HIST 108Crusades: Holy War in the Middle Ages

3 credits · History · Penn State

The course examines the social and political history of the "Crusades", one form of holy war in medieval Europe, the Levant, and North Africa, focusing primarily on the period from the 11th through the 14th centuries, but also offering background to, as well the history of later repercussions of, the "Crusades". This warfare of the Central and Late Middle Ages, later called "Crusades", were fought in many geographical regions, including the Levant, the Baltic, the Iberian peninsula, southern France, and North Africa. The course addresses various elements of this kind of medieval warfare, and examines how such "crusading" evolved with complex political, religious, and economic origins.