HIS2144 – Conflict and Order in Medieval Italy and Scandinavia

Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

Comparative history helps us understand what is unusual or unique about each of the societies that we compare. This course teaches us more about both Italy and Scandinavia by comparing their history during the Middle Ages.

In this course we will focus on four topics in medieval Italy and Scandinavia: wars within and between polities, the Church as a political actor, internal violence, and legal culture. In each field, we will find striking similarities between Scandinavia and Italy but also startling differences. While central and northern Italy was precociously urbanized, most of Scandinavia remained largely rural. At the same time as Italians experimented with republican constitutions, Scandinavia was governed by kings. But there are also similarities. In both societies, conflicts played out both within and between polities, as wars, feuds and political rivalries. Moreover, clashes between the state and church played out in similar ways, and Norwegian law shared some basic assumption with Italian laws.

The course will draw extensively on primary sources and allow the students to explore facets of political culture by analyzing chronicles, laws and charters in a comparative way.

Learning outcome

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:

  • understand the basic outline of the development in high medieval Scandinavia and Italy
  • discuss political, religious, and social aspects of medieval societies both with regard to cohesion and tensions
  • be able to compare various entities, being familiar with methods of difference and agreement
  • be acquainted with historians having differing views on the past
  • be able to analyse and express orally and in written form complex historical processes

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

A background of at least 30 credits in humanities or social sciences.

A good ability to read, write and understand English is required for this course.

Overlapping courses

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