Excerpta ex Historia Hiberniae – problems of medieval and modern Irish history and culture against the comparative background of Europe

Obligatory:

Good understanding and command of English language

Complementary:

Interest in medieval history of Europe

OR

Interest in Irish history and culture

OR

Interest in Anglophone history and culture

Contact hours with teacher:

- participation in lectures 30 hrs (1 ECTS)

- consultations 2 hrs (optional)

Self-study hours:

- preparation for lectures 8 hrs

- reading literature 20 hrs

Altogether: 60 hrs (2 ECTS) or 30 hrs (1 ECTS)

A student

W1: knows selected issues in universal history (in terms of the five

major historical eras) and knows how to arrange them chronologically and thematically (H1A_W04)

W2: knows and understands basic historical terminology in at least one modern language present in the historical sources (H1A_W02)

W3: knows and understands to an elementary extent the relations and interrelationships between the past and current events and their impact on the awareness and identity of people and societies (H1A_W03 and H1A_W07)

W4: demonstrates knowledge of the comparative history of Europe; knows the links between the history of European integration and current social, economic and political issues (H1A_W05)

W5: knows various sources of information; understands their usefulness in historical research (H1A_W07)

A student

U1: can master and apply basic historical research skills under the guidance of a tutor (H1A_U03)

U2: is able to define and use, orally and in writing, basic historical and related terminology both in research work and in the dissemination of historical knowledge (H1A_U04)

U3: formulates theses and argues using the views of other authors of historical works (H1A_U06)

A student

K1: has an awareness of the value of historical culture, which consists of knowledge of the history of the discipline, testimonies, methods and the historical roots of culture (H1A_K05 and H1A_K06)

K2: recognises and respects differences in viewpoints determined by different cultural background; demonstrates autonomy and independence of thought, while respecting the right of others to display the same qualities; is able to show understanding for the values and attitudes of people in different historical periods and contexts (H1A_K02 and H1A_K06)

K3: understands the necessity of respecting ethical norms in the work of a historian and the popularisation of historical knowledge (H1A_K04)

K4: makes attempts to participate in historical discussions and provide information to those interested in history outside the circle of professionals (H1A_K06)

K5: appreciates the role of the historical sciences and related disciplines for the formation of social ties at local and supra-local levels (H1A_K06)

Expository teaching methods:

- informative (briefing) lecture

- storytelling

- demonstrations and case methods

- display

Engaging teaching methods:

- discussion-based lecture

The topic of this lecture is the history of medieval and modern Ireland. The chronological range is from the early Middle Ages (Christianisation of Ireland) to the mid-19th century (the Great Famine). The lecture will present selected topics of history and culture from the history of Ireland, relatively often taken up in academic and popular science literature, drawing on historical sources and an overview of scholarly discussion and relevant contexts. The history and historiography of Ireland will be investigated against the comparative background of history of other European regions and countries.

The “Excerpta ex Historia Hiberniae” lecture is a voyage through the epochs, processes and events that have shaped today’s Irish history and culture. The Irish history proves to be a versatile starting point for discussing historical processes and phenomena concerning Europe in general. From the early Middle Ages, when the island community experienced Christianisation, to the events of the 19th century, including the period of the Great Famine, participants will explore the history of this interesting island. Among the milestones of the Irish history, it is common to highlight conquests – the Viking conquest of Ireland, followed by the Anglo-Norman conquest, then Tudor conquest and the Plantation of Ulster, as well as famines, epidemics, uprisings and other breakthroughs. The lecture will present the latest research findings on these topics in order to characterise these events in Irish history, using the historical background of European history, and to equip the students with competence to take part in informed discussions about them. Another interesting topic is the Catholicisation of Ireland, showing the impact of religion on society and politics. Equally affecting contemporary reality and Irish historiography is the problem of cities, their origins, typologies, definitions and functioning. The lecture will show the extent to which medieval towns in Ireland, Wales or England differed from towns in other regions of Europe. Attention will be also given to other events and processes, common to European modernity in general, shaping the social life of modern Ireland and self-image of the today’s Irish, such as the Reformation and migration, but also economic impoverishment as well as ethnic and class exclusion. During the course we shall observe the birth of Irish nationalism, its similarities and differences to other European nationalisms of the 19th c. The “Excerpta ex Historia Hiberniae” lecture provides a history lesson, but also an overview of cultural heritage, and as such it should inspire reflection on the impact of the past on the present.

1. The spread of Christianity vs. Christianisation. Christianisation and early Christian culture in Ireland and beyond.

2. The Irish and the Vikings – violence, settlement and the story of Brian Boru.

3. Henry II, Thomas Beckett and the Catholicisation of Ireland.

4. The Norman conquest 1066, the Anglo-Norman conquest 1169 – historiographical discussions; causes, course and effects.

5. Defining a city: the historiographical approaches to urbanisation of medieval Ireland and other frontier regions of Europe.

6. Irish town spaces, systems, trade, politics and relationships, and their European counterparts.

7. Plague, society and economy: the case of Ireland and other cases.

8. The Knights Templar and (varied cases of) witch hunt.

9. Reformation, the Irish case.

10. Colonialism, postcolonialism and the exploration of the New World - Irish case and other cases.

11. The 19th-c. Establishment towards the most vulnerable: organised actions against poverty, disease and corruption, and their contemporary image in culture. A glance at Ireland.

12. A nation of insurgents – the birth of Irish nationalism against the comparative background.

13. The Great Famine – causes, course and effects.

14. The Great Famine – discussions in literature.

15. The mythology of the modern Irish.

Recommended literature, a selection:

early medieval:

• Fintan O’Toole, A History of Ireland in 100 Objects, Dublin 2013.

• Helen Fulton, Historiography and the Invention of British Identity: Troy as an Origin Legend in Medieval Britain and Ireland, in: Origin legends in early medieval Western Europe, ed. Lindy Brady, Patrick Wadden, Leiden 2022, pp. 338-362.

• Thomas M. Charles-Edwards, Origin Legends in Ireland and Celtic Britain, in: Origin legends in early medieval Western Europe, ed. Lindy Brady, Patrick Wadden, Leiden 2022, pp. 46-74.

• Megan Henvey, Transmitted in stone: church organisation in early christian Ireland, in: Transmissions and Translations in Medieval Literary and Material Culture, ed. Megan Henvey, Amanda Doviak, Jane Hawkes, Leiden 2022, pp. 74-99.

• Martin McNamara, The Bible in the Early Irish Church, A. D. 550 To 850, Boston 2022.

• Donnchadh Ó Corráin, Ireland before the Normans, Dublin 1972.

• The Viking Age - Ireland and the West, ed. John Sheehan, Donnchadh Ó Corráin, Dublin 2010.

• Sean Duffy, Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf, Dublin 2013.

• Jerzy Strzelczyk, Chrystianizacja Irlandii, Poznań 2006.

• Jerzy Strzelczyk, Iroszkoci w kulturze średniowiecznej Europy, Warszawa 1987.

• Jerzy Strzelczyk, Apostołowie Europy, Poznań 2010.

late medieval:

• Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia, ed. Sean Duffy, New York 2005.

• A new history of Ireland, ed. T.W. Moody, Francis X. Martin, Francis J. Byrne, Oxford 1976.

• A new history of Ireland. 2: Medieval Ireland 1169-1534, ed. Art Cosgrove, Oxford 1987.

• Margaret Murphy, Michael Potterton, The Dublin region in the Middle Ages: settlement, land-use and economy, Dublin 2010.

• Robin Frame, Plantagenet Ireland, Dublin 2022.

• Towns on the Edge in Medieval Europe: The Social and Political Order of Peripheral Urban Communities from the Twelfth to Sixteenth Centuries, ed. Matthew F. Stevens, Roman Czaja, Oxford 2022.

• Howard B. Clarke, Angliores ipsis Anglis: the place of medieval Dubliners in English history, in: Surveying Ireland’s Past: Multidisciplinary Essays in Honour of Anngret Simms, ed. Howard B. Clarke, Jacinta Prunty and Mark Hennessy, Dublin 2004, pp. 41-72.

• Helen Nicholson, The trial of the Templars in Britain and Ireland, in: The Templars: The Rise, Fall, and Legacy of a Military Religious Order, ed. Jochen Burgtorf, Shlomo Lotan, Enric Mallorquí i Ruscarella, London 2021, pp. 209-233.

• Ní Mhaonaigh, Máire, Medieval Irish battle narratives and the construction of the past, in: Writing battles. New perspectives on warfare and memory in medieval Europe, ed. Elizabeth A. Rowe, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Rory Naismith, London 2020, pp. 131-146.

• Maria Kelly, A History of Black Death in Ireland, Stroud 2001.

• Bruce M.S. Campbell, Benchmarking medieval economic development: England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, c.1290, The Economic History Review, 2008, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0289.2007.00407.x

• R.H. Britnell, Britain and Ireland 1050-1530. Economy and society, New York-Oxford 2004.

• Robin Frame, Ireland and Britain, 1170-1450, London 1998.

• Jackson W. Armstrong, Peter Crooks, Andrea Ruddick, Using Concepts in Medieval History: Perspectives on Britain and Ireland, 1100-1500, Basingstoke 2022.

• Stephen Hewer, Beyond exclusion: Intersections of ethnicity, sex, and society under English law in medieval Ireland, Turnhout 2021.

early modern and modern:

• Senia Paseta, Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2003.

• Jane Ohlmeyer, Introduction: Ireland in the Early Modern World, Cambridge 2017.

• Early Modern Ireland: New Sources, Methods, and Perspectives, ed. Sarah Covington, Valerie McGowan-Doyle, Vincent Carey, London 2018.

• Ireland in crisis: War, politics and religion, 1641-50, ed. Patrick Little, Manchester 2019.

• David Heffernan, Debating Tudor policy in sixteenth-century Ireland: ‘Reform’ treatises and political discourse, Manchester 2018.

• The plantation of Ulster: Ideology and practice, ed. Micheál Ó Siochrú and Eamonn Ciardha, Manchester 2014.

• Steven G. Ellis, Ireland’s English Pale, 1470-1550: The Making of a Tudor Region, Martlesham 2021.

• Damien Duffy, Aristocratic women in Ireland, 1450-1660: the Ormond family, power and politics, Martlesham 2021.

nineteenth century:

• W.E. Vaughan, A.J. Fitzpatrick, Irish Historical Statistics: Population 1821-1971, Dublin 1978.

• Tim Pat Coogan, The Famine Plot: England’s Role in Ireland’s Greatest Tragedy, London 2013.

• Jerry Mulvihill, The Truth Behind the Irish Famine, 2021.

• John Crowley, Atlas of the Great Irish Famine, New York 2012.

• Tom Keneally, Three Famines: starvation and politics, New York 2011.

• John Percival, The Great Famine, London 1995.

• Sisters, ed. Siobhán FitzpatrickMary O’Dowd, Dublin 2022.

• Jacinta Prunty, Our Lady of Charity in Ireland: The Monasteries, Magdalen Asylums, and Reformatory Schools, 1853-1973, Dublin 2017.

• Miho Tanaka, ‘Nation’ Consciousnesses in Medieval Ireland, in: Journal of International Economic Studies, 24, 2010, pp. 3-16.

Assessment methods:

- attendance (60%) (non-graded credit and graded credit)

- activity and preparation based on assigned readings (40%) (non-graded credit and graded credit)

- extra for graded credit only: short essay presented at consultations, based on assigned readings (20%)

Assessment criteria:

fail- <60% (non-graded credit and graded credit, FAIL / 2)

pass- =60% and >60% (non-graded credit, PASS)

satisfactory- 60% (graded credit, 3)

satisfactory plus- >60%-70% (graded credit, 3.5)

good – 71-79% (graded credit, 4)

good plus- 80-85% (graded credit, 4.5)

very good- >85% (graded credit, 5)

60% is granted to participants in 14/15 lectures in a cycle (one excused absence).

If a student fails to achieve the 60% based on attendance required to pass the course, in order to pass, credits must be obtained on the basis of activity and preparation.

Those interested in obtaining good plus and very good grades are encouraged to obtain extra credit.

not applicable