Overview
Below are six questions; in two separate essays, answer two of them. Each of the answers shall be of equal value. The answers ought to be submitted by our last class. The suggested length for each essay is 1,500 words, but the choice of length is ultimately your own. Successful answers will reveal thoughtful reflection on the course materials, both primary and secondary.
1. A theme of our course has been that early medieval history can be examined in term of a sifting of old traditions and the creation of new ones. Point to some of the ways in which you believe this statement to be valid or not valid.
2. The monastic experience is crucial for an understanding of many religious, social, economic developments in early medieval Europe. Point to some of the ways in which you believe this statement to be valid or not valid.
3. The Papacy, particularly as its action was displayed by Gregory the Great, was the most creative and formative institution of the early medieval West. Point to some of the ways in which you believe this statement to be valid or not valid.
4. The early Middle Ages is best understood as the convergence of Roman and Germanic traditions under the tutelage of the Roman Church. Point to some of the ways in which you believe this statement to be valid or not valid.
5, The early medieval period started by the deposition of the Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus by the barbarian king, Odovacer, and ended by the start of the Gregorian reforms. Point to some of the ways in which you believe this statement to be valid or not valid.
6. The medieval imperial coronations by the popes throughout the early middle ages was a truce and the result of the cooperation between the secular political powers in the Latin west with the papacy. Point to some of the ways in which you believe this statement to be valid or not valid.