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HIS33200

Academic Year 2025/2026

The 'Papal Revolution': Religion, Power, and the Transformation of Medieval Europe, c.1049-c.1123 (HIS33200)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Dan Armstrong
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

The eleventh and twelfth centuries saw the pope transformed from a figure disregarded beyond the walls of Rome to a major strategic player on the European stage, intervening in conflicts, deposing failing rulers, and calling for vast armies to expand the very frontiers of Christendom. As a result, this period of ‘papal revolution’ witnessed a radical alteration in the relationship between the papacy and its surrounding world. In this module, students will explore this era of dynamic change through the transformation in the papacy’s relations with the wider European world, travelling from Ireland to the Byzantine Empire, encountering individuals like Matilda of Tuscany and William the Conqueror along the way. The module will address dramatic events, such as Canossa and the Crusades, and consider radical papal ideas, such as Gregory VII’s views on violence and the very nature of power on earth.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students should have

a) a strong understanding of the transformation of papal power in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and how it impacted the very shape and idea of Christendom.

b) developed their skills in working with a range of relevant primary sources from the medieval period.

c) a strong grasp of the historiographical debates surrounding the transformation of papal power, reflecting on important topics such as the agency of individual popes, confessional approaches to history, and debates surrounding causation.

d) improved their written and communicative skills through class discussions, debates, and written assessments.

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1:
Lecture: Introduction: Why study the medieval papacy?
Seminar: Sources for the medieval papacy

Week 2:
Lecture: The early medieval papacy, from Peter to Leo IX
Seminar: The papacy and the city of Rome

Week 3:
Lecture: The ‘Papal Revolution’ and its historiography
Seminar: Anti-papal polemics

Week 4:
Lecture: The ‘Investiture Contest’
Seminar: Canossa

Week 5:
Lecture: Extending papal authority across Christendom: Papal legates, councils, and canon law
Seminar: ‘Holy Satan’: Gregory VII

Week 6:
Lecture: Contested Authority: The papacy and the Byzantine Empire
Seminar: Contested Authority: ‘Antipopes’ and papal elections

Week 7:
Lecture: The papacy and female rulers
Seminar: Gobbet Exam

Week 8:
Lecture: The papacy and violence
Seminar: The Crusades

Week 9:
Lecture: The papacy and the periphery of Christendom
Seminar: The papacy and Ireland

Week 10:
Lecture: What happens next? The medieval papacy after 1123
Seminar: How powerful was the medieval papacy?

Week 11
Conclusion and Essay Preparation

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

11
Specified Learning Activities

95
Autonomous Student Learning

95
Total

212

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module consists of one-hour lectures, followed by two-hour seminars. The lectures are designed to give a broad overview, focussing on the important historiography, debates, and developments. The seminars will address a specific and related topic in more detail, with an often-strong primary source focus. Seminars will take the form of class discussions, small group-work, and debates. Advanced research, writing, and citation skills are developed through the gobbet analysis and final essay. Autonomous learning is developed through these assessments, as well as student-led discussions and debates during the weekly seminars.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Short written analysis of two primary source excerpts Week 7 Graded No
40
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): This is a research essay of c. 3,500 to 4,000 words, based on work undertaken over the module. The project must be based on primary and secondary sources.. Week 14 Graded No
40
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Students are graded on their contribution to seminar discussion throughout the module. (NB: this is not based on attendance but on active discussion and participation). Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11 Graded No
20
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on presentations and participation is given individually and to the class, verbally and in writing, throughout the semester. Feedback on end-of-semester essays is given individually and to the class on essays plans before final submission, and by appointment after submission and grading.

Name Role
Dr Dan Armstrong Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Thurs 09:00 - 10:50
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
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