Apocalypse Then? Living in the ‘end times’ of Roman Gaul - Semester 1 - HIS00191H

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Module summary

Between the short-lived unification of Frankish Gaul under King Chlothar I in 558 and its reunification by his grandson Chlothar II in 614, crucial changes took place in politics, religion and the economy as well as in social structures, sweeping away the last vestiges of Roman Gaul.  Between 573 and 594 Georgius Florentius Gregorius, known to us as Gregory, was Bishop of Tours and actively involved in politics.  The changes of his day seem to have led Gregory to believe that he was living in a period of limbo before the Apocalypse and Second Coming. His writings, notably the Ten Books of Histories, form the major source material for this period and it is upon these that this course concentrates.

The Histories are one of the most complex and most entertaining narratives written in European history, as Gregory satirised the futility of the politicking of his contemporaries.  The module will familiarise students with Gregory’s writings, not simply for their interest and importance, but also as examples of different genres of early medieval writing. It will provide a detailed and rounded knowledge of Gaulish/Frankish history during this comparatively brief but important period, and introduce students to the methods and problems of writing early medieval history.  Above all, this course will show that the early medieval period was not one of stagnation, as is sometimes thought, but was as dynamic as any other; a period when important changes took place and wherein the foundations of later European history were laid.    

Related modules

Students taking this module must also take the second part in Semester 2.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 1 2024-25

Module aims

The aims of this module are:

• To introduce students to in depth study of a specific historical topic using primary and secondary material;
• To enable students to explore the topic through discussion and writing; and
• To enable students to evaluate and analyse primary sources.

Module learning outcomes

Students who complete this module successfully will:

• Grasp key themes, issues and debates relevant to the topic being studied;
• Have acquired knowledge and understanding about that topic;
• Be able to comment on and analyse original sources;
• Be able to relate the primary and secondary material to one another; and
• Have acquired skills and confidence in close reading and discussion of texts and debates.

Module content

Students will attend a 1-hour briefing in week 1 and a 3-hour seminar in weeks 2-4, 6-8 and 10-11 of semester 1. Weeks 5 & 9 are Reading and Writing Weeks (RAW). Students prepare for and participate in eight three-hour seminars in all.
 
Seminar topics are subject to variation, but are likely to include the following:

1. The Historical Background; The Geography of Gaul
2. The Administration of Gaul; Gaul's Neighbours
3. Church Organisation
4. Gregory of Tours
5. Material Culture
6. Debates on the Histories
7. Kings and Kingship
8. "Foreign Policy"

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

For formative assessment, students will be given the opportunity to produce text commentaries in seminar, including a written commentary.
 
For the summative assessment students build a portfolio of two parts, to be submitted together:
a)     Two text commentaries of 500-750 words; and
b)     One 1,500-word essay which reflects on the significance of the chosen texts in light of scholarship and sources from across the module. 
The commentaries comprise 50% and the essay 50% of the overall mark for this module. Summative assessments will be due in the assessment period.

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100.0

Module feedback

Formative work will be live marked in seminar and supplemented by the tutor giving oral feedback to the whole group. All students are encouraged, if they wish, to discuss the feedback on their formative work during their tutor’s student hours. For more information, see the Statement on Feedback.

For summative assessment tasks, students will receive their provisional mark and written feedback within 25 working days of the submission deadline. The tutor will then be available during student hours for follow-up guidance if required. For more information, see the Statement of Assessment.

Indicative reading

For semester time reading, please refer to the module VLE site. Before the course starts, we encourage you to look at the following items of preliminary reading:

• Gregory of Tours, The History of the Franks. Translated [from the Latin] with an Introduction by Lewis Thorpe. Edited by Karen Hodder (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974). 
• I.N. Wood, The Merovingian Kingdoms, 450-751 (London: Longman, 1994).