HIST 332A Medieval Paris
Paris became, in the thirteenth century, the cultural heart of Europe, home to the strongest monarchy of the period, the new university of Paris, and developments in art, literature, and music. This course will explore how this vibrant cultural capital came to be. We will consider the early history of Paris as a Roman settlement, and home to important saints' cults, as well as its growing strength under the French kings Philip Augustus and Louis IX, the famous saint-king. The core of the course will focus on the growing metropolis of the thirteenth century, with attention to its scholarship, its art, its rulers, and its population, from kings to the poor.