Università Roma Tre

STO/01 MEDIEVAL HISTORY
MEDIEVAL HISTORY (20702421)
prof. Raimondo Michetti
Course title:
I Module: An introduction to medieval history
II Module: Religious history of the middle ages: methods, sources and studies
Articolazione didattica: 69 hours; 12 CFU; First Semester
Course description:
First Module:
At the beginning, the crisis of the Roman Empire and the peculiarities of the transition period called “late antiquity” will be analysed, focusing in particular on the birth of the Christian Churches and on the affirmation of Christianity as religion of the Empire.
The course will continue analysing the barbarian invasions and their effects on the construction of new political and religious frameworks until the ninth century.
Subsequently, reflections on socio-economic, political and religious characteristics of the Carolingian and Ottonian Empire and on the relationship between the Papacy and the Empire between the 11th and the 13th centuries will be made.
The course will analyse the growth from the 11th century of new social classes and new needs for leadership in Italian and European cities, with effects on the construction of political frames, economic changes, religious and ecclesiastical life; questions will be made about the birth, after the Gregorian reform, of never-before-seen religious movements, now transformed into new religious orders (with particular attention to the order of the minors of Francis of Assisi and the order of the preachers of Domenico di Caleruega), now rejected by the Church as heretical movements.
The birth of national monarchies, and the gradual waning of the role of the Empire and the Papacy until the transfer of the Roman Curia to Avignon at the beginning of the 14th century, as well as the political-territorial structures of the fifteenth century and the influence of humanitarianism in the religious and cultural life will be observed.
The didactic methodology also includes the reading of some written sources that can facilitate the understanding of medieval cultures and mentalities, and the adoption by small groups of some monuments of the city that represent significant events of the medieval millennium: to be visited sometime on Saturday mornings during the lesson time, also in keeping with the courses of History of Medieval Art.
Second Module:
It explores the topics discussed in the first module, focusing more on some of the topics just mentioned in the first one, also in line with the needs emerged in the first part of the course.
Among the themes concerned:
the role of monasticism in the processes of Christianization, hermitic experiences, female religiousness between high and low Middle Ages, the protagonism of the laity, heresies and inquisitions, the role of saints and miracles' cult, 13th-century religious orders, preaching and the role of prophets and prophetic texts in the organization and direction of the daily life.
If the number of students allows it, it is also possible to work for small study groups.

1) G. Sergi,
L’idea di Medioevo. Fra storia e senso comune, Donzelli.
2) G. Vitolo, Il medioevo I. caratteri originali di un’età di transizione, Sansoni
II Module:
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Percorsi di storia religiosa nel Medioevo.
Teacher's handouts to be picked up at the copy shop in front of the university.
N.B.
For those not attending is recommended, although not mandatory, an interview with the professor during office hours to acquire some coordinates that will be useful in the preparation.
Professor's mail contact:
raimondo.michetti@uniroma3.it