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An examination of the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, and the formation of an entity destined to become a multi-cultural kingdom, the originator of the First World Empire. We will examine the political, cultural, economic and military aspects of the developing Christian states, along with the unique interplay of the three great monotheisms, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, including their learning and artistic expression.
GROUP LEADER: James F. Powers s Professor Emeritus at Holy Cross. His research centered on Medieval Spain, and he taught courses on Ancient, Medieval and Modern Europe.
OPTIONAL BOOKS: Fletcher, Richard. Moorish Spain. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2006 (rev.ed.). ISBN# 978-0520248403
Fletcher, Richard. The Quest for El Cid. New York: Knopf, 1990. ISBN# 978-0195069556
Powers, James F. A Society Organized for War: The Iberian Municipal Militias in the Central Middle Ages, 1000-1284. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1988. ISBN# 978-0520056442 or available to read online at: http://libro.uca.edu/socwar/war.htm
Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE)Assumption University, 500 Salisbury Street, Worcester MA 01609 wise@assumption.edu 508-767-7513
