This seminar will study the phenomenon of crusading in medieval Latin Christendom, from the First Crusade proclaimed by Pope Urban II in 1095 to the late crusades of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. We will particularly focus on crusading in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when the ideas and practices of being a martial pilgrim were developed and formalized by the Church. The concept of holy war in Latin Christianity and Islam will be examined. We will analyze the Fourth Crusade and the sack of Constantinople in 1204. We will investigate the Albigensian Crusade (1208-1229) into what is now southern France, when Christians were promised salvation for killing other Christians and whether "genocidal moments" occurred during this holy war against heretics. Topics to be discussed are the Kingdom of Jerusalem and other crusader colonies in the Levant, women on crusade, the poetry of crusading, chivalry, military orders like the Knights Templars and the Hospitallers, and violence as a redemptive act. One historiographic paper and a research essay are required.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA HUM; AR HUM
