The Hundred Years War: Warfare and Society in Europe, c. 1337-1453
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HIST3119 | History | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- HIST3119
- School
- History
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
Many see medieval Europe as a violent and dangerous place, one in which there was little by way of law and order. A war that lasted over a hundred years (c. 1337-1453) might well be taken as evidence of this. However, this war, which was at its heart about who should sit on the French throne, was far more complex (and interesting) than this would suggest. Indeed, in studying the Hundred Years War, we are able to learn a great deal about the people who lived and died in late-medieval England, France, Germany and Spain. Why did people fight? How did people fight? Were there laws dictating how war should be conducted? What role did chivalry play in all of this? How did war impact on women and non-combatants? Were there medieval pacificists? Do the sources of this period really allow us to understand war fully? Did this lengthy war lead to a new sense of national identity? These are some of the core questions that underpin this module. While this is, then, a module about a war, it is also a module about the society who fought in and experienced this prolonged conflict. While the module runs broadly chronologically, within each chronological chunk we will focus on a specific, pertinent theme. These will include:
Studying the Hundred Years War: Primary sources
1300-1337: The road to war
1337-1340: Paying for war
1340-1350: The armies of the Hundred Years War
1350-1360: Raiding and siege warfare
1360-1377: Chivalry and masculinity
1377-1400: Making peace
1400-1422: Battlefield tactics
1422-1435: Women and war
1435-1453: New national identities?
Advisory text: This module focuses on warfare and, as such, will discuss various acts of violence (including severe bodily injury, mass killings, and sexual violence) in some detail. Students will not be expected to take part in discussions if they are not comfortable doing so.
Target Students
Available to level 3 or 4 single or joint honours History students and Liberal Arts students.
Classes
- One 2-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 1-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Presentation: A ten minute recorded digital presentation
- 50% Coursework: 3,000 word written essay
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module aims to: 1) Address student interest in medieval history, particularly themes such as chivalry and warfare, which they are not currently able to study in great depth; this will be the only third-year optional module to focus on these themes in detail. 2) Challenge students’ preconceptions of medieval Europe, and particularly medieval ideas and attitudes towards warfare and violence, which has often been simplified and popularized by programmes such as Game of Thrones. 3) Introduce students to the key events and themes of the period, which was so transformative in the history of Europe. 4) Offer students a natural follow-on from second-year modules such as ‘Heroes and Villains’ and ‘Kingship in Crisis’, and compliment existing third-year special subjects.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding of:
The key aspects of warfare, politics, chivalry and monarchy in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, especially within England, France, Germany and Spain.
A selection of primary texts in translation concerning the history of medieval warfare.
The secondary literature concerning the subject, and the key debates and approaches that have emerged within this.
How the developments at this time affected the course of European history.
Intellectual skills. Students will:
Engage with key problems in interpreting sources.
Assess and evaluate competing interpretations put forward by historians.
Construct coherent arguments about the subject matter.
Professional/practical skills. Student will learn to:
Analyse information and arguments from a range of primary and secondary source.
Plan, research and write a sustained piece of historical enquiry.
Use IT to access resources and complete assignments.
Transferable skills. Students will:
Work effectively with other students to research primary and secondary sources.
Manage large and often incomplete sets of data/information.
Develop oral and written communication skills.
Improve IT skills in word processing.