Paper Topic #1
In addition to being a great author, J.R.R. Tolkien was one of the best early medieval scholars of the early 20th century. Every kingdom in The Lord of the Rings has parallels with an actual medieval kingdom.
The kingdom of Rohan parallels the Franks, Gondor is the Byzantine
Empire, the Dwarf kingdoms are England/Scotland/Ireland, and Mordor is Persia. Focus on the kingdom of Rohan. What aspects of the portrayal of kingship parallel what we have studied in the Carolingian and Ottonian eras? How does Tolkien differ from history?
Paper Topic #2
Though it is clearly intended to be a comedy, the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail is quite a good movie about medieval history. Watch the movie and then analyze its portrayal of medieval kingship.
What does it get right, what does it get wrong? Analyze aspects such as (but not limited to) King Arthur's relationship with his knights, his relationship to the common people he meets, his relationship with various church members, etc. Be sure to contextualize the features of kingship in the movie with both the appropriate time period (which is NOT the tenth century, as the movie claims) and the appropriate place.
Paper Topic #3
These two images are of women that this course considers case studies of queenly power. The first is a mosaic of Theodora still on the wall of San Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna and the second is an image of Blanche of Castile with her son Louis IX. How do these images show the power of each woman?
What sort of power do they seem to be exercising? How do these images fit into the pattern of queenly (and kingly!) power that we've seen so far this semester?
Paper specifics:
- Paper should be 5-6 pages long
- Standard formatting procedures, 12 pt. font, double-spaced, 1" margins, etc.
- You will need a minimum of three (3) scholarly sources
- Consistently use one system of citation- preferably Chicago Manual, but I guess MLA and APA are fine for stupid citation systems.
- Use good grammar and spelling, which will count. If you need help with these things, visit the History Department Writing Center in 303 Schaeffer or the University Writing Center in the English-Philosophy Building.
- Remember the analogy that I made about cats and quotes? Please abide by that.
- Refer to the syllabus for the due dates for the various aspects of this assignment.