Deciphering Secrets: The Illuminated Manuscripts of Medieval Europe
- 4.6
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Approx. 45 hours to complete
Course Summary
Explore the history, culture, and society of Medieval Europe in this comprehensive course. Learn about the rise of feudalism, the development of the Catholic Church, and the impact of the Black Death.Key Learning Points
- Understand the key events and social structures of Medieval Europe
- Gain insight into the religious beliefs and practices of the time
- Explore the impact of disease and warfare on society
Job Positions & Salaries of people who have taken this course might have
- USA: $49,000 - $87,000
- India: ₹400,000 - ₹1,000,000
- Spain: €20,000 - €30,000
- USA: $49,000 - $87,000
- India: ₹400,000 - ₹1,000,000
- Spain: €20,000 - €30,000
- USA: $46,000 - $98,000
- India: ₹350,000 - ₹1,200,000
- Spain: €16,000 - €35,000
- USA: $49,000 - $87,000
- India: ₹400,000 - ₹1,000,000
- Spain: €20,000 - €30,000
- USA: $46,000 - $98,000
- India: ₹350,000 - ₹1,200,000
- Spain: €16,000 - €35,000
- USA: $39,000 - $68,000
- India: ₹300,000 - ₹800,000
- Spain: €18,000 - €25,000
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the social and political structures of Medieval Europe
- Gain insight into the cultural beliefs and practices of the time
- Develop critical thinking and analytical skills
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- Interest in history and culture
- Basic knowledge of European geography
Course Difficulty Level
IntermediateCourse Format
- Online
- Self-paced
Similar Courses
- The Renaissance in Florence
- The Crusades
Related Education Paths
Notable People in This Field
- Historian and Author
- Historian and Author
Related Books
Description
Perhaps no other relic of the European Middle Ages captures our imagination more than illuminated medieval manuscripts, or those documents decorated with images and colored pigments. Serving as windows unto a lost world of kings, ladies, faith, war, and culture, they communicate complex visual and textual narratives of Europe’s collective cultural heritage and patrimony. In this fashion, illuminated manuscripts are dynamic messages from our communal past that are still relevant today in fields like graphic design and typography.
Outline
- COURSE INTRODUCTION. INTRODUCTION TO MEDIEVAL WORLD AND MANUSCRIPT STUDIES
- Course Overview
- Meet Dr. Ana Belen Sanchez Prieto
- Meet Dr. Roger L. Martínez-Dávila
- Optional video: How everything started
- Week 1: Overview of Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean
- 1.0b. Introduction to Manuscript Studies
- 1.1. What is a Manuscript?
- 1.2. What is an Illuminated Manuscript?
- 1.3. Where do we Find Medieval Manuscripts?
- 1.4. How do we Find Medieval Manuscripts?
- Project. 1. Introduction
- Facsimile editions of medieval manuscripts
- Handbooks and Lexicons
- Working with Medieval Manuscripts
- Wrap-Up to Unit 1
- Course Description
- Who Should Enroll?
- Learning Outcomes and Goals
- Teaching Methods and Approach
- Assessment: Assignments and Grading
- Nota para hispanohablantes (Notice for Spanish speakers)
- Medieval Europe and Its Siblings
- The Formation of Medieval Europe
- The Islamic World and Formation of Its First Caliphates
- Byzantium – Eastern Roman Empire
- 1.0a. Introduction to Unit 1. Activities and Workflow
- Searching for a definition of "manuscript"
- Considering maps: What do they reveal?
- History: Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean
- Manuscript studies. Basic concepts
- MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN KINGDOMS (PART 1) AND WRITING SUPPORTS AND BOOK FORMATS
- Week 2: Overview of Medieval Kingdoms - Part 1
- 2.0b.Writing Materials and Book Formats. Introduction
- 2.1. Archaic Writing Materials
- 2.2. Papyrus
- 2.3. Parchment
- 2.4. Paper
- 2.5. Tablets
- 2.6. Roll and Scroll
- 2.7. Codex
- 2.8. Archaic and Exotic Book Formats
- Project : Materials and Book Formats
- Wrap-up to Unit 2
- Creation of Medieval European Kingdoms
- Early Germanic Peoples
- The Vandals: A Brief Reference
- The Ostrogoths
- The Visigoths
- France and the Franks
- England and the Anglo-Saxons and Normans
- 2.0a. Introduction to Unit 2. Activities and Workflow
- Ancient Scrolls Blackened by Vesuvius are Readable at Last
- The Birth of the Codex
- Thinking More About Historical Sources: France's Einhard and England's Bede
- Medieval Kingdoms - Part 1
- Writing Materials and Book Formats
- MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN KINGDOMS (PART 1) AND WRITING SUPPORTS AND BOOK FORMATS: Lesson Choices
- MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN KINGDOMS (PART 2) AND THE WRITING CASE AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE CODEX
- Week 3: Overview
- 3.0b. Introduction to Unit 3
- 3.1. The Writing Instruments
- 3.2. Black Inks
- 3.3. Colors (Part 1)
- 3.4. Colors (Part 2)
- Bonus: Making a Lake Pigment
- 3.5. The Quires
- 3.6. Folding
- 3.7. Working with the Quires
- Projects: The Writing Case and the Architecture of the Codex
- Wrap-Up to Unit 3
- Iberia: Christian and Islamic Kingdoms
- Cities: The Rise of Urban Centers
- Medieval Warfare
- Scholasticism: The Revival of Learning
- 3.0a. Introduction to Unit 3. Activities and Workflow
- Some readings about medieval colours
- Some very interesting videos about paint and ink making
- Medieval Kingdoms - Part 2
- Manuscript Studies
- MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN KINGDOMS (PART 2) AND THE WRITING CASE AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE CODEX: Lesson Choices
- A GLIMPSE OF SPAIN'S KING ALFONSO X "THE WISE" AND PREPARING THE PAGE FOR WRITING
- Week 4: Overview
- 4.0b. The Preparation of the Page. Introduction
- 4.1. The "mise-en-page"
- 4.2. Proportional Rectangles and Harmonic Surfaces
- 4.3. Pricking
- 4.4.Ruling
- Project
- Wrap-up to Unit 4
- King Alfonso X "The Wise" of Castile
- Las Cantigas de Santa Maria - The Canticles of Holy Mary
- Lecture: Las Siete Partidas: A Legal Code for Three Religions
- King Alfonso X and the Development of Spanish Universities
- 4.0a. Introduction to Unit 4. Activities and Workflow
- Richard H. Rouse & Laura Light, Manuscript Production
- Some interesting readings about the mise-en-page
- History Quiz: King Alfonso X "The Wise"
- Quiz Manuscript Studies
- A GLIMPSE OF SPAIN'S KING ALFONSO X "THE WISE" AND PREPARING THE PAGE FOR WRITING: Lesson Choices
- PALEOGRAPHY AND A HISTORICAL CASE STUDY AND WRITING THE CODEX
- Week 5: Overview
- Digital Narration of the "La Mota" Case Study
- 5.0. Introduction to Unit 5
- 5.1.Copying and Copyists
- 5.2. Writing Analysis
- 5.3. The Cycles of Latin Writing (Part 1)
- 5.4. The Cycles of Latin Writing (Part 2)
- Bonus: Meet Marius the Copyist
- Project for unit 5
- Ductus, Angle and Weight (Project bonus)
- Wrap-Up to Unit 5
- Exploring Paleography and Making Discoveries
- Paleography: The study of ancient handwriting
- Introduction to Paleography: Handwriting from the 13th Century
- Case Study Overview: “La Mota”: A Christian Assumes Ownership over Jewish Homes, circa 1416
- Youtube.com high resolution version of the digital narration
- 5.0a. Introduction to Unit 5. Activities and Workflow
- Michelle Brown, A Guide to Western Historical Scripts, from Antiquity to 1600
- Mark H. Smith & Laura Light, Script
- Interactive Album of Mediaeval Palaeography Collection of Transcription Exercises on Mediaeval Documents
- Edward Maunde Thompson, Handbook of Greek and Latin Palaeography
- Medieval History: Paleography and A Historical Case Study
- Manuscript Studies
- PALEOGRAPHY AND A HISTORICAL CASE STUDY AND WRITING THE CODEX: Lesson Choices
- EXPLORING THE GLOBAL MIDDLE AGES AND ONLINE COLLECTIONS AND CODEX DECORATION
- Week 6: Overview
- 6.0b. Introduction to Unit 6
- 6.1. Technical Procedures
- 6.2. Writing Turned in Ornament
- 6.3. The Illustrations and their Relation to the Text
- 6.4. Initial Decoration
- 6.5. Marginal Decoration
- Project: Decoration
- Wrap-Up to Unit 6
- Exploring the "Global Middle Ages"
- Exploring Spain's Online Manuscript and Museum Collections
- Internet-Based Spanish Primary Sources
- 6.0a. Introduction to Unit 6. Activities and Workflow
- Susan L'Engle and Ariane Bergeron-Foote, Law
- Laura Light, Women and the Book in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
- Other readings about manuscripts decoration
- Medieval History: The Global Middle Ages
- Manuscript Studies
- EXPLORING THE GLOBAL MIDDLE AGES AND ONLINE COLLECTIONS AND CODEX DECORATION: Lesson Choices
- BOOKBINDING AND COURSE COMPLETION
- 7.0b. Introduction to Unit 7
- 7.1.The Parts of a Book Binding
- The Evolution of Bookbinding (Part 1)
- The Evolution of Bookbinding (Part 2)
- Project: Book binding
- Wrap-Up to Unit 7
- Join Deborah, Roger and Ana in the discussion about future projects
- Week 7: Overview
- 7.0a. Introduction to Unit 7. Activities and Workflow
- Binding and the Archaeology of Medieval and Renaissance Book
- More readings about bookbinding
- Farewell
- Manuscript Studies. Bookbinding
- BOOKBINDING AND COURSE COMPLETION: Lesson Choices
Summary of User Reviews
Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course
engaging lecturesPros from User Reviews
- Engaging lectures that make the content interesting
- Insightful information on Medieval Europe
- Interactive quizzes and assignments reinforce learning
- Well-structured course with clear objectives
- Great for both beginners and history enthusiasts
Cons from User Reviews
- Some technical issues with the platform
- Not enough depth on certain topics
- Limited interaction with instructors
- Some students found the workload to be heavy
- Lack of visual aids in some lectures
Dr. Roger Louis Martínez-Dávila
4.6 Raiting
Deciphering Secrets: The Illuminated Manuscripts of Medieval Europe
- 4.6
-
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Perhaps no other relic of the European Middle Ages captures our imagination more than illuminated medieval manuscripts, or those documents decorated with images and colored pigments....
