Logo UAB

Medieval History of Catalonia

Code: 100352 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2500241 Archaeology OT 3
2500241 Archaeology OT 4
2500501 History OT 4

Contact

Name:
Jesus Brufal Sucarrat
Email:
jesus.brufal@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

All the Medieval subjects of the degree must have been succeeded.
Specifically, none.


Objectives and Contextualisation

During the Middle Ages, Catalonia was configured territorially, socially, politically and culturally. Therefore, it acquired its own historical reality. Through the study of the most important historiographic contributions and written evidences the master lines of Catalonia’s origin will be exposed. Likewise, the consolidation and the evolution of the current Catalan territories will be explained. All these items will be studied following the structural and circumstantial evolution that experimented the political power as well as the society and the Catalan economy during the Middle Ages.

The contents will be sensitive to the aspects related to the perspective of gender.


Competences

    Archaeology
  • Contextualizing and analysing historical processes.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Managing the main methods, techniques and analytic tools in archaeology.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethic relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
    History
  • Critically assessing the fonts and theoretical models in order to analyse the different historical periods.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Mastering the basic diachronic and thematic concepts of the historical science.
  • Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the historical processes that lead to armed conflict.
  2. Analysing the key issues that allow us to address the study of historical phenomena from a gender perspective.
  3. Applying both knowledge and analytical skills to the resolution of problems related to their area of study.
  4. Applying proper techniques and analytical tools in case studies.
  5. Applying techniques in order to quickly and completely understand texts in Latin.
  6. Applying the grammatical knowledge acquired to the analysis and comprehension of Latin texts.
  7. Applying the morphosyntactic analysis to the reading of Latin texts, identifying if necessary the specific characteristics of the literary genre or the corresponding linguistic variation.
  8. Assessing and critically solving the characteristic historiographical problems of gender history.
  9. Assessing and critically solving the historiographical problems of war studies.
  10. Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
  11. Carrying out oral presentations using appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
  12. Communicating in your mother tongue or other language both in oral and written form by using specific terminology and techniques of Historiography.
  13. Critically analysing informational speeches, especially in relation to ideology and ethnocentric and sexist bias.
  14. Critically assessing the various current approaches to the study of the history of Catalonia.
  15. Describing the economic, social and political structures of the Middle Ages.
  16. Effectively expressing themselves and applying the argumentative and textual processes of formal and scientific texts.
  17. Engaging in debates about historical facts respecting the other participants' opinions.
  18. Examining a literary passage in Medieval Latin and connecting it with its general linguistic characteristics.
  19. Identifying main and supporting ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  20. Identifying the characteristic methods of Archaeology and its relationship with the historical analysis.
  21. Identifying the context of the historical processes.
  22. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  23. Identifying the specific methods of History and its relationship with the analysis of particular facts.
  24. Interpreting and analysing documentary sources.
  25. Interpreting historical texts in relation to archaeological contexts.
  26. Interpreting material sources and the archaeological record.
  27. Knowing the main historiographical debates concerning the Middle Ages.
  28. Mastering and identifying the history of immediate environment.
  29. Mastering the Universal History of the Middle Ages.
  30. Mastering the diachronic structure of the past.
  31. Mastering the relevant languages to the necessary degree in the professional practice.
  32. Organising and planning the search of historical information.
  33. Organising and summarising different explanations about the causes of social change in the different historical stages of the Catalan society.
  34. Reading and interpreting historiographical texts or original documents and transcribing, summarizing and cataloguing information produced in the Middle Ages.
  35. Recognising diversity and multiculturalism.
  36. Recognising the importance of controlling the quality of the work's results and its presentation.
  37. Relating elements and factors involved in the development of historical processes.
  38. Solve the methodological problems posed by the use of medieval historiographical sources.
  39. Solving problems autonomously.
  40. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  41. Transmitting the results of archaeological research and clearly communicating conclusions in oral and written form to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  42. Use the specific technical vocabulary of interpretation and commentary of ancient texts.
  43. Using computing resources of the area of study of history.
  44. Using research sources characteristic of the study of Catalonia's History.
  45. Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.
  46. Using the characteristic computing resources of the field of History.
  47. Using the specific interpretational and technical vocabulary of the discipline.

Content

1. The Origins and the Formation of the County Dynasties (8th-10th centuries)
1.1. The late Kingdom of Toledo
1.2. Carolingian rule: the countships
1.3. The break with the Franks
1.4. The possession and exploitation of the land: presuras and allodiums
1.5. The Church: monasteries and bishoprics
2. The Andalusian lands (813-1017)
2.1 The Conquest and the Arab and Berber Migrations
2.2 Lineages and the "people of the city".
2.3 A Dynamic Andalusian Society

3. The Taifas and the Almoravid incorporation (1017-1149)
3.1 Localisms and Mediterranean unity
3.2 The Splendour and Weakness of Real Societies
3.3 Almoravid Hope and Agony

4. Feudalisation and territorial expansion (11th-12th centuries)
4.1. The revolts of the aristocracy
4.2. Subjugation of the peasantry. The Peace and Truce of God
4.3. The first impulses of conquest: the castles
4.4. The feudal principality. The Count of Barcelona. Law and institutions
4.5. Counts of Barcelona and Kings of Aragon.
4.6. The County of Barcelona and the Occitan counties

5. Catalan "plenitude": the culmination of the conquests. Institutions. Trade (13th-14th centuries)
5.1. The Conquests of James I
5.2. The conquests of Pere II and James II
5.3. War and diplomacy in the Mediterranean: North Africa; the Great Company of the East
5.4. The Network of Consulates: routes and mercantile techniques
5.5. The institutions: monarchy, Cortes, Diputació del General, municipalities

6. Crises and transformations in the late Middle Ages (14th and 15th centuries)
6.1. Political conflict: aristocratic revolts; Genoa, Castile
6.2. Demographic and production collapse; the slowdown in mercantile activity
6.3. The enthronement of the Trastámara family
6.4. The remense problem and urban tensions
6.5. Institutional crisis. The Civil War. The Guadalupe Arbitration Sentence
6.6. Chronology and balance sheet.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Theoretical and practical lessons. Analysis of texts and documents. 50 2 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 40
Type: Supervised      
Mentori: problems solving; approach and orientation of the final project 15 0.6 1, 2, 12, 14, 17, 31, 32, 34, 36, 37, 38, 40, 44, 46
Type: Autonomous      
Bibliographic research. Readings. Essays. Personal study. 75 3 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 35, 39, 41, 42, 45, 46, 47

Attendance to the master classes 
Practical classes / seminars about primary and secondary sources
Realisation of works about the state of play and analysis of documents
Personal study

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Essay about a monographic book 30% 3 0.12 1, 2, 4, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 31, 32, 35, 36, 38, 39, 46, 47
Essays and comments about practical lessons 20% 3 0.12 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 32, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40, 43, 44, 46
Written exams and review 50% 4 0.16 5, 7, 12, 14, 16, 21, 22, 29, 30, 32, 33, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45

Continuous assessment:
The subject will be assessed by applying the following procedures:
1. Two eliminatory mid-term tests: 50% of the final mark: 25 % each.
2. Writing a review of a monograph (30% of the mark).

3. Completion of written exercise: 20% of the final mark. In this percentage, attendance, interest and participation will be taken into account.

The omission of any of the parts that make up the continuous assessment means a zero when calculating the weighted average.
Only assessment activities submitted within the deadlines established by the subject teacher will be recovered; under no circumstances may an exercise be submitted for the first time during the re-evaluation period.
A student will only be considered "not evaluable" if he/she has handed in less than 30% of the evaluable evidences of the total of the subject. If this limit is exceeded, the grade will be a fail if it does not reach the established minimums.
The re-evaluation exercise will consist of an exercise of the whole syllabus of the subject; in no case will it be considered an alternative to raise the grade.
Copying written sources (internet, books, papers, etc.) will result in a 0 in the grade of the exercise and the loss of the whole subject.

Particular cases will be taken into account and will receive personalised treatment in accordance with the subject teacher's guidelines.
Students will have the right to review the results of the tests taken. The teaching staff will establish the mechanisms for doing so in due course.

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items. 

Single assessment:
The subject will be assessed by applying the following procedures:
1. A theoretical and oral test (40% of the mark).
2. Writing a review based on a monograph related to the programme (30% of the mark).
3. Completion of a case study (30% of the mark).
The omission of any of the parts that make up the single assessment will result ina zero when calculating the weighted average.
Only assessment activities submitted within the deadlines established by the subject teacher will be recovered; in no case may an exercise be submitted for the first time during the re-evaluation period.
A student will only be considered "not evaluable" if he/she has handed in less than 30% of the evaluable evidences of the total of the subject. If this limit is exceeded, the grade will be a fail if it does not reach the established minimums.

The re-evaluation exercise will consist of an exercise of the entire syllabus of the subject; in no case will it be considered an alternative to raise the grade.
Copying written sources (internet, books, papers, etc.) will result in a 0 in the grade of the exercise and the loss of the whole subject.
Particular cases will be taken into account and will receive personalised treatment in accordance with the subject teacher's guidelines.
Students will have the right to review the results of the tests taken. The teaching staff will establish the mechanisms to do so in due course.

The same assessment method as continuous assessment will be used.

Not assessed students

Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.


Bibliography

Aventín, M.,  Salrach, J.M. Història medieval de Catalunya. Barcelona. Proa. 1998.

Batlle, Carme. L'expansió baixmedieval. Segles XIII‑XV. Història de Catalunya, dirigida per P. Vilar, vol. III. Barcelona.  1987

Bolòs, J. Catalunya Medieval. Una aproximació al territori i a la societat a l'edat mitjana. 2000

Sabaté, Flocel. El territori de Catalunya medieval: percepció de l’espai i divisió territorial al llarg de l’edat mitjana. Barcelona. Rafael Dalmau. 1997.

Sabaté, Flocel. Catalunya Medieval, vol. II de la Història de Catalunya dirigida per Albert Balcells, L'Esfera dels Llibres, Barcelona, 2006.

Salrach, J. M. vol. I en: Història dels Paísos Catalans. Ed. Edhasa, 1980

Salrach, J. M. El procés de feudalització (s,III-XII).Història de Catalunya,dir. P. Vilar,vol.  2  Barcelona. 1988.

Salrach, J. M. (director): Naixement de la Nació Catalana. Orígens i expansió (segles IX-XIV). Barcelona: Ed. Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2017.

Zimmermann, Michel. Naixement de Catalunya (segles VIII-XII). Barcelona: Ed. Base, 2023.

 

Specific bibliography will be provided during the course.

 


Software

-


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed