State, War and Ideology in The European High Middle Ages

This course deals with the state development process in Europe from the 11th to the 14th century. The course will provide an overview of the debate around this process and selected aspects of it: war, administrative developments, the role of the aristocracy etc. We will study the state development in Norway, Scotland and Spain, which all in one way or another could be conceived as European peripheries compared to Germany, France and England in The High Middle Ages. The process in the last three countries has constituted the basis for the traditional view on the state process in Europe in The High Middle Ages.

A candidate who passes this course is expected to have the following learning outcome according to the course curriculum, defined as knowledge and skills:

Knowledge:
- The candidate is familiar with the debate whether or not the concepts "state" and "state process" are fruitful for Europe in The High Middle Ages
- has knowledge of how central power developed in different European countries (Norway, Scotland, Castile and Aragon); especially jurisdiction, military and fiscal organization
- is familiar with the main features of the European state process in The High Middle Ages like administrative organization and centralization, war and ideology
- is aware of the fact that different interpretations of sources and events have formed different views among historians of how central power developed in The High Middle Ages

Skills:
- The candidate is able to apply his knowledge of this period to present and analyze the question of how central power developed in Europe in The High Middle Ages
- is able to carry through a source analysis that complies with the requirements of academic writing

Lectures and one mandatory paper