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Communes and Universities

The lectures this week introduce two New Urban Institutions - The Commune and The University.

Communes took many forms and thus defining them is difficult, but broadly speaking, they were the established allegiances among the citizens of a town for their mutual governance and benefit. They first arose in the late 11th and early 12th centuries and became increasingly popular after that. There was a strong concentration of them in central northern Italy.

factional defensive towers in San Gimignano

The late 11th and early 12th centuries was also the time when the first universities were established. The first university seems to have been established at Bologna in 1088 and it was not until c.1150 that the University of Paris first opened its doors, with Oxford opening shortly later in c.1167.

meeting of doctors at the University of Paris

The secondary reading for this week is taken from Edward Peters' Europe and the Middle Ages and deals with the cultural and historical changes associated with the new University, while the primary material deals with one of the early university's pin up boys, Peter Abelard and his misfortunes.

the tomb of Abelard and Heloise

The Blog Question:
What does Peters mean when he says (p.267) that "Abelard himself adopted a modified nominalist position".

Historical Argument Exercise Due

This assignment is due Friday, 30th March by 5 p.m. both online and in hard copy.

• the task is described in the Unit Guide - see pp. 104; 7; 11.
• it must be submitted online via Blackboard (see link to my.monash on the right
• it must also be submitted in hard copy with a cover sheet into the submission box at W604 by 5 p.m. on the due date.

For formatting requirements see "Formatting" on the right under Essay Resources.

If you have any general questions about this assignment please post them below.

St. Patrick's Day - 17th March

I hope you all did something green yesterday and got into the Celtic spirit to celebrate the life and works of St. Patrick. I've put a link under "Interesting Stuff" about St. Patrick which you might be interested in.

Week 4: Davis on Pirenne

You can now get to this blog via Blackboard by clicking on "Tutorial Blog links" which simplifies things a little. I think most of the blog teething problems have been addressed but if there are any of you who find that your comments are disappearing or you are struggling to log in for commenting, the advice is:

• check that your browser has third party cookies enabled. You can get instructions on how to do this for your operating system by googling "enable third part cookies" plus "Windows XP", "Mac" or whatever you're using.

 

 Don't forget that the in-class test is happening on Monday in the second lecture hour. It's in multiple choice format and tests the lecture and tutorial material from weeks 1 - 3. Good luck!

 

The reading for this week forms the basis of the Historical Argument Exercise due at the end of week 5, so any thought you can put to it now and develop further in the tute will help your preparation. Davis emphasises that though Pirenne's views have not been generally accepted, it is important to understand what they were. 

The tribute of Harun al-Rashid to Charlemagne

For blog comments : What in Davis' view are the most important elements of Pirenne's position?

Monday is a public holiday that Monash does not get

Sorry about that, but for some now lost reason the universities of Melbourne do not celebrate Labour Day, so lectures and tutes will be running as usual. You might picture yourself like this on Monday perhaps:

Einhard, Charlemagne's biographer

I've put the link to Einhard's biography of Charlemagne over on the right under Interesting Stuff. It's not very long and is actually quite entertaining reading.

Charlemagne and the Carolingians

Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus), the famous king of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans expanded his kingdom by military conquest to incorporate much of Western and Central Europe. The map below gives a clear idea of the extent of his empire by 814.

Charlemagne's rule is also associated with the Carolingian Renaissance incorporating far reaching reforms in education and cultural growth in almost all areas of the expressive arts. We can see a fine example of delicate craftsmanship in the crown typically associated with him:



the iron crown of the King of the Franks

From your reading was it Charlemagne's acquisition of new territories by military conquest or the educational reforms which he fostered which would have the most enduring influence? What was Einhard's view on this do you think?