. Ortalli, La pittura infamante nei secoli XIII-XVI, Roma, Jouvence, 1979 (o edizioni successive),
G. Ortalli, Lupi, genti, culture: uomo e ambiente nel medioevo, Torino, Einaudi, 1997,
G. Tabacco, Egemonie sociali e strutture del potere nel medioevo italiano, Torino, Einaudi, 1979 (o edizioni successive),
G. Tabacco, Sperimentazioni del potere nell’alto medioevo, Torino, Einaudi, 1993.

The knowledge acquired will be verified through an oral exam. The student will have to know the problems of periodization of the medieval age, the forms of power and the social structures of the different phases of the western Middle Ages, the evolution of religiosity and ecclesiastical organizations, the trends and economic conjunctures of the medieval age; know how to connect and adequately compare the different historical processes of the medieval age; to distract autonomy of judgment, critically using the different sources discussed in class.

Frontal course. Six hours of lessons for five weeks. Attendance is recommended, althrough not mandatory.

Italian

The course is reserved for students of Literature, Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Philosophy to intend to take a 6 credit exam of Medieval History.

Ca' Foscari applies the Italian law (law 17/1999; law 170/2010) for support services and accomodation for students with disabilities or specific learning disabilities. If you have a motor, visual, hearing disability or other disability (law 17/1999) or a specific learnig disorder (law 170/2010) and request support (classroom assistance, technological aids for conducting exams or individualized exams, accessible material, notes recovery, specialistic tutoring to support the study, interpreters or other) contact the Disability and DSA office disabilita@unive.it.

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