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The Pirenne Thesis and the Early Middle Ages B351 Barbarian Europe Blumenshine – Fall 2007 Scholars of the twentieth century have discussed the dating and origins of the early middle ages with care and attention, because in doing so they have addressed the broader question of what actually constitutes the definition of the middle ages and of medieval history. When does antiquity end and the middle ages begin? How does one define a historical epoch? For hundreds of years thinkers and historians have ended the ancient world with the Germanic migrations of the fifth century. But about seventy years ago Henri Pirenne argued that the major break in historical development should come with the rise and expansion of Islam. On the basis of your study this semester and the readings by Brown, Pirenne, Dennett, Geary, and Dawson (Readings, nos. 3-7), where would you place the beginnings of medieval history and the end of the ancient world? In an essay of six to eight double-spaced, typed pages, survey the arguments and contributions of the authors listed above and offer reflections on this question in terms of your reading and knowledge of the late ancient and early medieval world. Is Pirenne right or not? How would you modify or agree with his thesis? What is "ancient" and what is "medieval" about the period we have been studying this semester? Your analysis should take into account five factors in the readings: 1) the victory and impact of Christianity (Brown) 2) Roman culture in Germanic Europe; (Geary) 3) the Islamic invasions and Mediterranean economic life; (Pirenne and Dennet) 4) the crisis of the eighth century and the emergence of Frankish Papal Europe in the West; (Dawson) 5) the periodization of the Middle Ages, that is, when does the medieval period begin? A coherent essay which summarizes the argument of each reading selection within the context of a carefully worded thesis paragraph will be due in class Thursday, 15 November. The grade will be lowered one grade each day the paper is late. |