The Medieval and Early Modern world, 1050-1750

The modern world is founded on the concept of a rupture from the medieval and early modern past. But to what extent was this so? How does our understanding change when Europe is just one among several sites of historical interrogation? In this unit you will explore the world from 1050 to 1750 on a global scale to probe how societies were shaped by forces of colonial expansion and armed conflict, intellectual and religious debate, artistic and technological exchanges, economic imperatives and environmental pressures. Focusing on zones of encounter, such as trade routes, royal courts, intellectual networks, military conflicts, pilgrimage and urban centres, we will examine how civilisations in different continents were interconnected and shaped in the centuries before the development of modern empires and states. Topics may include: trade routes of the Mediterranean, the Silk Road, and the Atlantic; religious conformity and dissidence; Crusading, conflict and colonialism; pandemics and public health; crime and punishment in comparative perspective; changes and exchanges in arts, technology and ideas.