Chapters

1. History’s Story
2. Wanderers and Settlers: The Ancient Middle East to 400 B.C.
3. The Chosen People: Hebrews and Jews, 2000 B.C. to A.D. 135
4. Trial of the Hellenes: The Ancient Greeks, 1200 B.C. to A.D. 146
5. Imperium Romanum: The Romans, 753 B.C. to A.D. 300
6. The Revolutionary Rabbi: Christianity, the Roman Empire, and Islam, 4 B.C. to A.D. 1453
7. From Old Rome to the New West: The Early Middle Ages, A.D. 500 to 1000
8. The Medieval Mêlée: The High and Later Middle Ages, 1000 to 1500
9. Making the Modern World: The Renaissance and Reformation, 1400 to 1648
10. Liberation of Mind and Body: Early Modern Europe, 1543 to 1815
11. Mastery of the Machine: The Industrial Revolution, 1764 to 1914
12. The Westerner’s Burden: Imperialism and Nationalism, 1810 to 1918
13. Rejections of Democracy: The InterWar Years and World War II, 1917 to 1945
14. A World Divided: The Cold War, 1945 to 1993
15. Into the Future: The Contemporary Era, 1991 to the Present

• Epilogue: Why Western Civilization?

Primary Sources for Chapter 7
From Old Rome to the New West: The Early Middle Ages, A.D. 500 to 1000

Study Guide | Art History | Links

Goths in the Garden

The Conversion of Clovis:  an account of how the King of the Franks became Christian.
Content Question: What are the people and events that led to Clovis’ conversion?
Analysis Question: How much is his conversion attributable to natural and/or supernatural actions?
Evaluative Questions: Why should Clovis’ baptism be so significant?

A substantial portion of Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks is here (Wayback Machine) or here.

Charles in Charge

Life of Charlemagne by Einhard, selection:  a description of the emperor’s character.
Content Question: What are the main virtues that Einhard lists?
Analysis Question: How do these virtues make Charlemagne seem an ideal ruler in his time period?
Evaluative Questions: How does Charlemagne measure up against other rulers (e.g. Hammurabi, Cyrus, Julius Cæsar, Augustus, William “the Conqueror,” Louis XIV, or Napoleon)?

Einhard, Life of Charlemagne/Vita Karoli Magni (early ninth century): This short biography offers a lively summary of its hero’s life. [Here and in Latin.]

The Cavalry to the Rescue

Oath of Homage and Fealty, 1110:  the Viscount Bernard Atton of Carcassone becomes the vassal of Abbot Leo of St. Mary’s.
Content Question: What specific acts does Bernard promise to do for his new lord and what does Lord Leo promise in return?
Analysis Question: How do these acts and the document itself form new relationships?
Evaluative Questions: Why would the abbot enter into this kind of relationship? What does this agreement reveal about the interaction of faith and politics?

 

Primary Source Project Links

7. Bad Bishops versus Benedict about Christian Moral Rules