Religion and War - the Medieval Crusades
Old Testament Miniatures with Latin, Persian, and Judeo-Persian inscriptions. Artist: unknown. Collection: The Morgan Library & Museum via Wikimedia Commons/Public domain.
The course will provide general knowledge of events and main agents involved; and it will present and discuss international research in crusading history since the 1990ies and theories about the origin of the crusades and their importance for warfare, religion, and the relations between Christianity and Islam. Also some modern use of crusading history in popular culture and politics will be presented. The course involves reading primary sources (in translation) and recent research literature. It consists of mandatory elements but there will also be possibility for choosing own topics for specialization.
An excursion to Baltic crusader castle(s) in Poland will be arranged during the course. The excursion is not mandatory and not part of the course, and participants must pay travel and accommodation themselves.
Teaching Format
The course consists in seminars. Attendance is mandatory.
Assessment
To complete the course, the student must have attended the seminars, participated actively in discussions at the seminars, and submit an essay on max 12 pages on a topic which is decided in cooperation with the teacher.
