Enlarge ImageThe Fall Quarter of "History of France" is devoted to the story of the creation of a new national identity on the mainland of Europe. The Celts contribute. They choose Paris as their capital and give it its name. The Romans contribute with a new organization of the physical space and a new legal and administrative structure. The Christian missionaries contribute with new centers (Tours) and new ideas. The Barbarian invaders contribute with the addition of hundreds of thousands of new peoples from the east.
Week 1: "Introduction" Tuesday Oct 5, 2010
An introduction to our year of study.
What is unique about France?
How does France and the French story differ from other European nations?
How much does geography and the physical space determine the nature of France?REQUIRED READING:
Here is an excellent general history of France that will be very useful for our entire year.
Reviews
"Fascinating. . . . Engaging. . . . Filled with 'hot-blooded' kings, royal mistressesÉand tales of cruelty, treachery and even, occasionally, heart-warming loyalty."
–San Francisco Chronicle
"[Horne] is a virtuoso of the character sketch and the illuminating vignette. . . . La Belle France, with its refreshingly subjective style, possesses more treasures than a whole wall full of textbooks."
–The Wall Street Journal
"A breathtaking tour of French history, from its earliest kings through the Mitterrand government. . . . There are few countries with a more fascinating history than France."
–The Seattle Times
"A useful and charming introduction to a nation that has oh-so-definitely helped make the modern world what it is. . . . Horne does a service in helping the reader navigate the complexities of French history."
–Los Angeles TimesPHOTOGRAPHY
A tour of France through the photography of Nat Collins, Chairman of the Board of the Institute, and of Nathan Bergeron, a Canadian photographer who lived in France in 2008.
Week 2: "The Celts in France" Tuesday Oct 12, 2010
Before the Romans crossed the Alps into Transalpine Gaul, the first people to settle into the wide Seine river basin were the Celts. We studied the Celts last year in History of England. But this year we are interested in the Celts as the first people to discover and capitalize on the strategic uniqueness of the Paris region and its important islands that enabled one to cross the Seine.
REQUIRED READING:
RECOMMENDED READING:
Kevin Duffy
Who Were the Celts?
Barnes and Noble Books (July 1, 2000)
hardcover, 250 pages
ISBN 0760716080
Amazon price (Sept 2010) $10.00
PHOTOGRAPHY
A visit to Brittany through the photography of Patricia Hellebois our teacher of French at the Institute (Intermediate French Wed afternoon, 5pm, Beginning French Tues afternoon 5pm.) Brittany is the area of France where the Celtic culture left its most lasting imprint.
Week 3: "The Romans in France" Tuesday Oct 19, 2010
France as a Roman Colony.
How "Romanized" was France?
The limits of the Roman conquest.
And how the limits influenced all of later French history.
Remnants of Roman France.
You may own a copy of Julius Caesar's book on the Roman conquest of Gaul since we read it in our first year of Making of the Western MInd. If you end up with two copies, bring one in to class and am sure there will be someone who will be happy to purchase your extra copy.
You will want to visit the Julius Caesar page in Great MInds on this website:
Julius CaesarREQUIRED READING
MATERIAL ON THE WEB
When we turn to our pictures tonight we will visit the area around Notre Dame which will include the new archaeological museum that is under the area in front of the cathedral. This area is called the parvis, which is the term for the open space in front of and around cathedrals and churches. It is probably a corruption of the word for paradise. This area now hosts the new ...Crypte archeological of parvis of Notre-Dame. Here is a link to an excellent French language website about the museum.
Week 4: "Romans Becoming Frenchmen" Tuesday Oct 26, 2010
One of the most fascinating stories in all of European history is the story of how Roman Spain, Roman France, and Roman England slowly began to be transformed into something new, something that had never existed before, producing in each case a new national identity, rooted in early Celtic traditions, and enlarged by Roman contributions but also something beyond the Celtic and Roman flavor – something totally new. Between 300 and 500 AD a whole new cultural entity began to emerge in Europe. In the case of France this process was most fascinating in the southwest region around Bordeaux known as Aquataine from the healthy waters of the area. Here the Roman institutions, the cities, the libraries, the villas, were impressive and because of their strength and endurance, they survived the era of invasions and lived on into the new age. The figure who most perfectly speaks for this transition from Roman Gaul to the new France is Decimus Magnus Ausonius (310-395). Ausonius was a doctor's son born at Bordeaux in 310 AD. After an excellent Classical education in grammar and rhetoric he established a school of rhetoric (public speaking, an educational program that included politics and other subject matter). Among his many students were important figures in the Christian church such as Paulinus, Bishop of Nola as well as Roman officials. In 364, Ausonius was called to Rome by Emperor Valentinian to be the tutor to his son Gratian. When Gratian was murdered in 383, Ausonius went home to his villa outside Bordeaux. He had lived at the highest levels of Roman government, now his return to his villa outside of Bordeaux allowed him to be in touch with all aspects of the great international Roman empire. During his remaining years in Bordeaux he produced a fascinating collection of poetry that tells us about the world and the values of the late empire as the center failed to hold and the signs of collapse became more and more evident. We will provide you with copies of some of Ausonius' poetry.
RECOMMENDED READING
If you would like to own a copy of Ausonius' poetry, it is available in the Loeb Classical Library at a very reasonable cost of $24 from Amazon. The Latin text is printed on facing pages with the English translation.
Ausonius Volume I
Translated by Hugh G. Evelyn White
Loeb Classical Library (June 1921)
hardcover, 448 pages
ISBN 0674991079
Amazon price (Sept 2010) $24.00
PHOTOGRAPHY
One of the great treats this quarter will be a visit to the Chateau Ausone. Ausonius's Chateau still stands and now is the location of one of the greatest vineyards in all of the Bordeaux region. The vineyard is built right into the Roman ruins and the bottles are aged in caves that have been used for two thousand years. I am hoping we can buy a bottle of wine from Chateau Ausone to share on our night when we discuss Ausonius. Such a bottle is available in our area as I write this at a cost of about $500 (yes, you read right). Chateau Ausone wine is one of the most highly valued wines in the world. So this project may not come to fruition, but we will try. Whether we get to have a taste of the wine or not, we will all get to visit the Chateau thanks to the incredible generosity of the Varthier family who now own the vineyard. They have provided us with spectacular photographs for our night on Ausonius.
You can visit the Chateau on line: Chateau Ausone
Week 5: "Saint Martin of Tours" Tuesday Nov 2, 2010
Martin of Tours was one of the best known saints of the fourth century. His lifespan from 316 to 397 put him right in the middle of the most important century of Christianity after the first. Martin was named after Mars, god of war, which Sulpicius Severus interpreted as carrying the meaning of "the brave, the courageous". His father was a senior officer (tribune) in the Imperial Horse Guard, a unit of the Roman army, and was later stationed at Ticinum, Cisalpine Gaul (now Pavia, Italy), where Martin grew up. At the age of ten, he went to the church against the wishes of his parents and became a catechumen or candidate for baptism. At this time, Christianity had been made a legal religion (in 313), but it was by no means the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. As a member of a high level Roman family who chose Christianity on his own, his life resembles that of Augustine. When Martin was fifteen, as the son of a veteran officer, he was required to join a cavalry unit himself and thus, around 334, was stationed at Ambianensium civitas or Samarobriva in Gaul (now Amiens, France). While Martin was still a soldier at Amiens, he experienced the vision that became the most-repeated story about his life. He was at the gates of the city of Amiens with his soldiers when he met a scantily dressed beggar. He impulsively cut his own military cloak in half and shared it with the beggar. That night he dreamed of Jesus wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. He heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he has clad me." (Sulpicius, ch 2). In another story, when Martin woke his cloak was restored, and the miraculous cloak was preserved among the relic collection of the Merovingian kings of the Franks. The dream confirmed Martin in his piety and he was baptized at the age of 18. Martin's decision to come to France (Tours) to help the church began one of the most important careers in the whole history of Christianity. Martin lays the foundations for the whole French Christian church.
RECOMMENDED READING
The life of Martin is known to us through the work of Sulpicius Severus.
Sulpitius Severus on the Life of S. Martin
from NICENE AND POST-NICENE FATHERS: Second Series, Volume XI Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins, John Cassian
Translation and Notes by Alexander Roberts
Cosimo Classics (June 1, 2007)
paperback, 652 pages, $21.95 Amazon price
ISBN 1602065276
PHOTOGRAPHY
Tours became the cradle of Christianity in France and Saint Martin of Tours became its most famous citizen. This evening we will visit Tours thanks to the photography of Nat Collins who just visited Tours in order to bring these beautiful images to our class.
Week 6: "The Franks" Tuesday Nov 9, 2010
From Wikipedia: The Franks or Frankish people (Latin: Franci or gens Francorum) were a West Germanic tribal confederation first attested in the third century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a kingdom on Roman-held soil that was acknowledged by the Romans after 357. In the climate of the collapse of imperial authority in the West, the Frankish tribes were united under the Merovingians and conquered all of Gaul in the 6th century. The Salian political elite would be one of the most active forces in spreading Christianity over western Europe. The Merovingian dynasty, descended from the Salians, founded one of the Germanic monarchies which replaced the Western Roman Empire from the fifth century. The Frankish state consolidated its hold over large parts of western Europe by the end of the eighth century, developing into the Carolingian Empire which dominated most of Western Europe. This empire would gradually evolve into France and the Holy Roman Empire.
The story of this new dynasty and its evolution is told by an eyewitness: Gregory of Tours. Tours remained one of the most important centers of French culture in the fifth and sixth centuries and Gregory continued the work of his famous predecessor Saint Martin. Gregory was Bishop of Tours from 573 until his death in 594. His book History of the Franks is our most important document for the story of the Franks.
REQUIRED READING
From Amazon:
By Ian M. Slater "aylchanan" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - Gregory, Bishop of Tours from 573 to 594, was a member of a prominent Gallo-Roman family of aristocrats, and, like some of his relatives, was eventually canonized. His accounts of holy men, martyrs, and miracles are still extant; a work on liturgy is lost. He is best remembered, however, for a long work (which he called just "Ten Books of History") on how Gaul was conquered by the Franks, and ruled (after a fashion) by their royal dynasty, the Merovingians; with their relationships with neighboring kingdoms. It is commonly known as "The History of the Franks," although modern scholars tend to disapprove of the title. Gregory generally tells us about what involved members of the dynasty and their followers, or the Church, not the Franks in general. The various rival "Kingdoms of the Franks" corresponded very roughly to modern France and western Germany, and Gregory clearly did not have later political units in mind. The Franks were Germanic warriors -- probably from a variety of tribes mentioned by Roman historians -- who entered Roman territory as (at least mainly) pagans. The Burgundians, Ostrogoths and Visigoths, Vandals, and other predecessors, had adopted an archaic form of Christianity much earlier, and had come to be stigmatized as followers of the Arian Heresy when they insisted on following their now-traditional ways. The Franks converted -- at least in name -- directly to Post-Nicene, Trinitarian, Catholic, Orthodoxy. This gave their kings an otherwise inexplicable reputation for piety, if not exactly for virtue. (A Merovingian ruler with only one or two illegitimate children, who refrained from murdering more than a few opponents, and tried to protect his subjects, was widely regarded as a saint.) Gregory, after summarizing the history of the world (Biblical and Christian), focuses on events in the lands of the Franks and their neighbors, eventually reaching his own time, which he reports in considerable, sometimes confusing, and not always reliable, detail. He is a primary source for much of the period. Although sometimes frustrating, he is markedly superior to his immediate (and many not so immediate) successors. As a bishop, he was also an important administrator and judge. He understood practical affairs, and he knew many of the people he describes. A tendency to alleviate the blood-stained darkness with miracle stories is understandable. Given the intellectual assumptions inherited from late antiquity, they do not mark Gregory as particularly gullible or superstitious. One does miss the Venerable Bede's moderation in such matters. (And if you are interested in "Dark Age" Europe, but have not yet read Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English," try either the Penguin Classics or Oxford World's Classics translation.) Gregory's world is the reality behind some later medieval literature, He describes the age of Beowulf (literally; King Hygelac's raid on Frankish-allied Frisia is reported in one chapter). With its royal feuds, pursuit of buried treasure, and royalty with names like Sigibert, Sigismundis, and Brunnichildis, it is the background of parts of the "Nibelungenlied" and "Volsunga Saga." For these reasons alone it would be worth attention. It is also interesting on its own. Despite many lapses in narrative logic (from a modern point of view), and uneven command of Latin, Gregory could tell interesting stories reasonably well. (Erich Auerbach's "Mimesis" has a brilliant discussion of Gregory's failures as a narrator.)
Week 7: "The Battle of Poitiers" Tuesday Nov 16, 2010
On October 10, 732, the Battle of Poitiers was fought in an area between the cities of Poitiers and Tours, near the village of Moussais-la-Bataille about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Poitiers. The location of the battle was close to the border between the Frankish realm and then-independent Aquitaine. The battle pitted Frankish forces under Charles Martel against an army of the Umayyad Caliphate led by ‘Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, Governor-General of al-Andalus (Seville and Cordoba). The Franks were victorious, ‘Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi was killed, and Charles subsequently extended his authority in the south. Ninth-century chroniclers, who interpreted the outcome of the battle as divine judgment in his favour, gave Charles the nickname Martellus ("The Hammer"). The Battle of Poitiers was one of the great turning points of history. It stopped what had seemed an unstoppable Islamic drive north into the heart of Europe. First had come the lightening invasion across the Mediterranean, then the conquest of all Spain in 711, and then the move further north over the Pyrenees into southern France. The battle not only marked the end of the northern spread of Islam in Europe, it also marked the ascent of a new dynasty in France: the Carolingians.
PHOTOGRAPHY
In August 2009, Nat Collins traveled to the scene of the Battle of Poitiers and we will enjoy his photographs this evening.
Thanksgiving Vacation. No meeting week of Nov 22-26.
Thanksgiving week.
Students have stated they prefer having the week off.
Many are traveling for the holidays.
So no classes during Thanksgiving Week.
See you on Nov 30, 2010.
Week 8: "Vezelay" Tuesday Nov 30, 2010
The building of France into one of the most important nations of Europe took place under the leadership of the Capetian kings whose dynastic roots could be traced back to the Carolingians. This new dynasty, like others in Europe, led the French nation out of the chaos of the eighth century toward a new national unity organized around the new feudal monarchies. The nature of these new feudal states was visible by around 1100. In this moment these confident young feudal states adopted an artistic style that both remembered their Roman roots in its name, "Romanesque," and proclaimed a new Christian culture and artistic style. This new world of the Romanesque that flourished in the eleventh and twelfth centuries received its most perfect embodiment at Vezelay in Burgundy. On this evening we will discuss the new feudal state of France and then visit Vezelay.
Vézelay: Vézelay's hilltop location has made it an obvious site for a town since ancient times. According to legend, not long before the end of the first millennium a monk named Baudillon brought relics (bones) of Mary Magdalene to Vézelay from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. In 1058, the Pope confirmed the genuineness of the relics, leading to an influx of pilgrims that has continued to this day. Vézelay Abbey was also a major starting point for pilgrims on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela, one of the most important of all medieval pilgrimage centres. This was crucially important in attracting pilgrims and the wealth they brought to the town. Bernard of Clairvaux preached the Second Crusade at Vézelay in 1146. In 1189, the Frankish and English factions of the Third Crusade met at Vézelay before officially departing for the Holy Land.
PHOTOGRAPHY
In August 2009, Nat Collins spent a day at Vezelay and I think these are some of the most beautiful photographs of our whole quarter.
Week 9: "Troyes" Tuesday Dec 7, 2010
Troyes is a small city, the préfecture (capital) of the northeastern Aube département in France and is located on the Seine river. It is around 150 km (93 mi) south-east of Paris. Troyes has been in existence since the Roman era, as Augustobona Tricassium, which stood at the hub of numerous highways, primarily the Via Agrippa which led north to Reims and south to Langres and eventually to Milan;[1] other Roman routes from Troyes led to Poitiers, Autun and Orléans.[2] It was the civitas of the Tricasses,[3] who had been separated by Augustus from the Senones. Of the Gallo-Roman city of the early Empire, some scattered remains have been found, but no public monuments, other than traces of an aqueduct. By the Late Empire the settlement was reduced in extent, and referred to as Tricassium or Tricassae, the origin of French Troyes ("three"). In the twelfth century, the strategic location of the town led to its development of huge trade fairs with visitors from all regions of Europe meeting with merchants from south of the Alps representing the great city-states of Italy. Troyes was at the center of an exploding new trade web in which valuable merchandise traveled from Asia to Turkey and then west in Italian ships to Venice, Pisa, Genoa and other Italian ports. Then the merchandise was carried on land over the Alps to France, then north and then finally to Troyes where the Italians would meet their northern European buyers. For about 100 years, the great Champagne trade fairs turned the small city of Troyes into one of the great active centers of northern Europe.
Presiding over this great cultural scene was the glamourous brilliant Marie, Countess of Champagne. Marie is now seen as one of the most important patrons of the new Courtly Love. She moved among some of the most brilliant and powerful people of her age. Her mother was Eleanor of Aquitaine. Her father was Louis VII, King of France. her close friend was the greatest writer of Courtly Love literature, Chretien de Troyes. We will read some of Marie's own poetry and discuss this fascinating culture.
PHOTOGRAPHY
We have Nat Collins' photographs of Troyes and the country of Champagne.
We may have to open a bottle of French Champagne!
Week 10: "Chartres" Tuesday Dec 14, 2010
For our last night of Fall Quarter, we will discuss Chartres. Chartres is a town and commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in north-central France. It is located 96 km (60 mi) southwest of Paris in central France. Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country. To the southeast stretches the fruitful plain of Beauce, the "granary of France", of which the town is the commercial centre. Chartres was the birthplace of a whole new artistic and cultural style that we now call "Gothic." The term was an invention of the nineteenth century and was not originally a term of endearment but was instead a term adopted by German art historians indicating roughness. Gothic was rough and pointy when compared to the the preferred smooth Greek style – the Classical style. The new thing that we now call "Gothic" was the style of a whole new cultural phenomenon that was as revolutionary as anything in European history. It changed literature, it changed architecture, it changed sculpture, and it changed painting. Everything changed at Chartres in the early years of the twelfth century.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Nat Collins will take us to Chartres.
Christmas Vacation (2 Weeks) Mon Dec 20, 2010 to Fri Dec 31, 2010
Christmas Vacation.
No class:
Dec 21 , and Dec 28
Winter Quarter begins January 4, 2011.
