Barbarian Europe: 300 - 1000 A.D.

Catalog description

This course covers the period from ca. 300 to ca. 1000 A.D. The course examines the disintegration of the Roman Empire; the occupation of its western provinces by various Germanic tribes; the Roman Emperor Justinian's attempted re-conquest of the lost western provinces; the expansion of Islam and the breakdown of the unity of Mediterranean civilization; the emergence of the Frankish kingdom in northwestern Europe as the self-proclaimed heir of Rome's imperial tradition; the rise of the Carolingian Empire under Charlemagne; the connection between religion and imperialism; the breakup of the Carolingian empire due to aristocratic resistance to imperial absolutism, a localized economy, and renewed invasion; and the new political forms which emerged in Europe as the Carolingian empire collapsed. Restrictions/Requirements: New Core: Fulfills 3 credits in Area of Knowledge II.