Autumn 2009     Call Number: 28061     Credit/Hours:UG 5
Instructor: Hanawalt      Location: Scott Lab E-4
Days: Monday, Wednesday
Start Time: 5:30am     Length: 2 hours

Course Description:

The usual title of this course is "Knights, Peasants, and Bandits in Medieval England," It explores the ways that the ordinary people and some not so ordinary people coped with the major historical events that occurred in England from the Norman conquest to the Tudor dynasty. We will look at what happened to the Anglo-Saxon population during the conquest, the life of the serf and free peasant, and how this changed over the centuries, the growth of towns and the bourgeoisie, the rewards and problems of being a member of the nobility. In trying to keep up with historical change, all classes of society resorted to manipulation of the economy and the law. They also were not slow to use brute force and crime to achieve their ends. They formed mutual aid societies and relied heavily on family and neighbors as well. The course is a practical guide on how to survive the Middle Ages. It is also a guide to touring England in the 21st century in order to appreciate medieval sites.