Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana
HIST-T335-02/HIST-T425-01 – Islamic and Imperial Spain
Fall Semester, 2007-2008, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-7:15pm, CM 112
Professor David Coles
E-mail: colesd@ctsfw.edu
Telephones: 452-3205 (office); 486-8252 (home)
This course surveys the history of the Iberian Peninsula from the invasion of the Moors in 711 to the end of the Spanish “Empire” in the eighteenth century, a period of over one thousand years. The course first covers the eighth to the eleventh centuries, when the Islamic Umayyad dynasty headquartered in Córdoba controlled most of the peninsula and ruled over a society that included not only Muslims, but also Christians and Jews. The second part of the course traces the erosion of Islamic power in Spain from the eleventh to the fifteenth centuries and the concomitant rise of the Christian kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal. In the third section of the course, Spain emerges as a leading European power during the reigns of Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles V and Philip II, and the last part of the course is about the stagnation and decline of Imperial Spain from the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 on. Attention is paid not only to political events and socio-economic conditions, but also to the vicissitudes of the religious groups that co-existed in Spain during this millennium. Cultural and intellectual developments are also noted, especially those that may have affected the rest of Europe, Latin America, and Western Civilization as a whole.
This three-credit course, offered as a variation of Topics in Non-Western History, on “selected historical issues and problems in non-Western, Russian, and Latin American history from the perspective of the arts and humanities” (IPFW 2006-2008 Bulletin – Undergraduate Studies, page 210), is approved for fulfillment of the Arts and Sciences’ requirement for Cultural Studies in Non-Western cultures. This course can also be taken for graduate credit.
3.1 In the areas of knowledge and understanding
31.1 To become acquainted with the unusual circumstances of medieval Iberia as a society of religious pluralism and as a cultural and intellectual bridge between the Islamic World and Western Christendom.
31.2 To become more familiar with the rise and fall of Imperial Spain as a key protagonist of world history during the early modern period.
31.3 To understand the mentality and worldview of Spanish civilization and its significance for the modern world.
3.2 In the area of attitudes
32.1 To grow in our interest in, and appreciation of, the strengths and contributions of Hispanic civilization.
32.2 To desire to transcend negative stereotypes about Spanish personalities, institutions and culture, so that a clearer picture of Spain’s history can emerge.
32.3 To wish to enrich the present and the future with our knowledge about Islamic and Imperial Spain.
3.3 In the area of skills
33.1 To grow in our capacity to judge trends and episodes in Spanish history on the basis of the circumstances and attitudes of that time period.
33.2 To become more adept in the critical reading and interpretation of primary sources from Islamic and Imperial Spain.
33.3 To hone our abilities to see possible parallels between situations that arose in Spanish history and challenges that exist in the twenty-first century.
Students will be evaluated on the basis of class attendance and participation (ten per cent of grade), as well as their performance on the following written assignments:
4.1 Quiz #1 (30 minutes) – Tuesday, September 18 (10%)
4.2 Midterm Exam – Thursday, October 11 (20%)
4.3 Write a three to five-page book review, and hand it in by Tuesday, October 23, on Richard Fletcher, The Quest for El Cid (New York, 1990), or Jonathan Ray, The Sephardic Frontier: The Reconquista and the Jewish Community in Medieval Iberia (Ithaca & London, 2006), or Mary Elizabeth Perry, The Handless Maiden: Moriscos and the Politics of Religion in Early Modern Spain (Princeton & Oxford, 2005) (10%).
4.4 Quiz #2 (30 minutes) – Tuesday, November 6 (10%)
4.5 Write a five to ten-page paper, based on Stafford Poole, Juan de Ovando: Governing the Spanish Empire in the Reign of Philip II (Norman, Oklahoma, 2004). In this paper, which is due on November 20, analyze the challenges of administrating the Spanish Empire during the reign of King Philip II and assess to what extent the Spanish government met these challenges successfully (15%).
4.6 Final Exam – Week of December 10-14 (25%)
5.1 Barton, Simon. A History of Spain. Houndmills, Basingstroke, Hampshire & New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
5.2 Bilinkoff, Jodi. The Avila of Saint Teresa: Religious Reform in a Sixteenth Century City. Ithaca, New York & London: Cornell University Press, 1989.
5.3 Burns, Robert I., editor. Las Siete Partidas. Volume One: The Medieval Church; the World of Clerics and Laymen. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001.
5.4 Carr, Raymond. Spain: A History. Oxford, New York et al: Oxford University Press, 2000.
5.5 Constable, Olivia Remie, editor. Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
5.6 Cowans, Jon, editor. Early Modern Spain: A Documentary History. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.
5.7 De Guzmán, María. Spain’s Long Shadow: the Black Legend, Off-Whiteness, and Anglo-American Empire. Minneapolis & London: University of Minnesota Press, 2005.
5.8 Elliott, J. H. Imperial Spain, 1469-1716. London, New York et al: Penguin Books, 1963, 1990, 2002.
5.9 Elliott, J. H. The Revolt of the Catalans: A Study in the Decline of Spain, 1598-1640. Cambridge, London, New York, New Rochelle, Melbourne & Sydney: Cambridge University Press, 1963, 1984.
5.10 Fletcher, Richard. Moorish Spain. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1992.
5.11 Fletcher, Richard. The Quest for El Cid. New York: Knopf, 1990.
5.12 Fuentes, Carlos. The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World. Boston & New York: A Mariner Book – Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992, 1999.
5.13 Harris, A. Katie. From Muslim to Christian Granada: Inventing a City’s Past in Early Modern Spain. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.
5.14 Harvey, L. P. Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press, 1990.
5.15 Homza, Lu Ann. Religious Authority in the Spanish Renaissance. Baltimore & London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000.
5.16 Kamen, Henry. Empire: How Spain Became a World Power, 1492 – 1763. New York: Perennial – Harper Collins Publishers, 2002, 2004.
5.17 Kamen, Henry. Golden Age Spain. Second Edition. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1988, 2005.
5.18 Lowney, Chris. A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment. New York, London, Toronto & Sydney: Free Press, 2005.
5.19 MacKay, Ruth. “Lazy, Improvident People”: Myth and Reality in the Writing of Spanish History. Ithaca, New York & London: Cornell University Press, 2006.
5.20 Menocal, María Rosa. The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History: A Forgotten Heritage. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1987, 2004.
5.21 Menocal, María Rosa. The Ornament of the World. How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain. Boston, New York & London: Back Bay Books – Little, Brown and Company, 2002.
5.22 O’Callaghan, Joseph F. A History of Medieval Spain. Ithaca, New York & London: Cornell University Press, 1975.
5.23 O’Callaghan, Joseph F. Reconquest and Crusade in Medieval Spain. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.
5.24 Pagden, Anthony. Spanish Imperialism and the Political Imagination. Studies in European and Spanish-American Social and Political Theory, 1513-1830. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1990.
5.25 Pastor de Togneri, Reyna. Del Islam al Cristianismo en las fronteras de dos formaciones económico-sociales. Barcelona: Ediciones Península, 1975.
5.26 Pérez, Joseph. The Spanish Inquisition. A History. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2002, 2005.
5.27 Perry, Mary Elizabeth. The Handless Maiden: Moriscos and the Politics of Religion in Early Modern Spain. Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2005.
5.28 Pierson, Peter. The History of Spain. Westport, Connecticut & London: Greenwood Press, 1999.
5.29 Poole, Stafford. Juan de Ovando. Governing the Spanish Empire in the Reign of Philip II. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004.
5.30 Ray, Jonathan. The Sephardic Frontier. The Reconquista and the Jewish Community in Medieval Iberia. Ithaca, New York & London: Cornell University Press, 2006.
5.31 Reilly, Bernard F. The Medieval Spains. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
5.32 Restall, Matthew. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest. Oxford, New York et al: Oxford University Press, 2003.
5.33 Reston Jr., James. Dogs of God: Columbus, the Inquisition and the Defeat of the Moors. New York: Anchor Books – Random House, Inc., 2006.
5.34 Roth, Norman. Conversos, Inquisition, and the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Madison, Wisconsin & London: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1995, 2002.
5.35 Thomas, Hugh. Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2003.
6.1 Tuesday, August 21, 2007 – Introduction: Geography and Population of Iberia; General Interpretations of Spanish History; Overview of the Early History of Spain. Readings: Reilly, 1-4; Constable, xxv-xxvii; Elliott, xi-14; Cowans, 1.
6.2 Thursday, August 23 – Roman and Early Visigothic Spain (c. 200 B.C. – 680 A.D.). Readings: Reilly, 4-44; Constable, 3-25.
6.3 Tuesday, August 28 – Decline of the Visigothic Kingdom, the Islamic Conquest of Iberia and Early Years of the Muslim Occupation (680 – 756). Readings: Reilly, 44-55; Constable, 29-42.
6.4 Thursday, August 30 – The Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba (756 – 912). Readings: Reilly, 55-57, 61-64, 65-70, 73-74, 79-82.
6.5 Tuesday, September 4 – ‘Abd-al-Rahman III and the Efflorescence of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba (912 – 1009). Readings: 64-65, 70-74, 83-89; Constable, 62-74.
6.6 Thursday, September 6 - The Early Christian Kingdoms of Northern Spain: Asturias, León, Navarre, Aragon, Barcelona and Castile (718 – 1009). Readings: Reilly, 74-79, 82-83, 90-92; Constable, 56-61, 137-142.
6.7 Tuesday, September 11 – The Fragmentation of Al-Andalus and the New Momentum of the Reconquista: Alfonso VI of León-Castile (1009 – 1085). Readings: Reilly, 92-97, 104-105; Constable, 118-120.
6.8 Thursday, September 13 – The Coming of the “Fundamentalist” Almoravids (Murabit) from Morocco and the Emergence of León-Castile, Aragon-Barcelona, and Portugal as the Leading Christian Kingdoms of Iberia: Alfonso VII of León-Castile (1086 – 1157). Readings: Reilly, 97-103, 105-116, 131; Constable, 103-117, 120-122, 133-136, 175-179.
6.9 Tuesday, September 18 – Quiz #1. Political, Economic and Social Developments in Christian Spain from 1086 to 1252. Readings: Reilly, 116-121; Constable, 123-132, 164-172, 222-225, 239-246; Elliott, 31-32.
6.10 Thursday, September 20 – Religious and Cultural Developments in Christian Spain from 1086 to 1252. Readings: Reilly, 121-128; Constable, 77-102, 143-155, 180-184, 198-206.
6.11 Tuesday, September 25 – The Challenge of another Moroccan “Fundamentalist” Movement, the Almohads (Muwahhid), and the Christian Conquest of Most of Andalusia (1157 – 1252). Readings: Reilly, 129-139, 143-144; Constable, 156-163, 185-197, 209-222.
6.12 Thursday, September 27 – The Consolidation of Castile, Aragon and Portugal, Their Increasing Involvement in European Affairs, and the Emergence of Nasrid Granada (1252 - 1350). Readings: Reilly, 139-143, 147, 149-152, 156, 160-172, 190-194, 203; Constable, 225-236, 246-268; Elliott, 26-33.
6.13 Tuesday, October 2 – Civil Wars, Social Conflicts and the Rise of Aristocratic Dynasties in Castile during the Late Middle Ages (1350 – 1469). Readings: Reilly, 172-179, 184-185, 194-195, 203-209; Constable, 241, 294-326; Elliott, 33-44.
6.14 Thursday, October 4 - The Jews and the Mudéjars, Religion and Culture, in Spain from 1252 to 1469. Readings: Reilly, 155-159, 179-184, 186-189, 195-203; Constable, 269-293, 327-329; Elliott, 106-107.
6.15 Thursday, October 11 – Mid-Term Exam
6.16 Tuesday, October 16 – The Unification of Castile and Aragon under Ferdinand and Isabella (1469 – 1492). Readings: Elliott, 13-26, 45-53, 77-101, 102-106, 107-110; Constable, 330-370; Cowans, 1-27.
6.17 Thursday, October 18 – The Voyages of Discovery of Portugal and Castile: Columbus and the Discovery of America (1415 – 1506). Readings: Elliott, 56-62, 101-102; Constable, 371-381; Cowans, 28-33.
6.18 Tuesday, October 23 – The Economic and Social Effects of the Policies of Isabella and Ferdinand (1492 – 1504). Readings: Elliott, 110-129.
6.19 Thursday, October 25 – The Emergence of Spain as a European Imperial Superpower (1504 – 1530). Readings: Elliott, 54, 62-68, 130-165; Cowans, 37-48.
6.20 Tuesday, October 30 – Religious Movements and Moral Issues Raised by the Spanish Conquests in America (1492 – 1556). Readings: Elliott, 68-76, 160-163, 212-224; Cowans, 34-36, 49-73, 79-82, 193-202.
6.21 Thursday, November 1 – The Government and the Economy of Spain during the Reign of Charles V (1530 – 1556). Readings: Elliott, 164-211; Cowans, 74-78; 83-85.
6.22 Tuesday, November 6 – Quiz #2. King Philip II: Personality, Goals, and Historical Interpretations; System of Government, Economic Policy and Developments in the Americas (1556 – 1598). Readings: Elliott, 249-262, 265-269, 285-297; Cowans, 86-90, 102-104.
6.23 Thursday, November 8 – The Foreign Policy of Philip II as Leader of the Counter-Reformation: Conflicts in the Netherlands, Rivalry with the Ottoman Empire, and the Defeat of the Spanish Armada by England (1556 – 1598). Readings: Elliott, 212, 224-235, 241-243, 262-265; Cowans, 91-92, 100-101, 110-111, 126-132.
6.24 Tuesday, November 13 – Internal Divisions and Uprisings in Spain during the Reign of Philip II and the Annexation of Portugal (1556 – 1598). Readings: Elliott, 235-241, 268-284; Cowans, 105-109, 112-116.
6.25 Thursday, November 15 – The “Siglo de Oro” (“Century of Gold”) of Spanish Culture, Literature and Religion (c. 1550 – c. 1680). Readings: Elliott, 243-248, 295, 299, 319-320, 367-370; Cowans, 93-99, 117-125, 141-142, 168-171.
6.26 Tuesday, November 20 – Attempts during the Reign of Philip III to Change Course after the Crises of the 1590s (1598 – 1621). Readings: Elliott, 290, 293, 298-323; Cowans, 133-140, 143-151.
6.27 Tuesday, November 27 – The Reign of Philip IV: More Setbacks for the Spanish Empire (1621 – 1665). Readings: Elliott, 323-360; Cowans, 152-167, 172-179.
6.28 Thursday, November 29 – The Continuing Stagnation and Decline of Spain under King Charles II (1665 – 1700). Readings: Elliott, 361-374; Cowans, 180-202.
6.29 Tuesday, December 4 – Attempts to Revive and Reorganize the Spanish Empire under the Bourbons (1700 – 1794). Readings: Elliott, 373-378; Cowans, 203-211, 217-270.
6.30 Thursday, December 6 – A Postmortem of Imperial Spain and A Final Appraisal of the Legacies of Medieval and Imperial Spain on Modern Spain, Western Civilization, Latin America and the United States. Readings: Elliott, 378-384; Cowans, 212-216.
6.31 Week of December 10-14 – Final Exam