This course examines the world of revolts, popular protests, and outlawry in medieval Europe, with a focus on England, France, Italy, and the Spanish kingdoms between the thirteenth and the fifteenth centuries. These territories witnessed a number of massive uprisings during this period, in addition to numerous minor rebellions, in which peasants and townspeople rose in arms against lords, urban elites, and other authority figures. This course examines some of these events in detail. Building on a range of primary sources, such as chronicles, courts records, and pardon letters, we will examine the circumstances in which medieval revolts broke out, the rebels' aims and ideas, the place of women in popular protests, and the connections between some rebellious movements and attacks against Jewish communities. We will also analyze the representations of revolt in medieval texts, draw connections between the figure of the rebel and that of the outlaw, and reflect on the challenges for studying popular uprisings based on sources that—more often than not—were produced by the rebels' enemies.
Course Requirements:
Response papers & final paper
Intended Audience:
Upper class students
Class Format:
Seminar