| Unit name | The Historiography of the First Crusade |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISTM2007 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Bull |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites | |
| Co-requisites | |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit comprises an in-depth study of the unusually rich and variegated body of historical writing inspired by the events of the First Crusade (1095-1101). Many tellings of the crusade were written during the expedition and in the 10-15 years after it, beginning with letters penned by crusaders and the so-called $?eye-witness&? accounts, and continuing with numerous prose and verse re-workings composed in Latin Europe. The interrelationships between the texts, many of which are still imperfectly understood, open up one area of inquiry, as do the individual texts viewed as cultural productions. The aim of this unit will not be to recreate the events of the crusade through a synthesis of the narrative sources but to explore questions of narrativity, textuality, reception, and memory as posed by this remarkable corpus of material. Students will mostly work from translated texts, but there will also be opportunities to practise their Latin skills.
