Perusall Readings (since March 13)

Hist 1011-001

Statute of Laborers

1. Edward III and English Parliament

2. Written in 1351 after Black Death (severe labor shortages and rising wages)

3. Favored landowners/ elites, portrays workers as greedy and attempts to control them

4. To cap wages, force people to work (wanted to stabilize economy after plague)

5. Shows tension between workers and elites, highlights early government to control labor/wages Key words: mentions lots of job positions, punishments

De Supersticiones: on St Guinefort

1. Stephon de Bourbon (13th century Dominican friar)

2. Medieval France~1200s during church efforts to eliminate superstition and enforce orthodox christianity

3. Strongly anti- superstition, represents church authority, portrays peasants ('folk") as ignorant/dangerous/devil-like

4. To warn against superstition and justify church intervention

5. Reveals tensions between church beliefs v.s popular practices by folks (involving women and healing rituals) key words: mentions women, first person narrative, mentions children

The Great Famine of 1315

1. Johannes de Trokelowe, monk at St. Albans 2.Written during The Great Famine in medieval English caused by poor weather (always wet)= crop failure
2. Religious/ moral lens, interprets famine and suffering tied to gods/ divination
3. To illustrate events/ show severity of famine often as a warning/moral lesson
4. Provides evidence of famine's impact on(starvation and high prices) and how disaster in religious outlook Key words: food items, rain, eating children

Lay of Yonec

1. Marie de France, medieval writer
2. 12th century, traditions of courtly love literature
3. Sympathy towards romantic love/women's lens--critiques male control/ forced marriage
4. To entertain while teaching moral lessons on love, loyalty, and justice
5. Shows ideals of courtly love, gender roles, and tension between personal desires and social constraints in medieval society. Key words: he/she, "husband", adultery

Assize of Clarendon

1. King Henry II + admin
2. Issued in 1166 to reform England's legal system, strengthen royal courts, address crime
3. Royal authority, kings control over local communities
4. Establish procedures for criminals, law and order
5. Laid foundation for English law system/ more power to royals, moved England to a more structured government Key words: listed article, robbers

Constitutions of Clarendon

1. King Henry II+ Admin
2. 1164, conflict between church(clergy) and royals authority over people
3. Pro-royal viewpoint, critiques clergy of lawlessness, supports limiting the church
4. To justify royal authority over clergy/ particular appeals to the Pope
5. Highlights power struggle between church v. state, help shapes authority in both church/state keywords: kings/ kingdom, clerks, list

Lateran IV: Canon 68

1. Catholic Church, Pope Innocent III
2. 1215, Church council addresses religious order/ social control in medieval Europe especially relations between Christian, Jews, Muslims
3. Strongly christian centered views, Jews + Muslims considered outsiders/inferior, emphasizes separation
4. To enforce visible distinctions (clothing), limits relations/interactions between groups especially intimate ones
5. Institutionalized religious segregation in Europe, long term discrimination for Jews/ Muslims Key words: distinguish, women, public

Pogroms of 1096

1. Christian authors (Albert of Aix)+ Jewish writer (Solomon Bar Samson)
2. Written after the first crusade, crusaders massacred Jewish communities while traveling to Holy Land
3. Christian sources will justify violent acts; Jewish account emphasizes suffering
4. Record/ interpret massacres in each religious standpoint
5. Provides multiple religious perspectives during crusade era, shed light onto suffering of Jewish communities. Key words: Women, jews, Rachel and her children (Jew's prespective)

Councl of Clermont

1. Pope Urban II
2. Delivered at the councl of Clermont during early crusades , when Byzantine empire requested aid against muslim forces
3. Strongly pro- christian, anti- muslim, frames christians as righteous, Muslims as enemies, justifies violence of holy duty.
4. To call christians to join to first crusade and unifying warring Europeans/ redirect their violences.
5. Sparked First Crusade and how religious leaders use faith to mobilize large-scale military action and reshapes European society Keywords: god, muslims, attack, conquer

Benard of clairvaux

1. Benard of Clairvaux (12th century cistercian monk)-in support of knights templar
2. Early 12th century, crusaders era/ founding of knights templar written in response to Hugh de Payen's request to defend/ promote new military religious order
3. Pro-christian/templar, glorifies religious warfare, portrays killing in the service of Christ as righteous
4. To justify/ promote the knight's templar (encourages recruitment) --frames their violence morally and defends by spirtual legitimacy
5. Legitimize the idea of holy warfare/ military orders; shaping how medieval Christians viewed crusading, knighthood, fusion of religion and violence Key words: Christ/god, knight/knighthood, chapters

The Dictates of the Pope

1. Pope Gregory VII
2. Written around 1075, conflict between Church and secular rulers over authority
3. Pro-papal, asserts supremacy of pope over all religious and secular authorities (kings/emperors)
4. To define/justify the Pope's absolute authority within the church, and over political rulers
5. Key document of papal reform which strengthened centralized church power, intensified conflicts between church and state in medieval Europe Key words: list, pope, Roman/ Rome,

Justinian Code

1. Justinian I (from his legal code, the Corpus Juris Civilis)
2. 6th century Byzantine Empire; part of a broader effort to codify and organize Roman law, especially regarding marriage, family, and legitimacy.
3. Legal and patriarchal; prioritizes social order, strict family structure, and male authority (especially the father's power over children).
4. To define lawful vs. unlawful marriages, regulate family relationships, and establish rules about legitimacy, inheritance, and social status.
5. This code shaped medieval European law, especially ideas about marriage, legitimacy, and family structure, influencing both secular and church law for centuries. Key words: law, roman/rome, power

Tacitus (in class)

1. Tacitus, Germania
2. In the end of the first century Tacitus witnessed the moral decay of the empire while Rome faced formidable enemies to the North
3. Tacitus was careful not to criticize Rome directly, but here he noted the lack of greed by the Germans, which left the reader to compare that to the greed that plagued the empire
4. Tacitus sought to raise awareness of Rome's corruption by carefully recounting the ethical and moral virtues of the Germans. This passage portrays their lack of greed
5. Tacitus implied a connection between cultural virtue, such as lack of greed, to freedom and strength. Inspired by the martial reputation and republican customs of the Germans, he implied that imperial governance corrupted by the Roman people. Future generations highly regarded his insights into the benefits of republican governance