|
Description: |
The edges of medieval Europe were a melting pot of peoples, cultures, and religions. Using Christian, Muslim, and Jewish sources, this course will examine how complex forces enabled co-existence and cooperation but also conflict. We will focus especially on the military expeditions known as the Crusades which occurred between about 1100 and 1300. Were the Crusades holy wars motivated by religion? Proto-colonial enterprises? Or personal pursuits of martial and dynastic glory? Alongside these questions, we will investigate how the memory of the Crusades survives in modern culture and politics. |