HIST 431

The Medievel Church

Brett Whalen

The Medieval Church will examine major trends and special topics in the historical
development of the Christian church in Europe and the Mediterranean world from late
Antiquity through the High Middle Ages (ca. 300-1300). In addition to covering the
development of ecclesiastical institutions and basic forms of religious life, the course
will explore various cultural and intellectual traditions of the Christian church in the
Middle Ages, including the relationship between Western and Eastern Christians,
missionary activity, the dynamics of power between secular and sacred authorities,
clerical attitudes toward Jews, Muslims and heretics, and distinct forms of female
spirituality.