HI4302 The Reign of Charlemagne (768-814)
Module Organiser: Professor Ian Robinson
Duration: Hilary term
Contact hours: 2 hours per week
Weighting: 10 ECTS
Assessment: 20% Essay; 80% Examination
The module is concerned with the reign of Charlemagne and the history of the Frankish kingdom and empire from 768 to 814. The main preoccupations of the module are: the establishment of the Carolingians as a royal dynasty; the conquests of Charlemagne and the expansion of his empire; Charles’s relations with the papacy and with Byzantium; the imperial coronation; Charles and the reform of the Frankish Church; innovations in government in the reign of Charlemagne and Carolingian political ideas. The module will also study the principal administrative and narrative sources for the reign.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Analyse political, religious and intellectual developments during Charlemagne’s reign
- Identify and search for relevant secondary literature
- Engage with relevant theoretical and critical approaches to the history of Carolingian Europe
- Apply different techniques of evaluation and interpretation to relevant primary sources
- Critique relevant historiography in the light of study of primary sources
- Present and discuss analysis of questions relating to the history of Charlemagne and his reign
- Analyse the impact of different aspects of early medieval European politics, society and culture