HIST 314 Kings, Emperors, and Nobles: Power in the Global Middle Ages
What is power? Power was not a universal concept in the Middle Ages, each place conceived of, and legitimized, power in different manners. In some cases a ruler justified their power through military prowess, while in others it was divine sanction. From Al-Andalus to Francia to Japan, power required legitimacy in order to be effective. This legitimacy was built in many ways, sometimes through ritual presentations, sometimes through written texts, but always depended on cultural norms about who should exercise power. This course looks at some of the ways in which power operated and its justification through several case studies. Spanning both centuries and continents, this course investigates how power is legitimized and used in different cultures.