This course explores the world of medieval cities from a variety of angles: economic, political, social, religious, gender-based, spatial, &c. From the growth of cities in the eleventh century through their flourishing in the fourteenth century, this course will explore questions about how medieval people made a living, stayed safe, negotiated troubles, cared for the poor, expressed spirituality and ritual, and interacted with others.
We will use the voices of the past—preserved in legal texts, histories, letters, and other genres—to find the origins of the urban world we inhabit today. As fledgling historians, you will be called upon to approach primary source material with curiosity and empathy, to engage with questions of bias, reliability, and agenda, and to sharpen critical reading and analytical writing skills to produce cogent academic arguments.
- Teacher: Axen Christine