SHUM 4632

Emperors, Kings, and Warlords: Political Legitimacy at the End of the Ancient World

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2018-2019.

This seminar will analyze the transition between the late Roman empire and the barbarian kingdoms in western Europe from the perspective of how rulers, intellectuals, and common people understood legitimate and illegitimate political authority. The so-called "Dark Ages" (4th-7th centuries) were a vibrant period of creativity and reinvention. Class discussion will focus on primary source analysis, and how ethnic (Roman/Germanic), religious (Christian/non-Christian), gender, and other categories informed late antique notions of political authority. We will also discuss how notions of rulership were deployed to challenge emperors and kings. Knowledge of late antique and early medieval political ideas is crucial to understanding modern uses of the so-called "Western" past in current political debates.

When Offered Spring.

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: 15 students.

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